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Innocent Rain	By : saxonjesus Category: +. to F > D. Gray Man Views: 3947 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Chapter 15�My Lord, What a Mornin�

August 31, 2013, 5:36 AM�Hospital
in New York

�� Draping a blanket
over Lenalee�s still form, Allen grimaced against the pain in his rib. He stole
back to his bed, hoping none of the staff noticed his absence. He was in the
room next door, as Tuan was in the bed next to Kanda�s. They had both
miraculously been stabilized, and though Tuan was now doped up, he had woken
only a few hours prior. Kanda had stayed in a resolute sleep that the doctors
believed had nothing to do with the heavy medications that had worn off hours
ago.

�� One of the three
people sleeping by Kanda�s bedside stirred, and Allen froze, turning.

�� Please don�t tell
them I�m up,� he pleaded desperately.

�� How are you up?� The American President
asked. Allen shrugged, and the movement sent another bolt of pain through his
chest.

�� Force of will.
You see, that girl who�s leaning on your wife is the one I love. I don�t want
her to get sick, and I knew she wouldn�t be caring for herself at this point.
Oh, by the way, don�t tell her I said that�it would shatter her world if she
knew and I died. She�s barely holding on as it is.� Allen raised his arms in a
pleading gesture, and the President nodded immediately.

�� Don�t worry, Allen�I
won�t tell.�

�� Allen smiled.
�Thanks, Barack.� The man nodded, and Allen walked stiffly from the room,
closing the door slowly behind him so it wouldn�t be very loud.

�� It had surprised
him to see the American President appear at Kanda�s side as soon as he had been
stabilized. But what had surprised him the most was what the man had told him.
He couldn�t wrap his mind around the fact that Kanda had willingly saved someone else�s life. The Kanda he had met at the
age of fifteen surely wouldn�t have, but something had slowly changed in the
older man, and Allen was starting to believe that there was someone decent
beneath all the rugged layers. No, he
thought, there�s something even more
shocking than that. The President had gone up to Kanda, pulled a chair up
to his bedside, and grabbed the unconscious Exorcist�s hand. He hadn�t let go
except to go meet his wife, who had flown in from Washington, DC, and to do the
necessities. His wife had joined his vigil, and after Lenalee had been checked
over by a doctor and an intern, she had joined them as well. It hurt Allen to
see Lenalee so close to the breaking point, and he had tried to comfort her as
best he could. Unfortunately, the hospital staff seemed to think that it was
important for him to stay in bed. Allen disagreed, but after they had
restrained him the first time�he had escaped by activating his Innocence�he had
decided not to cross them.

�� Getting back into
his surprisingly comfortable bed, he soon fell into a light sleep. He was glad
when he met Lenalee in Faith�s room.

-

�� Her dark brown curls cascaded beautifully
down to the ground as she offered Allen a hand up from the floor. He took it
and winced at the pain in his rib. Faith smiled serenely and said in a soft
voice, �Allen Walker, you are injured, would you like to be healed?�

�� The
white-haired boy nodded uncertainly, and Faith called the Healer to her. She
appeared a minute later. Her gray, wispy hairs flew from her head like a halo
as usual, and her smile grew when she saw her patient.

�� Elizabeth,
would you please heal him? He cannot fight our confused siblings with his rib
in such a condition.� The Australian Noah nodded and placed a hand on Allen�s
injured chest. In a moment, his pain-ridden expression turned relieved, and he
looked around.

�� Thank
you,� he said, and Faith knew he was speaking both to her and Elizabeth.

�� A
moment later, Lenalee appeared, and Faith grew very happy. She liked Lenalee,
and she knew Allen liked Lenalee, too. Really, they were fated for each other,
if they�d only realize it�if only Road
would realize it. It made her sad that her favorite sister was suffering an
unrequited crush. Still, Allen and Lenalee were her Heart, so that made it a
little bit easier on her.

�� I
am sorry for the fight today. I am very angry at Chaz for bringing such a large
force. It has gotten to the point where my clan has forgotten where they come
from, and that is causing them to do horrible things. Please, don�t penalize
them for it. They are good people, if you�ll only give them the chance to prove
it. You will know this once the Earl is killed. I am� unable to stay awake for
long periods of time, and I can only meet with you when I am, but I will do my
best to aide you in this terrible endeavor.�

�� Allen
and Lenalee nodded, and Faith grinned when she saw them
unconsciously holding hands.

�� Elizabeth
walked over to Faith, looking worried, and Faith�s smile disappeared at what
the woman said. �There is another presence in Walker. It feels� familiar,
almost like� Sebastian.�

�� Faith
gasped. She had always wondered what had happened to him after he had lost his
form. Abruptly, Allen screamed, his hand ripping from Lenalee�s in order to
grab his suddenly-darkened eye. Faith recognized the symptoms immediately.
Furious, she strode over to Allen and placed a hand on the crown of his white
head. Searching his mind, she found the presence she was looking for and pinched it between her thumb and fore- and middle
fingers. Creating a mirror, she threw the Musician into it.

�� Glaring
at him, she pointed an admonishing finger at his darkened, smirking form. �No!�
She said firmly. The Musician looked hurt.

�� What�s
wro��

�� No!
Bad Sebastian!� She said in that same firm voice. Her
fourteenth brother pouted.

�� You
make it sound like I�m a dog,� he whined, hanging his head pitifully.

�� You
may as well be. Now listen to me, Sebastian. You�re not to hurt Allen again. If
you want the Earl dead, you must stop hindering my Heart.�

�� But Faith! He�s boring!� Sebastian protested. Faith
hardened her face.

�� I
don�t care if he�s Jesus! I�m forbidding you from hurting him again.
Anything�even a little twinge�and I refuse to put you in someone else�s head
after the Earl�s gone,� Faith stated, her arms folding over her chest
indignantly.

�� But�but
I want my body back!� Sebastian shouted.

�� I�m
sorry, Bastian, but you know I can�t, not without Sarah.� Faith felt her face
plummet into a crestfallen look.

�� Can
I have a hug, at least?� Sebastian asked. Faith looked up at his dark form in
the mirror and smiled. He always knew how to cheer her up. Reaching through the
mirror, she patted him on the head.

�� Only
if you can catch the candy in your mouth,� she said playfully, and Sebastian�s
eyes flashed with determination. She tossed him a caramel, and he stretched his
neck, catching it in his mouth expertly. They had spent many rainy days playing
just like that. Faith longed for those halcyon days. She softly reached back
into the mirror, wrapping her arms warmly around her brother.

�� I
mean it, Sebastian,� she warned, her tone turning dangerous even as she rested
her head against his chest.

�� The
man deflated a little bit and patted her on the back. �Fine,� he sighed. Faith
pulled back, catching his eyes.

�� I�m
serious,� she said, her voice flinty. Sebastian raised his hands in surrender.

�� Can
I at least defend the body?� He asked.

�� Only
if he asks you to,� Faith decreed fairly. Allen nodded at the terms, and Faith
pulled Sebastian out of the mirror, placing him lightly back into the
white-haired boy who already carried too much.

�� Thank
you,� the boy said again, and Faith smiled down at him.

�� Anytime,�
she said. She felt sleep beginning to take her again, and she reluctantly bid
her Heart farewell. They waved as the room dissolved into unconsciousness.

---

August 31, 2013�The Dark Order,
Yuu�s Room

�� The sheets smelled
so familiar, but he couldn�t remember why. It was vague, faded almost, but the
scent was so hauntingly good that he
couldn�t make himself move. He simply lay there, unmoving, and breathed in that
wonderful smell like it was a drug. It made his head a bit more clear, made him
remember at least a few things about himself. He felt very, very empty, as if
he was missing a huge chunk of who he was, but he at
least knew that he was an Exorcist named Lavi. He knew he had a personality in
his head somewhere, but he couldn�t seem to recall it�it had been lost when whatever
had happened to him had come to pass.

�� He shifted,
sending his nose further into the sheets, and sighed. His breath smelled rank,
putrid even, but he couldn�t leave this place, not when it was keeping him from
freezing over.

�� Come on, idiot, get up off your ass and get
something to eat and brush your teeth. Take one of Yuu�s shirts if you need to,
a voice in his head ordered. It sounded remarkably like his
own, and Lavi assumed it was his forgotten self yelling at him.

�� No, you dolt. I�m not your �forgotten self.�
Well, I am, but not in the way you�re thinking. Anyway, go brush your teeth�I�m
suffocating here.

�� Lavi flicked him
off before realizing he was talking to his head. Shaking that selfsame head in
exasperation, he forced himself up. Immediately, the air felt icy, and he
shivered as he went through the drawers mechanically, searching for something
that contained the smell. It wafted out, stronger than the sheets, and Lavi
nearly passed out in joy. Grabbing the topmost item, he walked in a slow gait
to the bathroom, backtracking only once to grab his toothbrush.

�� The Dark Order had
many provided conveniences. Lavi�s favorite was the toothpaste dispenser that
stood eerily close to the one for the liquid soap. Pushing the button, he
loaded his toothbrush with the minty-smelling concoction and shoved it in his
mouth, brushing his teeth violently and efficiently.

�� You happy now? He grumbled at his
head as he walked back to his room after an unsatisfying breakfast.

�� Not particularly. Are you? The voice asked
smarmily.

�� Not at all, Lavi responded. For some
reason, he felt completely comfortable with the fact that he was probably
schizophrenic.

�� You�re not�oh, whatever, I�ll be gone in a
while anyway. The voice sounded weary and almost sad. Lavi was about to
question him when the real world called out to him.

�� Lavi! Lavi, helloooo?� An Irish accent asked, and a hand was
waving annoyingly in front of his eye.

�� Eh? Oh, hi,
Darcy,� Lavi said, adopting an Irish accent himself. It felt far more natural
than any other accent he�d taken on during his life, and he always enjoyed
speaking with it.

�� Lavi, what
happened to your eye?� Darcy�s face looked worried. The man�s blue eyes were
piercing despite looking rather cloudy and vacant.

�� Lavi brought a
hand up to his right eye and noted his eye patch was missing. �Oh,� he said,
but he couldn�t seem to make himself feel embarrassed, �shrapnel.� He walked
past the other man, heading back to the room. He needed more of the smell. The
garment he carried was no longer enough.

�� Wait!� A hand
landed on his shoulder, but Lavi continued walking before the grip could
restrain him. A moment later, he heard Darcy�s familiar gait behind him, and he
resigned himself to allowing the man to follow him.

�� He reached the
room quickly and tossed his toothbrush on the floor. Flopping backwards on the
bed, he grabbed the pillow and flipped it over, covering his face with it. The
smell surrounded him again, and he began to relax slightly. The door opened,
and Darcy entered. Lavi raised up a hand and waved it
in greeting.

�� Are you alright?�
The man asked. Lavi gave him the �okay� sign that offended most Germans. �You
don�t seem alright. Want anything?� Lavi shooed him away with a flick of his
hand. The Irishman didn�t leave, though. �Mind if I stay?� He asked, and not
caring for Lavi�s answer, he hunkered down. It appeared Lavi had no say in the
matter. But after a while, he ceased to care, because the smell lulled him into
a peaceful sleep.

---

August 31, 2013, 7:30 AM�A
Hospital in New York

�� Sweat dropped from
his very warm hand. There was something very hot in it, and he realized with a
shot of dread that someone was holding
his hand. Yuu pried his eyes open and saw, to his horror, that it wasn�t
just one person. The American President�s hand was in his, and Lenalee�s rested
atop of both of theirs. He tugged his arm back gently, but the President held
fast, even in his sleep. Yuu tugged again, and when the President didn�t budge,
he wrenched it from the man�s grasp. Yuu shivered. He hated it when other
people touched him.

�� The only exception
seemed to be Lavi. For some reason, Lavi�s touches set him on fire, made him
crave the man like a drug. It was different from that horrible pleasure he had
felt at the hands of his father; it was something so completely satisfying, and
Yuu had never felt safer than he did when he was with Lavi. Each time he
thought about the other man, his stomach did a small spasm, and every time Lavi
touched him, his heart flew like a bird�s. And he didn�t mind it. He wanted
more of it, as far-fetched as that seemed.

�� A sharp pain in
his chest jolted him from his reverie. He looked down and saw a large, square
bandage taped over the wound. He scowled at it.

�� Why is it still
there?� He hissed angrily to no one in particular. Frustrated, he ripped the
bandage off and was surprised to see a large, angry scab that was verging on
scar tissue. Yuu poked at it curiously.

�� You shouldn�t be
touching that,� a man�s voice said, and Yuu looked up into the surprisingly
close face of the American President.

�� I�ll�fuck.� Yuu let out a steady stream of
Japanese curses under his breath as the wound started to ooze blood.

�� As I said, it
would be wise to stop touching the�� the American President started, but Yuu
paid him no heed.

�� Why the hell
haven�t I healed yet?� Yuu pondered aloud angrily, looking around the room for
a pitcher of water. He saw one on his bedside table and pulled it over. Wetting
the edge of his bedclothes, Yuu began to wipe the blood off of the
barely-healed hole in his chest.

�� Next to him, the
President balked. �How long do you think you�ve been asleep?� The man asked.

�� Only a few hours,
I presume, judging by the darkness,� he stated, looking the man in the eyes for
the first time. The black man raised his eyebrows curiously.

�� My body heals
abnormally fast and breaks down narcotics and other harmful drugs,� he
mentioned. He noticed an ache in his head, and he brought a hand up to it. Pain
struck down at his skull like a drum, and Yuu cursed once more. �Why does my
head hurt so much?� Unintentionally, he looked down at his chest and found his
answer. �Ah, priorities.�

�� That�s a very
interesting tattoo you have there, Mr. Kanda,� the President commented.

�� Yuu snorted
humorlessly. �It�s not a tattoo.�

�� The silence was
broken by a song Yuu didn�t recognize.

�� Sorry, Mr. Kanda,
I have to take this�it�s my Secretary of State.� He flipped up his phone. �Hi, Hillary. Yes. Uh-huh. But I�m standing vigil! Well, he
woke up, but�all right, I understand. I�ll be there as soon as Air Force One is
fueled again.� Turning back to Yuu, he closed his phone. �Sorry, we�ve got a
situation in Washington. They need me in the White House since over fifty
international leaders died yesterday, and we have no bodies to produce. They
told me they think they separated their ashes properly, though.� He smiled
mirthlessly. Shaking his wife gently to rouse her, he quickly explained the
situation, and they got up to leave. At the door, he turned around and smiled
genuinely at Yuu. �Oh, and Mr. Kanda�thank you for saving my life.�

�� Yuu nodded in
acceptance, and a moment of understanding passed through their connected eyes.
�I would have done it even if I hadn�t known that I would survive,� he said. But, he added to himself, it was the first time I was glad I was going
to live. His thoughts went to Lavi for a second, and that clenching feeling
in his stomach returned. Yes, he was definitely very, very glad to have lived
through that.

�� I�ll never forget
it.� The American President closed the door with a parting wave, and Yuu listened
to them walk away until their footsteps were out of his range of hearing. Which wasn�t very far.

�� Lenalee stirred
lightly, and Yuu looked over at her. She had a blanket overtop her, and from
the way she was leaning over his lap now, it seemed like she had been there for
a while. He sighed. Lenalee had always worried about him. He shifted over to
the far end of the bed, and the wound opened completely as he picked Lenalee up
to put her on his bed next to him.

�� Kuso,� he hissed. Lenalee�s eyes fluttered, and she let out a waking sigh.

�� Kanda�-kun?�
She asked as her eyes squinted open. Then, she sat bolt upright and threw her
arms around him. Yuu stiffened for a moment, but he didn�t move back. �I�m so
glad you�re alright!� She said, her voice high with
relief. Yuu felt tears hit his chest. He sighed, and looking away, he brought
up a hand and patted the top of her head. She froze and pulled back, looking
horrified.

�� I�m so sorry,
Kanda-kun!� She squeaked, her hands covering her mouth. Yuu was confused for a
moment. �I didn�t mean to break my promise!� She jumped off of the bed and ran
to the door.

�� As she opened it
to rush out, Yuu realized what she was talking about. �Wait,� he said. Lenalee
stopped and turned to look at him.

�� What is it,
Kanda-kun?� She asked, a worried look now pinching her features.

�� I didn�t think
you remembered,� he said softly, looking at his lap and resisting the urge to
play with his hands.

�� I�d never
forget,� Lenalee said brightly before leaving, presumably to go back to Moyashi�s room. The door opened a second
later, and Lenalee poked her face in through the crack. �Oh, and I�m glad
you�re alright, Kanda-kun.� She smiled at him and then left. This time, the
door did not open again.

�� Yuu sighed and sat
back in the bed, wiping his wound again with the wet sheets. Hopefully, it
would be healed enough for him to leave in a few hours.

---

August 31, 2013, 5:03 PM�A
Hospital in New York

�� The photographer
went up to the front desk again. He had been refused entry the day before, so
he had come back. The Exorcists needed to know about this.

�� What do you
need?� The receptionist asked, chomping loudly on a large wad of gum.

�� Uh, yes, I was
here yesterday about seeing the Exorcists. I��

�� No one is allowed
to see them. Their presence here is supposed to be confidential,� the
receptionist cut him off.

�� Listen, I have
reason to believe that one of them was kidnapped.� The lady rolled her eyes and
blew a bubble. �Fine, you know what, just tell one of
them I need to speak to them.�

�� No, now step out
of line, sir, there are others behind you with actual questions that need answerin�.� The photographer scowled.

�� I need to see the
Exorcists. I have important information!� The photographer yelled. He felt
someone poke him, and he turned around. He nearly jumped back into the high
side of the desk.

�� In front of him
was one of the Exorcists. She had brown hair and brown eyes. Her jacket was
torn and burned in places, but she kept it on. The photographer wondered why
she hadn�t changed out of it yet.

�� You need to talk
to us?� she questioned, and the photographer nodded. �Well, come with me!� She
grabbed his wrist and led him through a labyrinth of corridors. She turned into
one of the rooms, and he followed her. Inside, the photographer saw the entire
group of Exorcists. One of them was restrained to a bed, another was
unconscious, and a third was in a wheelchair, but the rest of them sat in
chairs, looking only slightly battered. All of them wore Exorcist jackets,
excepting the two in bed.

�� weren�t we
supposed to leave yesterday? Besides General Chu, we�re all fit to travel, and
he can follow once he�s well enough. He�s a General; he can take care of
himself. I don�t see why we can�t just go home,� said the very effeminate man
who was restrained to the bed. He looked rather disgruntled. The photographer
placed him immediately as the one who had been in the worst condition the
previous night. He had gotten great pictures of the man being pierced through
the chest with a large spike. He didn�t understand how the man had survived,
let alone up and about, ready to travel.

�� That�s the first
time you�ve called it home, Kanda-kun,� a girl with hair to her mid-back
smiled. Her jacket was different from everyone else�s (except the old man in
the wheelchair), with gold trimming rather than white. The Exorcist he had
followed giggled and replied,

�� He only calls it
home because Lavi�s there,� she snickered, covering her smile with a small hand.

�� The old man in the
wheelchair cackled, but his expression soon sobered. Clearing his throat, he
said, �is that everybody, then?�

�� The man on the bed
looked around. �Where�s the stupid druggie?� He asked, sounding annoyed. The
photographer didn�t understand, but he raised his hand a bit and stepped out
from behind the Exorcist he had followed.

�� Er, that�s what I�m here about.� He turned to the
restrained man. �I assume you�re talking about the blonde, Mediterranean girl?�
he asked, and the other man nodded sharply. �You may want to see these
pictures.�

�� The old man in the
wheelchair turned around, and the photographer dropped his camera in surprise.
The old man could not have been older than seventeen or eighteen, just a young
boy. He wheeled over to the photographer and leaned over to pick the camera up.
He looked confused at the device, and the girl the photographer had followed
sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

�� Gimme that, Allen,� she said, taking the camera and opening
the viewfinder. She flipped through the pictures, her eyes widening the longer
she looked. Gravely, she handed it to Allen and explained to him how to work
it. Pressing one solitary button, the mini-recording played, and the rest of
the Exorcists quickly crowded around the boy.

�� Che. Moyashi, when you�re finished, hand it over,� the bedridden man
said.

�� It�s Allen,� the
white-haired boy bit out, looking away from the video for a second, scowling at
the man.

�� Whatever,� the
man said, glaring back.

�� Did anyone catch
what she mouthed? I can�t read lips,� the boy said. The Chinese girl on his
right, the one with the long, mid-back-length hair, had tears running down her
face.

�� I think that was
�help me,�� she said, her voice breaking. The boy surreptitiously slipped his
free hand into hers. They were an item, then. That was good to know�the papers
would love to hear about the Exorcists� love lives.

�� Wait�I can�t
see,� said a pale man with blond hair and blue eyes. The white-haired boy�Allen�handed
him the camera, and the man replayed the video. He blanched and paused it halfway through. �That�s Noah�s Strength,� he said
in a flat monotone, his voice schooled and restrained, as if he was trying to
keep himself from crying.

�� Are you sure?�
The Chinese girl asked, and the man nodded gravely.

�� I would never
forget the man who killed my sister,� he said.

�� Those are Road�s
doors, right?� The girl he had followed asked, and the boy Allen nodded.

�� They don�t look
like an entrance to the Ark, so I assume they�re some of Road�s,� the boy
confirmed. �I wonder if she was here, too.�

�� No,� said the
restrained man from the bed. The other Exorcists shot him questioning looks,
and he sighed. �She would have tried to see Moyashi,�
he explained in an exasperated voice.

�� It�s Allen�and
yeah, you�re probably right.� The white-haired boy shuddered, and the Chinese
girl next to him rubbed his back soothingly, muttering something the
photographer couldn�t hear.

�� Well, what do we
do?� The girl he had followed asked. She looked terribly worried, and it struck
the photographer that perhaps the two had been good friends.

�� He noticed how the
Allen and the Chinese girl exchanged significant glances, nodding in agreement
after a moment. The photographer was blown away by the entire silent
conversation�it had been a long time since he�d been close enough to someone to
understand through a small series of glimpses at the other�s face.

�� I�ll call the
Director and have him get us an airplane for this evening,� the white-haired
boy said. The photographer realized that he must have been the leader. Perhaps
he was much older than he seemed. The others nodded, looking uneasy. The girl
he had followed crossed her arms across her chest and shuddered. He saw the
blond man pull her into a gentle, friendly hug. He whispered something to her,
and she nodded, sniffing, and flipped her phone open. A moment later, she was
crying into it, and the photographer tried not to overhear what she was
saying�from the facial expressions she was making, she had just called her
boyfriend. The blond man then went over to the dark-haired lady who had not
participated in the conversation. They stood a foot or two apart, but there was
a palpable tension between them. He held out a hand and placed it on her arm.
The photographer was struck by the perfectness of the moment, and he grabbed
out his second camera, snapping a picture a moment later. Thankfully, the flash
was off. No one even noticed him taking it.

�� How are you
doing, Kanda-kun?� The Chinese girl asked to the man on the bed. He scoffed and
looked down his hospital gown.

�� It�s fully
healed, I think, though the scar is still unsightly,� he reported, prodding his
chest a few times. The Chinese girl nodded, but before she turned away, he
added, �where are my clothes?� The Chinese girl
chuckled but pointed to a shelf beneath his bed.

�� Shall I take
Chu�s time?� The brown-haired woman asked, and the photographer looked over at
her as she activated her Innocence. He had seen it at work on the battlefield,
but seeing it up close was completely different. As yellow rings surrounded the
unconscious man, he saw the wounds heal. The man stirred and blinked. He sat
bolt upright.

�� Where�re the
Akuma!� He shouted, looking around wildly. A moment later, his posture relaxed,
and he breathed in a deep breath. �Are we leaving, then?� He asked, and the
brown-haired woman nodded. �I assume I�m in horrible health at the moment?� The
woman nodded again, and the man sighed.

�� Hatsudou.�

�� The photographer
looked over at the long-haired man in time to see him activate his Innocence.

�� Kaichu: Ichigen,� he
muttered, and the blade dissolved, turning into strange, bug-like creatures.
They flew out and gnawed at the man�s restraints until he was free. Carelessly,
he threw on his clothes and waited for the other bedridden man to do the same.

�� Allen stood up
from the wheelchair, stretching as he did so. �That was such a hassle,� he
groaned, and the Chinese girl looked on sympathetically. A moment later, he
grabbed her hand, and the two of them led the way out. They still had his
camera.

�� Wait!� He shouted
after them, reaching out an arm imploringly. �My camera!�

�� Sorry,� the
white-haired boy said, turning around and grimacing. �We need to show this to
the Director. If you want, you can tag along. You still need to explain what
you were doing in the UN building, anyway.�

�� How�d you know I
was�?�

�� Amanda told me
while she was explaining how to use the camera. She flipped through the
pictures of the battle, as you may recall.�

�� The photographer
flushed. �May I come along?� He asked after a moment of silence.

�� Since you�re not
an Akuma, I don�t see a problem with that. You�ll have to pay for your own
ticket back, though.�

�� Fair enough,� the
photographer said, nodding. He made enough money to be able to afford a one-way
ticket.

---

August 31, 2013, 11:50 PM�Holiday
Inn

�� The hot water ran
soothingly down his sore, overtaxed muscles, and Yuu could do nothing but sigh
in relief. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the lip of the bathtub and
poured half of it into his hand. He scrubbed at his head furiously, trying to
rid himself of the crust of the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and blood that
matted his hair together. Growling, he cursed the inattentiveness of the
hospital staff. It would take him at least an hour to get it all out, if he was
lucky. His hair did not seem to want to come apart, though, so after he used up
the rest of the bottle on the effort, he gave up and washed himself off
quickly.

�� Stepping out of
the shower, Yuu grabbed a towel. He examined it. Why were hotel towels so damn
small? Yuu wanted to run the manager through with Mugen, but he resisted the
urge, instead wrapping the towel around his thin waist. He straightened his
back and walked out, hair still matted and filled with filth.

�� As he walked into
the main room, Amanda�he had been stuck with her again�turned around. Her
morose face froze and turned into one of slight horror as she saw him. It was
gone in a moment, though, replaced with a blank mask akin to the one that Lavi
sometimes wore.

�� Do you have
shampoo?� He asked, averting his eyes.

�� Isn�t there some
in there?� The Infernal Girl asked. Yuu scoffed.

�� I used it all�the
stupid hospital staff neglected to wash my hair.�

�� To his surprise,
the idiot American snorted. �Well, that was your fault, Yuu-pyon,� she said.
The name grated on his nerves, but he ignored it. He needed to understand what
she was saying.

�� Don�t call me
that,� he bit out. �And what do you mean, �it�s my fault?��

�� Well, when they
were undressing you, they got your shirt off fine, but when they got to your
pants� well, your Innocence activated and pinned a man to the wall through his arm.�

�� I didn�t activate
my Innocence,� Yuu said blankly, �and that doesn�t explain why they didn�t wash
my hair.�

�� Well, a nurse
tried to do that, too. She was a sweet thing, I feel so bad for her. You see,
Kanda, your Innocence activated again and shot through the hand that was on
your head. Lucky for you, the doctors say she�ll make a full recovery, but you
have some apology letters to write when you get back.�

�� I didn�t do
anything,� Yuu said through gritted teeth. What sort of delusions were these?

�� Perhaps it was
your Innocence reacting to your unconscious wishes since you couldn�t at the
time?� Amanda asked. Yuu shrugged and held out his hand.

�� Whatever. The shampoo.�

�� The Infernal Girl
rolled her eyes, but she went into the suitcase she�d been packing and handed
him a half-filled bottle. Turning on his bare heel, he stalked back into the
shower, grabbing his hairbrush on the way.

�� He re-emerged a
half an hour later fully dressed and with the towel on his head, drying his
hair. Amanda was on the phone, and she sounded dangerously close to tears. Yuu
sighed in frustration and fell onto the bed, allowing himself to relax, if only
for a moment. Then he got up and began packing his own Order-provided suitcase.
Ten minutes later, he was finished, and he and Amanda were walking down to
catch the taxi to the airport.

---

September 1, 2013, 2:15 AM�JFK
Airport

�� Lenalee stood
behind him as Allen checked out each employee. The plane had thankfully been
fueled before they�d taken over the flight, forcing all civilians off. The
Director had found them a red-eye flight directly to London. It left at 2:45
AM, and they would arrive in London roughly eight hours later. Their estimated
time of arrival was 3:45 PM, London time.

�� A flash went off
again, and Lenalee turned to see the photographer taking yet another picture.
Thankfully, Amanda had brought her computer with her, and she had been able to
put the photographs on it as a backup. She had even put them on something she had
called her �junk drive,� whatever that was. Lenalee hadn�t asked. Still, she
was starting to get annoyed at the frequency with which the photographer
snapped shots.

�� She surveyed the
group of Exorcists, all of whom looked rejected�with the exception of
Kanda-kun, who looked severely annoyed. He stared loathingly at Amanda, who was
bawling unceremoniously into her phone.

�� Daaaarcy! She was my bestest
friend, and now I�ve lost �er, �cause there�s no way
in hell she�ll be able to survive this, and I don�t know what I�ll fuckin� do without herrrrrr!�
Amanda wailed into the phone. Lenalee felt tears prickle in her eyes, and she
stifled them, walking over to Allen for some comfort.

�� As they sat on the
air conditioned plane, Lenalee felt a bit chilled, so she leaned into Allen,
who had just taken a seat next to her. He grabbed her around the arms and
pulled her close, and despite the shiver that ran through her body, Lenalee
felt much better.

---

September 1, 2013, 10:17 AM�The Dark Order, Yuu�s Room

�� Lavi, you need to
take a shower,� Darcy ordered as Lavi sighed once again.

�� Are you saying I
stink?� Lavi pouted.

�� Yes, now take a
shower, or I�ll spray you.� The Irishman held up a
aerosol can of some sort, and Lavi read Febreze on the side in a bubbly font.

�� What�s that?�
Lavi asked.

�� It�s air freshener,� Darcy replied simply, and he pressed
down on the nozzle. A noxious spray of lavender-smelling liquid emerged from
the can, and Lavi coughed heavily as he breathed it in. �It�s used to make bad
things smell better.�

�� Lavi glared at the
man. Abruptly, Darcy�s cell phone began to ring. �Oh, it�s Amanda,� he said,
his face lighting up. Before flipping the top of the phone, he pointed at Lavi.
�Go take a shower,� he ordered him, and then he answered his phone.

�� Reluctantly, Lavi
left the room with a towel in hand. He sulked the entire way to the shower. He
couldn�t remember what was bothering him, but he did know that something should
have happened yesterday, something very important. There was no sun, and he was
so cold, but something about yesterday was supposed to make him warm again.
Instead, it had been very, very icy.

�� The water didn�t
warm him, and he began to shiver involuntarily the longer he stood under it.
His chest was frozen, and by the time Lavi left the shower, his teeth were
clacking together so rapidly it sounded like a tiny drum roll. Not bothering to
dress himself, he wore the towel back to his room, where he found himself a
pair of clothes. He dropped his towel unceremoniously on top of his orange shag
rug (which was still a bit stained with blood on the other side) and left for
Yuu�s room.

�� Eathe in deeply now, �kay,
Amanda? It�ll be okay, just calm down, can you do that
for me? Yes, I know� I know, and I�m sorry, baby, but there�s nothing you can
do until you get�aw, I�m sorry, babe. Here, just stay on the phone with me for
as long as you can, and when you get back, I�ll hold you all night, �kay? Yeah, I know, I love you, too.�

�� Lavi�s chest
ached, a deep, throbbing ache that made it impossible for him to breathe. He
gasped in a breath and then another, but no air was getting to his lungs, like
it was being diverted to his stomach instead. His head felt light, and it spun.
He turned abruptly and left the room. His eye hurt, stung, but he didn�t
understand why. He just needed to be alone, maybe go to sleep. Because whatever
was important hadn�t happened, and now Darcy was saying those three words he
had never heard, and it hurt a bit, because not even his sun�back when his sun was there�had told him that.

�� I wish I knew what was supposed to happen,
he thought.

�� Yuu was supposed to come back,
said a voice in his head. Lavi was confused. Who was Yuu?

�� Voice, it�s cold,
he complained as he walked back into his room. It smelled of dust and books,
but Lavi didn�t want dust and books; he wanted cinnamon. And
lotuses.

�� I know, Lavi, I know. But don�t worry, very
soon you�ll warm up, I�m sure of it, the voice said, trying and failing to
sound comforting, because Lavi knew he would never be able to stop shivering.
The world was just too cold without his sun. It didn�t help that the voice
sounded unsure of himself.

�� Why must you take everything with a grain of
salt, Lavi? I mean, I know I do, but still� be a little optimistic for
once�God, I can�t believe I�m saying that. The voice did the equivalent of
a mental headshake before shrugging his shoulders. Lavi was surprised to feel
his own shoulders lift as well, but he didn�t particularly care. His bed was
there, so he lay down on it. It smelled and felt unused, but he didn�t care.
Even though it was freezing, his bed offered a small amount of comfort, and he
took it.

�� You should get some sleep�I�m exhausted, and
when you can�t sleep, I can�t, either, the voice said, and Lavi growled,
furrowing his brow in slight anger.

�� Shut up, Voice. I don�t want to sleep. It�s
too cold. I�ll die of hypothermia.

�� No, you won�t� unless this is your way of
keeping yourself alive� I wouldn�t know. But please, Lavi, don�t get suicidal,
�cause Yuu�ll get really mad at us if we try again,
the voice admonished.

�� Who is this Yuu person you keep mentioning,
and why is he so damned important? Lavi demanded.

�� He�s warm, the voice replied vaguely,
and Lavi sighed, knowing he would get nothing more from the voice. Already, he
was starting to feel its presence slip away, and he groaned as it left his
head, making him feel even colder.

�� He stared at the
clock on his wall for lack of anything better to do. He counted off the seconds
with the thin, red hand� �One, two, three, four�� The
clock ticked steadily on, and the long black hand
circled around several times. The little black hand
moved slower, but Lavi counted that, too. It had started a bit above the four, and
now it was nearly to the seven. Still, he counted, and he didn�t stop. It
soothed his raging mind and calmed his chills, and Lavi felt himself fall into
a tiny stupor. He needed to just forget
everything, because there was something very painful that he was going to think
about soon�

�� No, Lavi, don�t you dare do this again. Stop doing this. Here, talk
to me�I�m sure Yuu will be back soon, and then you can talk with him, and he�ll
make you feel much better, warm, even. The voice was back, and it snapped
Lavi from his stupor. Lavi growled at it.

�� Voice! Why did you do that? I was feeling
better! Lavi shouted.

�� No, you weren�t. Just don�t do that, because
it makes it very hard for me to control myself, and we can�t try to jump again,
as much as we may want to.

�� Lavi had no idea
what he was talking about, but the idea of jumping appealed very much to him.

�� NO! Don�t think that, dammit! Goddammit, Yuu, get your fucking ass home and fix this mess
that is, somehow or other, the dominant personality!

�� Lavi tried to
ignore the stupid voice, but it wouldn�t stop wailing, so he began to yell,
hoping to drown it out. It worked, to an extent, until the voice got louder, so
Lavi stepped up his volume, too.

�� His door slammed
open, and Darcy stepped in, and for some reason, Lavi felt just a little
better. Perhaps it was that the voice had shut up, or maybe it was because
there was another physical human here, and Lavi needed someone there to stay
grounded, but whatever the reason was, he felt better the second he saw the
ginger man.

�� Lavi, what�s
wrong?� Darcy asked. His phone was pressed to his chest, and Lavi heard a tinny
sound coming from it.

�� Voice wouldn�t go
away,� Lavi said defensively. He felt Darcy�s arms come around his for a
moment, but it didn�t feel quite right. It didn�t warm him up properly, and
Lavi shivered with the returning cold. The man pulled back as the phone started
screeching.

�� Darcy? Darcy?� The phone said, and Lavi
recognized it as Amanda. Of course it would be Amanda. Darcy had called her
�baby,� and he�d told her �I love you.�

�� Sorry, babe, I
have to go�erm, Lavi�s� having� another breakdown, I
think,� he replied, putting the phone back to his ear.

�� Do you want me to get Yuu-san?� The
phone-Amanda replied urgently.

�� Who�s Yuu-san?
Voice keeps mentioning this �Yuu� person, and I don�t understand what he�s
talking about,� Lavi said, staring confusedly up at Darcy.

�� Er, sure.�

�� Kanda, here�s the phone.�

�� Why
do I care?� Lavi�s attention twitched a bit.

�� Because Lavi�s on the phone, you cold bastard.�

�� So?�

�� Darcy
says he�s having another breakdown or something.�

�� Give
it to me.� The second voice sounded oddly familiar, but Lavi couldn�t place
it.

�� Darcy put the
phone to Lavi�s ear, and he grabbed it mechanically. �Hello?� He asked
desolately.

�� Lavi?� The phone asked.

�� Who is this?�
There was a pause on the other end.

�� What do you mean, �who is this,� Baka
Usagi!� Lavi�s attention was grabbed for a moment, picked up like a loop on a
crochet hook, but it was dropped just as easily as a stitch.

�� I mean, I have no
idea who�s talking. Everyone keeps mentioning this Yuu person or this Kanda
person, and I have no idea who they�re talking about, and I wish Voice would
shut up, and I suddenly understand what Allen is going through with the
Musician. Whoever you are, it�s annoying to have something yelling at you all
the time. Trust, me, I�d know.�

�� There was a
clicking noise, and the call dropped. Lavi let the phone slip from his hands.
He went back to looking at the clock. There was nothing else to do. He counted
again, forty-seven, forty-eight,
forty-nine, fifty�

�� Food wafted around
him, and he ate it, still counting numbers. The little hand was on the nine
again. Someone was talking above him, but he didn�t care, because the numbers
were so interesting. Thirty-two,
thirty-three, thirty-four�

�� When every hand
hit the twelve, Lavi heard someone walk into the room. He thought it was a very
strange coincidence that his visitor happened to be there at such an exact
time. He didn�t look up to see who it was, though. He still had numbers to
count. One, two, three�

�� And so the clock
kept moving on, and Lavi stayed still, and Voice wouldn�t shut up, and there
was the person who kept bothering him by talking and putting food in front of
his nose, feeding it to him as if he were a baby. Couldn�t the person
understand he didn�t feel like eating, that he wasn�t hungry? But the clock was
still so interesting, and all thought passed away again as the clock hit thirteen, fourteen, fifteen�

�� The little hand
had made it to the four. Nineteen,
twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two�

�� The little hand
was nearly to the five, and then it was there, and then it was slightly above
it as the big hand descended toward the six, just like it had for every other
cycle. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six�

�� There was a very
strong smell of cinnamon, and lotuses hung behind it, muted by the stronger
scent. Lavi knew that scent, loved it, and he needed to see it. He bypassed
whoever was in his room�did that person shout, �where
are you going?� Lavi couldn�t tell�and he walked out, and there, against all
odds, his sun was walking toward him.

---

September 1, 2013�Somewhere Over
the Atlantic Ocean

�� and I wish Voice would shut up, and I
suddenly understand what Allen is going through with the Musician. Whoever you
are, it�s annoying to have something yelling at you all the time. Trust, me,
I�d know.�

�� Yuu had a sinking
feeling in his stomach. He had since the moment he had heard Lavi ask who he
was. It was simply impossible that the man would forget, and Yuu was very
afraid that someone had scrambled his brains in a blender or something similar.

�� The phone let out
a small beep, but Yuu ignored it. �Lavi, I�m on my way back,� he said, his
voice holding a worry he was vaguely ashamed of. �Don�t do anything stupid.
I�ll never forgive you if you do.� He wouldn�t what? Yuu berated himself in his mind. He sounded like such a fool,
but Lavi was more important than his pride or self-image, so he didn�t care.
Even though he didn�t like public displays of affection�if that�s what it could
be called. �Lavi?� He asked. The other man hadn�t
responded in a while. �Lavi? Rabi? Baka Usagi, answer me!� He didn�t realize that he�d switched
back to his native tongue.

�� Um,
Kanda?� The Infernal Girl (who Yuu supposed he was somewhat grateful to,
disgusting as that was) said tentatively.

�� What?� he hissed,
switching back to English.

�� Uh, I think my
phone�s dead. It beeped a second ago, and it�s been doing that for a while,�
she said, stepping back out of reach and looking vaguely scared.

�� Then use one of
the phones I saw at the front of the airplane,� he ordered coldly.

�� The Infernal Girl
twisted her hands together nervously, and she took on a sheepish look. �Well,
see, here�s the thing� uh, well, I� like, don�t know Darcy�s number by heart.
It�s� on my phone.�

�� Yuu sent her his
iciest glare, and she actually flinched away from it, looking terrified. She
held up her hands in surrender, and Yuu threw the phone back at her, hitting
her square in the chest. Her hands came up to grab it, and Yuu contented
himself to staring out the window, brooding about Lavi�s condition until they
finally landed seven hours later.

�� The second the
plane halted at the gate, Yuu ran up to Allen. �Grab my bag, Moyashi,� he grunted as he passed the
white-haired boy.

�� It�s Allen!� Yuu
heard as he streaked off the plane. He activated his Innocence, more to make
himself feel better than for any show of power, and he dashed through the
airport, following the exit signs until he was out in the bright, evening sun.

�� Kanda-kun!�
Came a shout, and he turned around. Lenalee ran up to him, using the enhanced
power of her Dark Boots to reach him quickly. �What�s wrong?� She panted as she came up next to him.

�� We need a taxi,�
he growled, ignoring her question. Lenalee seemed to understand that he wasn�t
angry at her, and she pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket. She walked
saucily up to the curb and held out her right hand. A taxi pulled up within
moments. Yuu stared in disbelief. He�d been trying to get one for the past five
minutes.

�� Lenalee talked
briefly with the driver and then turned to him. �Kanda-kun, can you put your
sword away?� She implored him, and Yuu sighed and obeyed. He didn�t care if he
felt unprotected or worried. All that mattered was that he get
to Lavi right away.

�� Wait!� Screeched Amanda, and she sprinted up and took a seat next to Lenalee.
Yuu stepped inside, and, making sure his jacket wouldn�t get stuck in the door,
he slammed it shut. He buckled himself in and held on to the nearest surface,
bracing himself for the fast ride back to Headquarters.

�� It was a mistake
to take the lift, but Yuu knew logically that it was faster than taking the
steps. Still, he was pacing like a madman the entire way, and his heart beat in
absolute panic the whole time.

�� Chillax, Yuu-pyon,� the Infernal Girl said, and Yuu growled
at her menacingly. She made an �eep!� noise and
shut up. Yuu smirked. The girl was starting to learn.

�� As soon as the
lift stopped on the level with the Exorcists� quarters, Yuu sprinted out, only
slowing his pace once he reached his corridor. He slowed his breathing�Lavi
would make fun of him if he appeared out of breath�and went to his room.
Opening the door, he was unsurprised to see it inhabited, but he was surprised
that Lavi wasn�t there. His heart picked up speed as icy dread spread through
his system, but he clamped down on it. No, Lavi could be in his room. He slowly
strode over to it, and the door opened as he approached.

�� Yuu immediately
felt relieved. There was Lavi. He was a bit lost-looking, and he seemed to have
lost a little bit of weight, and his eye patch was gone, but it was Lavi
nonetheless. Yuu didn�t even realize it, but at some point, his brain had told
him to walk up to the other man, and they met halfway between their rooms in a
tight hug.

�� Lavi,� he
whispered into the other man�s ear, and the man shivered at it.

�� Yuu,� Lavi said.
Yuu immediately felt relief that the man recognized him. �The doctor was
wrong.� Yuu was mystified, but he would ask Lavi about it the next day. He was
exhausted from being awake so long�he hadn�t been able to rest at all on the
airplane�and from the bags under his eyes, Lavi hadn�t been sleeping well,
either.

�� Lavi rested his
head on Yuu�s shoulder, and they both leaned against the wall, falling until
they were sitting on the cold, stone floor.

�� So warm now that
my sun is back,� Lavi mumbled, shifting so his head
was on Yuu�s shoulder. He snaked his hand into Yuu�s, and Yuu felt much warmer
himself. He felt the first waves of sleep wash over him, and he felt his head
lightly fall to rest on top of Lavi�s. For the first night in just about two
weeks, Yuu slept without nightmares.

---

A/N: Darcy�s ringtone for Amanda is �Toxic� by Local H (listen to it, it�s phwoartastic�much better than
Ol� Brit-Brit�s version). So, as of next chapter,
Lavi and Yuu�s breakdowns are both over! (although
they will both still have lasting effects, they are essentially through the
absolute worst of it, and they�ll never go back) We also have finished the set-up
for the rest of the story, so now the plot movement really begins.

That said, we�ve been deciding over the past few days what songs would
go to which DGM characters. So far, we�ve got Kanda�s as �Seven Things,�
Darcy�s as �I�m Too Sexy,� Amanda�s as Local H�s �Toxic,� Lenalee�s as �Lift�
by Poets of the Fall and Allen�s as �Seven Nation Army� by The White Stripes. After
much deliberation, we assigned Finger Eleven�s �One thing� to Lavi. We have yet
to find a good one for Miranda and Lolek, though. We�ll find them, though. Eventually.
- 14
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Innocent Rain