D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ A Game of Poker ❯ Mistaken Intentions ( Chapter 14 )

A/N: This is my first multichapter fanfic for the DGM fandom! Yay! I'm fairly new to the fandom, but hopefully I haven't made any unforgivable mistakes.

 

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons in the uncut versions (not on fanfiction(dot)net). Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don't own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don't recognize (like the plotline of `A Game of Poker') does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don't sue.

 

Oh! Important: kudos to the awesome SisterWicked, who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Super special awesome thanks to Misster Cackles, who is now my beta! All remaining mistakes are mine.

 

Last Time On `A Game Of Poker':

 

As the cell door shut behind the Earl, the room was plunged into darkness. The Pleasure shut his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. His arms and legs were useless lumps of flesh and they hurt, sending stabbing pain along his nerve endings. The man let himself drift off into sleep, feeling two vague and contradictory desires. He wanted the redheaded Exorcist with him, even though he was, for reasons he couldn't understand himself, glad that Lavi was far, far away.

 

And Now, The Continuation

 

… But First, A Word From Our Sponsor: Hey all! This next paragraph here is SHAMELESS SELF PIMPAGE. I'll be posting a new Lucky fic - just a oneshot of 50 drabbles for this adorable couple - sometime soon, so please look for it!

 

A Game of Poker, Chapter 14

 

 

Lavi crept along the deserted hallways of the Order building, making his way as quickly and as stealthily as he could. The Tease flew quietly behind him - the redhead wasn't sure how, but the butterfly had found him shortly after he had left the infirmary and had followed him since. It was as if the golem knew he was going after its master.

 

He was getting close to the Science Department where the Ark's main door was kept so the scientists could study it and try to learn its secrets. The Ark was probably unguarded at this time of night, but it would be locked up. The Exorcist was fairly confident with his lock-picking and code-breaking skills - he might be a bit rusty, but not all of a Bookman's jobs could be as noble or as legal as what the Black Order was doing. By now the scientists would have retired for the night. Even if they hadn't, Lavi was fairly certain that he could sneak by them and slip into the Ark.

 

He took a quick glance around the hall to be sure that no one was following him. He saw no one as he reached the large metal doors to the Science Department. The Exorcist paused, considering the doors.

 

They seemed to be locked by some sort of code. It would be a bit more difficult to deal with than a regular lock, but he should have expected such state of the art technology. Codes were hard for even an experienced, practicing thief to break. Growling lightly in frustration, he began to lean forward to examine the keypad when motion caught his eye. The Tease flew towards the set of doors, landing on the outer edge of one of the doors. It fluttered its wings, drawing Lavi's attention towards the tiny gap between the two thick sheets of metal.

 

Had someone left the door open?

 

Curiously, Lavi moved towards the doors and pulled gently. To his surprise, the door slid noiselessly towards him. Someone must have forgotten to lock it. Part of him was instantly cautious, since such good fortune wasn't common. Someone had just happened to leave the door open the one night he needed to sneak into the Department and take the Ark for a joyride?

 

He shook the thoughts away, turning his brain to more important matters. He pulled the door open the rest of the way and followed the Tease inside. He pulled the door shut as he walked in, cutting off the small amount of light that filtered in from the hallway.

 

As he expected, the room seemed to be empty. The computers had been shut down, save for four that seemed to be running some sort of tests. They shed small amounts of light, but most of the room's illumination came from the Ark itself. Lavi instantly began heading for the mystical doorway, not bothering to quiet his footsteps since no one was likely to find him here. Tyki's butterfly flew behind him, wings making quiet noises as the golem moved. The redhead had only taken five steps, footfalls echoing in the otherwise silent room, when a familiar voice rang out from the shadows he hadn't bothered examining too closely.

 

"Lavi!"

 

The Exorcist whirled around in midstep, stumbling back a few paces as the motion threw off his balance. He stared disbelievingly as Allen stepped out from the shadows. The white haired boy moved forward slowly, not taking his eyes off of the redhead.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

Lavi wasn't sure which one of them had asked the question first. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he turned away from the British boy and began walking towards the Ark again. He didn't have time to explain - isn't that why he hadn't gone after Allen in the first place, when he realized Tyki was still alive? He had to get going.

 

"Wait, Lavi-"

 

"I don't have time. Maybe later, okay?" Lavi tried to flash a smile but couldn't muster enough energy to pretend to be happy. His thoughts were too focused on the Noah whose golem he could see flying towards the doorway ahead of him. "'Bye!"

 

"The 'he' that needs help - who you're going to save -" Allen said slowly, comprehension dawning in his eyes. "- it's Tyki Mikk, isn't it?"

 

The redhead's footsteps hesitated for a brief instant before he continued forward at a slightly more sedate pace.

 

"If you understand that much, then come on. It will be easier if I have help," Lavi admitted. He could hear the white haired boy step forward, but only one step.

 

"You're injured Lavi! You should go back and-"

 

The hammer-user cut him off.

 

"I don't have time for that! If I wait to heal, Tyki could be dead!" Lavi shot a glare over his shoulder, steps unconsciously picking up the pace. He barely registered Allen's shocked expression before he turned back around and drew within feet of the Ark. "I can't wait that long. If I have to, I'll do it by myself."

 

Hurried footsteps began to follow him as he came within a foot of the Ark's door.

 

"Then I'm coming too." The white haired boy's words were supportive and the two Exorcist's entered the Ark together. The sudden change from dark room to the light and pure white of the inside of the box was blinding. Both Allen and Lavi put their hands up to instinctively block their faces from the glare. Allen paused to let his eyes adjust, but Lavi continued to walk blindly.

 

He could hear the sound of light wings flapping in front of him - the Tease. He followed the sound of the golem, blinking as his vision cleared and then following by sight. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Allen call his name and then quick footsteps as the younger male rushed to catch up.

 

"Can I ask why you're so desperate to save him?" Allen asked softly, half-running to keep up with Lavi's long strides. The redhead turned his head towards the white-haired boy, keeping one eye on the butterfly flying in front of them. The Tease didn't seem to like any of the doors they had passed and as desperate as Lavi was to reach the Noah's compound, the golem probably knew more about working an Ark than he did. As he walked, he wondered whether or not to tell his British friend the truth. He knew Allen wasn't very fond of Tyki at the moment - the man had put Kanda in the hospital, after all - but the boy had a good heart and maybe if he explained-

 

He could see silver eyes widen in shock as the younger Exorcist saw the redhead's entire face for the first time. Lavi turned away, one hand moving to cover his eye. The Tease turned towards one of the doors, seemingly satisfied at last.

 

"He's important to me," he said finally, not meeting Allen's eyes. "I don't know if it's anything beyond that. He shouldn't even be important to me, since I'm going to be a Bookman one day, but he is. Is that enough reason for you to help?"

 

A gentle hand was laid on his shoulder as he came to a stop in front of the door the butterfly-shaped golem hovered in front of impatiently.

 

"I already promised that I would. And... about your eye..." Allen hesitated, seemingly at a loss, then continued. " - you don't need to be ashamed of it. I was just a little surprised."

 

"It doesn't... bother you?" Lavi asked, shocked. He felt rather than saw the British Exorcist's shrug.

 

"Our pasts mark us. Some marks are just more visible. The marks aren't always our fault, either, and we can't control how people react to them." The hand on his shoulder tightened, then loosened and slid off. "Sometimes I wished I could hide my curse, but my mark is too big to hide. I learned to deal with it, though it wasn't always easy."

 

Lavi gave a wry smirk, shutting his eyes and concentrating on his memories of the Noah's stronghold. Ideally, he wanted to end up back in Tyki's room. That would be the safest place to leave the door while he and Allen went to find the Noah. He wouldn't leave it completely unguarded, regardless.

 

He pictured Tyki's room as clearly as he was able, imagining the bed, the mostly undecorated walls, the plain furniture. Other memories came unbidden, those that had nothing to do with the objects in the room, like how the Pleasure had knelt in order to bandage his wounds. That smirk on the older man's face as he teased the redhead.

 

The ache in his chest settled more deeply inside his body.

 

With a deep breath, he twisted the handle and pulled.

 

Line Break

 

Komui shuffled through papers, Reever standing over him and pointedly staring as the eccentric white-clad man read one boring document after another and put each into a separate pile for later filing.

 

The older Lee sibling put down his pen, stretching in an exaggerated fashion before lethargically reaching for his coffee that his dear sister with an excellent right hook had brought him some time ago. He still had the bump on his head for not telling her about Lavi going missing unexpectedly on a mission. He sipped his coffee noisily, making a face when he realized how cold the liquid was. Lenalee had added sugar as well, since she knew he preferred black coffee, as a bit of an extra punishment for not telling her about the redhead. Cold, sweet coffee wasn't even drinkable anymore.

 

He set the blue cartoon-rabbit mug back on his desk, then reached forward and 'accidentally' knocked his only pencil off the front of his desk. He turned to Reever, a wide smile on his lips as the pencil landed with a 'clack'.

 

"Whoops... I'll just get up and get that-"

 

"No need." Reever smiled smugly at his boss. The blonde man reached into his pocket and produced another fully-sharpened pencil, offering it to the brunet. With a soft sigh, Komui took it. He reached for the next document on top of the pile, briefly scanning the title before doing a double take and reading more carefully.

 

It was a request for authorization to take disciplinary action against Allen Walker for illegal use of the Ark. Apparently the fact that it had been done to save another Exorcist didn't matter. Technically the Exorcists (except for the Generals) were in Komui's charge, so disciplinary matters were handled by him; the document would still need his signature for anything to be done. With a frown, he scanned the bottom of the document to see who would even try to press any charges against the likeable white haired boy. The documents, after all, did not draw themselves up.

 

Leverrier. He should have known. He wasn't quite sure how the man had heard about Allen's minor infraction, but he knew Leverrier had ears and eyes everywhere. It didn't surprise him.

 

With a faked yawn, he set the paperwork down and reached for his coffee again. Lenalee should be back soon with more coffee - his adorable sister was reliable as clockwork most of the time.

 

"Whoops." he said with false sincerity as he knocked over his cup in just such a way that the cold, undrinkable liquid inside splashed all over the paper on his desk and stained it beyond recognition. He stared at the paper for a moment, then turned to Reever.

 

The blond man had moved away from the desk and now stood back a few feet with not a drop of coffee staining his coat or the small mountain of other documents Komui had yet to go through tonight before he would be allowed to sleep. The white-clad man smiled brightly at his second in command.

 

"Reever-kun, I seem to have spilled my coffee by complete accident. I can't recall what the document was for, so I have no way of knowing who sent it in or how important it was." Komui pretended to frown in puzzlement. "I'm sure it couldn't have been too important and I'm afraid I can't read it under the coffee stains. If it was important, I'm sure whoever submitted it will submit it again."

 

Reever grinned, setting the other documents carefully on the edge of Komui's desk. He took a close look at the coffee soaked document.

 

"I'm sure whoever it was will resubmit it, but you have been awfully clumsy lately, Chief," he said, reaching for the sheet of paper. He wadded it up into a dripping brown ball and tossed it into the garbage can next to the Chief's desk. Looking at the mess, Komui suddenly brightened and smiled with true sweetness.

 

"Well, now that my desk is a mess I can hardly be expected to work until it's clean-"

 

Komui could see Reever open his mouth to object when the doors to his office suddenly slammed open. Curious, he turned to see Lenalee rush into the room, Kanda walking at a steadier pace, though his presence at all set warning bells off in Komui's head.

 

"What's all this about?" Reever asked in surprise, having noticed the Japanese Exorcist as well. The two teenagers didn't appear to hear the older man. The Chinese girl walked straight up to the desk, eyes moist with worry and previous ire with her brother apparently forgotten.

 

"Nii-san, it's Lavi - he has disappeared from the infirmary and we can't find Allen anywhere either!" she said quickly. Komui instantly turned his full attention to his sister, expression losing its mirth and turning serious.

 

"Lavi's missing? From inside the Order?" he repeated numbly. Krory's account of Lavi's disappearance and the state the boy had been in when he arrived back at Headquarters under mysterious circumstances (no one had yet figured out how the redhead had come back and the Gatekeeper hadn't opened the doors for anyone) was worrisome, since some of the wounds Lavi had suffered were positive matches for Road Camelot's candle stakes. Allen had suffered similar wounds when the Noah family had first appeared. Anything involving the Noah family meant trouble, and now Lavi was gone again?

 

"You said Allen's missing as well?" he asked. They couldn't have gone far - the Ark was locked up. They had probably taken the ferry to reach the nearest town and might have hopped a train or a coach from there, but Exorcists didn't generally carry money with them. None was needed, since the Order was billed for everything.

 

Lenalee nodded, Kanda moving to stand next to her. The Japanese man's face was expressionless as usual, but his eyes were oddly emotional, the young man's feelings apparently stirred by something Komui couldn't place.

 

"Moyashi made a few excuses about needing to do something alone and ran off an hour ago. Jerry hasn't seen him and it's past the time that damn idiot normally eats. He never finished lunch," the swordsman explained. "Lenalee went looking for him but couldn't find him anywhere."

 

Komui was fairly fluent in Kanda-speak, translating the sentence to mean that both Exorcists had searched high and low for any sign of Allen and hadn't found anything. The long haired male would deny it if ever asked, but he had searched just the same. If what the sword-user had said was true and Jerry hadn't seen Allen for dinner, then the white haired boy wasn't in the Order building or anywhere nearby. The parasitic-types never missed a meal, Allen especially.

 

"They can't have gone far," Komui began, standing up. "Lenalee, if you could use your Dark Boots to search the nearby towns-"

 

He was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. All four people in the room turned towards the doors, watching as they burst open for the second time that night and a scientist with frizzy hair tied back in two ponytails and thick glasses stumbled into the room. He leaned over, panting heavily from what must have been a frantic run.

 

"Johnny?" Reever asked, stepping towards the young scientist. "What is it?"

 

Johnny straightened up some, still breathing heavily. His eyebrows were drawn together worriedly.

 

"I'm sorry - I just noticed..." he said, hands fidgeting nervously. "I had forgotten one of my comics, you see, so I went back to the lab and-"

 

His voice broke off into babbles, incoherent except for the occasional word.

 

"Johnny- Johnny!" Komui called, trying to get the man's attention. The nerd looked at him, shutting up. "What's the problem?"

 

"The door to the lab - it wasn't locked." Johnny said hurriedly. Komui could feel the blood drain out of his face. "When I got there the door wasn't locked and the computers were showing some strange spikes in energy and I thought you should know-"

 

The older Lee sibling sat down heavily in his chair. If the Ark hadn't been locked up, showed strange energy readings and Lavi and Allen - both people familiar with the Ark and its operation - were missing, then...

 

Lenalee had figured it out too. She stared at Komui in shocked dismay, slowly sinking onto the couch provided for visitors. Kanda looked around the room, expression becoming more pinched as he took in Komui's resigned expression, Lenalee's worry, Johnny's fretting, and Reever's unhappy thoughtfulness.

 

"So you mean to tell me that Moyashi is gone?" he demanded, rounding on Johnny. The scientist shrunk away from the fearsome glare, physically backing away as the swordsman reached for Mugen. "He's gone to who-knows-where with that stupid rabbit on the damned Ark?"

 

"Kanda-kun, don't threaten Johnny." Reever reprimanded lightly. The Exorcist increased the power of his glare and fixed the blond man with it instead. "He's only the messenger."

 

The Japanese man huffed angrily, then sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Lenalee. Komui barely even noticed the Exorcist's black mood.

 

How had Lavi just disappeared from inside the Order? He had most likely taken the Ark, so maybe it wasn't so much a question of 'how' as a question of 'why'. Why had the redhead suddenly left? Allen was missing too and had most likely gone with the redhead. Were the Earl and the Noah family really involved somehow?

 

A cold feeling gripped his heart. The facts seemed to be adding up, but he didn't like the picture they were creating. He could recall like it had been yesterday how Bookman had shown up in his office one day and offered to help the Black Order, under one condition. The condition had been that Komui understand that Bookman and his apprentice were essentially neutral parties. They would only remain until no more history worth recording ocurred and neither would form any sort of attachment that could be counted on.

Komui had been so desperate for more Exorcists - tests had shown that both Bookman and Lavi were compatible with Innocence - that he hadn't worried so much about the finer details, but now... Had the Earl and the Noah clan offered Lavi a better deal? More history, a better chance of survival, anything the Black Order couldn't give?

 

If so... then was Allen's life the price Lavi had to pay for joining? Was that the reason the white haired boy was missing? Lavi's injuries meant little - there were organizations where the members were beaten to within an inch of their lives as part of their 'initiation' and yet more where new members had to routinely perform degrading or humiliating acts. The hammer-user's injuries may have been part of one such initiation.

Allen had been a thorn in the Earl's side since the boy had become an Exorcist. If the redhead had somehow convinced the British boy to come with him in order to deliver the parasitic-type accomodator to the Earl...

 

Things looked very bad indeed, even if he was only taking the time to imagine the worst case scenario. Matters usually took a turn for the worst.

 

"Lenalee, Kanda-kun," he began, fixing both Exorcists with an intense stare. His sister stared back just as seriously while the Japanese Exorcist glared. "Was Lavi acting... strange at all once he woke up? Was there anything unusual about how you found him or how he was once you found him?"

 

The two on the couch shared a glance, the hesitant look in Lenalee's green eyes confirming his worst suspicions before the younger sibling spoke.

 

"Well, a butterfly golem led us to Lavi - it looked exactly like the ones Tyki Mikk uses." She frowned, thinking. "And Lavi was wearing a shirt I didn't recognize. It's not something the Order would have given him."

 

"Tyki Mikk?" Komui repeated faintly. So the Noah family was involved. He slumped in his chair. The Chinese Exorcist noted the motion - for a moment she looked confused, then her eyes widened and she shot to her feet. Kanda flinched in surprise, staring uncomprehendingly as she stormed forward and slammed her hands on Komui's desk. The girl was careful to avoid the puddle of coffee, slamming her hands down on dry parts of the wood. Her eyes were red and moist, clearly holding back tears.

 

"Lavi would never betray us! He wouldn't-"

 

Her brother could only stare, choking on words of false reassurance as he tried to figure out what to say to calm her down without having to lie. Noticing this, his second in command came to his rescue.

 

"He's a Bookman apprentice." Reever reminded her softly. "They don't feel any attachment. Bookman told us from the beginning that he wouldn't be loyal. If the Noah offered a better deal-"

 

"Then why hasn't he Fallen?" Lenalee demanded, sending the room into complete silence. She continued after taking a deep breath, apparently more in control of herself. "Suman Fell after making a deal with Tyki Mikk in order to live. Making that deal was a betrayal of his Innocence, but Lavi hasn't Fallen. He can't have made a deal."

 

"It took several hours for the Fall to occur, Lenalee." Komui reminded her softly. The girl quieted, staring at her older brother in shock. "Suman's Innocence was with him the whole time and it had hours to work inside his body and cause the Fall. Lavi wasn't with us for long enough and he was separated from his weapon for most of that time. Hevlaska would have told me if he had tried to retrieve it." He briefly touched the hidden microphone sewn into the collar of his jacket. "He didn't go back for his Innocence at all and he could be anywhere in the world right now - most likely with Allen."

 

He shrugged helplessly, well aware of his sister's furious gaze.

 

"It seems like he has-"

 

"Even the stupid rabbit isn't that stupid." Kanda growled, cutting the older man off. The swordsman stood, pretending to dust off his clothes and turning towards the door. "I don't have time to waste on this shit. I'm going."

 

He began striding quickly towards the door, Johnny moving aside as he drew near. Anyone, even those braver than Johnny, would have drawn away at the murderous aura surrounding the Japanese man.

 

"If you have a better theory, Kanda-kun, then let's hear it." Komui replied softly. The Exorcist stopped in his tracks. "I don't want to believe Lavi's a traitor any more than either of you, but what we know does seem to indicate-"

 

"Screw the facts." Kanda growled, turning to face the man in white with a dangerous gleam in his eye. "The baka-usagi wouldn't sell out the moyashi or any of us to the Earl. He hates the fat bastard as much as we do."

 

"What are you going to do, Kanda-kun?" Komui asked seriously. The swordsman went tight lipped and looked away. "I can't permit you to use the Ark so recklessly when there is still so much unknown about its workings." The older Lee sibling turned to suddenly address the frizzy-haired scientist in the room. "Johnny, you locked the door, correct?"

 

The nerd straightened at the call of his name and looked towards his boss instead of the silently fuming Exorcist. He nodded rapidly.

 

"Of course I did, just before I left!"

 

Kanda huffed disdainfully.

 

"A lock won't stop me or Mugen." He turned away and made as if to leave when Komui's voice again stopped him.

 

"The door isn't so easy to break. After the incident with the Level Four, we made sure to reinforce all the doors so not even the strongest bomb could break through."

 

Kanda whirled around, opening his mouth to argue some more when a unexpected voice sounded.

 

"Nii-san's right, Kanda." Lenalee said softly, not flinching from the swordsman's gaze when he turned his furious expression on her. "More to the point, we don't know where they are. How would you even find them?"

 

Kanda snarled and stalked out, Johnny scrambling to get out of his way. Loud cursing could be heard from the hallway, slowly fading as the Japanese Exorcist walked away. The four people remaining in the room were quiet, watching the door as the sounds faded completely. The Chinese girl then turned her attention to her brother as she pushed herself to her feet. She regarded him steadily, her green eyes showing her hurt.

 

"I still don't think Lavi betrayed us. Unless there is absolutely no other explanation, I'll believe in him. Goodnight, nii-san." Lenalee turned and left quietly, shutting the door behind herself.

 

Komui stared down at his desk, a melancholy expression on his face. Cautiously, Reever stepped forward.

 

"Chief?" he asked, putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

 

"I don't want to think that he's a traitor either," the white-clad man said softly, almost as if to himself. "I just don't see how everything could add up any other way, unless there's something I'm not factoring in."

 

"We know boss, we know." Reever said, attempting to comfort him. Johnny stepped forward, a bright smile on his face.

 

"I'm going to believe in Lavi-san too, like Lenalee-san!" he said eagerly. "Lavi-san couldn't have betrayed us!"

 

"I hope you're right." Komui replied quietly, then pushed his chair back from his coffee covered desk and began to head for the door. He passed Reever, eyes downcast as if deep in thought about the discussion just moments ago. As the man neared the door, however, his entire bearing seemed to lighten. It was as if a great weight was being lifted from his shoulders, making his steps light and quick. Komui passed Johnny and as he did, twisted his upper body to wave a goodbye to both Reever and the scientist.

 

"Well, goodnight. Let me know if any more problems come up!"

 

"Wait- Komui-" Reever began, looking towards the stack of paperwork the beret-topped man had yet to finish. "You still-"

 

"Goodnight, Reever-kun!" Komui made a dash for the door. The blond man, caught off guard, was almost a full second too late in reacting and nearly shoved over the unfortunate Johnny in his haste to catch his famously lazy boss. Komui was several steps ahead, reaching into his coat with a maniacal laugh for an item he had been saving for just such an opportunity. He withdrew the smoke bomb and threw it to the ground, where it exploded with a loud 'bang' and immediately began to fill the room with harmless, but opaque, smoke.

 

Reever halted, unable to see as the smoke rose above his head. A door opened and shut. Seconds later, the smoke began to dissipate as rapidly as it had exploded from the bomb, but the head of the Science Department was nowhere to be seen. Reever's eye twitched as he turned back to survey the stack of paperwork untouched on the other man's desk.

 

With a heavy sigh, he turned away again and beckoned for Johnny to follow him out.

 

"Let's go Johnny - I'll have him finish it in the morning."

 

The frizzy haired scientist glanced towards the stack of paper as well before turning away and following the blond man out.

 

TBC…

 

A/N: For those of you that missed A Word From Our Sponsor, here it is again: I will be posting a Lucky oneshot of 50 drabbles soon. I hope you all like it!

 

Now, to the real note:

 

I know this chapter had more Komui and Reever and Johnny than Lavi or Tyki, but I thought the scene needed to be included to make the story more realistic. There's more Lavi and Tyki next chapter, don't worry!