Distant Wishes 2/2
Summary:
Rating: T
Genre:
Origin(s): D Gray Man (can't help it... Sorry, Athensis)
A/N: Final chapter for the epic conclusion!!! And 'Lvellie' is the official spelling for 'Malcolm C. Rouvelier' as according to my Gray Ark.
Sitting on his bed in his room was the dumbest thing to do. Ever. Because in a room, he was blind. Not the kind of 'everything is black and dark' kind of blind. Nope, the lotus crowded his vision, leaving virtually nothing of the outside world for him to see. All he saw were the pink of the petals and the green of the leaves. He heard a knock on the door.
"Kanda?" came Lenalee's voice. "Are you in there?"
Kanda gritted his teeth. Lenalee was always checking on him every few hours. He appreciated the concern but he was getting tired of answering the same thing four times a day. And the frequency increased when Allen was not around. Finally, Lenalee gave up and left. He listened carefully until he heard nothing of the girl's soft footsteps. Then he got up and walked in a straight line to the door. His fingers brushed against the wooden frames until he felt the latch and lifted it. The door opened with relative ease.
Immediately, the lotuses had space to scatter out further and he could see the surroundings. The sky was dark and with some sparkling stars. The bright pink of the petals stood out despite the growing darkness eating him. He took a seat on the wraparound porch outside his room and stared at the sky. The moon was bright and fully round. Footsteps gradually sounded from his left. The damn flowers covered the entire perimeter of his vision, leaving him blind to his extreme left and right corners. He tensed up, in case it was an intruder.
"Can't sleep?" asked a familiar female voice. Kanda relaxed. It was just Lenalee. She took a seat beside him and noted his attention to the moon. "Kanda, have you heard about the story of the Lunar Rabbit?"
Kanda's blank expression told him everything.
"The goddess of the moon owned a living pet rabbit. It was given to her by the hero who shot down the nine suns. One day, while she was visiting the Heavens, the rabbit stole the sacred fruits of the tree belonging to the Queen of the Heavens and she ordered its execution. The Moon Goddess, wanting to save her beloved pet, made him immortal and brought it back with her to the moon where she never let it out of her sight. Sometimes, you can see an image of the rabbit in the moon," Lenalee said. Kanda was still looking at the luminous orb that hung in the sky. "You see a rabbit there?" she asked gently.
Kanda shook his head. "I'm thinking of another kind of rabbit," he answered bluntly. Lenalee shifted her gaze to the moon as well. She knew which rabbit Kanda was referring to.
Lavi stared at a particular crack in the ceiling in his room. His mind was still dazed over finding the message a couple of days ago. He wanted to leave for China already but common sense took over his mind. China was a very large country, where would he even start looking? He doubted very much that he would be anywhere near the ex-Asia Branch unless he wanted to be caught that badly. He also crossed out any cities that contained only Chinese as Kanda would most likely be with the Lee siblings, given that the bottle came from China. That still left a whole list of towns and cities that may contain Japanese people living there.
He returned to reality with the sound of the door opening. He looked down to see Bookman standing at the door.
"Where is it this time?" he asked, sounding bored. They were the last Exorcists left within the Vatican so they were often sent out with the half-Akuma Crows.
"China," was the calm reply. "We leave in the morning."
Lavi's body shot up so fast that his head hit the bunk bed bottom. Clutching his throbbing head, he winced and asked, "What? I thought the Earl won't have a reason to target China anymore."
Bookman gave him a wry smile. "Someone reported that Allen Walker was seen there," he explained. "We're being sent there to investigate."
Lavi said something along the lines of "Finders' work" and "damn it". On the other hand, he may have a lead on Kanda's location now.
Three days after the Japanese Summer Festival, Allen was out on the streets in his disuise. He felt a headache coming. How VERY typical of Kanda, to silently disappear when no one was looking. He had spent the last few days listening for news regarding Central and Komui gave him this job the moment he returned. Lenalee was already out. Allen did not doubt Komui for his fears. His fears were practical. Kanda could hardly see anything given the way the lotuses appeared in his vision. In a room, he relied on hearing and touch to get around. Also it had been hours since Komui or anyone they knew last seen the Japanese, he could be anywhere by now. Outside was slightly better. Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he adjusted his hat better so that it covered all his hair and walked faster. It did not help that there was nothing but buildings around him.
Walking around with one seeing eye was really hindering progress. He covered his left eye the best he could with whatever make-up Lenalee owned and wore an eyepatch, like Lavi. His excuse was that his left eye was missing and almost everybody bought the story. He turned left at the train station and promptly collided into another body.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Allen quickly apologized as he got up. "I'm blind on my left side so...." He hardly got to finish when the red hair of the other person caught his eye. The only thought on his mind now was 'Damn... I've been found out...'
The body groaned and stood up. "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking," came that familiar voice. Allen's throat went dry. He was SO dead if someone from Central was here. He prayed hard that the makeup and black eyeliner that he used to colour his eyebrows were working. His hands flew up to check his hat immediately.
"I-I-I-It's alright," Allen stammered. "Look, I'm really really sorry but I got to go so..." He turned around to leave, hoping that the other would not recollect the voice similarity.
He did not have such luck though. "... Allen...?" the other asked. Allen froze. He racked his brain for a valid excuse.
"I think you got the wrong person, sir," he answered, turning back slightly, showing his right side. And he left.
Lavi scratched his head. He was pretty sure it was Allen, given the voice and speech type. But Allen rarely lied. He picked up his forgotten bag on the ground and went back to meet Bookman. He had time in this small town by the sea to slowly blend in and check. But now, the important point was when would Bookman allow him out and a place to stay for the night.
Allen practically sprinted all the way back to the house. Komui looked up to see Allen throwing his hat down and rest. "They're here," Allen said when he got his breath back. "Central sent people here."
Komui bent his head down a little until the light reflected his glasses. "Got it," he said. "You should refrain from going out. I'll ask Lenalee to keep an eye out for them. Who did they send here?"
"Bookman and Lavi," was the answer.
The setting sun was more than halfway down when Lavi was finally able to check out the town. The layout was simple and very gridlike. Large houses in the north, middle class in the middle with all the shops, restaurants and near the trading port and beach while the lowerclassmen were in the south.
The main attraction for this town was its port and the large selection of sale items. Other than that and the beach. He decided to check out the beach since it was nearby. The port was closing for the day and the seaside market was changing shifts to the night time market.
The beach was long. In fact, it bordered the width of the town. It was long enough for Bookman Jr. to kill some time before heading back. Although one of the main attractions of the town, the sand look as if they had barely been touched. The footprints in the sand only led him to remind himself how he used to leave a track of footprints behind and Kanda would snap at him for leaving tracks.
So he kept walking till the sun was almost done and he realized that he did not have his watch of all things. He scanned around for any signs of humanity on the beach. A thin shadow up on a rock ahead was the only sign that there was someone else on the beach other than him. On a closer look, the shadow seemed to be that of a young person. A girl in her late teens or early twenties, probably. It looked like the girk did not like traditional Chinese customs at all. Instead of putting her hair up in the traditional Chinese way of proclaiming that she was single or married, it was tied in a simple ponytail and clad in a rather Western choice of clothing. Somehow the image tugged the depths of Lavi's mind. He paid no heed, instead focused on getting the time. Panda would maim him if he was ever late for the daily recording. He really loved his daily sleep to stay up any later than necessary.
Walking closer to the lone person sitting on the rock, the stronger the feeling of nostalgia. He ignored the growing tug in his mind and went up to the person sitting alone on the rock. He noted the tension in the shoulders when he approached. "Excuse me," he started to ask but his voicebox refused to give sound to the words he was about to say.
The face that turned back to look at him, there was no mistake. And the gray eyes that now darted around, as if looking for something, was so very familiar to the stunned redhead.
"... Lavi...?" asked that voice he never thought he would ever hear again.
Kanda tried to find an opening to see the person behind him. If only he could make the damn flowers move!!! He really hated being half-blind. He groped around blindly but miscalculated the drop of the rock curving down and slipped instead. He braced himself for impact but found himself caught by a pair of warm, strong arms. His vision finally allowed him to catch a little of the person who caught him. No doubt that it was Lavi, not with that red hair and eye patch. The arms wrapped around him in a hug. Kanda could see his face now that the other man was so close. A sort of lump swelled in his throat, threatening to make his eyes water from the pain itself. He enclosed his arms around the torso of the redhead, relishing in the warmth he never thought that he would be able to feel again.
They stayed like that for some time until Lavi pulled back slightly and laid a gentle kiss on the other's lips. Kanda welcomed him wilingly until they had to pull back to catch their breath back.
"I missed you, Yu," Lavi said softly, burying his face in the other's hair. "I wanted to see you so much."
Kanda closed his eyes. The lotuses were a real nuisance here. "How did you find me?" he asked.
Lavi laughed gently, "Yu, I told you once that bottled wishes do come true. It did, didn't it?"
Kanda tried to hide the embarassment from showing on his face. The fact that it was a bottled wish that reached Lavi made it even worse seeing that it was the redhead who taught him that. "Yeah it did," he replied.
Behind them, Lenalee said nothing, did nothing but watched the entire scene unfold slowly. Turning back, she left as quietly as she arrived.
A/N: I bullshitted for the rabbit story coz I couldn't remember the actual story for it *facepalms* Either way, I think the last part was badly done... I need someone/something to tell me where can I correct before I deem it as perfect enough to submit to FF.Net
Rating: T
Genre:
Origin(s): D Gray Man (can't help it... Sorry, Athensis)
A/N: Final chapter for the epic conclusion!!! And 'Lvellie' is the official spelling for 'Malcolm C. Rouvelier' as according to my Gray Ark.
Sitting on his bed in his room was the dumbest thing to do. Ever. Because in a room, he was blind. Not the kind of 'everything is black and dark' kind of blind. Nope, the lotus crowded his vision, leaving virtually nothing of the outside world for him to see. All he saw were the pink of the petals and the green of the leaves. He heard a knock on the door.
"Kanda?" came Lenalee's voice. "Are you in there?"
Kanda gritted his teeth. Lenalee was always checking on him every few hours. He appreciated the concern but he was getting tired of answering the same thing four times a day. And the frequency increased when Allen was not around. Finally, Lenalee gave up and left. He listened carefully until he heard nothing of the girl's soft footsteps. Then he got up and walked in a straight line to the door. His fingers brushed against the wooden frames until he felt the latch and lifted it. The door opened with relative ease.
Immediately, the lotuses had space to scatter out further and he could see the surroundings. The sky was dark and with some sparkling stars. The bright pink of the petals stood out despite the growing darkness eating him. He took a seat on the wraparound porch outside his room and stared at the sky. The moon was bright and fully round. Footsteps gradually sounded from his left. The damn flowers covered the entire perimeter of his vision, leaving him blind to his extreme left and right corners. He tensed up, in case it was an intruder.
"Can't sleep?" asked a familiar female voice. Kanda relaxed. It was just Lenalee. She took a seat beside him and noted his attention to the moon. "Kanda, have you heard about the story of the Lunar Rabbit?"
Kanda's blank expression told him everything.
"The goddess of the moon owned a living pet rabbit. It was given to her by the hero who shot down the nine suns. One day, while she was visiting the Heavens, the rabbit stole the sacred fruits of the tree belonging to the Queen of the Heavens and she ordered its execution. The Moon Goddess, wanting to save her beloved pet, made him immortal and brought it back with her to the moon where she never let it out of her sight. Sometimes, you can see an image of the rabbit in the moon," Lenalee said. Kanda was still looking at the luminous orb that hung in the sky. "You see a rabbit there?" she asked gently.
Kanda shook his head. "I'm thinking of another kind of rabbit," he answered bluntly. Lenalee shifted her gaze to the moon as well. She knew which rabbit Kanda was referring to.
Lavi stared at a particular crack in the ceiling in his room. His mind was still dazed over finding the message a couple of days ago. He wanted to leave for China already but common sense took over his mind. China was a very large country, where would he even start looking? He doubted very much that he would be anywhere near the ex-Asia Branch unless he wanted to be caught that badly. He also crossed out any cities that contained only Chinese as Kanda would most likely be with the Lee siblings, given that the bottle came from China. That still left a whole list of towns and cities that may contain Japanese people living there.
He returned to reality with the sound of the door opening. He looked down to see Bookman standing at the door.
"Where is it this time?" he asked, sounding bored. They were the last Exorcists left within the Vatican so they were often sent out with the half-Akuma Crows.
"China," was the calm reply. "We leave in the morning."
Lavi's body shot up so fast that his head hit the bunk bed bottom. Clutching his throbbing head, he winced and asked, "What? I thought the Earl won't have a reason to target China anymore."
Bookman gave him a wry smile. "Someone reported that Allen Walker was seen there," he explained. "We're being sent there to investigate."
Lavi said something along the lines of "Finders' work" and "damn it". On the other hand, he may have a lead on Kanda's location now.
Three days after the Japanese Summer Festival, Allen was out on the streets in his disuise. He felt a headache coming. How VERY typical of Kanda, to silently disappear when no one was looking. He had spent the last few days listening for news regarding Central and Komui gave him this job the moment he returned. Lenalee was already out. Allen did not doubt Komui for his fears. His fears were practical. Kanda could hardly see anything given the way the lotuses appeared in his vision. In a room, he relied on hearing and touch to get around. Also it had been hours since Komui or anyone they knew last seen the Japanese, he could be anywhere by now. Outside was slightly better. Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he adjusted his hat better so that it covered all his hair and walked faster. It did not help that there was nothing but buildings around him.
Walking around with one seeing eye was really hindering progress. He covered his left eye the best he could with whatever make-up Lenalee owned and wore an eyepatch, like Lavi. His excuse was that his left eye was missing and almost everybody bought the story. He turned left at the train station and promptly collided into another body.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Allen quickly apologized as he got up. "I'm blind on my left side so...." He hardly got to finish when the red hair of the other person caught his eye. The only thought on his mind now was 'Damn... I've been found out...'
The body groaned and stood up. "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking," came that familiar voice. Allen's throat went dry. He was SO dead if someone from Central was here. He prayed hard that the makeup and black eyeliner that he used to colour his eyebrows were working. His hands flew up to check his hat immediately.
"I-I-I-It's alright," Allen stammered. "Look, I'm really really sorry but I got to go so..." He turned around to leave, hoping that the other would not recollect the voice similarity.
He did not have such luck though. "... Allen...?" the other asked. Allen froze. He racked his brain for a valid excuse.
"I think you got the wrong person, sir," he answered, turning back slightly, showing his right side. And he left.
Lavi scratched his head. He was pretty sure it was Allen, given the voice and speech type. But Allen rarely lied. He picked up his forgotten bag on the ground and went back to meet Bookman. He had time in this small town by the sea to slowly blend in and check. But now, the important point was when would Bookman allow him out and a place to stay for the night.
Allen practically sprinted all the way back to the house. Komui looked up to see Allen throwing his hat down and rest. "They're here," Allen said when he got his breath back. "Central sent people here."
Komui bent his head down a little until the light reflected his glasses. "Got it," he said. "You should refrain from going out. I'll ask Lenalee to keep an eye out for them. Who did they send here?"
"Bookman and Lavi," was the answer.
The setting sun was more than halfway down when Lavi was finally able to check out the town. The layout was simple and very gridlike. Large houses in the north, middle class in the middle with all the shops, restaurants and near the trading port and beach while the lowerclassmen were in the south.
The main attraction for this town was its port and the large selection of sale items. Other than that and the beach. He decided to check out the beach since it was nearby. The port was closing for the day and the seaside market was changing shifts to the night time market.
The beach was long. In fact, it bordered the width of the town. It was long enough for Bookman Jr. to kill some time before heading back. Although one of the main attractions of the town, the sand look as if they had barely been touched. The footprints in the sand only led him to remind himself how he used to leave a track of footprints behind and Kanda would snap at him for leaving tracks.
So he kept walking till the sun was almost done and he realized that he did not have his watch of all things. He scanned around for any signs of humanity on the beach. A thin shadow up on a rock ahead was the only sign that there was someone else on the beach other than him. On a closer look, the shadow seemed to be that of a young person. A girl in her late teens or early twenties, probably. It looked like the girk did not like traditional Chinese customs at all. Instead of putting her hair up in the traditional Chinese way of proclaiming that she was single or married, it was tied in a simple ponytail and clad in a rather Western choice of clothing. Somehow the image tugged the depths of Lavi's mind. He paid no heed, instead focused on getting the time. Panda would maim him if he was ever late for the daily recording. He really loved his daily sleep to stay up any later than necessary.
Walking closer to the lone person sitting on the rock, the stronger the feeling of nostalgia. He ignored the growing tug in his mind and went up to the person sitting alone on the rock. He noted the tension in the shoulders when he approached. "Excuse me," he started to ask but his voicebox refused to give sound to the words he was about to say.
The face that turned back to look at him, there was no mistake. And the gray eyes that now darted around, as if looking for something, was so very familiar to the stunned redhead.
"... Lavi...?" asked that voice he never thought he would ever hear again.
Kanda tried to find an opening to see the person behind him. If only he could make the damn flowers move!!! He really hated being half-blind. He groped around blindly but miscalculated the drop of the rock curving down and slipped instead. He braced himself for impact but found himself caught by a pair of warm, strong arms. His vision finally allowed him to catch a little of the person who caught him. No doubt that it was Lavi, not with that red hair and eye patch. The arms wrapped around him in a hug. Kanda could see his face now that the other man was so close. A sort of lump swelled in his throat, threatening to make his eyes water from the pain itself. He enclosed his arms around the torso of the redhead, relishing in the warmth he never thought that he would be able to feel again.
They stayed like that for some time until Lavi pulled back slightly and laid a gentle kiss on the other's lips. Kanda welcomed him wilingly until they had to pull back to catch their breath back.
"I missed you, Yu," Lavi said softly, burying his face in the other's hair. "I wanted to see you so much."
Kanda closed his eyes. The lotuses were a real nuisance here. "How did you find me?" he asked.
Lavi laughed gently, "Yu, I told you once that bottled wishes do come true. It did, didn't it?"
Kanda tried to hide the embarassment from showing on his face. The fact that it was a bottled wish that reached Lavi made it even worse seeing that it was the redhead who taught him that. "Yeah it did," he replied.
Behind them, Lenalee said nothing, did nothing but watched the entire scene unfold slowly. Turning back, she left as quietly as she arrived.
A/N: I bullshitted for the rabbit story coz I couldn't remember the actual story for it *facepalms* Either way, I think the last part was badly done... I need someone/something to tell me where can I correct before I deem it as perfect enough to submit to FF.Net