[ P R I V A T E no entering kthxbai ]

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

Her anti-akuma weapon finally activated, the red books forming on her legs with the butterfly on the heel. Lenalee was distraught, having seen the people who were trying to kill her take away the redhead. Along with that- her eyes had fallen upon a familiar black haired girl. She knew exactly what was going on with Lavi- the Noah had found her weakness. If they took him, she would walk right into the palm of their hands. The dark haired girl knew it wouldn't be a good idea to go along with it, and Lavi would more than likely call her dumb if she got to see her, but she didn't mind. Though after the boy had told her that she needed to go on, even if something would happen to him, she knew she was going to go. After all, did he really expect her to not try to protect him after all of his efforts to protect her? The Bookman was already sick, and she had already been afraid for his life. All she could stand to do was go after him and hope that he would be alright in the amount of time that he'd be gone. Lenalee knew it'd be hard to find the place where the Noah resided, but after having been an Exorcist for those years, she did know how to track people.

The girl hurried out of the room she was being held in, following Tyki and Ezra outside. There stood in front of them a Level 2 Akuma. It wasn't going to kill her, but she knew it would prove to be difficult, even with her new Dark Boots that responded to her emotions. She watched the man with yellow eyes look towards her, a bit of a smirk on his face. "That one," he said, motioning towards her before urging Ezra to follow him. The dark haired girl looked at the other dark haired girl in shock. "Ezra!" She yelled after her, watching the two disappear into the forest.

The girl looked towards the ugly Akuma, her violet eyes growing thinner. She had to be able to defeat it as quickly as possible, and she was sure that her Dark Boots would agree with her. She turned towards the demon, smiling lightly to herself. Though, it began shooting bullets towards her. Lenalee jumped up, bouncing off of a couple of the bullets so that she could drop down on top of the Akuma. It was hurt, but not enough. Lenalee smiled, manipulating her boots to use their Sound Shackles. As the girl moved quicker, she was able to land more hits on the Akuma. Eventually, she was able to bring it down. A bit of a smile fell on her face, turning in the direction that Tyki and Ezra had taken Lavi.

Keeping her sound shackles activated, the girl ran, keeping her eyes open so she could look for them. Though, the Noah and rogue Exorcist had already made it to their estate and locked the redhead in a dungeon the Earl had made in the castle for fun. Tyki had moved back towards the living room where Tyki and Ezra had been talking early in the morning. All they had to do was wait- Lenalee would come, the Earl would come back from searching, and the Earl would kill her and they'd all be happy. They'd be able to get on with their lives and stop stressing over the stupid girl who was rumored to have the heart. Though, Lenalee waited outside of the castle, wondering what she should do. Was she supposed to just waltz in not knowing how to get to Lavi? That was really the only thing she could do, wasn't it? The girl let out a sigh, exhausted from the lack of energy she had had when she activated the Dark Boots. To be honest, the girl was a little afraid. All she could do was hope that she made it out of there alive, especially since she didn't know exactly how many members of the Clan of Noah were in there. She could only hope it wasn't many.

The girl ran in, not bothering to use her sound shackles. She had to save her energy if she needed to fight against the Noah. The dark haired girl just had to hope that her guesses were right as she ran through the castle. Lenalee was a little surprised by the lack of people, even. She assumed it would be crawling with Noah, but alas- there seemed to be none. She turned many corners, being careful to remember the directions she took so she could figure out how to get out with Lavi. Yes- she had to hope that the redhead was alive. No, she had to be confident that he was still alive. Her violet eyes then came to a stop, seeing the slightly more eerie lower level of the castle. She had come to where she needed to be- and her eyes fell upon the familiar female. "Ezra, what are you doing here?"

Tyki Mikk && Lenalee Lee

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

┎xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┒

No reason for existence, to be or not to be...
It's just a scene of madness,
all the signs I was too blind to see.

back on wasted places, the end of time's been reached,

covered human faces, I can't get no sleep.

Like a force of nature, pain is flooding me...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

┖xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┚

Ezra glanced back, hearing her name being called by Lenalee; the action only brought a tiny pang of regret, but the feeling was soon washed away with her stoic composure as she quickly hurried after Tyki. Tyki had left, leaving Ezra and Lavi alone in the dungeon. Ezra sighed, leaning against the nearest wall. Now all she had to do was wait. Personally, Ezra hated waiting. It was always the worst part. Waiting often left people in suspense, and anxiety normally occurred, too. Clicking her boots together, more so to waste time than anything, the black haired Exorcist ran a hand through her hair, growing more and more impatient as time passed. You'd think the one with the "heart" would be able to take care of a level 2 akuma. She thought bitterly to herself.

Lavi's eyes slowly opened, though he was not in a place he recognized. Looking around, his vision came back, slowly but surely. Then his eyes locked on Ezra. Immediately, Lavi thought he was in the Asian Branch. But what was that? Lavi squinted, his vision clear enough to make out bars in front of him. Since when did the Asian branch have...prison cells? What the hell? Lavi asked himself, looking back to Ezra, whom he still wasn't able to tell her emotions. Damn it. Eyes grew wide at the sudden realization of where he must have been. "Ezra! We have to get out of here! Quick, if I activate-" Lavi began, running up to the bars, his grip tight, eyes pleading. But Ezra cut him off, not even bothering to look at her former friend. "I'm not the one who's locked up Lavi. You are." The red head blinked, confused. "...what?"

"I said you're locked up, dumb a**." Ezra hissed, turning around to face away from him, completely, tapping her foot while waiting for Lenalee to finally show up.

"Y-...you ratted us out!" Lavi glared, anger running through his veins, and it was obvious that he was mad- the temperature was rising. "How could you betray the Exorcists? Your family? Do they-we mean nothing to you?" Lavi questioned, but was silenced when Ezra was suddenly at the prisoner door, holding up the weaker man by his neck, "Why should I trust an order that betrayed me, hm? Tell me that, Lavi." She mumbled, deathly quiet, letting the redhead fall down on his bottom, looking confused. "Then ask me why I betrayed them." Said the black haired girl, crossing her arms, shrugging it off. "Besides," She began, "You shouldn't even be with the Black Order. You're just a Bookman, nothing more, nothing less. You shouldn't even have friends, Lavi. Why are you betraying the order of the Bookman?" Ezra asked, smirking slightly when Lavi couldn't give her an answer.

The Bookman blinked, dumbfounded by Ezra's harsh words. Though as the silence grew, Lavi couldn't help but admit to himself that they were true. Panda had told him he couldn't have friends, and he betrayed him. So, in a sense, he was just as sinful as Ezra was. Sighing, Lavi scooted back against a wall, crossing his legs while he sat silently in the dungeon, left to his thoughts.

Ezra and Lavi both looked up when Lenalee came into the room, Ezra remained calm while the red head's entire mood brightened up. "Lenalee! Be careful..." He mumbled, frowning. Lenalee came all this way, just to save him, like he'd saved her all these times. Lavi was grateful that she did, but he was also worried that she would get hurt in the process of rescuing him. Lavi had never seen Ezra fight with her innocence, so he had no way of actually helping the younger Exorcist. The black haired woman pushed off the wall, walking to stand directly in front of Lenalee, putting her hands on her hips, cocking one hip out to the side, sighing. "What does it look like I'm doing here? I'm guarding the Black Order's little Bookman here." She replied, gesturing towards Lavi, whom winced a bit at Ezra's cold voice, which echoed through the damp dungeon. After a few moments of silence, Ezra smiled, "Because we knew that having him here would bring you directly to us."

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

Lenalee Lee

And there you stand opened h e a r t- opened doors,
full of life with the world that's wanting more.

Lenalee had heard Ezra talking to the Bookman as she wandered, and had slowly been getting angry. The Black Order did some ******** up things to both her and Ezra(and even more so to Kanda), but she knew that there was more than that- that she was more than what happened to her. She had been forced away from her brother the day she had watched her parents be murdered by an Akuma. Sure, Exra's mother had been a person who died during the experiments, but Komui cared for each of the people who died- and if Ezra opened her eyes, Lenalee knew that she wouldn't be as angry. The other girl walked up to her, and a bit of a smile fell on the black haired girl's face, listening to the girl talk. The girl with the Dark Boots wasn't even going to acknowledge Lavi, knowing if she let her mind focus on him instead of the girl in front of her, she'd certainly lose. "Ezra, instead of turning against the Black Order, maybe you should follow my example and protect your friends so it doesn't happen to them. You're the weak one who's running away from her problems." Lenalee hated herself for talking to someone who was supposed to be her friend that way, but the girl in front of her had crossed the line.

Violet eyes stared at the girl in front of her, a bit of a smirk falling on her face. She wouldn't let Ezra talk down to her friend- the only person that her world revolved around at the moment. "And you seem to forget, Lavi's an Exorcist as well as a Bookman. One requires trust and the other requires you to be completely empty. I'd assume he'd choose the one that wouldn't get him killed in a battlefield." The black haired girl said, suddenly feeling terrible that she had made the same argument for Lavi earlier that day. the girl could only hope that he looked at her statement as an 'I'm sorry' of sorts. No- she wouldn't be like the girl who had decided that killing the people that she had called her friends was better than being around an Order that had almost completely fixed itself since they were kids. "You're making a mistake, Ezra." Lenalee said, not looking away from the girl in front of her.

Only for a moment did Lenalee let her gaze wander over to the boy behind Ezra. She needed to make sure he was fine, that he wasn't dying. She needed to know that if it took some time, he'd be alright. Along with that, if something was wrong with him, her world would start crumbling. The girl smiled, her bangs falling over her eyes as her head turned back towards Ezra. "I know," She started before lifting her head- her eyes showing a distinct sign of hatred. "But you're not getting him or me- not today." She said, taking a step back. Lenalee didn't exactly have a plan, but she knew that if she could take down a Level 3 on her own with her old Parasite Type Dark Boots, she would be able to do even more damage with the Crystal Type that responded to her emotions. The girl looked down towards the red boots, smiling to herself. The weapon that acted as armor as well- her body able to regenerate it. That was the fascination of the Crystal Type boots- that they reacted to emotions and considering they were made out of her own blood.

The girl took a step back from Ezra, keeping her gaze on her. "I won't go easy on you because I grew up with you." She scoffed, looking at the girl. She knew it'd be hard for her to activate any of her Dark Boot's powers besides Sound Shackles or Water Shackles(though, Water Shackles would prove to be unusable due to the lack of a body of water). Though, she was sure that the boots would make it work- they would make saving Lavi possible. Lenalee looked quickly from Lavi back to Ezra, smiling as she activated Sound Shackles. The girl ran towards the girl, holding her body up with her arms to send a kick of full force towards her stomach.

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

┎xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┒

No reason for existence, to be or not to be...
It's just a scene of madness,
all the signs I was too blind to see.

back on wasted places, the end of time's been reached,

covered human faces, I can't get no sleep.

Like a force of nature, pain is flooding me...

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┖xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┚

Ezra blinked, seeming to not care about Lenalee's words, instead brushing them off their shoulders as if they were nothing. Ever since she was a little child, she'd raised herself, mainly on what her parents were; cold-hearted beings. Knowing full well that she would never see her parents, Ezra, as a child, found it better to be exactly like them; so they would always be with her. It was always her biggest weakness-her parents, which is why she never spoke of them, so no one would know. Weaknesses were a bad thing, and Ezra knew that if she wanted to live in this cruel world, she couldn't have anyone know anything about her. Finally, Ezra parted her lips to speak, "My loyalty only goes with people who return the loyalty in return. Tell me why I should be with people who can't tell the truth?" She asked, sighing.

"Sometimes having no heart helps, too." Ezra said quietly, shaking her head. "You won't care, if your comrades fall-you will push on, forever and ever until you slowly die for whatever reason," She stated, holding her head high, seemingly proud of that statement, "That's what my parents would have said..." Her cold voice trailed off at the thought of her parents. Again, that faint glossy look came to her eyes, but the ex-Exorcist shook off the stinging feeling when Lenalee spoke again, "I guess we don't see eye to eye on some things..." Ezra said, shrugging it off once more.

Looking up at the ceiling, Ezra gave a rather shaky sigh, Mother, Father, am I doing the right thing? She asked herself, before tilting her head to look at Lenalee again. The fire was flickering in her eyes, Ezra would not give up for something she thought was right. "Technically, I already have." Replied the Exorcist, "Come." She said, holding her hands slightly out to either side. Lavi blinked, appearing shocked. Sure, he knew Ezra, but he didn't think that she would make herself a completely open target. Does...does she want to die? He asked himself, eyes widening. His body shook, he did not want this to happen-no, not this way! Looking down, Lavi's hands balled into fists, trying to run through his memories with the black haired girl, trying to figure out the reason behind her obvious madness.

"Where is my mother?"

"She's out on a mission...Ezra."

"Will she be back? And what about daddy? Will he live?"

"...your father is dead, Ezra. And...your mother will be back...soon."

Lavi looked up, That's right! He thought to himself. Ezra's mother was killed by experimentation, and her father was killed by the Akuma! Lavi shook his head. If only I had saved her father-this wouldn't be how it ended... He thought to himself, running a hand through his hair.

His thoughts were shattered when Ezra came flying at the barred door, "Eh?!" Lavi stepped back, now against the wall once more. Wouldn't the akuma or Noah hear the commotion? The fact that no one came both irritated and intrigued Lavi. Ezra fell to the ground, and Lavi could have sworn he saw a tear run down the face of the female Exorcist. "The true difference between you and me, Lenalee..." Mumbled Ezra, shaking to get up to all fours, staring at the ground, at this point not caring if anyone saw her crying or not. Looking up, her eyes were lifeless, but the tears showed otherwise, "Is you have family. People who love you. When my parents died, I had nothing. Nothing to live for anymore." She hissed, taking her time in standing up, stumbling back ever so slightly when she did. "The true difference," Ezra started, leaning against the prisoner door, "Is you can care."

Ezra's boots glowed, morphing to form crystalized boots, with a star shape at the top, the bottom of the boots appearing to be shaped like crescent moons. "I will not let my parents die in vain by falling to that weakness." She hissed, running towards the younger Exorcist. Sure, Ezra knew that Lenalee had activated the Sound Shackles, but she could still land a hit on her, and she knew it. Before Ezra actually made it to Lenalee, she jumped up in the air, the bottom of her boots made a sickingly high pitched noise, as the bottom of her boots were pure crystal and metal morphed together; the sound resembled something like nails against a chalk board, but Ezra had grown used to it over time. Landing on the other side, Ezra jumped back, levitating in the air, something her Innocence allowed her to do. Her boots glowed again, a purple aura emitting from her boots. Bringing up her leg, Ezra piroutetted in the air, dark matter flying at Lenalee at an alarming rate. Her power being over celestial matter, and ultimately dark matter, all of Ezra's attacks were extremely fast, cold as ice, and fatal if hit in the right spot.

Landing on the ground, Ezra kicked her other leg up in the air, flipping backwards, sending more black matter towards the younger Exorcist. Lavi blinked, closing his eyes, unable to watch the horror unfold.

"Why are you so cold towards everyone, Ezra?"

"Because that's how my parents acted!"

"But that won't get you anywhere in life...you should learn to care."

"Caring is for the weak! So is love, everything is weakness."

Lavi could see a little crying Ezra, standing in front of Lenalee, whom was attempting to comfort the girl, but it appeared to be no use, because Ezra would continuously push Lenalee away, screaming that nothing was worth anything in life.

"...I just want to be loved, like a family member...but I have none."

The redhead eye's widened. Is that why she's doing this? To be loved? He put his hands in his face, hurting his head just trying to get the answer. Lavi didn't want Ezra to die, he cared about her still, even if that was depleting every few minutes as their battle raged on. Wasn't Roulvierre the one who told Ezra about her parents? Lavi clenched his hands, blood boiling at the thought of Roulvierre; he was the one that made everyone's lives miserable. Especially when he'd forced Lenalee and Ezra to connect with their Innocence.

"I don't want to be an Exorcist! I want to be normal! That's what my parents would have wanted!"

"Your parents are dead! Nothing they said matters anymore, now come on!"

The little Ezra was then forced from where she stood and forced to connect with the Innocence. She never wanted it... Lavi thought to himself, shaking his head. "All she wanted was love, and to be normal..." Said the redhead, more so to himself than anyone else. Was this why she was so full of hatred? Because of Roulvierre's lies and her parents death? And on top of that, having no other family to care about her? And being forced into the Black Order, to become more of a war weapon than a person? She wants to die...she never wanted this life. Lavi's eyes widened, filled with guilt and regret, "Stop it Lenalee!" He finally said, running to the doors, "This is what she wants!" He hissed, hoping Lenalee would listen to him. Perhaps if they took Ezra back and treated her the way she should have been treated, her hatred would diminish? It was worth a shot...

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

Lenalee Lee

And there you stand opened h e a r t- opened doors,
full of life with the world that's wanting more.

The girl smirked, listening to Ezra's responses. No- there was no difference between them aside from the fact that they had decided to respond to them differently. It was true- Lenalee had her brother, but at the cost of his freedom. That wasn't what she wanted- she wanted her brother to be happy and to have had a normal life- with or without her. Lenalee's parents had been killed right before her eyes, which had haunted her all of her life. They had both been forced to connect with their Innocence- they weren't any different at all, except or how they decided to change as they grew up. The girl clenched her eyes shut for a moment- knowing that Ezra had gone through as much pain as her. No- after this past month, Lenalee had probably gone through more. It seems the black haired girl in front of her had been accepted by the Noah(or at least, Tyki, who seemed to have a soft heart for humans), and all the other girl could do was run. Lenalee knew that she wouldn't be able to go home- it would only cause more of her friends to die.

Lenalee was a bit shocked as her feet easily collided with the other's stomach, but took it as an advantage. She knew it would have hurt- especially with the fact that her Sound Shackles were on. The girl stood up, watching Ezra as she flew against the barred door that Lavi was trapped behind. Lenalee wanted to say that that was probably the reason Ezra's parents had died- because they didn't trust. They hadn't trusted the people with them, and they had died. The people with them? Had they died- no. The rule of the Exorcist was that they needed to trust in order to survive- they needed to be able to save someone, and allow themselves to be saved. Pride couldn't come in anywhere as an Exorcist. "You're wrong. I wouldn't be here without trust- I would have died a long time ago. I finally learned how to trust my Innocence, and it's the only reason I didn't die." She said, smiling. Lenalee could only think back to the day where her Innocence had melted into her hands, where she drank it. They had told her it was dangerous, they had told her she could die. And at first, they all thought she would. As her legs bled, they thought that she was going to die- they thought she had made a mistake. Even if Roulvierre had forced her to do it once again, she was able to protect her friends- her family.

As the girl in front of her stood up, Lenalee couldn't help but speak once again. "No, the difference between you and I, Ezra? It's that you wouldn't allow the people who loved you to be your family." Though, the dark haired girl began to try to swallow her tears. She really hadn't wanted it to end up this way- she had thought that the girl in front of her was her family, and the fact that it seemed Ezra thought that Lenalee had wanted her brother to give up his right to have a real, normal life. Her bangs fell over her eyes, her head staying in the direction of the other girl. "Do you...do you think I wanted my brother to come? Do you think I wanted him to give up his freedom?!" She said, lifting her head once again to reveal the tears building up in the corners of her eyes. I'm sorry, Komui. She thought, refusing to let the tears fall.

The girl continued to keep to keep her eyes on the girl, but didn't move until the girl had jumped in the air. She ran forward- back towards the prison doors where Ezra had started. Though, as the dark matter appeared from the other's boots, Lenalee regretted running towards where Lavi was. She had to do something- she had to protect the boy behind the bars. As the dark matter raced towards her, the girl let her hands wrap around the bars of the jail, kicking her legs up to hit the dark matter as it continued to come towards her. I'm sorry, Komui. I'm not... Lenalee could keep herself in the air, jumping off of each bit of dark matter as it flew back with the force of her kick. Her boots, although being strong, weren't reacting well to the dark matter hitting her. It wouldn't have been if she got hit- she'd be able to regenerate her boots as the blood escaped from her body. Watching the girl in front of her send more of the dark matter towards her, Lenalee knew she had to do something besides Sound Shackles- she had to be stronger than the girl in front of her. Although it was seeming easier to fight her than it would have been a month earlier due to the fact that Lavi was behind the bars, being attacked by someone she thought was her friend- her family. With a kick of her own legs, Lenalee activated Misty-Wind. Her violet eyes focused on the tornado that flew towards Ezra, hoping that it would get her to stop.

The dark matter did come through the tornado, and Lenalee could only hope that the same strategy would work as it had before. She gripped the prison cell once again, kicking her legs up to jump at the dark matter. It worked for the most part, until the last few from that round. One hit her in the stomach, causing her body for force itself into the iron bars. Lenalee coughed, a tear running down her face. I'm sorry that I... Lenalee stood up, spitting out blood onto her boots and watching the armor regenerate. "I can't go home!" Finishing her thought aloud, the dark haired girl bit the inside of her cheek, hating herself for having to admit her fear- saying it aloud making it seem more of a reality. Once again, the girl kicked her legs to activate Misty-Wind. Lenalee moved away from the bars, walking towards the direction of Ezra. "You had a family." Lenalee said, gritting her teeth. I'm sorry you joined for nothing, Komui. The dark haired girl could feel the metal like taste of blood in her mouth, keeping her eyes towards the girl. "You just couldn't accept that we were good enough! That because we weren't blood related, we didn't matter!" She screamed. "But now?" Lenalee could feel the tears stinging at her eyes. Her boots were aching for her to keep going- to keep her emotions in mind and to continue attacking. The dark haired girl couldn't help but try to keep herself back- trying to force herself to stop. "If you hurt my friends- my family? My world will crumble. Family doesn't do that to family." Still standing about ten feet away, she kicked her legs once more, creating yet another tornado.

Her head turned back towards the prison bars, looking toward Lavi. Lenaee had started feeling weak, but her boots wouldn't let her give up. Her violet eyes probably looked dull- tired and full of her usual self-hatred. The only motivation she had was the redhead. "Not until-" Something hit Lenalee, and it hit her hard. She flew back into a wall near the prison cell and her fists tightened. Her eyes moved to what had dug into her stomach- but a butterfly flew up from where she was. Her eyes widened, looking in the direction it had flown in. The familiar Noah stood there, a smirk on his face. Lenalee's violet eyes watched him move over closer to Ezra. "Need any help?" Tyki asked, hoping that she was really going to be alright. Lenalee could only turn her head towards Lavi for a moment, smiling lightly. She didn't know what to do- if she activated her Iron Shackles like she had for the Level 3 Akuma, she would die. Her hair had burned off before, and this time, she was even weaker. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, but she was afraid that that was the only way that Lavi could walk away from this. After Lenalee was out of the picture, they would let Lavi go, right? The dark haired girl could only hope. The girl used her arms to help her up from the ground. Before she could stand up fully, her head turned towards Lavi once more, tears falling down her face.

"Tell Komui I'm sorry."

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

┎xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┒

No reason for existence, to be or not to be...
It's just a scene of madness,
all the signs I was too blind to see.

back on wasted places, the end of time's been reached,

covered human faces, I can't get no sleep.

Like a force of nature, pain is flooding me...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

┖xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx┚

"You were raised to trust, I wasn't. I am a killing machine, a heartless killing machine. That's all I ever was and ever will be, Lenalee." Ezra replied, shaking her head. Ezra's entire world died with her parents; Ezra remembered her father standing in front of her when the Akuma came. Her dad's look broke Ezra's heart into a million pieces. There was nothing there; nothing but a blank wall of chocolate brown. The girl could remember the stars that painted his body, before he faded into dust, blown away by the wind. Ezra could remember all the self loathing she felt, just like she felt now. Ezra felt broken-broken beyond belief. All her life she'd been searching for someone to care about her, but whenever she'd found it, she freaked out and pushed it away. Maybe I was just destined to be by myself... She thought to herself, shaking her head.

Ezra sighed, running a hand through her hair, "It's hard to love when you've never experienced it." She stated, standing tall and strong; you could see in her eyes, that she wasn't strong, just the little broken girl that she had always been. "You know me the best; you should have known that, Lenalee." Ezra mumbled, shaking her head. "At least you have family to be with you, right? Komui would have joined whether you wanted him to, or not." Ezra said, giving a small nod. It was true though, Komui loved Lenalee with all his heart; it was that love that Ezra so desperately wanted, but couldn't know how to handle. Lavi's heart seemed to break when he listened to Ezra's words. At least Lenalee knew how to except love and love in return; but it seemed that Ezra had no idea what the word even meant.

Looking up, Ezra saw a tornado coming up fast; but Ezra was still weak from the last kick, and she was caught in the tornado, hurled back against the steps, which shot strong amounts of pain all throughout her body, making the girl let out a small wimper. No, she wouldn't let anyone see her weakness, they'd seen enough, and there was no way in hell she would allow them to see her weakness. Then they could manipulate it in any way they wanted; they could beat her, both physically and mentally. "Heh..." Ezra whispered, still laying down on the staircase, the blood dripping from her stomach, and back from the impact of the kick, tornado, and impact with the stairs. "You still have a world." She said, large amounts of self loathing, and envy were obvious in the older girl's voice. "I have no world." She mumbled, only anger was noticeable at the moment. Ezra stumbled to get her body up, all her joints and bones aching, telling her to stay down, but she wouldn't listen. She was stronger than that. But, looking up, another tornado came up, knocking the girl over again. Damnit, she thought to herself, turning over on her stomach and hacking up blood.

Lavi's stomach churned at the sight of both his friends bleeding, and in severe pain. And here he was, sitting in the now safety of his cell, regaining his energy while the other two girls were battling it out to the death. "Please!" He called, closing his eyes shut, "Please stop this!" He cried, but it appeared as if his cries fell on deaf ears. Letting go of the bars, Lavi stepped back, his body shaking-shaking with regret, guilt, self loathing. Lavi couldn't help Lenalee, and he couldn't save Ezra; Ezra was falling deeper and deeper into the black abyss that was her seemingly non-existent heart.

But then Lenalee was knocked out of the picture, Ezra had just managed to crawl her way to the floor, instead of laying on the stairs. Coughing up more blood, Ezra heard a familiar voice. Tyki? Looking up, Ezra paid no mind to the pools of blood that were forming rapidly around her. "That would be nice..." She said, though her voice grew quieter as her body grew weaker. Ezra didn't want it to be like this. She didn't want to be torn between the Noah and the Black order. Ezra didn't even know her own alliance anymore! It tore her apart, just trying to think of how much she hurt the people that tried caring for her-over the people that didn't love her, but took her in anyways. Pushing herself up, Ezra could barely see, suddenly she was seeing everything in pairs. "...s**t." She breathed, confusion overcoming the girl.

Lavi was quite confused as well, he was positive Ezra would have passed out by now, but why wasn't she? By now, she'd lost a lot of blood, wouldn't someone have blacked out? Looking to Lenalee, the blood boiled when she'd said her "final goodbye's." Standing up, Lavi grabbed his hammer, "There's no way in hell I'm letting you die!" He hissed, easily breaking through the door with his now enlarged hammer, "You're not killing her!" The redhead ran towards Tyki, casting a fire spell on his hammer. But something else got in the way. Ezra?! Lavi had no time to stop his attack from hitting the girl, whom had kicked the Noah out of harm's way, and, ultimately, got in the way of Lavi's full forced attack. The black haired Exorcist was flung backwards, landing in the hallway just outside of the dungeon; her Innocence had de-activated, fading away until it was just her boots. After a few minutes of being unable to push herself up, Ezra had blacked out.

The redhead gritted his teeth, how much pain he'd felt by hitting someone he'd once cared for deeply. However, pushing that thought aside, Lavi ran towards Lenalee, holding her up with one hand, "Now it's my turn to save you." He mumbled, "Hold on." Darting out, Lavi made his way outside of the Noah estate, before climbing on his hammer and extending out the handle into the distance. He was flying fast, because he didn't want any harm to come to Lenalee. He'd almost stopped to take Ezra with him, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. The self loathing kicked in once more as he finally found a place to stop, letting the hammer come to him. The hatred had become too much for the read head though, and he turned towards a tree and, with all his might, punched the hard bark. The pain was nothing to him, at least not now. "It shouldn't have been like this!" He yelled, falling to sit on his bottom, clenching his fists. "...It's all my fault, I could have done something! She wanted to die!" Yelled the red head, holding his head in his hands.

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

Lenalee was fully ready to kill herself so that her friend would be alright- so that her redheaded friend could get away safely. She wouldn't be able to live without her friend, and even though he had already stated before that she needed to live if he didn't, she had already decided that that excluded her dying in order to save him. After all, he wasn't dead yet. Keeping her violet eyes away from the redhead, she knew what she had to do. Lenalee had to activate her Iron Shackles, which would indeed kill her. She knew she wouldn't be able to look at him without getting upset. Of course, the dark haired girl wouldn't have second thoughts, but she would wish that it could be different. The girl stood up straight- the pain obviously showing on her face. Taking a deep breath, she could feel her legs becoming heavier as the Iron Shackles began to activate. She could run and kick him, killing Tyki. She knew she could- but instead of burning her hair off, she would die. That is, if her Innocence wasn't as tired as she was. Though, she wondered if it would know how to protect her. After all, it couldn't take her to Lavi like before because he was already there. "You...have experienced it, Ezra." Lenalee said, grabbing the part of her stomach that was bleeding. "You're...just blind."

To be honest, Tyki was wondering if Ezra was going to be alright. She just laid there, bleeding. He knew he had to protect her, and that would just mean killing Lenalee. Seeing how the boy was reacting, it seemed as if he would break as soon as the dark haired girl had fallen. Now that she was open, he could do his preferred method of killing people- by forcing the butterflies that ate people into her body to eat her from the inside out. He smirked lightly, taking a step towards the girl. All he had to do was summon them. Though, he had to admit, he didn't expect the spunky redhead to get out of his cell. A bit of a smirk fell on his face, realizing that he should have been more observant. His yellow eyes watched the hammer closely, anticipating the impact. Although he felt an impact, he was surprised that it wasn't from the large hammer. His eyes watched the black haired girl fly off, causing him to grit his teeth. She had been stupid- protecting him while she was weak and dying. With that, the man smiled to himself. He summoned two of his beloved butterflies, sending them flying towards Lenalee.

The girl felt the two sharp butterflies fly into her skin, the blood running down from the new wounds on her arm and her stomach. She fell to her knees, keeping her body up with her hands. She didn't know what to do at this point- she thought she was going to die. Tyki was going to kill boy her and Lavi, and Lenalee couldn't do much of anything anymore. The Iron Shackles deactivated, but she wouldn't allow herself to let her Dark Boots turn back into the red heels and the red ankles that she couldn't take off. The dark haired girl's eyes became dark and blank, wanting to just curl up and die. After all, she hadn't been able to save her friend. The girl closed her eyes, ready for Tyki to attack her once more, but it didn't come. Though, her eyes shot open in shock as she felt not the harsh attack of the butterflies, but the hand of her friend. She got to her feet, happy for his help. Lenalee knew she wouldn't be able to get out without him, especially with how exhausted she was. "Lavi...?" She said weakly, surprised at his words. A small smile fell upon her face, gripping onto him to keep herself up.

As they traveled on the large hammer, she couldn't help but think about how she failed- how she wasn't able to protect him. In the end, he was still the one to save her. Lenalee had tried so hard to make sure that he was going to be the one saved, but the female Exorcist hadn't been able to do it. Though, they came to a stop, and Lenalee fell back down to her knees- finally feeling able to let her Dark Boots deactivate. She looked towards them, forcing the tears from falling. The dark haired girl was surprised by his punch to the bark, looking up towards him. She didn't know what to do or say, but she knew she had to try something. The girl watched him fall to the ground, a sympathetic look falling upon her face. She couldn't help but try to think of something, but she just couldn't. "Don't...blame yourself, Lavi. I'm the one...you should be angry at." Lenalee knew that the way she had gone at her made it seem like she hadn't really cared about the girl while they fought. Though, the way her boots reacted was to her emotions. She was angry and hurt. After all, her friend had kidnapped her other friend and teamed up with the people that killed Allen. There was no way that her boots wouldn't let her stop. "No. I'm not sure she wanted to die. I think...she was confused." She said, looking towards the ground. She wasn't able to look at the redhead in front of her- she was too upset at herself. "I wasn't able to stop. I was...too angry, too upset. I needed to protect you, and even then, you ended up protecting me." She said, continuing to stare at the ground, but lifting a hand to hold her stomach.

Tyki watched them run out of the area. He wasn't sure if he should go after them, but he knew he had to do something. He looked over towards Ezra, then back towards the direction they had gone. Biting the inside of his cheek, he walked over towards Ezra. He knew that the Earl would be angry at him for letting Lenalee slip through his grasp, but having the an Exorcist on their side would also help them. He walked over towards the girl who had passed out on the ground, not exactly knowing what to do. He picked her up, walking with him up towards the room tha the Earl had designated to be hers. Setting the bleeding girl down on her bed, he exited the room for a moment. Coming back quickly, he had bandages in hand. Biting the inside of the cheek, the gray skinned man lifted her shirt up, stopping before the bottom of her chest. Tyki wrapped the bandages around her, being careful while moving her. After he had finished he moved towards a small chain in the corner of the room, resting his chin in his hands, intending to wait until she woke up. "...stupid girl." He whispered to himself, closing his eyes.

Tyki Mikk && Lenalee Lee

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

just take a breath, I pull myself together.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

s o m e t i m e s I wish I could s a v e you,
and there's so m a n y things I w a n t you to k n o w.
I w o n 't give up ' t i l l it's o v e r,
i f it takes f o r e v e r, I want y o u to know...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I know why the caged bird sings

Lavi blinked, shaking his head, "No. I don't need to be mad at you; you were hurt." He replied, sympathetic towards the girl whom had gone through so much in the past month. The redhead looked at the ground, shaking his head, "I just want to know why she's so torn up like this..." Wondered the male, sighing. "I wish I could help, y'know?" He mumbled, sighing. "Confused?" Lavi asked after a few minutes of silence, ironically confused about Lenalee stating that Ezra was confused. Confused about what? Lavi couldn't figure it out. "...you didn't need to protect me, Lenalee. It's I, who need to protect you." He said, giving a genuine smile for the first time in his life. Blinking, protective Lavi then kicked in as he walked over to Lenalee and picked her up again, "Come on, we have to get you fixed up."

Turning, Lavi ran towards the nearest town, which Lavi could in the distance. Thank god. He thought to himself, biting his lip as he quickly skidded to a halt once he heard his feet collide with cobblestone. Doctor, doctor...Doctor! Lavi chuckled a bit to himself, happy that he'd actually found it without the death of Lenalee. Rushing into the hospital, Lavi's eyes flickered with worry as the blood fell through his fingers, "I need a doctor!" He hissed; it didn't take long for nurses and doctors alike to flock to his side, taking Lenalee from him and hurried her into a room where she could be helped, followed by an eager but also extremely worried Lavi. At first, the doctors wouldn't let the red head in the room, but after Lenalee was fully bandaged, they let him in. Almost running in, Lavi's eyes searched for Lenalee, and instantly calmed down when he saw that she was okay. Walking over to her side, Lavi pulled up a chair, and smiled over to the younger female, "How do you feel?"

While Ezra was to herself, it gave her a lot of time to think. Blind? How am I blind? Have I really experienced kindness? She thought, though everything else went fuzzy as her mind faded out into black. She'd been asleep for some time. When Ezra began coming to, she wasn't aware of the time, the only thing she really felt was pain-a lot of it. Her mouth twitched, along with her fingers. Why didn't I go full out on Lenalee? She asked herself, refusing to actually open her eyes and see the world around her; actually, it surprised her that she wasn't dead. And...why did I protect Tyki? Ezra asked herself again, tossing a little in her 'sleeping' state. ...Did Lenalee really mean what she said? Was...was I really something to them? Hearing another noise in the room, Ezra peeked one eye open; her vision was quite blurred, but eventually focused on Tyki. How is it that whenever I seem to wake up from passing out, Tyki's here? She could feel bandages around her abdomen, and assumed that Tyki was the cause of it; truth be told, she was surprised Tyki saved her life.

Pushing herself up from her previous position, Ezra failed to suppress a wince when she was sitting up completely; sitting up was probably extremely bad for the wounds on her stomach, but for the moment, Ezra would put that aside. She could feel burns decorating her side and some of her back. Damn hammer... She thought to herself, turning her head to look at Tyki. Was he sleeping? Ezra had to assume, since he didn't seem to look up when she'd slid off the bed. Looking around, the Exorcist picked up a blanket, and walked over to Tyki, trying to place the cloth on the male without disturbing him. He needed sleep, anyways.

Turning around, Ezra headed back to the dungeon, mainly to see the damage. And, not to her surprise, blood decorated the walls, and floor, as well as the stairs. Needless to say, the sight almost made Ezra sick to her stomach. Putting a hand over her stomach, she coughed, not really shocked to see more fresh blood drop to the ground. Damn, I guess my wounds are more severe than I thought... She thought to herself, standing straight, Ezra backed out of the hallway leading into the dungeon, and walked back into the living room. It appeared like none of the other Noah were here yet, and she was pretty sure the Earl wouldn't be happy with her or Tyki, considering they had Lenalee right in their very estate. Just the thought made Ezra's stomach dropped. The Exorcist was sure to be in trouble with the Earl. Sighing, Ezra walked outside of the estate, lacing her fingers behind her back as she watched the nature, which surprisingly, calmed her down a little bit.

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

Lenalee shook her head, wanting to know why he felt the need to not be angry at her because she was hurt. After all, she had fallen into their trap for him. If she didn't come, they would only use him as bait and eventually, he would be killed. Her face continued to keep her face directed towards the ground, she realized that she had gone too far. She had hurt someone who was supposed to be their friends. The dark haired girl gripped her hands tightly, hoping that she could get herself together. "But...I...you said if anything happened to you, to keep going. I didn't..." She stated, biting the inside of her cheek. It was only then that she realized how dizzy she was getting, causing her to grip her stomach tighter. "She...doesn't know what she wants." Lenalee knew- she had been there many times before. The two girls were extremely similar, and they had been through most of the same things. The dark haired girl knew what it was like to be so unsure of herself. It had haunted her all of her life, but instead of the pessimistic route, Lenalee had taken the optimistic one. Though, they were both extremely self destructive, and she could see how obvious it was.

The girl had started not paying attention, trying her best just to keep her vision clear as the blood continued to fall onto her hand. She didn't want to make a big deal- she needed him to know that she'd be fine. She...wanted him to think she'd be fine. Shaking her head once more, she kept her eyes on the ground. She didn't want Lavi to see how pale she was, and she didn't want him to see the amount of shame that showed on her face. "You're...always protecting me. Even before this past month..." Lenalee said, her voice trailing off. When she had lost her Dark Boots, she was brought to Lavi. He was with her the whole time she didn't have them. He was there when she tried to force herself to sync with the Innocence- she just wanted to be able to be there for him as well. Feeling his arms wrap around her to pick her up, her face shot up towards him. The movement was painful, but she could feel her face getting a little warmer- but just barely. She wondered if he looked at her, if he could see the blush, but ignored it. He was warm, and it made her feel more comfortable. Lenalee gripped his shirt with one hand, letting her head rest on his chest as he hurried towards the town that was close by. Her violet eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain that shot through her body. As long as she was close to the warmth.

She was a little distraught, feeling herself being taken away from the redhead, though she could feel herself getting weaker. Wincing at the medicine they used to clean her wounds, the girl wished that her friend could be there to hold her hand through the pain. Violet eyes were stuck on the door that they refused to let Lavi through. Lenalee felt their hands wrapping the white bandages around her mid-section after they had lifted her shirt. Although they did give her pain killers, she still felt like she could feel Ezra and Tyki's attack piercing through her. The girl merely bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep herself from making any noise of pain. Though, eventually the doctors did leave and they allowed the redhead to walk in. A bit of a smile fell on her face, lifting her hand to wave at him. She was dizzy, but now more from the amount of pain killers they pumped into her body. "I'm fine, Lah-vee" She said, laughing a little. She knew she seemed silly, but she really couldn't help it. Her violet eyes searched the other boy's for something, but she wasn't sure what. "Thank you, Laviiii! You're amazing and I think I love you!" The girl giggled, but her eyes widened for a moment. The Lenalee inside of her knew she shouldn't have said it, but she had. The girl lifted a hand to cover her mouth, laughing into it. "Whoops. I wasn't supposed to say that!"

Tyki's yellow eyes flashed open, looking around the room until his eyes finally fell upon the bed, remembering what had happened not that long ago. He lifted his head, making sure he saw what he thought he did- a missing Ezra. He shook his head, disappointed that he had fallen asleep. His hand gripped the blanket that had been put on him, standing up. He knew what it'd be like for her after losing that amount of blood. She was probably cold, and he could even assume that she had passed out before she had gotten to where she wanted to be. The man groaned a little to himself, realizing he would have to walk around the large estate to try to find the injured girl, especially before the other Noah got there. Tyki kept the blanket in his hand, exiting the room that belonged to the girl. He was a little angry at the fact that she hadn't woken him up. After all, she was probably in a lot of pain. How was she even able to walk without making noises of pain? She had been beat, and it wasn't even slightly. The other black haired Exorcist had been ruthless, but he would have been able to kill her easily if the boy didn't interfere.

He walked around the room, trying to figure out exactly where she would have gone. There were quite a few possibilities, but he had to check the place where the battle had happened. After all, she seemed like the type of girl to be angry about the fact that she had lost- like the type who had to see it to believe it. Tyki walked down the stairs, back towards where he had been not that long ago. Though, when he turned a corner and his eyes met with the blood of both Lenalee and Ezra, he didn't see the familiar girl. The man groaned lightly, keeping the blanket in his arms. All he could do at that point was continue to go back where she was and hope that she had gone to the restroom or something. Though, when he opened the door to her room, he was only greeted by the still empty bed. A frown fell on his face, moving back towards the living room where they had been earlier that morning. Though, she still wasn't wasn't anywhere to be found. He moved towards the window that they had seen the sunrise earlier, his eyes being caught by something moving. There, outside, was the girl he had been looking for. Turning from the window, he moved back down the stairs to go outside.

Walking quietly, he walked towards her. He wrapped the fabric around her, seeing that she must have been cold. "You should go back inside." He said, moving to stand next to her. He didn't exactly know what else to say- he wasn't used to comforting anyone except his niece. He loved the little spiky haired girl, so he was sure that he was better at talking to her than it was for this girl. Sure, Ezra was someone that he didn't think badly of, but he didn't know how to act around her. Was he supposed to hug her like he did to Rhode? No, he figured he wouldn't. After all, this girl wasn't anything like Rhode. He could only hope that if she needed something, she would verbalize it.

Tyki Mikk && Lenalee Lee

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

just take a breath, I pull myself together.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

s o m e t i m e s I wish I could s a v e you,
and there's so m a n y things I w a n t you to k n o w.
I w o n 't give up ' t i l l it's o v e r,
i f it takes f o r e v e r, I want y o u to know...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I know why the caged bird sings

Lavi chuckled a bit, glad that Lenalee was feeling better. Even if she was loopy, Lavi could see the difference in her skin, the color was coming back, and seeing that just made Lavi one of the happiest men in the world. And to think she could have died... He thought to himself, a bit of a frown coming over his face. Wait...what? The red head blinked, [/cDid Lenalee just say she loved me? Lavi's temperature shot up rapidly, a faint blush appearing across his cheeks. Di...did she mean it? Lavi assumed yes since Lenalee said she wasn't supposed to say it. At first, Lavi was hesitant, but a smile appeared over his face. "Really?" He asked, blinking. Reaching out, Lavi gently grabbed Lenalee's hand, "I think I love you, too." Mumbled the red head, leaning over and planting a soft kiss against the other girl's lips, pulling back with a smile, the blush completely disappeared with his acceptance of the feeling.

After a few minutes, Lavi cleared his throat, the silence obviously making the older red head feel a bit awkward after having just confessed his love. Looking around, Lavi glanced back, after making sure that there were no doctors or nurses around. "After you're better, do you think we should head to the Asian branch?" He asked, nodding. "And don't worry, I'll protect you every step of the way." Stated Lavi, nodding. "I promise." He said, grinning. Glancing over to the wall, Lavi tried to think of things to make the already happy Lenalee truly happy; Lavi himself was trying to remain positive, the only real reason he was smiling was because Lenalee had an air about her that radiated sunshine. Looking back to Lenalee, Lavi ran his free hand through his hair, suppressing a small yawn. "And then we can go see everyone again-and it'll be just like old times." Lavi said, chuckling. I hope...

Ezra was enjoying watching the sun that was warming her skin, as right now it felt icy cold to the touch, from lack of blood. But Ezra figured she'd be better in no time, but she wanted to see the sun. See the natural beauty; it was always something she'd loved doing. Whenever she wanted to think, she would just go outside. My parents loved doing it, also... She thought to herself, letting a soft smile come over her face. A light gust of wind whistled through the rather peaceful estate, some sakura blossoms fluttering past, graceful in flight, graceful in landing, always. The wind made her already cold skin feel colder, as if she was submerged under icy waters.

Looking up, Ezra's ears picked up a different noise coming from behind her. Then a sudden feeling of...warmth? Coal colored eyes looked down only to see the blanket that she'd given Tyki earlier when he'd fallen asleep. Pale, nimble fingers clutched the blanket closer to her cold body, begging for the warmth that it brought. Tyki's words, however, didn't really effect Ezra. "I love the nature," She said, looking off into the distance, her eyes stating that she was elsewhere, "It's peaceful. Don't you think?" She replied, holding out a pale arm to catch a few passing sakura blossoms while still holding onto the blanket as if it were another layer of skin, warming her. Looking up to Tyki, Ezra shook her head, "I'll go inside in a bit, alright?" She asked, nodding. Blinking, Ezra looked back down to the blanket, letting out a small sigh. "Why didn't you let me die when the other Noah were trying to kill me?" She asked, finally turning to face the taller Noah, blinking, her now clear eyes filled with curiosity.

[`Paopu~Fruit`]

The girl continued to watch him, even through her embarrassed drug induced state. She watched the blush appear on his face, thinking for a moment that she had made a big mistake. The girl closed her violet eyes, moving her face to look up towards the ceiling. She didn't exactly know what to do or say that would make it better. Lenalee's eyes opened slowly, listening to him ask if she had really meant it. Though, she didn't want to respond. Without opening her mouth, she merely looked at Lavi once more before he spoke again. The girl looked at his hand on hers, looking back up towards him as she spoke. A light shade of pink appeared on her cheeks, which would have been a lot more noticeable if she wasn't still a little pale from the lack of blood. Her violet eyes widened a little bit, watching him as he spoke. A smile crept onto her face, gripping his hand tighter. "Really...?" She whispered, not believing it at first. As he moved to kiss her, she kissed him back softly. The warmth of his lips felt like heaven, and she didn't exactly know what she was supposed to do. Lenalee wasn't exactly the most popular with boys, due to the fact that she had an incredibly over protective brother. Though, her heart was beating quickly- excited, nervous. Lenalee couldn't help but wonder if she had liked him all along, or if the fact that he was the only person she had been with for a month had played a major part of it. Though, the feeling she had when he was taken, the need to try to protect him- it was something she couldn't explain. Along with the way he made her heart beat fast, it was different than she had known before.

It had been a few minutes before she had snapped out of her train of thought upon hearing Lavi clear his throat. She didn't exactly know what to do or say after that, but she continued to hold her hand. The girl just couldn't help but feeling a sense of comfort in his touch. Though, as she heard him talk about the Asia Branch- the place where it was more than likely that their friends and family had hidden, her grip loosened a little. Lenalee smiled, though she had to admit that she was afraid. If she went back to the Asia Branch, she was sure that the Noah would attack her once again. Along with that, Ezra probably knew that they were going to run there. The dark haired girl had a small amount of comfort in knowing that it was safer there than any other branch with Bak and Fou who took so much care of the building. Her eyes traced along the ceiling, trying to figure out exactly what she wanted. Of course she wanted to see Komui, and she wanted Lavi to see Bookman and to be happier, but she didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her- especially Lavi. The dark haired girl had even stated at the Noah's estate that she couldn't go back home, not really. The girl let go of his hand, using her arms to help her sit up. Even with the pain killers, it stung, but she wanted to ignore it- no, she needed to ignore it. Lenalee leaned over, kissing the redhead on the forehead. "Yeah, we can go home." She said, smiling, even though she was way, way too afraid. She didn't want him to end up being just like Allen. "As soon as you want, I promise. Just like old times." Lenalee repeated. Minus Allen...

Tyki looked towards Ezra, watching her with a bit of confusion in his eyes. The girl seemed to be so enamored with the trees around them, it was almost confusing to him. It wasn't liked that the Noah didn't like nature, but he certainly didn't think of it like she seemed to. He nodded for a moment, listening to her talk. "I suppose it's peaceful." The Noah said, wondering why she would ask someone who was known to be someone who wasn't exactly peaceful. After all, he had been working with a group of people who were trying to kill a sixteen year old girl. Once again, the man nodded, acknowledging her statement about going inside later. Though, Tyki decided that it would be better if he stayed out there. After all, she could pass out any time soon, and if he didn't notice, it could prove to be even worse than it already was. He was a little caught off guard by her question, wondering to himself why he had as well, and it crossed his mind that even know he was known to be violent, he didn't really like it. How he felt after he had killed Allen was just terrible, and the fact that it was so soon after, it was hard. "I suppose because I don't like seeing people hurt, really."

Tyki Mikk && Lenalee Lee

But I can see where the lights start to fade.
The day is done and your smile has gone a w a y .

May I be your shield?

[penny pen pen]

just take a breath, I pull myself together.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

s o m e t i m e s I wish I could s a v e you,
and there's so m a n y things I w a n t you to k n o w.
I w o n 't give up ' t i l l it's o v e r,
i f it takes f o r e v e r, I want y o u to know...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I know why the caged bird sings

Lavi blinked, the silence was killing him, but the fact that Lenalee had kissed him back made his heart skip a bit. The red head had, well, dated before (against Panda's rules), but he'd never felt like this. There were no butterflies in his stomach, he didn't feel like he was on top of the world. So...was it love? Can Bookmen love? He asked himself, a little irritated that he couldn't stop thinking about his father figure, Panda. Lavi knew that Panda wouldn't be happy if he figured out Lavi had fallen in love and openly expressed his feelings. In fact, he'd probably call Lavi a worthless Bookmen or something of the sorts. Just the thought of having to witness Panda's rage again made the older male cringe, but he mad it off like a shiver.

"Can't wait," He said, giving off a soft smile. "But, first, me and you should sleep. You, more so than I, after all, you've lost a lot of blood." Lavi said, his voice trailing off, but the worry was still obvious on both his face and in his voice. But the red head pushed that off, not wanting to further stress out Lenalee. Or himself, for that matter; it really was shocking that he hadn't gone gray yet. "I'm going to get some food, for us both," Said Lavi after a long silence, standing up from the chair, smiling, "I won't be gone for long, I promise." He said, giving a little bow to Lenalee and heading towards the door. Though once he reached the door, he stopped for a second, torn between getting things vital to life and just being with Lenalee. Sighing, Lavi looked back to Lenalee, face serious, "Please sleep." Before turning and walking out the door.

Not bothering to talk to the nurses', Lavi managed to get two plates of...hospital food. Lavi cringed, At least it's better than bread... He thought to himself, getting two cups of water and turning on his heels, heading back to Lenalee's room. Then again... He thought, looking down to the revolting food. I'd much rather be eating bread... But, this food would supply them with more things than bread ever could-shockingly. Opening the door to Lenalee's room, Lavi found two trays to set the food down on, putting his hands on his hips and grinning, giving off an air of accomplishment. "I have returned with gifts~" Though kept his voice low, as to not disturb Lenalee should she had fallen asleep during his absence.

Ezra snickered, "You don't have to agree with me, Tyki." She said, looking up at him with unreadable eyes. It was her favorite feature, her eyes-and she often took pride in being able to so skillfully mask her emotions. "You do have the ability to formulate opinions-there's no wrong in saying them." Stated the younger girl, shrugging. It was the only place I could go to get away from the Black Order, she thought to herself, though refused to voice it. Blinking, Ezra was a bit taken back when Tyki didn't go inside after she'd insisted she would soon after. It's not like I need a babysitter. She thought bitterly to herself, sighing after realizing that Tyki wouldn't leave. Ezra later came to acknowledge that she was, in fact, practically physically unstable, and could pass out or die at any given moment. Which, would prove to be bad for the Noah's part, but good for Lenalee and Lavi's part; after all, it was Ezra who knew them, and not the Noah. That knowledge was probably the only thing keeping her alive at this moment.

Tyki's answer caught Ezra off guard, and it took her a few minutes to realize that the Noah was actually telling the truth. A Noah that doesn't like violence... "That's...definitely different," Mumbled the black haired girl, more so to herself than Tyki. "May I inquire as to why you don't like violence?" She asked, knowing fully well that she would eventually cross a line with the Noah, though she wouldn't intentionally do so. It was just the curiosity about the older fellow that appeared to be budding, growing more and more with each and every conversation. After all, he'd been around her the most over any of the other Noah, and he seemed to be the calmest of them all, save for Lulubell. "Did you have normal friends once?" She asked after letting her previous question to sink in. Hopefully I haven't hit a sore area, "Feel free to not answer, you're not obligated." Said Ezra flatly, giving a small nod.

Looking down to the ground, Ezra's coal eyes watched the soft sakura blossoms flutter on by, without a care in the world. Sometimes the girl wondered how much her life would be different if she was just apart of nature, one with the wind, free to go wherever she so pleased-not having to worry about friends, family, anything. Or normal... Ezra looked up to the sky-if she were normal, she would probably be dead right now, would she not? No doubt she would have managed to get in the way of the Akuma, or the Noah, and wouldn't have stood down. Thus, her death. Either way, Ezra wanted to know how it felt to be normal. To not worry about being God's apostle, killing the demons that threatened human kind-no, she would've been fine without knowing about the secret Organization.

But now...? Now she was with the Noah, the clan that was sworn enemies with the Black order, and ultimately, her past friends. Ezra was sure the Noah clan would never understand why she came here, or what she'd gone through to make an Exorcist want to switch sides completely. Well, almost completely. Ezra still couldn't explain why she didn't attempt to kill Lenalee, or Lavi for that matter. It irritated her, that painful pang in her heart when she attacked the younger girl. Ezra shook that thought out of her head, sighing; Ezra figured that as long as she stayed true to the Noah, the Noah would stay true to her-for the most part. That was all the black haired female wanted, really. A somewhat stable sense of security, and loyalty. Many people in the Black Order had betrayed her trust, and Ezra couldn't deal with living with liars. Not after the grotesque death of her mother and father; nor after having to be forced to fuse with her Innocence-or having been tormented by Roulvierre. No, Ezra would never go back.