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Innocent Rain	By : saxonjesus Category: +. to F > D. Gray Man Views: 3947 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We own nothing of D. Gray-Man, nor do we profit in any way from this fanfic.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
NOTE! We somehow forgot chapter 7, so if you want to read it and figure out what the hell happened between chs. 6 and 8, then go to our ffnet account: fanfiction.net/~saxon-jesus

Chapter 18�Seven Continent Army

September 3, 2013�The United States of America

�� As one, the
Exorcists disembarked from the airplane. Lenalee did a quick headcount. Her
group of eighty soldiers had made the flight without incident, and the Finders
would meet them once they got to the North American Branch, where they would be
staying for a few days. Lenalee hated each day without Artemis�it felt like she
wasn�t helping, and even though she knew there was nothing she could do until
the Finders had a lead, she still felt useless.

�� Amanda stood at
her right side, hand-in-hand with Darcy. Lenalee tried not to be envious. She
missed Allen, even though she had seen him just a few hours before. She
fingered her shiny new phone�the Order had provided it�and resisted the urge to
call Allen. He was still sick, and she just couldn�t bother him.

�� General Lee,�
someone greeted her, and as she turned, she recognized the face of Major Polsky, who she had met that morning.

�� Hello, Major,�
she said politely, offering him a tired, weary smile. She simply didn�t have
the energy for anything else. She wouldn�t, not until Artemis was back at home,
safe.

�� We are glad to be
working with you,� he said quickly, �The vans are waiting at the entrance for
you, this way, please.� He gestured for her to follow. They exited the terminal
and made their way through the crowded lobby; immediately, Lenalee was on
guard.� She saw movement in the corner of
her eye and was able to kick away an Akuma bullet whistling straight toward the
back of the Major�s head.

�� Amanda, get
everyone out of here!� Lenalee shouted as she ran toward the lone Level One
Akuma, which was distracted by the sudden movement of the soldiers behind her.
A streak of light flew past her, and the Akuma exploded. Turning quickly, she
saw Miranda a few feet away, her Time Record glowing. Scanning the suddenly
silent lobby, she saw no more Akuma and relaxed her position, staying
alert.� She noticed the soldiers hastily
putting away their Anti-Akuma guns; they were all glancing around nervously.

�� Where there�s one
Akuma, there�ll be more,� Lenalee said grimly. �Get to the vans, and I�ll make
sure it�s safe. Darcy, Amanda, go with the soldiers. Miranda,
you too. Lolek, you�re with me.�

�� Lolek gave her a
shadow of a smile as he came up to her side, surveying the staring crowd. They
all appeared human, but years as an
Exorcist drilled an exacting paranoia into Lenalee�s mind. She knew the signs
to look for: overly still, seeming to know
who they were, sometimes a little twitch here or there as they resisted the
urge to give up their cover, a tiny smile that could only be predatory�kind of
like that little girl over there. Lenalee didn�t wait for the girl to change,
just ran over to her at top speed. She was already shedding her skin as Lenalee
reached the opposite end of the terminal three seconds later, sending her
flying with a kick to the stomach.

�� The crowd gasped,
probably at her seeming cruelty, but just as the little girl exploded, several
more Level Ones erupted from their human skins. Lenalee nodded grimly at Lolek
and jumped high. She ran on the air with her newfound Double Critical ability,
and when she was directly overtop one of the Akuma, she allowed herself to
plummet through it. The explosion that followed singed the ends of her hair,
but she ignored it, already turning to her next target.

�� Lolek moved around
her like a dance partner, and they twirled, flipped, and lunged by in precise
patterns. Lenalee liked working with Lolek. He understood how she moved, and he
was able to orient himself around her, becoming something akin to a deadly
appendage. The only other person who could do that this proficiently was Allen.

�� Their eyes met as
she did a back flip, soaring away from an exploding Akuma, and Lolek nodded.
She flew into his arm and used it like a springboard to change her direction.
Lolek swung his arm forward, and she launched off his gauntlet at a speed she
could never achieve on her own. She slammed a kick through the last Akuma and
landed nimbly on the ground. She looked at the crowd. There were a few piles of
ash on the ground, and everyone else stared, glassy-eyed, at the two Exorcists.
Lenalee searched for twitches, little signs of Akuma, but there were none. She
turned to Lolek and nodded. He was not stupid enough to deactivate his
Innocence, but he relaxed nonetheless.

�� Let�s go,
Lenalee,� he said, and Lenalee, too, relaxed. They walked from the terminal,
Lenalee just ahead of Lolek, and reached the vans relatively quickly. From the
looks of things, there had been Akuma here, too, but from the flushed looks on
the other three Exorcists� faces, they had taken care of things.

�� How
many?� Lenalee asked, coming up to Amanda. She looked crestfallen.

�� We lost three of
them,� she said, staring down at the asphalt road with a deflated look. Lenalee
put a supporting hand on the other girl�s shoulder.

�� It�s okay,� she
said bracingly, �there was nothing you could do.�

�� Amanda sniffed. �I
should have protected them better.�

�� You did your
best,� Lenalee said, but Amanda shook her head, a few tears falling down her
cheeks. Lenalee looked imploringly over at Darcy, and the man encircled his
girlfriend in his arms.

�� How many
casualties were there on your side?� Darcy asked quietly, and Lenalee felt her
own tears fall.

�� A van screeched to
a halt next to them, and a darkened window rolled open. Several very young
soldiers glared at Darcy. �You made General Lee cry!� They hissed accusingly,
and the ginger man gulped.

�� Lenalee walked up
to the window, smiling sadly. �I don�t want you all to die,� she said quietly,
forlornly. �I wish I could protect you.�

�� The soldiers� faces
grew very emotional, and if Lenalee looked hard enough, she would probably see
tears swimming in their eyes, too. They smiled overly brightly, trying to look
cheerful. �Don�t worry about us, General Lee, we�ll be
just fine, you�ll see.�

�� As the window rolled
up and the van drove off, Lenalee could only shake her head in sorrow. Those soldiers, those poor young soldiers. They didn�t know
what they were getting themselves into. They didn�t realize how few of them
would return. The truth of their situation struck Lenalee through the heart
like one of Artemis�s arrows.

�� The Exorcists
boarded the last van and drove away to the North American Branch of the Dark
Order.

---

September 6, 2013�The Dark Order, North American Branch

�� Lenalee hadn�t
realized how hopelessly useless she would be. The only thing the Exorcists and
soldiers could do was go out and defeat nearby Akuma as they waited for the
Finders to pick up on any possible leads.

�� General Lee?� A
boy-faced soldier asked, approaching her nervously. Lenalee turned from the
window to face him.

�� Yes?� She asked,
pasting a smile on her face.

�� U-u-um� this
c-came in the mail today,� he stammered. Lenalee took his offered postcard and
looked at it curiously. On the front was a picture of two tiny kittens in a
basket, the first licking the second. Lenalee smiled�perhaps Allen had sent her
something? She turned it over and gasped at the dirty blonde hair taped above
the recipient�s address like a stamp. Bile rose in her throat as she recognized
the shriveled, flesh-colored thing attached to the hair. Dreading the message,
Lenalee read the letter quickly.

Miss Lee,

�� Artemis
misses you and Miss Colten so. In fact, she screams your names every night. She
seems to be convinced that you�ll actually find her, but of course, we all know
that�s impossible. I have to say, I enjoy her company very much; she�s very
spirited. I know you must miss her, too, so I�ve sent along a lock of her hair
for you to remember her by. We send our warmest regards.

�� Best
Wishes,

�� Chaz

�� Lenalee clamped
down on the horror rising in her throat. Her knees gave in, and strong arms
caught her before she hit the ground. Tears leaked once more from her eyes,
falling like twin rivers onto the stone floor. Not
wanting anyone to see her cry again, she dropped the postcard and brought her
hands to cover her face. The boyish soldier held her gently, pulling her so she
was crying on his shoulder.

�� So useless,� she
wailed, and the soldier rubbed little circles on her back.

�� At least she�s
not dead,� the soldier said quietly after some time. Lenalee looked up
hopelessly into his eyes.

�� What makes you
say that?� She whispered, her voice cracking.

�� If she were dead,
he wouldn�t be using the present tense,� the soldier replied, �and he probably
wouldn�t have only sent hair.� He let the rest be implied, and Lenalee nodded
in reluctant agreement. She stood up on shaking legs, taking the postcard in
her shaking hands.

�� Thank you,� she
said, and, taking a deep breath, she went to find Amanda. She fervently hoped
Darcy was with the other girl.

�� As she approached
Amanda�s rooms, she heard yells and groans and grimaced. She didn�t want to,
but she�d have to interrupt. Amanda wouldn�t thank her for withholding
anything. Knocking loudly on the door, she said vociferously, �Amanda, sorry to
interrupt, but I have news.�

�� There was a
clanging sound and a great rustling, and a few minutes later, Amanda appeared
at the door, wearing only Darcy�s clasped-up Exorcist jacket. It hung on her
like an elephant�s skin, only black. She looked flushed, and her hair was a
mess.

�� News?�
She asked, her eyes shining with hope. Lenalee�s face dropped, and she handed
the other girl the grotesque postcard.

�� Don�t look on the
front,� she muttered, more to herself than to Amanda, but of course the other
girl did. Then she saw the hair and read the accompanying message. A scream of
rage echoed down the hallway. A very naked Darcy streaked out and came up
behind Amanda, looking concerned. Lenalee averted her eyes, blushing. She no
longer wondered if ginger men were ginger� everywhere.

�� What is it,
Amanda?� He murmured in the other girl�s ear, and Amanda�s legs gave in just as
Lenalee�s had earlier.

�� Amanda didn�t
leave her room for the rest of the week.

�� Which was probably
a good thing, in Lenalee�s opinion, because three days later, another message
appeared, and it was worse than the first.

�� It came in a
small, padded manila envelope. Inside was a small, diamond vial. It was maybe
six centimeters tall and a half a centimeter wide. It contained a good amount
of a dark red liquid that Lenalee knew at once was blood. With a chilling sense
of dread, Lenalee pulled out the message. It was written in the same, scrawling
script as before, only it was now on a thick, yellow paper.

My Dearest Miss Lee,

�� I
was dreadfully disappointed not to get a response from you. That aside, Artemis
is especially depressed. Still, she can be awfully feisty, especially when I
hold her. Do you know, I don�t think she likes me.
She�s tried to leave me twice already. I haven�t a clue why. Anyway, I know
Artemis would simply love to hear from you, so do respond as soon as possible.
I have stationed an Akuma near the North American Branch, so all you need to do
is leave your letter on the stoop, and Artemis will receive it within hours.

�� Hope
to hear from you soon,

�� Chaz

�� Lenalee shared
neither the blood nor the message with Amanda. When Darcy had left to grab some
food, Lenalee had told him, and they both agreed it was best that she not know.

�� Sobbing, Lenalee
found a group of soldiers and ran drills with them until she collapsed in bed,
unable to stay awake any longer. The next morning, she penned a small reply. I will kill you, she wrote, and that was
all that needed to be said.

�� Two days later, a
third message arrived, and it was perhaps the most grotesque of them all.

�� It came in a
medium-sized box. A letter was attached to the outside, and Lenalee opened it
first. Naturally, it was bloodstained. The box smelled rank, and Lenalee had a
sinking feeling as to what was in it.

Miss Lee,

�� I
am sorry to be so curt with you, but I�m afraid your response rather upset me.
It seemed to hearten our dear Artemis, though, and she tried to leave me again.
Fortunately, I took measures to stop that. Don�t be offended, though. Artemis
really liked the gift. She was very sad to part with it, actually. But take
heart�she loves the sound of jazz over the bayou in the morning.

�� Deepest
Regards,

�� Chaz

�� With shaking
fingers, Lenalee opened the box and subsequently vomited. The smell of rotting
flesh enveloped her, and it was all she could do to breathe at all. The �gift,�
as he had called it, was a severed foot, cut off in the middle of the shin,
nestled in the tattered remains of an Exorcist jacket.

---

September 11, 2013�The Dark Order, North American Branch

�� Lenalee received a
call mere hours after the package had arrived. The Finders reported the Noah�s
presence in New Orleans.

�� I swear it was �im, walkin� like �e owned the
place down Bourbon Street,� the Finder on the phone insisted. ��E �ad a girl wif �im�dark,
Mediterranean, maybe, and she �ad blonde �air.�

�� We�ll take the
next flight down. We�ll get her back,� Lenalee said determinedly as she flipped
her phone shut. Quickly, she ran down the halls, gathering the troops to the
cafeteria. When she reached Amanda�s door, she knocked loudly.

�� We know where she
may be!� She shouted, and the door opened a moment later. Amanda looked
distinctly tearful, but that hopeful gleam was back in her eyes, and Lenalee
knew she would fight very hard to get her friend back.

�� The next morning,
they took a flight to New Orleans, and when they got to Bourbon Street, Lenalee
raised her hand to halt the troops following behind her. A great, burning mass
of Finders was in the middle of the road.

�� It�s a trap,� she
said matter-of-factly. She was about to order a retreat when she saw the girl
on top of the pyre. She was dark-skinned and had dirty blonde hair. From the
distance, Lenalee could only think that the girl looked like Artemis. �But
we�re going to save her,� she added. Activating her Innocence, she led the
troops in.

�� A stray bullet came flying as the Mediterranean girl stood up, and Lenalee
felt fear clench in her gut as she realized the girl had two legs. Turning on her heel, she screamed �RUN!!!� But of course, it was too late.

�� They were
surrounded by Level Threes and Fours. Lenalee knew this would not be a battle;
it would be a massacre.

---

September 12, 2013�Coach & Horses Pub, Brentford
End, London

�� I�ll get an ale,� Allen said. The bartender nodded and turned to get
it for him, but then Allen decided that it was best not to be drunk alone.
�Actually, I�ll have an apple juice instead.�

�� Sure, just a
mo�,� the bartender said. He returned a minute later with a medium-sized glass
of juice. Allen stared at it sullenly.

�� Your girl leave ya?� The bartender
asked.

�� Allen snorted
humorlessly. �More like she doesn�t realize my feelings�not that I blame her.�

�� Well, that�s no
way to woo a lady,� the bartender said, cracking a grin. �You gotta sweep �em off their feet, be all romantic-like.�

�� I can�t,� Allen
said, staring down at his juice. �I don�t want to hurt her.�

�� Well, hurtin�s what love�s all about,� the man said. �It�s the
good times you have between the hurtin� that makes it
worthwhile.�

�� Allen nodded
soberly. He couldn�t disagree. �It�s not that kind of hurting, though. When I
die, she�ll be destroyed. I�ve seen friends go catatonic when they thought the
one they loved died, and I know she�ll do the same.�

�� You act like dyin� is somethin� your destined
to do, boy,� the bartender said, now looking a bit concerned.

�� Well, when you�re
the Destroyer of Time, you kind of expect it,� Allen replied, finally taking a
sip. The bartender looked confused.

�� Destroyer
o� what?�

�� Nothing,� Allen
said quietly. �I just can�t make her go through the pain of losing someone so
dear again. She�s already thought I was dead before, and that turned out to be
a huge mess.� Allen shuddered and took a long draft. The man scratched his
head.

�� You lost me
there, boy,� he admitted.

�� It�s to be
expected. No one remembers Exorcists anymore, even as I wear my uniform
proudly.� Allen sighed. �I just didn�t expect so many people to be dying with
us,� he added morosely.

�� Why
all the talk o� death?� The man asked.

�� Well, isn�t that
what war�s all about?� Allen asked rhetorically.

�� Oh, you talkin� �bout that crazy war them politicals
are draftin� people for?� The man asked,
comprehension finally dawning in his eyes.

�� Yes, and I�m the
leader of the entire damn thing,� Allen murmured into his glass. The bartender
laughed.

�� You?
You�re just a boy! Don�t kid me like that.�

�� Age doesn�t
matter in this war. There are many younger than me who are
fighting. The fucking draft they instated may require people to be eighteen,
but I�ve been fighting since I was fifteen, and most of my friends started
younger than that. They don�t know any other life.� Allen laughed bitterly and
downed the rest of his glass.

�� Want another?�
The bartender asked, and Allen shook his head.

�� No,� he said.

�� Why
such talk o� dyin�, though, boy?� The man asked,
continuing their conversation.

�� All the soldiers
were drafted. They didn�t have a choice to join this war, and they�re all going
to die. They have no motivation, and the forces we go against won�t hold back
just because they�re defenseless. They�ll all be torn apart. They may have
better weapons than we had years ago, but they still won�t survive this. They
should at least get to choose if they want to be sent to die or not. No, we
didn�t have a choice, but it�s either fight or let the entire Earth perish.
Which would you choose?� He met the bartender�s eyes briefly and then stared
down at the bottom of his empty glass.

�� A group of large
men walked in, and Allen saw them sit down at a poker table.

�� Excuse me,� he
said to the bartender. Walking over, he added to the group of men, �might I
join you, gentlemen?�

�� One of the men,
one sporting a bandana and looking rather seedy, snorted. �Poker table�s no
place for children.�

�� I�m not a child,�
Allen said softly. �Give me a round, and I�ll show you.�

�� We don�t cheat
children, boy. Scram.�

�� Allen�s eyes
flashed. �If any of you can beat me, I�ll buy a round of a drink of your
choice.� He saw the men�s eyes glitter to life at the thought of free booze.
Really, it was too easy. He sat down, and the cards were dealt.

�� Ten minutes later,
Allen had a large pile of winnings in front of him, but the men wouldn�t give
up. The door clacked open once more, and a distinguished-looking man walked in.
Sitting down, he raised his hand, and the bartender sidled over.

�� Ey, Marty, �aven�t seen you
�round �ere in a while. What you doin�
back �ere in ol� Britain?� He asked as the man
was dealt chips. Obviously he, like the group of men, was a regular here.

�� I�m here on
business, as usual. I had to stop in, of course. I could never miss a chance to
come here. Best food in all of England. Best beer, too.�

�� The bartender
glowed under the praise. �The usual, then?� He asked.

�� Naturally,� the
man answered. As the bartender walked off, he turned to Allen. �New here, eh? Hey, Randy, why�d you let a kid join in? He
does know��

�� Allen grinned as
the man�s eyes widened at the sight of his large pile of chips. �How about we
spice the game up, gentlemen? Why don�t we add in something of monetary value?�
The men paled but agreed, and three hours later, they were all stripped bare.
The game was now between Allen and the stately Marty.

�� All right,
Marty,� Allen said, his eyes glinting. �You look like a proper business owner.
You�ve already let me lay hands on most of your travelling checks, but I think
we need to step up our game again. Do you have anything of interest to gamble?�

�� Marty was
remarkably good at poker. Allen knew for a fact that the other man was
cheating, and that just made it more fun. He hadn�t lost a round yet, but the
man always gave him a run for his money, so to speak. He had a feeling that
they would become good friends.

�� My casino, then,�
the man said. He looked determined to win, and Allen couldn�t wait to prove him
wrong.

�� Alright,� he
agreed. �I�ll give you this solid gold golem,� he said. Not that Timcanpy was
solid gold. Or would actually stay with the man. After
Cross had died, Timcanpy had stayed resolutely at Allen�s side, and he had
never left. He�d even been encased in Allen�s Innocence during the final
battle. Allen knew Tim got mad when he was gambled, but he also knew that Tim
would always come back to him. Another thing he knew for certain was that he
would never lose.

�� And he didn�t.

�� Well, Marty, I
think it�s time I buy you a drink or two. Don�t worry, you can still run your
casino. Sometime in the future, if I live, I�ll be back, so don�t lose it. I�ve
never been to a casino before, but I�m very eager to have that particular
experience,� he said as he folded a faxed copy of the deed in the pocket of his
General�s jacket. �It�s really been a pleasure meet��

�� Timcanpy started
ringing. Looking surprised, Allen attached him to his cell phone. �Hello?� He
said.

�� Allen!�

�� There was no
denying that desperate call.

�� Lenalee!�
He yelled into the phone, not caring that everyone turned to stare at him.

�� Allen! Ark�ARGH!�Bourbon Street�NO!�New
Orleans�NOW!� She yelled, and from the background noise, Allen knew she was
in a large-scale fight. The line went dead, and Allen fervently hoped she had
dropped her phone or hung up.

�� I�ll be right
there,� he said to no one. �Sebastian!�

�� He felt his skin
darken as the Musician took over, connecting to the Ark. Not that Allen needed
him to do it, but since the Musician was no longer bothering his thoughts,
Allen figured he needed some sort of relief.

�� A door opened in
the middle of the pub, and Allen threw a wad of cash at the bartender. �Keep
the change,� he said. He stepped through into the Ark, running to the next room
and opening another portal immediately.

�� When he stepped
out, he was in the middle of a fierce battle-turned-slaughter. Lenalee was
fighting at least twenty Level Ones, and the other Exorcists were no less
outnumbered. Allen saw ashes covering the cobbled streets.

�� Lenalee!�
He shouted. She turned toward him for a second before refocusing on the Akuma.

�� GET INTO THE ARK!� She ordered whoever
was left alive. They all scrambled and fought their way toward it, and as soon
as everyone was in, Allen stepped inside with Lenalee and closed the portal.

�� Panting heavily
from the abrupt panic, he grabbed Lenalee�s shaking shoulders. �What was that?�
He asked.

�� Lenalee looked up
at him with tears in her eyes. Her breathing was ragged, and she was very
battered. A quick scan of the other Exorcists showed them in the same
condition. There were only six soldiers left. Allen remembered Lenalee had left
with eighty.

�� Artemis,� Lenalee
said in a quiet, broken voice. �She wasn�t� there.�

�� Allen pulled her
tightly to his chest, and she sobbed into his Exorcist jacket, great, wrenching
sobs that belied none of her sorrow. He held her steadily, not moving until
much later, after her tears had stopped.

�� Let�s go out into
the Main Plaza,� he whispered into Lenalee�s ear. �We need to let the others
know about this.� She nodded and allowed him to lead her out into the dark
square.

�� A scream erupted
from behind him, and he saw Amanda run out into the flatly shining moonlight.
She crashed into the wall of the nearest building. Her voice became positively
screeching as she pounded her fists to express her agony. Just seconds later,
blood stained the white stone like great streaks on a canvas, and Allen thought
it was a sign of the day, of what had happened. He would never clean it. It was
the monument of the horrors of this war.

�� Darcy came up
behind Amanda and grabbed her wrists, stilling them. She collapsed to the
ground, and Darcy lifted her up, carrying her shaking body through the plaza
and into another room. Allen recognized it as one of the empty soldier dorms.
Quickly accessing the Ark�s piano room, he stepped into it, Lenalee at his
side, and created a few new rooms around the plaza for the newest arrivals.
Stepping back out, he was surprised to see Lavi and Kanda standing in the
square, looking curious.

�� What�s going on, Moyashi?� Kanda asked angrily.

�� Lenalee�s group
was ambushed,� he answered grimly, pulling Lenalee closer as she made a small
sobbing noise.

�� Where are the
rest of the soldiers?� Lavi said, looking around. From the set of his face, it
seemed that he already knew. Lenalee wailed in guilt.

�� Dead!�
She cried. Lavi nodded dourly and pulled Kanda back into their room. Obviously,
he didn�t want to intrude.

�� Let�s get some
sleep, Lenalee,� Allen said quietly. She didn�t respond, but he took her back
to his own room anyway. She needed comfort, and Allen would be there to give
it.

---

�� Lavi seethed. If
steam could legitimately spew out of his head, his ears would be screeching
louder than a teakettle. He fought the urge to yell out in frustration.
Bringing his hands to his head, he gripped his hair, pulling at it to keep
himself from doing anything regrettable. Lavi suddenly got the urge to punch
something, and he ripped his hands from his head�something snapped�and pounded
them angrily into the wall. There was a swishing sound, and Yuu was beside him,
looking angry himself. Still, there was something in his eyes, and as Lavi
looked, he noted a hint of worry in the other man�s gaze.

�� Seventy-four,� he
raged, pounding his fists again. Yuu grabbed his hands just as Lavi had seen
Darcy do for Amanda. Instead of carrying him away, though, Yuu held Lavi�s
hands firmly in his own, refusing to let Lavi hit anything.

�� Seventy-four,� he hissed, shaking now
that he had nothing to express his anger. Yuu�s hands gripped his tighter.

�� Mutilating your
hands again won�t bring them back,� Yuu said in a low voice, and Lavi slumped.
Yuu was right, of course. He was surprised to feel himself fly forward into
Yuu�s still form, but suddenly he was there, and Yuu was placing Lavi�s hands
around his back. Lavi clenched them tightly in the other man�s shirt.

�� I�m tired of
death,� he confessed bitterly.

�� Yuu didn�t say
anything, nor did he move. He stood there like a pillar, holding Lavi tightly
to him as if he were a prisoner. Not that Lavi minded being Yuu�s prisoner.

�� It was still
strange for him to be feeling anger. The only time he�d felt anything like this
was back when they�d thought Allen had died and when that stupid-ass Director
had insulted Yuu.

�� We should go back
to sleep, Baka Usagi,� Yuu said
gruffly after a while, pulling away a hand that had snaked
into Lavi�s hair at some point.

�� I don�t think I
can,� Lavi said, and he was irritated that his voice came out so small. He felt
Yuu nod against him, obviously in agreement, and he pulled away a bit.

�� Yuu�s eyes met
his, and Lavi couldn�t help but close the distance between them. He very much
needed to forget, and Yuu was a very good distraction. He kissed the other man
roughly, desperately, and he was surprised to find Yuu doing the same. He
pressed himself closer, moving his hands farther up Yuu�s back.

�� He moved his mouth
to Yuu�s neck, hoping he wouldn�t screw up again, and though he was rewarded
with a slight hitching in the Japanese man�s breath, Yuu made no other noise.
Lavi had discovered this trend each time they�d done anything remotely
physical. It seemed that the first time, back when Yuu was just waking up again
in August, had been a fluke. It hadn�t taken Lavi long to figure that out. It wasn�t
that Yuu wasn�t enjoying it�he could tell from the shudder he got when he
nipped right there�it was just that
he didn�t seem able to vocalize it. Thinking back to Yuu�s horrible past, Lavi
couldn�t really blame him.

�� Obviously not
content to let Lavi be in control, Yuu did the thing that Lavi just couldn�t
stand. He moaned as Yuu�s tongue looped around his left earring. He felt the
other man�s hot breath there, and he couldn�t help his reaction. He pulled
himself even closer, his eye half-hooded and longing. He couldn�t help himself.
Vaguely, he thought that he shouldn�t have held himself back for so long,
because now almost every movement was driving him absolutely crazy.

�� And then Yuu
froze, his teeth clamping almost painfully around Lavi�s ear, drawing blood.
Lavi gasped at the sensation, but he knew that he had somehow overstepped his
bounds. He needed to move back, now, or else Yuu would remember something more
unpleasant, and Lavi didn�t think he could watch Yuu reliving his abuse without
feeling that raw, awful hurt. He hated seeing Yuu in pain, and to think that he
caused it� just didn�t sit well. It made his stomach churn.

�� He pushed himself
back and walked over to the bed on legs that had turned to jelly.

�� I think we�
should just� I don�t want� too desperate,� Lavi panted out, trying to return
his breathing to normal. Yuu sat down next to him, and they spent the rest of
the night simply being with the
other, staring out into space as they came to terms with the consequences of
the day, wondering just how often the scene out in the Plaza would repeat
itself.

�� As the sun dawned
through their window, Yuu bent down and picked something up. He placed it on
Lavi�s leg, and Lavi looked down, curious.

�� You dropped your
eye patch,� Yuu said, his voice smooth and deep as butter. Lavi was speechless.
He knew Yuu had seen his eye before, and he was fine with that, but his eye
patch was very obviously broken. He supposed he�d have to let the others see,
but with Yuu at his side, maybe that wasn�t so scary.

---

September 13, 2013�Gurk, Austria

�� Tamas did not wake
up to alarm clocks any longer. The screaming was enough to rouse him at the
desired time, and it worked far better than any radio static or high-pitched
beeping.

�� VIKRAM MAITRA!�

�� Tamas�s
lips quirked. That was how it usually started.

�� GIVE ME BACK MY
INNOCENCE, YOU IMPUDENT BRAT!�

�� A chuckle escaped
from deep in Tamas�s throat. Really, Vikram was an idiot.

�� Vikram!
Be nice to Choon-yei!�

�� Ah, there was
Emiko. She was such a nice girl, and Tamas couldn�t understand how she liked
Vikram at all. That had been an interesting development. He had heard banging
coming from Vikram�s room�as usual�and had gone to inspect. As he had
approached the door, he had heard the strangest conversation.

�� But Vikram, I
love you!� Emiko had proclaimed.

�� Go away, you�re a
guy, and I�m not gay!� Vikram had
shouted back. There had been a moment of silence before Tamas had heard
sniffling.

�� But� but Vikram!� Emiko had wailed, and Tamas had
been able to hear the tears in her voice.

�� No! Don�t cry,
Emiko-kun!� There had been a shuffling noise, and Tamas had opened the door to
see Vikram on the floor wrapping his arms around Emiko�s hunched shoulders. She
had put her head on his shoulder.

�� Umm� did I miss
something?� Tamas had asked, and they both had frozen. Emiko had looked over,
her face covered in tears and snot alike, and she had wailed,

�� I miss Chu-chaaaaan! He understood me!�

�� Tamas had assumed
�Chu-chan� was Tuan. He had smiled at that nickname. He would have to use it
later�

�� Jerking back to
the present at a particularly loud bang, Tamas realized he had missed a fair
amount of scuffling.

�� NO! NOT THE
SPOON! MERCY, CHOON-YEI, MERCYYYY!� Vikram shouted.

�� NO! NOT THE
SPOON! VIKRAM NEEDS THOSE PARTS!�

�� Tamas balked. He
needed to end this before it got�he shuddered�bad. He had heard some of Choon-yei�s threats, and none of them had
sounded pretty�or ladylike. Much as he hated getting between the
mother-and-son-like-duo, he knew Choon-yei would follow through with the least
violent of her threats. Like castration. Tamas shuddered at what she had done
to Tuan. He wondered if the other General still had the scars.

�� Stepping wearily
from his room (that they were right in front of, damn them), he activated his
machete Innocence.

�� What happened
this time?� He asked tiredly.

�� Oh,
no!� Emiko exclaimed, placing her hands over her mouth in fear.
�Tama-chan is angry!�

�� Tamas fought the
urge to smile at the ridiculous nickname�Chu-chan would have a field day�and
kept his face stony and angry-looking. Not that he was mad at all.

�� I told you guys to be quiet! You know Tama-chan gets cranky when you wake
him up!�

�� Fighting back
another chuckle�cranky?�Tamas turned
to look at troublesome twosome and saw Choon-yei with her hands on Vikram�s
waistband. Vikram looked pale and positively petrified.

�� How did it start
this time?� He asked jadedly.

�� The brat��
Choon-yei glared sharply up at Vikram, ��stole my Innocence while I was
asleep.�

�� Hey, you snooze,
you lose,� Vikram said nonchalantly, shrugging. Choon-yei pulled his pants down
in a sharp tugging movement and withdrew a spoon from her back pocket. Vikram
choked and blanched further.

�� Choon-yei!�
Tamas said sternly, and the woman backed up, putting her spoon away dejectedly.

�� This is
VENGEANCE! My Innocence is still injured!� Vikram shouted defiantly.

�� You got that
fixed in August,� Choon-yei spat, looking offended.

�� You injured its pride!� Vikram exclaimed, his voice
shaking with slight hysteria. Tamas shook his head.

�� You injured my hair�s pride, brat!� Choon-yei
shouted back. �How do you think it felt when you stuck it down your dirty
ass-crack pants!?�

�� Tamas snickered at
that comment. It was well-known within the Order that Vikram wore his pants too
low. His boxers, too.

�� You�re on her side?� Vikram questioned, outraged.

�� And if you looked
around, you�d realize everyone else is, too,� said a deep voice, and Tamas
noted the entrance of the Brazilian Exorcist.

�� Morning,
Rodrigo,� Tamas said pleasantly as Vikram blushed and pulled his pants back up.
They were still too low.

�� You need a longer
shirt, kid,� Rodrigo muttered, passing through the hallway and grabbing
Choon-yei�s elbow as he went. �Let�s get breakfast and cool down. General Varga
will get your Innocence back from the kid.� Choon-yei seemed mollified, and she
followed him willingly, only turning once to glare back at the immature Indian
man. Emiko looked soulfully at Vikram and walked after them.

�� You could stand
to pull your pants up a bit,� Tamas commented, and Vikram flushed.

�� Shut up,
Tama-chan,� Vikram said in a small, high-pitched voice.

�� Oh, and give
Choon-yei her Innocence back,� Tamas added, still trying not to laugh at this
morning�s comedy act.

�� Could you put
some pants on first?� Vikram asked quietly, and Tamas looked down. He was still
in only his Hungarian flag boxers. Deactivating his machete, Tamas strode back
into his room, his head up proudly. Throwing on a pair of pants and a clean
shirt, he stepped back outside, shoes and socks in hand.

�� The two of them
walked calmly to the dining room, though Vikram did shake a bit as he opened
the door and saw Choon-yei. She ignored him, and when Vikram tossed a malleable
gray circle at her, she glared at him with icy contempt and fastened it back
onto her left hand.

�� A young, petite
receptionist walked in and smiled down at Tamas, who had taken a seat at the
head of their table. �Er, I have a package for a
Mister� Varga?�

�� Tamas�s eyebrows
shot up, and he nodded at the girl. �Yes, that�s me,� he replied, curious. She
placed a small cardboard box in front of his empty plate. Activating his
machete, he cut through the thick layer of tape. The young woman squeaked and
stepped back. Tamas smiled up at her reassuringly. �It�s just Innocence, not a
weapon.� Tamas�s smile turned to a grimace, and he added, �well,
not one that can hurt you, anyway.�

�� The young woman
nodded fearfully and scampered back to the front desk. Opening the box, Tamas
found a small packet that looked like pictures. Ignoring that, he opened the
small, white box that sat ominously atop the packet. His eyebrows raised up in surprise again. Chocolates?

�� But there they
were. A mixture of several different kinds of truffles.
There was one shaped like a dog, another like a pyramid, a long, thin one, and
several other specialty chocolates inside.

�� Who sent this?�
Tamas muttered to himself. Checking the box, he didn�t see a return address.
Immediately, he was on edge, and the hairs on the back
of his neck prickled in anticipation�of what, Tamas did not know. Picking up
the dog-shaped chocolate, he cut through it with his knife, checking for
anything suspicious. Tamas had seen tiny bombs in smaller things than this. The
Noahs were very creative, especially Road. She had a knack for explosives,
something she�d discovered during the Cold War, he supposed. It was a common assumption
that the Noahs had participated in that, as they usually appeared in important
events in history.

�� He continued
through a few more chocolates, finding nothing incriminating. Picking up the
long, thin one, Tamas knew instinctively that something was wrong with it. A
bomb could definitely be fit in this one, and something struck him as
irrevocably wrong with it. Running
his knife through it, it got stuck halfway through, and Tamas�s heart rate
picked up. He brought it closer to his face to inspect it further, and he saw
exactly what he had cut into.

�� His knife had
gotten stuck on bone. Thick, putrid
bile rose up the back of his throat, and he dropped the �chocolate� as if it
really did have bomb inside. The entire table had gone silent at his reaction,
but he didn�t notice, instead picking up the packet of pictures with a deep
sense of foreboding dread.

�� On top was a small
note.

�� I heard from Artemis that you like
chocolates. So, in celebration of your friends� humiliating defeat, I left you
a special one. She was so upset to part with it. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
It�s always good to see what friends do and see when they�re on vacation!

�� -C

�� Tamas did not look
at the pictures, but Emiko did. She picked them up curiously and then gagged as
she looked at the first one.

�� Agh,� she muttered in a strangely deep voice as she dropped
the pictures to grab her stomach. Vikram reached over to her and wrapped an arm
around her shoulder.

�� What�s wrong?� He
asked, sounding worried.

�� God, Artemis,�
Emiko choked out, her voice still deep.

�� Silently, Vikram
picked up all the pictures and flipped through them, his expression growing
more grim and disgusted with each one. Near the end, he, too, dropped the
pictures and ran to the bathroom. From the noise that Tamas heard a moment
later, he hadn�t made it all the way.

�� Tamas bent down
and picked the pictures up. He didn�t want to see what was happening to his
apprentice, but the picture on the top gave him no choice.

�� Torture, Rape,
more torture, burns, missing�when had she lost the foot?, further torture, a
hand as a knife came down on the pinky finger, nicking the other as it sliced
it off in the next picture� Tamas felt his stomach rebel, too, but he swallowed
thickly and flipped through the rest. Silent tears poured down his face. His
poor Artemis, the silent but grateful girl who he had bailed out of prison for
drug trafficking, the girl who he had bailed out twice more for that same
offence, his sweet apprentice who had worked so hard to become an Exorcist once
Tamas had realized she reacted to a piece of Innocence. He sent out a silent
prayer for Lenalee to find her soon.

---

September 23, 2013�Villach,
Austria

�� They were supposed
to be exterminating Akuma, but as they traveled through the south of Austria,
they�d come up with nothing. Instead of being glad, Tamas felt as if something
was wrong. It was that too quiet quality
that occurred just before a large battle.

�� He heard a muffled
cry. His heart raced�he knew that voice. He could never mistake the voices of
any of his apprentices. Somehow, miraculously, Artemis was nearby. He swallowed
his dread. Strength would be there, too. It was no longer Lenalee�s fight; it
was his, and Tamas had to win it.

�� Oh, look,
Artemis! Isn�t that your master?� Strength said as he appeared, holding Artemis
by the scruff of her neck. From her bugging eyes, she was choking.

�� That was the easiest
thing to look at. Great chunks of hair were simply missing, and from the blood that matted most of her previously
beautiful locks, so was a good portion of her scalp. Both her eyes were
blackened, and the rest of her face was covered in dark bruises. Deep, lurid
purple marks ran the length of her throat, ending near a bloodied collar-bone.
The thin, white tank top that she always wore beneath her Exorcist jacket was
covered in strange-colored stains that Tamas didn�t want to know the origins
of. It was ripped and hanging from a single strap. Below it was the tattered
and ripped remains of what had previously been a pair of jeans. They looked
more like a skirt now. Her clothes were in better shape than her body, though,
as Tamas saw from the cauterized stump of her left leg. A small amount of bone
still stuck out of it. He looked at her left hand and saw a large scab where
her pinky finger had been. Tamas�s stomach lurched as he remembered the box of
chocolates. Deep, thin lines zebra-striped her arms, stomach, and legs. Like
his colleague, Strength seemed to have a whip.

�� Tearing his eyes
away, Tamas threw himself at his apprentice�s captor, blind rage reddening his
vision. He only felt the man�s hand connect with his stomach. All air left his
body, and it couldn�t seem to return, no matter how much he gasped for it. He
tried to pry his eyes open, but the pain was too much, and as air finally
filled his lungs again, Noah�s Strength and his hostage were gone. Every
soldier and Finder was dead, their scalps caved in from the force of well-placed
punches.

�� He looked over as
he heard a wail.

�� CHOON-YEI!!!� Vikram shouted, his
voice breaking with sobs. Tamas felt icy dread enter his system through his
chest. Choon-yei was a good fighter, and he would be losing her.

�� Don�t die!
Please, Choon-yei, I�ll even give you your hair back!�

�� It�ll smell� like
ass� I don�t want it� back�� Choon-yei said softly between hacking coughs that
brought up blood. Looking at her chest, Tamas noticed how it caved in slightly.
More than likely, Strength had broken her breast bone, and it had punctured her
heart. A hot wave of sorrow melted the frozen dread.

�� No, Choon-yei,
you have to get better from this. You haven�t castrated me yet, and I know how
you really want to do that,� Vikram whispered, mortified, tears running freely
down his face as he lifted Choon-yei�s head into his lap.

�� Don�t be a brat�
when I�m� gone.�

�� B-b-but I�m only
a b-brat f-for you!�

�� Then� forgive�
your mother.�

�� Each word sounded
increasingly difficult for her to say, and then she was silent, and Vikram�s
cries grew louder, more desperate.

�� Vikram swept down
and placed his lips tenderly on Choon-yei�s unmoving ones. Tamas felt
thoroughly disturbed. What the fuck?

�� Arrrgh! That was disgusting!� Vikram wailed, spitting
next to Choon-yei�s face. , Vikram gently put Choon-yei back on the ground,
being careful with her head, as if she were just sleeping, alternatingly
rubbing his lips off and spitting onto the dusty road in an overdramatic
fashion.

�� Then why did you
do it?� Emiko asked, her voice sad despite her
lighthearted question.

�� It seemed like
the right thing to do at the time,� Vikram said. What the fuck? Tamas had no idea how to take that comment. �She was
like my mother!� Vikram bawled in a keening voice. What had Choon-yei meant by
that, anyway? Tamas would have to ask Vikram what his real mother had done, but
right now, the young man seemed in no condition to do anything more than sit
and be a blubbering mess. Not that Tamas didn�t want to sit
down and join him. But duty called, and he had to keep himself
collected.

�� Taking his cell
phone out, he dialed Allen�s number. It rang for a long time, and finally, a
groggy-sounding Allen answered.

�� H�llo?�

�� Al-len?� Tamas wheezed. His diaphragm was probably
bruised, and from the intense pain in his stomach and sides, he was probably
bleeding internally.

�� Tamas?� Allen asked, sounding
more alert and slightly concerned.

�� Allen? What�s going on?� Lenalee was
with him, but Tamas wasn�t surprised.

�� Tamas, what happened?�

�� Strength�
in Austria. Need gate. In� Villa�� Tamas cut
off abruptly, unable to do more than simply cough. He felt his phone drop from
his hand, but he couldn�t do more than grab his stomach as it erupted in pain.

�� General Walker?�
Someone above him asked. �Yes�no�I don�t know� Villach� er,
I don�t know the street names. Just�just triangulate our position using the
phone�then give it to someone who knows what I�m talking about� the Science
Department�yes�go do it��

�� Everything started
darkening. His vision did that annoying tunnel thing, and his world imploded as
he blacked out.

�� He woke up in the
Order�s hospital. Concerned people were around him, and within a week, he was
back on his feet, but then he got the DVD.

---

September 30, 2013�Allen�s Ark

�� Tamas came up to them,
looking worried and carrying a strange, shiny circle. Curious, Yuu lifted his
head to see what he was doing.

�� I couldn�t look
at it on my own,� he said, his voice haunted. He held it out to Amanda, who
took it, her face dark.

�� Is that� blood?�
She asked tremulously. Tamas nodded gravely. �It needs to be cleaned, then.�
Turning around, she added to the group of soldiers, �anyone
got a portable DVD player?� One nodded and ran off.

�� What�s a DVD?�
Yuu asked Lavi, who was seated to his right.

�� Digital Versatile
Disc,� Lavi replied, shrugging. �It plays videos,� he added, obviously noting
Yuu�s still confused expression.

�� The soldier
returned with a strange, rectangular object and a wet cloth, which Amanda ran
over the blood-covered disc.

�� Hey, Allen, can
you project this onto the wall?� She asked, her voice
devoid of emotion. Allen�he was definitely Allen right now, with no Moyashi in sight�nodded and disappeared
into the Musician�s room. A moment later, a blue rectangle appeared on the wall
of the nearest building. Amanda carried the black rectangular thing that Yuu
assumed was the DVD player she had called for into the Musician�s room, and a
minute later, they were watching the video.

�� Strength�s face
smiled back at them, and Yuu knew at once he was not going to like whatever
this was.

�� Hello, my dear
Exorcists!� Strength said cheerfully. �I thought I�d give you a nice little
video. Today is the twenty-eighth of September, and Artemis is looking
particularly chipper today! See?� The camera panned over, and it landed on a
close-up of a very purple, very bruised face. The only
thing that indicated that they were indeed looking at Artemis was one flat,
blue eye. At some point, it seemed the other eye had been torn from its socket.
�Wave �hi,� Artemis!� Strength said from off screen. She didn�t move�she didn�t
even blink. �Now, don�t be rude!� A large, fisted hand came into the frame, and
Artemis flew away with a sickening crunch. When the camera focused on her
again, her nose was broken and bleeding profusely. Artemis�s expression had not
changed.

�� Yuu felt sick. His
father had never broken his nose, but he had punched Yuu many times. He
shuddered. He didn�t want to think about it. An arm snaked around his back, and
after recognizing it as Lavi�s, he relaxed into it.

�� Hmmm� well, while
she recovers from that�� Strength�s hand appeared again and remolded the
cartilage of Artemis�s nose, ��let�s take a tour of Artemis�s room!� He started
at the bed. It was possibly the only piece of real furniture in the room, save
for a chair and bedside table next to it. There were bloodstains and
rank-looking yellow marks on the sheets. Near to the bed was the first torture
device. It was a bloody pair of iron shoes with three short, wide spikes in
each sole. Next to them, on the wall, was a rake-like object covered in a dried
pile of gore. Yuu�s stomach lurched as Lavi muttered something to himself.
�Eh?� He asked.

�� Cat�s Paw,� Lavi
replied, horrified. �He used a Cat�s Paw on her.� A tear leaked from his ruined
eye.

�� The camera panned
the walls. A series of pliers, hammers, and brands hung almost artfully on the
wall. Each of them looked recently used. One brand was still red with the last
dregs of heat. Next to those was a large, A-framed device. Beside him, Lavi�s
eye grew wide, and he whispered the name of that, too. �Scavenger�s
daughter.�

�� A procession of
other devices followed, including a metal gag�a Scold�s Bridle�and a fork-like
instrument that had two sharp ends and a leather strap around the middle. Lavi
called it a Heretic�s Fork.

�� Strength picked up
a pear-shaped device, and Lavi turned green. �You see this?� Strength asked.
�Artemis likes this the best.� His smile grew soft,
and a wistful, dark look whorling around in his eyes.

�� What is that?�
Yuu whispered to Lavi. The redhead looked over at him and shook his head.

�� I�m not telling
you that,� Lavi said hoarsely. His good eye left no room for questions. Yuu
interpreted that to mean that he didn�t want to know.

�� Then Strength
reached the final wall, which was ominously bare. As he panned across it, Yuu
heard Amanda throwing up in the Musician�s room. Yuu knew what that one was.
He�d seen it in an old book of his father�s. The Judas
Cradle. From the blood-stained shackles and gore-covered pyramid, Yuu
had no illusions that it hadn�t been used. Next to him, Lavi keeled over,
shaking. The hand left his back, and he reached out to hold it, offering Lavi
whatever comfort he needed. It was obvious he needed it, and not even Yuu was
bastard enough to withhold it. Plus, he happened to love the quivering fool
next to him, and that alone was enough to make him swallow his pride and show
some compassion. Not to mention that, deep down, he realized he needed comfort, too.

�� Isn�t it a lovely
room?� Strength asked rhetorically in his over-cheerful voice. Yuu had to
disagree. Not only were there instruments of torture from wall to wall, but
perhaps the worst thing was that there were no windows. Artemis had been alone
in the dark being tortured, beaten, and who knew what else while they had been
out gallivanting about the countryside or sitting, useless, in the Ark.

�� Now, I sent this,
because I wanted you all to see the show!� Strength said, still sounding far
too cheerful. Placing the camera on an unseen surface, he walked over until he
was in the frame, too. Still smiling with menacing happiness, he held up the
crossed lines of Innocence that had previously hung from Artemis�s shoulders
and ran across her chest. He brought them up to the camera, and everyone watched,
horrified, as the strands of inactivated Innocence melted back into element
form. Once it was pooled in his hand, his smile grew to destructive
proportions, and he fisted it, rending it to dust. Yuu looked at Artemis for
any response, and the only thing he could see was her one visible eye becoming
even more lifeless. It was as if her undestroyed Innocence had been the only
thing keeping her in this world, and now she had truly given up on hope.

�� Well, I guess
we�ll have to stop here for today! Wave good-bye, Artemis!� He pulled her onto
the screen again as he disappeared from it, and she stared lifelessly at the
camera just as she had at the beginning of the recording.

�� Now, now, that�s
no way to say good-bye to your friends!� He grabbed her wrist and the
microphone recorded a small snap! as all the bones in her wrist were compressed together. He
waved it back and forth, and the hand flopped around, unmoving, as Artemis
stared just as blankly ahead.

�� That�s a good
girl, Artemis,� Strength cooed, entering the frame himself. �I think you
deserve a little reward!� He dropped her wrist and put her face in his hand
instead, pressing his lips disgustingly to hers. When he pulled back, Yuu saw
Artemis�s lips already turning purple with bruises. With a moment of clarity,
Yuu understood exactly what that pear-shaped object had been used for.

�� The video cut off,
and the screen turned blue again. Inside, Yuu heard a pounding noise, and when
Allen came out, Yuu noticed the rectangular object the younger boy was carrying
was now very, very mangled. He gave it back to the soldier with an apologetic
grimace, but the soldier didn�t seem very mad. Actually, he was looking a bit
green.

�� I need a drink. Now.�

�� General Varga was
shaking worse than Lavi, and his expression was so haunted that Yuu himself felt
like downing a glass.

�� The chef emerged
from the kitchen with seven crates of wines, spirits, and ales as they all
gathered in the Dark Order�s cafeteria. Allen had refused to let them drink in
his Ark.

�� Yuu gazed around
at his comrades. Lenalee held a bottle of tequila and was pouring herself a
shot. Yuu was surprised that Lenalee drank at all, but then again, this
occasion required it. General Varga pushed a bottle of sake in front of him,
and Yuu froze. Quickly, Lavi snatched it and passed it along the table.

�� Neither Yuu nor I
drink. It�s for Lent,� Lavi explained matter-of-factly.

�� Lent isn�t for
another five months,� General Varga said incredulously.

�� I knew that�I
just didn�t want to say it�s a personal choice, because then people look at me
funny.� Lavi cringed back, looking upset, but Yuu knew he was just acting and
ignored it.

�� Whatever floats
your boat, man,� General Varga said, giving Lavi a strange look anyway.

�� Allen, who never
drank either, was nursing an entire bottle of straight vodka, grimacing as he
took another large gulp.

�� As they all began
to get drunk, the mood of the table sank. Tamas was telling Lenalee about how
he�d met Artemis. ��Saw this girl in the jail my slutty apprentice, Sheila, was
in. I felt bad for her, being so young and all, and I
bailed her out. The next day, Sheila tried to sell herself again and ended up
back in jail. I was surprised to see Artemis in there as well. I asked her what
she did, and she replied, �I sell drugs like Vicodin
and Oxycodone� and Morphine. That�s a big seller. Vicodin, too.�
Well, I bailed her again, and then Margaret�she was another General, but she
died two years ago�came by. When I saw Artemis being taken in a third time, she
told me that one of her collected Innocence was reacting.�

�� Whaddid y�do?� Lenalee
slurred out. She was going to regret drinking all that tequila.

�� I went over to
the cops, and I tossed the Innocence into her hands, and it went and turned
into a bow and arrows. I grabbed �em back and told
the cops that she had diplomatic immunity �cause she�s an Exorcist. Then I
picked her up in a football hold and dragged her off, and the rest is history��

�� OI!
This�s gettin� a bi�
somber! Le�s talk �bout somethin� cheerfuller!�
Shouted a soldier at the other end of the table.

�� Like what?� Allen
shouted back, his voice surprisingly clear despite three quarters of the bottle
being gone.

�� LOLEK! Nur
ein Schwein, trinkt allein! Let�s play a drinking game!� Miranda
shouted, pounding an empty pint glass on the table. Yuu stared. When had
Miranda gotten so� outgoing? She hadn�t been that way for a long time. He
supposed alcohol affected people differently. Or not at all,
judging by Allen�s general sobriety. He had a second bottle of vodka
open in front of him and was already halfway through it. Yuu suspected the
sobriety would leave with time. And another few bottles.

�� Hey, mates! I gots an idea!� Justin shouted, a little less sober than Allen. He jumped up onto
the table, a finger pointing toward the ceiling. �I got this great story!�

�� Whassit abou�?� Lenalee
asked.

�� How I lost my virginity!�
Justin exclaimed, stretching his arms out and slopping his beer everywhere. The
soldiers cheered in unanimous anticipation.

�� You see, there
was this reeeeeaaally
hot koala chick!� He started.

�� What?� Allen
asked, looking perplexed.

�� You
chanellin� Siegfried, or somethin�?�
General Varga asked. His voice was starting to get thick with the rum he was
chugging.

�� No! Of course
not! She worked at the zoo�in the koala section. This was back when Siegfried
was just a cub� �bout two years ago!�

�� How old were
you?� One of the soldiers asked, and the others yelled the same question a
moment later.

�� Thirteen! And
see, we got to talkin�, and then we were flirtin�, and somehow we ended up in an employee closet,
and the rest, mates, is too dirty to say!� Justin bowed and jumped off the
table.

�� How old was she?�
A soldier asked.

�� Nineteen!� Justin
yelled, and a roar of cheers went around the table. �She got a bit salty when
she found out how young I was, though!�
Another round of yells and applause erupted.

�� Ey! �Ey! Guys, I gotta better one!� Yelled a Finder,
getting up on the table himself. Everyone shouted their encouragements,
and the man continued on with his story.

�� Yuu thought the
entire thing was stupid, but then, they were all drunk, so they were all a bit
stupid.

�� Lavi jumped up on
the table. �Wait! I got one, guys!� He yelled out in a slurring voice. Yuu
thought it was a good approximation of drunkenness. If he hadn�t seen Lavi
refuse every glass offered him, he would have thought Lavi was actually
inebriated.

�� Less �ear it,
then!� Lenalee said, giggling loudly. Yuu resisted the urge to remove her from
the room. She shouldn�t be here with all these� lusty fools.

�� Wellll, y�see, when I was�lmost fifteen, Bookman caught me, y�know,
doin� the� y�know� necessities� in the bathroom. I
thought he was asleep, but� �parently
not. So, �e sent me t�a BROTHEL!� Lavi smiled widely
and spread his arms out in a comical gesture. �Well, it all got done �n stuff,
but it wasn�t� satis� satissss�
need to sit down.� Lavi blinked as people pulled him back onto the bench.

�� How
�boutchoo, Allen?� A soldier asked, but Lavi
wasn�t finished, and he raised a protesting hand in the air.

�� N tha�s �ow I figgered
out I was gay!�

�� A roar of laughter
followed. Yuu put his burning face in his hand.

�� So,
Allen!� The soldiers continued. �You a man yet?�

�� Allen blushed
fiercely, and Yuu snickered. It was the blush of a virgin.

�� Guess not, then.
You gotta try �t sometime,
man, it�s like� like� apple pie� or somethin�. Inthat from ma
movie? Whatevs� iss
good, whatever�t is.�

�� Yuu disagreed. Sex
was nothing like apple pie. It was more like�

�� Oi! Kanda! How �bout you?�

�� Yuu froze. He
didn�t want to talk about this. Already, images of his first time were flashing through his head, and he didn�t want
to remember them again.

�� Hey, guys, I �aven�t finished m�storeh yet!�
Lavi shouted, and Yuu knew he was saying that just as a distraction. He
supposed he�d have to thank him later, even if it hurt his pride.

�� I bet it was with
Lavi!� Justin shouted out, and the attention shifted back to him. They started
to nudge him, giving him suggestive winks as they asked for details. He tried
to ignore it all, but his father was right
there, and Yuu was on the kitchen
floor, and goddammit, why wouldn�t they shut up!?

�� Yeah, c�mon,
Kanda, tell us!�

�� Everything was
very hot and very cold at the same time, and everything was too loud but also
too quiet, and the only thing solid was Lavi, but he was pretending to be drunk
and so was no use to him, and he really just needed to get away, because they
were asking him to tell them all about how his father had raped him, and he
didn�t want to tell that to anyone, because only Lavi could know, and if they
would only just shut up and stop jabbing
him in the ribs and arms and stomach and legs and chest, then maybe they would
understand, but they couldn�t understand, because they were able to drink, and
now they were all blubbering idiots who just wouldn�t stop being so uproarious when all Yuu wanted them to
do was just go away and leave him the
fuck alone, and would that guy just fucking stop jabbing his elbow in his
ribs, and�

�� He slammed his
hands�which had been clenching the bench�onto the tabletop and shouted, �I was
five!� Turning away, he stormed from the room, activating Mugen so he could
hold something solid.

�� The entire hall
went silent, and he heard Lavi say something like �fuck,� but he couldn�t tell
for sure because he was so angry and just wanted to leave.

�� As the door closed
behind him, the roar was already beginning to return. He heard footsteps and
Lenalee saying in a horrified voice, �I thought it was only physical abuse.�

�� He went back to
the only place where he could ever truly be at peace: his room. He had
meditated here so many times, but for some reason, he couldn�t find his center.
He threw himself on the bed, something he had never done before, and growled in
frustration.

�� He had to stop reacting like that! He
wasn�t ten anymore, dammit! Seriously, even Lavi
had started to pull away when he did that. He wasn�t broken anymore�it was all
in the past. So why does it still hurt?
He thought to himself. Angrily he pounded a fist on the headboard and heard a
satisfying crack in response.

�� Dammit, his head
hurt. He pulled out his hairband and sat up on the
edge of the bed, letting his head fall into his fisted hands. Really, why couldn�t
he just tell Lavi to just do something
already? He didn�t need to be protected.
He needed to get rid of these stupid feelings, because they were annoying, and he
didn�t understand them. He threw out his right fist and cracked the headboard
again. He growled again and threw himself back so he was staring up at the
ceiling.

�� He felt bad for
Artemis. What she had gone through was true, all-encompassing torture. Yuu had
only suffered a small bit in comparison to her. But her one eye had shown the
exact same flatness that his used to have. He knew that if she survived, he
would have to talk with her. They both needed someone who understood. He shuddered. The thought of telling someone besides
Lavi made him balk, but the Stupid Druggie would probably need someone, too, if
only to administer a lethal dose. Because there was no way she wanted to live
now. The flatness in her eye told Yuu that she had given up on living. Even the
thought of being alive would seem foreign to her. Yuu knew that feeling. He
knew it intimately.

�� Sitting back up,
he tried to find his center again, but the door squeaked open. It was the
rabbit, of course.

�� I don�t think
anyone will remember anything tomorrow,� Lavi said quietly, coming to kneel on
the floor in front of Yuu�s legs. He grabbed Yuu�s hands in his, and despite
himself, Yuu felt a bit better. He grunted noncommittally.

�� Yuu,
why is the headboard broken?� Lavi asked softly, though his tone had a
hint of exasperation in it.

�� It doesn�t like
being punched,� Yuu grunted.

�� Most things
don�t,� Lavi said.

�� Yuu grunted again.

�� I�m sorry I
couldn�t divert them again,� Lavi said, sounding horrendously apologetic.

�� Che.�

�� Would you give me
a response that doesn�t include a monosyllabic noise?�

�� No.�

�� That�s a
monosyllabic noise.� Lavi sounded annoyed, but Yuu didn�t care.

�� No, it�s a
monosyllabic word.�

�� You see! There
you go,� Lavi said, and Yuu finally looked at his face. The redhead was
smiling, though as usual, it didn�t reach his impossibly green eye.

�� If you�re going
to smile, rabbit, do it properly,� Yuu said, getting annoyed himself.

�� Well, I�d rarely
be smiling, then, would I? And the whole point is so that others don�t realize
I�m not being genuine,� Lavi replied.

�� Yes, and then the
people who care about you worry a hell of a lot more,� Yuu bit out. Lavi froze.

�� You� worry about
me?� He asked in wonder.

�� Che.�

�� See, now you�re
right back with your ridiculous mono��

�� Of course I
worry, Baka Usagi. I told you before
I like you, and like implies worry.�

�� Lavi stared up at
him, seeming thoroughly shocked. �You just said you like me.�

�� No, I said I care
about you.�

�� No, no, Yuu, you
said you like me!� Lavi said, and for
some reason, a real grin lit his eye.

�� No, I didn�t.�

�� Yes, you did. You
said �I like you.��

�� You�re ears need
to be cleaned out.�

�� No, Yuu, my ears
are fine. Ne, how much do you like
me?� Lavi asked, his grin morphing into a mischievous one.

�� I refuse to play
this game.�

�� Is it a little?
Is it a lot? Is it a lot, a lot?�

�� I� like� you
enough,� Yuu said gruffly, and Lavi threw his arms around him. Yuu, damn
himself, froze in surprise, and Lavi pulled away immediately. �Stop doing that!� He yelled as Lavi went for
the door. The other man turned.

�� Do what?� He asked.
Yuu stood up and stalked toward the door, shoving Lavi�s shoulder into it so it
would close. The motion had the added bonus of pinning Lavi to said door.

�� You keep starting
things, and you never finish them!� Yuu hissed, his
face only centimeters from Lavi�s.

�� What are you
talking about?� Lavi asked, and he looked genuinely confused.

�� Goddammit, Lavi, you won�t even touch me anymore!� Yuu
yelled. He was glad he was finally able to say things, even if they were small
like that. A confession was still a long way off, and he hoped the other man
understood.

�� But� but�
you-you-you� I don�t understand.� Lavi looked hopelessly lost. Obviously, he
didn�t understand.

�� Che. It�s obvious, moron.�

�� No, I don�t get
it,� Lavi insisted.

�� Yuu growled in the
back of his throat. �I thought you considered yourself smart.�

�� You�you freeze! And� I
don�t� want to hurt you,� Lavi finally confessed haltingly.

�� Yuu sighed.
Really, Lavi could be an idiot, and his idiocy was making this conversation
extremely awkward. �You�re not hurting me, Baka.
I have to get over this� aversion
somehow.�

�� Yuu, every time
you freeze, you�re thinking about your father or some of what he did to you, or
it�s an automatic reaction because of
what your father did to you, and I�d prefer not to surpass your bounds. I�m
trying to respect them.� Lavi looked pitiful.

�� When have you ever respected my bounds?� Yuu shouted
incredulously. �Always throwing yourself on me, calling me by stupid nicknames,
kissing me with fucking scrambled eggs in your mouth, and now that I actually want you to, you refuse!?�

�� Had he actually
said that out loud? From Lavi�s stoned expression, he had.

�� When did I kiss
you with scrambled eggs in my mouth?� Lavi asked blankly. Yuu sighed. Had the
rabbit really forgotten that, too?

�� The
first time, idiot. The fucking day after we fucking met!� He shook the
man�s shoulders a little, hoping he remembered.

�� Oh, I had
sausage, too!� Lavi exclaimed.

�� Well, I didn�t taste the sausage. Either way, it was
fucking disgusting, and if you ever do it to me again, I will kill you.�

�� No you won�t,
Yuu-chan,� Lavi said softly, looking soulfully into his eyes. Yuu looked away.
Naturally, Lavi was right.

�� Che.� It was short, easy, and it
worked in every situation.

�� Anyway, back to
what we were talking about, you� really like it?� Lavi asked abruptly after a
momentary silence.

�� What do you think?� Yuu bit out. He was still
angry at Lavi�s complete obliviousness.

�� I� don�t know,�
Lavi replied, and he sounded vaguely surprised at the notion. A small part of
Yuu felt very satisfied. Lavi deserved to be in the dark about something.

�� Well, you�ve
enjoyed it every time, rabbit, so��

�� You knew?� Lavi interrupted, sounding
astonished.

�� Che. It�s hard not to when you
can feel it every single time.�

�� I thought I was��

�� Well, you
weren�t. But apparently, I was,� Yuu said curtly.

�� Lavi�s eye
widened. �You� too?�

�� Yuu let out an
exasperated sigh. �Of course, Baka. But my pants are just too tight for you to��

�� W-wait, go back
to the part where you liked it too? And the tight pants part�I like your tight
pants.�

�� Yuu blinked. Where
the hell had their conversation gone?

�� Yes,� Yuu said,
averting his eyes. �I liked it. And my pants are� very� tight?� Not that he had
had a choice in the matter. Damn that Infernal Girl.

�� Are they very
tight� now?� Lavi asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly. Blushing�why? He asked himself�Yuu nodded.

�� Instantly, Lavi
moved so that now Yuu was the one against the door. He saw Lavi�s hand go next
to his hip, and he felt the door against his back lock quietly.

�� Are you sure, Yuu?�
Lavi asked, his face going out of focus as he leaned in. ��Cause I don�t think
I�ll be able to stop myself once we start.�

�� Baka Usagi,� Yuu said, his face burning.
Fighting the urge to look away, he stared deeply into Lavi�s darkening eye.
�Just kiss me.�

�� Lavi did. It was
hard and deep and passionate, almost to the point of desperation. Lavi moved
his hands from next to Yuu�s shoulders and into his hanging hair, staying away
from the scalp. Yuu�s breath hitched as Lavi tentatively moved his hands
farther up, seeming to test Yuu�s bounds. And then they did something they�d
never done before�not since Yuu had mentioned that his father had always
scraped at his scalp when he�d� abused him. Lavi lightly rested his hands atop
Yuu�s head, and then his fingers were running through his hair, and they hit a
spot that caused a white-hot streak of pleasure to run straight through him. He
moaned.

�� Lavi paused and
pulled back. �You made a�?� He started questioningly, but Yuu took the
opportunity to do that thing to Lavi�s ear that never failed to turn him on.
Seriously, Lavi had an excuse for not being able to hide it at that point. Yuu
knew how erogenous that ear was, and he took particular pleasure in driving
Lavi crazy with it. But that pressure on his scalp was the thing driving him crazy now, and it was all he could
do to keep quiet.

�� You can�God�make noise� if it�s�holy shit�with me,� Lavi stammered as
Yuu ran his tongue through the earring. He tightened his hands in Yuu�s hair,
and even though the scars dulled his senses, pleasure still hit him deep in his
core.

�� Yuu realized
abruptly that this wasn�t going anywhere anytime soon, and he sought to fix
that. He played absently with the zipper to Lavi�s Exorcist jacket, pulling it
down slowly. Lavi shrugged it off as his lips found Yuu�s again, and this time
there was a fire there that Yuu had
never felt before. It raged through them both, burning Yuu�s blood vessels as
his heart pumped too fast.

�� Lavi�s tongue
tangled with his, and Yuu found himself moaning again. This time, he didn�t
care, and Lavi was undoing the buttons to his jacket. And then it was gone.
Lavi ran his hands down Yuu�s sides until he reached the hem of the tight,
white shirt that
the-girl-he-didn�t-want-to-think-about-right-now-because-this-was-finally-going-somewhere
had gotten him. Softly, slowly, Lavi ran his hands up Yuu�s stomach, bypassing
those scars in preference of the ones on his chest. He ran his hand lightly
over the black symbol of the Lotus Spell, tweaking a nipple as he did so. Yuu�s
breath hitched, and he forgot everything he was trying to do regarding
undressing Lavi.

�� But it was okay,
because Lavi was now pulling the shirt over Yuu�s head, breaking their kiss for
only a moment before he was back and they were connected again. Yuu fisted a
hand in Lavi�s shirt and jerked it up. Lavi got the message and divested
himself of it quickly. Leaning back in, Lavi ignored Yuu�s mouth and went down
his neck, trailing kisses the entire way. Yuu felt lips touching the old, nasty
scar on his collarbone, but before he could react to it, they were gone, on
their way to his chest.

�� Lavi lost his
balance and fell to the ground, taking Yuu down with him. Yuu landed roughly
over Lavi�s legs, hitting the cold, stone floor painfully.

�� Ita,� Yuu hissed.
Lavi ran his hands up and down Yuu�s chest, but he pulled away. �Not on the
floor.� It was too much like his father, and this position was very
uncomfortable anyway.

�� Lavi nodded, his
face too desirous to have any true emotion on it, and he stood up, holding
Yuu�s hand, and walked over to the bed. He pushed Yuu down, and Yuu watched as
Lavi slowly reached for the fly of his pants, his hand shaking�was he nervous?
Sitting up, he reached over and placed a hand over Lavi�s quivering one. He met
the redhead�s dark eye, and an unspoken feeling of trust passed through the two
of them.

�� Let me,� Yuu
murmured, and he pulled Lavi closer. He tried to ignore his own shaking hands
as he pulled Lavi�s pants off, revealing just how much Lavi wanted this. The
redhead leaned down and kissed Yuu on the lips. Unlike the others, this was
brief, light, and unerringly sweet. Yuu bit Lavi�s lower lip lightly and pulled
the other man farther down. He wanted the burning flames from earlier.

�� He didn�t even
notice his own pants being thrown from his body. Lavi�s hands on his chest, rubbing
and teasing here and there, saw to that. Lavi moved his mouth down to Yuu�s
left nipple, and he moaned again, surprising himself. It felt so� good.

�� Kuso,� he gasped as Lavi ran his teeth
along his nipple. He moved to the other one, and Yuu gasped out again, unable
to contain himself any longer. Lavi ran his right hand down Yuu�s side and let
it rest on the side of his hip. He moved his lips down the ragged, tomato knife
scar, stopping just above Yuu�s belly button and then going lower� and lower� and
oh, God�.

�� Yuu bit his arm to
stop himself from making a noise as Lavi�s mouth surrounded him. He didn�t care
that he was drawing blood. A moment later, Lavi�s left hand moved from his
hair�when had it gone there?�to his chest, and it traced the scars in a way
that made Yuu shiver. Lavi�s tongue flicked deftly over the tip of Yuu�s
erection as the hand ran back up to his chest. Yuu let out a strangled noise
that he couldn�t quite classify as a moan and fisted his hands in Lavi�s hair.
Lavi moaned, and the vibrations made Yuu rock his hips forward. Lavi moved his
right hand to encircle the base of his erection as the hand on his chest slid
around his side and to his back.

�� Yuu froze for a
split second, but Lavi�s tongue did that thing again, and now his hand was
moving in tandem with his head, and Yuu couldn�t concentrate on the fact that
Lavi had never touched his bare back before. And the hand was gone anyway, down
at the curve of his hip again.

�� Aw, fuck,� Lavi
said, moving back. Yuu gasped at the lack of stimulation and reached out
blindly for Lavi�s hand, trying to pull him back. He missed and watched
helplessly as Lavi rummaged through his discarded Exorcist jacket. He pulled
out a small tube, and a moment later, he walked back to the bed.

�� Sorry,� Lavi said
nervously, and kissed him deeply. Hands wandered back down via his deep scars,
and then something cold and wet touched him, and Yuu shivered. �Sorry,� Lavi
repeated breathlessly against his lips. �It�ll warm up in a bit.�

�� Yuu grunted as
Lavi slipped a finger inside, this time ignoring the numerous glass-caused
scars. Lavi gently moved his finger in and out, biting lightly at Yuu�s neck,
expanding him enough to slide in a second finger. Yuu gasped. This had never
felt good before, not that his father had bothered to do it most of the time. As
Lavi gently massaged inside, he bent over and kissed Yuu again. And then Lavi
hit somewhere that made him yell wordlessly and see stars.

�� Lavi brushed his
lips in an arcing line to Yuu�s ear and whispered, �you sure?� Yuu scowled as
best he could, given his situation, and Lavi took that as the invitation it
was. �Ready?�

�� Yuu nodded, and
Lavi�s fingers pulled out. Yuu growled at the loss, but a moment later, Lavi
was pressed against him. And this time, physics was wrong. No force in the
universe could prevent them from occupying the same space simultaneously. Pain
ripped through him, but it was tolerable�he�d been through worse before�and
Lavi didn�t move as Yuu grew accustomed to it.

�� Holy shit, Yuu,� Lavi hissed, and Yuu
recognized it as his native tongue. Catching Lavi�s eye, he saw it hooded and
darkened nearly black with desire. Lavi began to move then, and Yuu found
himself meeting each thrust with a small moan. Lavi�s hands travelled back up
to his hair, and they knotted there. Yuu�s hands, which had at some point
stopped moving and curled into his sheets, reached for Lavi�s back, and he hung
on desperately, attempting to pull the other man still closer. His nails
scratched at Lavi as the other man picked up his pace. �Miew!� Lavi moaned in a surprisingly
high voice.

�� Wha-what?� Yuu gasped out, bewildered.

�� Egyptian� I
think,� Lavi panted.

�� Yuu moved his hand
to Lavi�s left ear, massaging it gently despite the rocking of their bodies. �YABHATI!� Lavi
screamed, arching into Yuu and throwing his head back to
the ceiling. He moved a hand to Yuu�s ignored erection and began timing
movements with each thrust. Yuu gasped, and his fingers tightened around Lavi�s
ear. Lavi began mumbling words against Yuu�s ear in languages he couldn�t
understand, but that seemed to increase the heat between them, creating some
sort of unknown intensity.

�� Lavi sped his pace
up again, plunging harder, deeper. With each thrust, he hit that spot�Yuu
didn�t know what it was called, nor did he care�that made him yell and moan and
see stars and rock his hips up for more. When had he turned into such a moaning
mess? But Lavi�s hand was doing brushing things over the head of his erection,
and Yuu ceased to care, because now it was okay to moan. Lavi moved his face
closer, kissing Yuu roughly on the lips and then moving to the base of his
neck, where he began to suck. Yuu�s hips bucked up almost wildly, and Lavi�s
hand tightened around him.

�� The world
compressed, and all Yuu could see was Lavi�s darkened green eye and shock of his
disheveled, sweaty red hair. Everything was hot and sweaty and good, and Yuu gasped raggedly as his
orgasm rolled over him.

�� Lavi screamed, and
his pace fell apart. �Oh, bei, mein Gott, kalos, Yuu, je t�aime,
holy fucking shit!� Yuu felt something explode into him, and Lavi
faltered and ceased his movements, panting as he pulled out and laid his cheek
against Yuu�s chest, shaking heavily.

�� What?� Yuu asked,
still breathing roughly, almost unable to speak at all. He hadn�t understood
most of what Lavi had said.

�� I don�t know,�
Lavi panted back. �There may have been some� Greek and Mayan, and I know I
used� Sanskrit earlier. German and
French, too. And somewhere along the line, I spent a long time speaking
Russian and other�random� Slavic languages.�

�� Yuu assumed that
was the long, mumbling string of words that Lavi had uttered earlier.

�� Are you okay,
Yuu?� Lavi asked, his voice already drifting as he lay down next to Yuu,
pulling him closer and returning his burning cheek to Yuu�s chest.

�� Nn,� Yuu replied affirmatively, unable to
open his mouth, and he nodded once for emphasis. Lavi smiled against him, and
Yuu knew instinctively that it was genuine.

�� I�m glad,� Lavi
murmured, and then, as he drifted off, he added almost incoherently, �I love
you.� Yuu pulled up the bedclothes that had been kicked to the end of the bed,
covering them both. A wave of fatigue hit him, too, and he followed Lavi into a
peaceful, utterly satisfied sleep that lasted until early the next afternoon.

---

A/N: Long chappie, no? And yayz! Smexing! Sooo hard to
write. It took us, like, five or six hours. Anyhoo,
the lingos go thus:

Miew=Egyptian=cat
(because that�s totally what Lavi would say to Yuu scratchin�
him up)

Yabhati=Sanskrit=fuck

Bei=Mayan=yes

Mein Gott
=German=My God

Kalos=Greek=good

Je t�aime=French=I
love you

Nur ein Schwein, trinkt allein=German=Only a pig drinks alone (rhyming German drinking phrase. We don�t
know why it�s pigs�if someone knows, please tell us.)

List of words we can�t say
without laughing: Nipple, erection, expanding. :P

Britsh Freighter: SOS, this
is British Freighter XXX, and we are sinking!

German
Coastguard-in-training: What... are you... sinking... about?

Narrator: German can save
your life. ^_^
- 17
- 18
- 19
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Innocent Rain