Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

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
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter 3�Back in Black (and White)

�� Lenalee shooed
everyone from Allen�s room as soon as he began to stir, insisting that he
needed quiet, but if she was honest with herself, she just wanted him alone so
she could ask him how he was. He would give her an honest answer, but in front
of anyone else, he would probably underemphasize the pain he had gone through. As
the door closed behind her family, old and new, Lenalee turned and walked as
quietly as she could back to Allen�s side. As she reached her destination, the
boy sat up, groaning and opening his eyes. Unconsciously, it seemed, he brought
his left hand to his eye, as if it was still in pain. Gently, she reached out
and placed her hand over his. Gripping it lightly, she pulled it away from his
face.

�� Bundun,�* she said softly, and she used
her left hand to slap his cheek. The slap didn�t carry any force, and it ended
up being more of a pat.

�� Allen looked at
her, as if not quite sure why she was there. He opened his mouth to say
something�probably to complain that he was hungry�but before he could, Lenalee
threw herself around his shoulders, holding him tightly.

�� You have no idea
how worried I was.�

�� I�m sorry.� He
sounded remorseful enough for Lenalee to forgive him, and he slowly brought his
arms around Lenalee�s back, holding her tightly. All the tension in his body
seemed to relax away, and they spent an indefinite period just holding each
other. It was not uncommon for them to embrace each other like this; many times
after the Ark incident, things had been so bad that the only thing they could
do was turn to each other for comfort. At some point over those three years,
this had become a habit, a way to comfort and be comforted.

�� As they held each
other, content to let themselves simply revel in the contact, Lenalee thought
about what had happened to them. Allen had defeated the Earl, supposedly, but
if there were still Exorcists 114 years after that, then that meant the Akuma
were still around. Lenalee knew that Exorcists did their jobs with explicit
precision, and she was sure that they would have scoured every centimeter of
land and water until every Akuma had been exterminated. Surely, they couldn�t
still be doing that. The Exorcists she knew�no, had known�were more than talented enough to take down a bunch of
Akuma. Which implied that either the Earl was still alive or that the Noah
Clan�or rather, Road, as she was the only one left�was still causing trouble.
Lenalee fervently hoped it was not the Earl. Noahs they could handle; the Earl
was much harder. The fact that Allen had the power and drive to defeat him was
astonishing in itself. She wanted to ask Allen his opinion, but she couldn�t
bring herself to destroy the peace their embrace created.

�� She barely noticed
as they lay down on the bed, nor did she realize that she was being pulled into
the sweet depths of unconsciousness, still held safely in Allen�s arms.

---

�� They awoke late
the next morning. By the positioning of the sun, Lenalee guessed that it was
nearly midday. Still, she had to admit that that had been the best sleep she
had had in a while, not counting her long stasis encased in her Innocence.
Pulling herself from Allen�s slack arms, she got out of the bed. Her new
clothes were rumpled with sleep, and sometime during the night, her pigtails
had been disturbed. She was glad to find her shoes next to the bed, though, and
after a moment, she pulled them on. She decided to freshen herself up and then
come back to wake Allen. However, it was probably safer for him if he went with
her. Sighing, she gave up on the idea of letting her friend sleep longer.

�� Allen, wake up,�
she said, nudging his shoulder until he groaned sleepily and opened his eyes,
just as he did every time he awoke.

�� Lenalee?� He
asked, his voice still thick with sleep. For some reason, his voice sounded
strained, as if he was in mild discomfort. He sat up slowly and winced a bit
before bringing a hand to his head, discreetly covering his left eye.

�� Morning,� she
said, trying to sound bright and failing. She went over to him and ran a hand
through his tousled hair. �Did you sleep well?�

�� Yes, I did,� he
replied, hauling himself the rest of the way upright.

�� How�s your eye
this morning?�

�� It�s� been
better,� he admitted, grimacing. �But it has been worse, too.�

�� Just tell me if
you�re not up to going out of the room, and I�ll bring you some coffee and
something to eat,� she offered. She knew he didn�t want pity, so she did not
apologize or dwell on the subject, instead thinking of a way to help him.

�� No, it�s not
quite that bad,� he said, and Lenalee knew he wasn�t lying. He would never lie
to her.

�� Are you sure?�
She asked, more out of habit than out of distrust.

�� Positive,� he
answered, giving her a small hug from his seated position on the bed. Lenalee
wrapped her arms around his head and pulled it to her chest. Slowly, she weaved
her hands through his hair. A loud knock echoed through the room, followed by
the door being slammed open.

�� G�mornin�,
sleepyheads!� Shouted the rowdy redhead as he barged into the room. A sly grin
spread across his face as he saw the two hugging. �Oh, did I interrupt
something?� He asked, his voice dripping with insinuation.

�� Lavi!� Allen
cried in indignation. Letting go of Lenalee, he threw the covers off his legs
and set about looking through his drawers for something to wear. �Er, Lenalee,
would you mind�?� He said, shooting her an apologetic look. Lenalee�s eyes
widened in understanding, and she blushed before walking quickly from the room.

�� Sorry, Allen!�
She said as she left the room. �I�m going to head over to my room and get
changed. I�ll meet you back here, okay?� She didn�t wait for a response, but
she heard Allen�s agreement anyway as she walked down the hall to her room.

�� After finding a
decent change of clothes, she made her way back to Allen�s room, stopping only
to use the facilities. She knocked softly on his door, hoping the younger teen
was dressed and ready to go. To her surprise, Lavi opened the door, looking
worried.

�� After you left,
he gradually became less and less responsive. He�s on the ground again, holding
his eye. He�s not screamin�, jus� shakin� with the pain,� he said, as if
reporting something to Bookman. He sounded almost emotionless, and Lenalee
wasn�t quite sure what to make of it. She gazed at Lavi strangely, and after a
moment, he seemed to snap out of it. �I�m really worried about him, though.
Maybe you could help?� He stepped aside to let her in, and Lenalee walked past
him to the quivering Exorcist on the floor.

�� I told you you
weren�t ready to go out of the room,� Lenalee scolded in a soft voice. Allen
looked up, and he gave her a grim smile.

�� It�s getting
better already,� he said, still obviously in pain. Lenalee shot him a
disbelieving look.

�� I know you want
Allen to stay here,� Lavi said, coming up to stand behind them, �but we�ve all
gotta go to the Director�s office. I think they�re givin� us a mission, or
something.�

�� Lenalee sighed and
helped Allen up, hoping the teen could make it through the meeting. �Lead the
way,� she said, and Lavi did.

---

�� They walked into
the round room, and Lenalee�s heart clenched. It was pristine, as clean as she
had seen it since she had joined the Order. Even the Director before her older
brother had been a bit messy, and this level of organization surprised her. It
was as if all of her brother�s presence had been completely erased, as if he
had only been immortalized in the archives as a past Director. She fought off
the wave of pain that emanated from the surprisingly large hole in her heart
and forced herself to look into the eyes of the British man in front of her.

�� The man�s dark
eyes bored right through her, as if trying to see through her very existence.
He made a grunting sound but said nothing, clearly waiting. Lenalee found
herself thinking that she didn�t particularly care for this man, but that may
have had to do with the fact that he was not Komui, who often made small talk
(most likely to avoid work) while he waited for others to join them. Just as
she was making her judgment of the man, he smiled broadly.

�� How are you doing
this morning, Miss Lee?� He asked her pleasantly, and she was almost thrown
backward by the good-natured aura that surrounded him. The shock must have
shown on her face, because the man chuckled. �I get that a lot.�

�� I�m sorry,�
Lenalee said sincerely, wishing she could take back her original opinion of the
man.

�� That�s alright.
Like I said, I get it a lot,� he responded kindly, though Lenalee felt she had
to do something to make up for it.

�� An awkward silence
filled the air around them, interrupted only as five Exorcists barged noisily
into the room. Miranda and Lolek were talking quietly, but Kanda-kun seemed to
be having a thunderous fight with Amanda. Darcy walked in behind them, hand to
his shaking head.

�� As I said, if you
continue to call me by my first name, I will not hesitate to run Mugen through
your tiny American neck!� Kanda roared, drawing his sword.

�� Now, now,
Yuu-pyon, you know you like it!� Amanda said, sporting a broad grin even as she
shouted loud enough for Lenalee to want to cover her ears.

�� Kanda-kun
immediately swung his sword back, probably preparing for the death blow.

�� Let�s not be
hasty!� Exclaimed the Director.

�� Yes, Yuu-pyon,
don�t be hasty, now!� Amanda shouted, diving behind Lavi, who was standing next
to her. Kanda-kun�s eyes went wide, and his hands twitched on his blade.
Lenalee wondered if he was considering chopping through the both of them to get
to the American. No doubt he�d say it was killing two birds with one stone. The
older Exorcist sighed, and his eyes showed resignation as he reluctantly
lowered his blade, re-sheathing it. He walked threateningly past Lavi and
grabbed Amanda roughly by the shoulders, forcing her forward until her face was
mere centimeters from his.

�� If you ever call me that again,� he whispered,
his voice so threatening, despite the thickening accent, that even Lavi backed
up a step, �I will kill you, whether
you hide behind someone or not.�

�� Amanda gulped, but
she looked the Japanese Exorcist right back in the eyes, responding with a
quiet, �Sorry for offending, I didn�t think you wouldn�t be able to take a
joke�� but her voice trailed off as she saw Kanda-kun�s glare become the iciest
Lenalee had ever seen it, and that included the day he met Lavi. Kanda-kun let
go of the girl, throwing her backwards in disgust and walked up to Director
Smith�s desk.

�� Why are we here?�
He growled menacingly. The British man smiled broadly at him, seemingly
unphased. Lenalee had expected him to shrink back in his chair, perhaps swallow
hard, but then, his behavior made sense to her.

�� I�ve got two
missions that need to be done. You, Lavi, Darcy, and Amanda�yes, Mr. Kanda,
Amanda�will be going to the south of France, where a strange illness has been
affecting the populous. Finders in the area have reported seeing numerous Akuma
and a small girl controlling them. Here are your information packets.� He
handed the four of them rather thick packets and then turned to the remaining
Exorcists. �Miss Lee, you, Miss Lotto, and Lolek will be doing an Akuma
extermination in Bavaria, Germany. From the information the Finders have
gathered, there doesn�t seem to be Innocence in the area�we�ve collected most of
the pieces, anyway�and the Noah Clan seem to be doing things elsewhere. It
should be a simple mission, and I actually hesitate to send you all out, but
since the Akuma there are more evolved than they are in other areas, I thought
it best to go through with it.�

�� Lenalee took in
all the information with ease and grabbed her packet as it was passed to her.
Something wasn�t sitting well in her mind, and she couldn�t figure it out until
Allen spoke.

�� Er, is there any
particular reason I�m staying behind?� Allen asked. The Director looked
uncomfortable and shifted in his chair; indignation shot through Lenalee.

�� Well, you see,
er, we have to�you aren�t exactly�� The Director began.

�� You don�t trust
him,� Lenalee said bluntly, outrage showing clearly in both her voice and face.

�� The Director
looked still more uncomfortable. That was answer enough for Lenalee.

�� I�m staying
behind. You didn�t need three people on that mission, anyway,� she stated.

�� She felt a hand on
her shoulder and turned to see Allen�s face surprisingly close. She blushed a
little but didn�t pull back.

�� No, it�s okay,
Lenalee,� he said. �I understand that they�re afraid of me. I�ll be fine on my
own.� His tone was that of one resigned to his fate, and Lenalee stamped her
foot in anger.

�� No, you will not be alright! They�re going to do
something while we�re all gone�that�s why they�re sending us out! I don�t think
I could live if I came back and you weren�t�� Lenalee felt tears fall from her
eyes and moved her hands up to cover her face. She felt Allen�s arms wrap
around her shoulders, and she leaned into his chest.

�� They won�t do a
thing to me, Lenalee. I�ll be here when you get back,� he whispered in her ear
so only she could hear it. She didn�t believe him. She, more than anyone else,
knew how cruel the Order could be when it wanted something done. She heard
footsteps nearby and the shuffle of papers; she opened her eyes. To her shock,
Miranda stood grimly in front of the Director with a very uncharacteristic
scowl on her face.

�� I�m not needed on
this mission. I only have mostly defensive abilities and would be a liability
to Lenalee and Lolek in this situation. There are already a good number of
Exorcists on the other mission, so I�ll have to refuse that one, too, even though
I�d be more useful there. Come get me if you have something better for me. Of
course, I have to go with a partner, and there are no other Exorcists here at
the moment, excepting Allen.� Not waiting for a response, she turned her back
to the desk and walked away. Pausing at Lenalee�s side, she whispered, �don�t
worry, Lenalee. I�ll protect Allen. If they do anything to him, I�ll reverse
their time until they�re newborns.� With that, she patted Lenalee on the
shoulder and left the room, pausing only to give Lolek an apologetic look.

�� The Director�s
face was stuck in the most surprised expression Lenalee had ever seen. She had
the feeling he wasn�t spoken to like that often.

�� She�s right, you
know,� Allen said from Lenalee�s side. �As the Director, you should give
missions based on the Exorcist�s strengths. Sending Miranda on an exterminating
mission is the worst thing you could do. You should know your Exorcists in and
out, and this kind of behavior shows a level of incompetence that even Komui
would be ashamed of.�

�� The Director�s
eyes widened comically. Lenalee had a feeling that no one scolded his actions,
especially a short, eighteen-year-old Exorcist. He took a deep breath and
cleared his throat. �You have no right to speak to me like that, son,� he said
coldly, obviously trying to regain his authority.

�� No, I have every right to speak to you this way.
I�m a General; you�re just the Director of the Science Department. You may be
Head of this branch, but I still outrank you. It is well within my power to
scold you for incompetence, and I will use that power now.�

�� You mean you were a General,� the man countered, his
face showing that he thought he was winning this fight. He didn�t know Allen,
though. Lenalee knew him when he was in his General mindset, and he was as
charismatic and stubborn as Cross had been. He knew how to talk to the
Exorcists, to comfort them and to spur them on; he knew how to issue orders and
take them himself; and he knew how to reprimand the inefficient.

�� You
can never stop being a General,� Allen replied, a cold tone icing his voice
over. �You, a person who has never fought in this war, can never understand
this. I became a General at fifteen, and I will continue my duties as a General
now, at one hundred and thirty-two.� His posture was stiff as a rod, and
Lenalee could practically see the black and gold outfit hanging from him, even
though he wore a tight-fitting white tee-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.
The Director sat stone-still, and Lenalee knew he would have no response to
Allen�s speech. �Come on, everyone. We�re done here,� He said after a moment.
He let go of Lenalee and swept proudly from the room. Everyone followed without
question. They weren�t following Allen Walker; they were following their
General.

---

�� Finders
report a minimum of fifty Akuma surrounding the city of Nice. The presence of
Innocence is of yet unconfirmed. Care is necessary due to rumored and
documented attacks from the Noah known as Road Kamelot�. Yuu paused in his
reading, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn�t read in English in a while,
even before his extended rest in his Innocence, and he was rustier than he had
thought he�d be. He may have been fluent while speaking the language, but
reading had always eluded him more than he would have liked to admit. Sighing,
he turned back to the page, intending to finish as much of the thick packet as
he could. With travel as quick as that death-machine the Infernal Girl had been
driving, he assumed they�d make it to the south of France alarmingly fast.

�� Yuu read smoothly
through another three pages of the packet before the summary of the goings-on
was completed. He moved on to the first detailed account of Akuma attacks and
stopped short. It was in French. Yuu growled. He spoke English and Japanese. He
knew nothing of any other language beyond simple greetings. Scowling at the
paper as if that would translate it, he moved on to the second account, which
was, thankfully, in a language he could
understand.

�� A young girl with dark, spiky hair was seen
in a dark alley, holding an umbrella. Whether this girl was indeed the Noah,
Road Kamelot, is unknown, though many of the startling number of deaths in the
city originated in this vicinity. The precinct of the district has looked into
these deaths and recovered nine bodies of the original thirteen dead� Yuu
sighed again and put his head in his hand. He would have to grab his
dictionary�but then he remembered he no longer had it. He wanted to cut the
entire report with Mugen, but he refrained, instead trying to make sense of the
short paragraph and the last sentence in particular.

�� He heard the door
open, but he paid it no attention. It was probably that Infernal Girl coming to
annoy him again, and he thought that if he ignored her, maybe she would get the
hint and leave. The springs on his bed groaned, and Yuu looked up, intending to
bite out an expletive and implore the intruder to leave. Lavi�s face smiled
back at him, and he nudged Yuu with his legs.

�� Move over, Yuu,�
he said. Without realizing it, Yuu obliged. Why was it that he felt� relieved�
to see Lavi? Perhaps it was that he was less annoying than that stupid girl.
�Let�s see� looks like we�ve got �a young girl with dark, spiky hair that was
seen in a dark alley, holding��

�� What are you
doing, rabbit?� Yuu asked.

�� I�m reading aloud
for no one�s benefit but my own!� The redhead responded pompously before
continuing. Yuu had to admit, as much as he didn�t want to, that he understood
it better when the other Exorcist spoke it aloud, but he�d never say that
thought aloud.

�� The precinct of
the district�� I had to ask Amanda about that one actually�� Yuu shuddered at
the thought of the annoying girl. ��Apparently, they use precinct as something
to do with authorities, like the police and such. Anyway. �The precinct of the
district has looked��

�� Yuu was surprised.
Had Lavi noticed the confusion in his eyes when that word had come up? How had
he known that that was exactly what Yuu had been having trouble with? He would
think it over later, after Lavi had finished reading the packet. It took a much
shorter time than Yuu had thought it would. Turning the packet to page three,
Lavi stared at it for a moment.

�� I doubt you got
this one, Yuu-chan. Let�s see� �des
d�mons ont vu sur la rue Jean M�decin, pr�s de la place. En Monaco, personne
n�a pas surv�cu l�attaque par les d�mons et la jeune fille avec les stigmates
sur son front�� Lavi continued to spout out the entire passage in quick,
concise French. Every once in a while he commented on mistakes or differences
between his French and that of modern day. Yuu figured he would probably do the
same if he read a passage in Japanese, but it still annoyed him. How was
reading in French helping anyone but Lavi!? �Okay, Yuu-chan!� Lavi said
suddenly, cutting off the snide comment Yuu had been about to make. Looking at
Yuu, Lavi then said, �I�ve got the basic thing down. So, it should translate to
something like, �Akuma were seen on the road Jean M�decin, close to the square. In Monaco, no one survived the
attack by the Akuma and the young girl with the stigmata on her forehead�� And
he continued through the passage, not once referring to the paper as he recited
it to Yuu. When he�d finished, four and a half pages later, Yuu could do
nothing but blink.

�� Yuu-chan?� Lavi
said, waving his hand annoyingly in front of Yuu�s face, as if he was some
unresponsive freak. �What, come on, it was only four pages!� He exclaimed.

�� Yuu grabbed the
hand in front of his vision, ceasing its movement. �Only four pages? And it was in French! How could you remember all
that and translate?� He asked, his
voice holding no small amount of outrage. The other Exorcist must have cheated,
reading his packet numerous times and painstakingly translating the French to
English.

�� Photographic
memory, Yuu-chan. It works wonders. Plus, I�m fluent in more than just English
and Japanese, and I�m competent in more than a few other languages. I�d
actually be surprised if there was a language out there I didn�t know.� Lavi, damn him, said this all in his usual chipper-gone-energetic
tone, and Yuu resisted the overwhelming urge to punch him.

�� You disgust me,�
he said, glaring at the other man.

�� Aww! You don�t
love me, Yuu-chan?� Lavi wailed, huge, fake-crocodile tears falling from his
visible eye. He attempted to throw his arms around Yuu, but Yuu dodged, his
heart beating slightly faster than usual. He didn�t do touching.

�� No, I don�t,� he
responded, probably a bit harsher than he had meant to. Lavi cringed a little
but continued in his struggle to hug Yuu, eventually succeeding.

�� Yuu froze, every
nerve in his body screaming against the contact. A tremor began in his chest,
and he fought it down with his entire being. This wasn�t the same as then�

�� Get off, Rabi,� he hissed, not even
realizing his livid voice was forming the words of his native tongue. Lavi�s
grip immediately disappeared, and Yuu got up quickly and hurried from the room.
He refused to call it running�his pace wasn�t fast enough to call it that, and
he didn�t want to admit to cowardice. Cowardice was something he had left far
in his past. Vaguely, he realized he had left his own room, but the tremors in
his chest had started again, and he couldn�t bring himself to care.

---

June 8, 2013�German Countryside

�� Lenalee stared
across the compartment nervously at the broad-shouldered Pole seated there. He
didn�t seem to notice her, instead gazing blankly out the window. She wasn�t
sure if she should be relieved by that fact or not. Gathering her courage,
Lenalee took a deep breath to say what had been on her tongue since the
previous morning.

�� He�s not an
enemy, you know�Allen,� she said, trying to sound conversational, as if they
had been talking for quite some time. The other Exorcist flinched at the noise
and brought his gaze to bear at Lenalee. Lenalee felt herself jump at the
surprising lack of intensity in Lolek�s face.

�� I sort of saw
that,� he said, giving her a wry smile. �The way he acted when Smith tried to
isolate him made me at least acknowledge that he was more than I had originally
thought.�

�� What did you
think of him before?� Lenalee asked, curious despite herself.

�� An inexperienced,
mannerless brat who had only come upon his position as General because of his
immense power,� the man replied, not looking into Lenalee�s eyes.

�� Why would you�?�
Lenalee began, but the Pole raised a hand to stop her. He took a breath and
continued.

�� I thought he
didn�t know anything of the horrors of war. When I saw the way he held himself
and the way he was able to bring himself down when you were in pain�when I saw
how haunted his face looked as he told Smith off for not understanding�I
realized I was wrong. I don�t think even I
could understand what he�s gone through. What happened back then?� At his last
question, his gaze set itself on Lenalee, and she responded immediately in a
sad, reminiscent tone.

�� Allen�s always
seen the world differently than us. That curse in his left eye�one time we were
in a village, and we were forced out by a mob. Allen activated his curse so
that we could all see who in the mob was an Akuma and who was human. I have
never been as sickened as I was in that moment. I still have nightmares about
it. Lavi once described it to Zha�my
brother. He called Allen�s world a hell, and I agree with it. People all think
it�s just some handy little tool, but Allen sees the sickening suffering of
every Akuma. It�well, I don�t quite know how he stays sane.� Tears were
dripping steadily from her eyes. �I wish there was some way for me to help
him,� she added as she wiped the tears away.

�� Lolek looked stunned,
as if he had never before thought of Allen�s curse as what it was. He stood up
and walked the short distance to Lenalee�s side of the compartment before
sitting next to her. He put a hand over one of hers and then pulled her into a
brief, one-armed hug.

�� The fact that
he�s a Noah scares me,� he admitted.

�� Lenalee nodded.
�It scares me too, more than anything.�

�� Lolek remained
quiet, and their conversation lapsed into silence. As the train pulled to a
stop two hours later, they stood, and Lolek said quietly, �I won�t attack him.
That kid is stronger than I gave him credit for. He�ll keep the Noah at bay.�
He grabbed their luggage and walked from the compartment, his gait as sturdy as
his posture.

�� Lenalee
followed, hoping this mission wouldn�t last very long.

---

June 8, 2013�Nice, France�H�tel
Vend�me

�� The smell of the
ocean overwhelmed the group as they headed into the corner hotel. It was a
grand thing, all white brick, standing at a proud four stories. Lavi was of the
mind that it had been converted from a rich man�s ch�teau to the hotel it now
was. They walked under the blue arch and into a modest area covered in
moderately-cracked concrete. Confidently, they ascended the steps and entered
the building, holding themselves like the Exorcists they were. Lavi marveled at
the architecture. The inside looked even more like an old ch�teau. It had
obviously been renovated recently, though, judging by the clarity of the colors
that painted the walls. This building was on the border of Old Nice and would
have been built at a much earlier age than some of the surrounding places.
Turning left, they headed to the front desk, where Amanda took a breath, trying
to engage one of the workers. Lavi put a hand on her shoulder and she looked
back.

�� Allow me,� he
said and leaned against the desk. �Excusez-moi,
madame, mais mes amis et moi, nous voudrions une, euh�do we want one room
or two, Amanda?� The girl in question answered, and Lavi continued. ��deux chambers pendant trois semaines, s�il
vous plait.� The woman at the desk raised her eyebrows but responded in the
affirmative. Lavi took care of the rest of the preparations, the others staring
at him in surprise.

�� As they walked to
their rooms, Darcy cleared his throat.

�� I didn�t know you
knew French, Lavi,� he said in a surprised tone.

�� Yeah, I�m fluent
in a lot of languages. I am a
Bookman-in-training, after all,� Lavi said with pride. Realizing belatedly that
he could no longer possibly be an heir to the Bookman line, he added, �or at
least, I was.� His voice, damn it, sounded with a lot more emotion than he had
meant to put in. It sounded too out of character for �Lavi,� but he hoped no
one would catch that. He hadn�t known Amanda and Darcy long enough for them to
really know his character, but despite how crazy she acted, Lavi knew how
intelligent Amanda actually was. She seemed to be very similar to him, now that
he thought about it. And Darcy wasn�t bad intelligence-wise, either, so he
wouldn�t be surprised if the man noticed something. And Kanda already knew
about his different personalities. After knowing the other man for five years,
Lavi couldn�t keep much from him.

�� Why aren�t you
now?� Darcy asked, and Lavi noticed Amanda looking at him in interest from the
corner of his eye.

�� Well, Bookman
must�ve found someone. He was really old�over ninety�but I�m sure he refused to
die until his new apprentice was properly trained. If he had a new apprentice,
then obviously, I�m no longer the heir,� Lavi said, trying to keep his voice
cheerful and failing. Kanda grunted next to him, and Lavi took that as a
comforting one. Really, Kanda had no idea how kind and caring he actually was.
Lavi laughed a bit in his head but showed none of his amusement on his face.

�� Both rooms were
small, almost cramped, but very nice. The beds, when Lavi tested one, seemed to
be rather comfortable, and the windows in both rooms had excellent views of the
ocean�s stunning blue waters. The bathrooms were sparklingly clean, with
dazzling white tile and white, painted walls. A mirror stood peacefully above
the simple sink, and light filtered in through the high window above the
toilet, making every surface shine. Lavi was impressed with them. He always
liked staying at a good hotel or inn. It made him feel welcome.

�� These beds are
really only made for one person, so someone will have to stay with me,� Amanda
said. �Darcy, you may as well be with me. Yuu-san and Lavi probably want to be
on their own.� She pulled the Irishman out of the room, and a moment later,
Lavi heard the door of the other room close. He turned to Kanda, who was still
at the window, and pondered how best to annoy the other man.

---

�� They�d gone up the
beach and back down three times now and had found nothing. Lavi had the entire
stretch memorized, down to the old lady�s flopping breasts at the other end. He
had not wanted to see that, but it was now burned in his retina for life. Kanda
and Amanda looked just as shocked and uncomfortable as Lavi felt, but Darcy
seemed to be elated.

�� Oh, I love topless beaches!� He trilled
happily in his Irish accent. Amanda hit hum upside the head.

�� You�re such a
pig, Darcy,� she said. �Whenever we go somewhere like this, you always take
time to rudely gawk at all the
women!�

�� Shut up, Amanda.
You�re the same at nude beaches; don�t deny it,� Darcy shot back.

�� I never took you
for a liar, Mr. Darcy,� Amanda said, taking on her awful approximation of a
British accent. Lavi would have to teach a proper one sometime. �Well, anyway,
someone should put you in your place.� She shrugged off her Exorcist jacket and
let it fall to the ground. She unzipped the black shirt beneath it and then
pulled off her undershirt. Unclipping her bra, she turned to Darcy, a glare on
her face. �I think I�ll go swimming now.� She pulled off her strange shoes and
her long socks, and then she was running toward the gentle blue waves.

�� Darcy�s eyes had
bugged out comically, blushing deep enough for it to clash mightily with his
hair, and when Lavi looked at Kanda, a meter to his left, he noticed the
Japanese man was blushing as well. For some reason, something tugged at his
heart, but as the Bookman he was, he ignored it.

�� Amanda walked
back, dripping and smelling of the sea, not seeming to care that she was
exposing her ample chest. Lavi found himself blushing as well, and he turned his
head enough to keep her out of range of his left eye.

�� Stop being so
indecent!� Darcy shouted, and Lavi forced down a chuckle at Kanda�s sharp nod
of agreement.

�� It�s not
indecent! What�s indecent is you
staring!� Amanda shot back. It occurred to Lavi that perhaps the two were
attracted to one another.

�� I would never
stare at you,� Darcy hissed. Amanda�s
face looked hurt for a moment, but then the expression was gone. She definitely has feelings for him,
Lavi thought. Bookman would have been proud if he could see Lavi now. His
stomach sank again. You have to stop
thinking like that! He scolded himself. Pushing away the emotion that
shouldn�t exist, he forced his mind to take in as much detail as possible. He
would even write logs that night. He�d write them in an obscure language, just
to keep his mind away from the man who had taught him everything�

�� What, you don�t
like what you see?� Amanda asked angrily.

�� No, it�s not
that, its�� the Irishman clammed up, his jaw closing with an audible click.

�� Lavi knew this
wasn�t going to end well. Either the brunette could comment on this and make a
huge amount of trouble, or she could wisely keep her mouth shut and let it fly.
But Lavi knew which action she�d take, and he decided to grab Kanda�s arm in
his hand and drag him from the scene. This was edging on something too personal
for it to be polite to listen in.

�� It�s what,
Darcy?� Amanda asked, her voice tinted with some intangible emotion that Lavi
did not want to understand.

�� It�s�you�re
too�I��

�� Kanda was walking
quickly on his own now, but Lavi hadn�t let go of the other man�s arm yet,
instead trying to make their pace faster. They were well out of earshot now,
but even a deaf person could have heard the outraged cry that followed.

�� WHAT DO YOU MEAN,
�I�M TOO YOUNG!?��

�� Lavi winced and
pulled them ever faster away from the scene Amanda and Darcy were making.

---

�� Several days had
passed since the incident on the beach, and the awkward air between Amanda and
Darcy was becoming stifling. The group of four walked down the pier hoping to
come across some sign of the Innocence they were hunting. After finding nothing
on the beach, they had gone to the other side of the city and had scoured it
until nightfall for days. This was the last place left in Old Nice that they
had yet to check. Lavi wasn�t overly hopeful, and the tension in the group was
reaching breaking point.

�� Suddenly, they
realized that the streets were quieter than they should have been. A light
laughter drifted down the alleyway. Lavi recognized it immediately. He could
never forget it.

�� Oh, look! A group
of Exorcists to play with!� The high voice squealed with delight. Lavi
activated his Innocence, grabbing the hammer in his right hand, and out of his
peripheral vision he saw the others do the same. Seeming to have stepped out of
the shadows, stood Road Kamelot.

�� You bitch,�
Amanda said, loathing dripping from her tongue. She flung the brightly gleaming
discus at the cutely dressed Noah in front of them. Stepping forward into the
light, Road deftly caught the Innocence in one hand.

�� You�ll have to
fight better than that to get me. And no one except Allen could fight that
well,� she said, tossing the Innocence back flippantly. To Lavi�s surprise, it
hit Amanda in the head, and the girl fell back, her head hitting the sidewalk
with a hard thunk! Road giggled.
Turning her sights on the other Exorcists, she spoke in her annoying, high-pitched
voice, �let�s see, who do I get to play wi�� She froze, her expression that of
a person who had just seen a ghost. �You two� weren�t you dead?� She asked.

�� Nope, alive as
ever!� Lavi shouted out cheerfully.

�� But you�re dead!
I had the girly, black-haired one close to death! Even though I had to attend
to the Earl immediately after he left, the girly one would have died!� Her
voice held a denial so strong that Lavi wondered if there was something else
bothering her.

�� A quarter of a
meter to his right, Kanda growled with rage. Though Lavi would never admit it,
Kanda was a bit girly, as much as the other tried to ignore it.

�� Suddenly, Road�s
eyes lit up. �If you guys are here, that must mean Allen�s still alive!� She shouted, and Lavi was sure he heard a
distinct note of hope in her voice.

�� Aye, he�s alive,�
Darcy said. Road looked elated.

�� Oh my God! Are
you serious?� Road yelled, running closer to the group of Exorcists. Darcy took
a step back, stooping down to grab Amanda in case they needed to run.

�� He�s alive,� Lavi
confirmed. The Noah ran up to them and threw her arms around Kanda and Lavi,
pulling them into a tight hug. She squealed loudly in their ears and then
pushed them away, sending them sprawling. She then proceeded to do something
akin to a victory dance, jumping up and down in her happiness.

�� What the fuck is
wrong with her?� Darcy asked, taking his eyes off the crazy Noah to look at
Lavi.

�� She had� a sort
of thing for Allen,� Lavi said. Kanda
snorted, and Lavi amended, �well, a rather large
thing for Allen. I�d say it bordered on love or something.�

�� Road froze, her
arms in still in the air. �But Love is dead,� she said. Her eyes went wide, and
she whispered, �oops!� before summoning a door and running through it.

�� Lavi wondered what
the fuck she was talking about.

---

A/N:

*Idiot in Mandarin

Lavi�s French in the hotel translates to this: Excuse me, madame, but
my we would like one, uh, two rooms for three weeks, please.

And, as a random tidbit, we�ve both been to the places we�ve
sent the Exorcists, so we actually know what we�re talking about! (omg!
Amazing!) Also, please excuse our numerous mistakes this chapter. We�ve been
really tired when writing these, so we may have missed a few things. The next
ones will be better.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Innocent Rain