(Untitled)

[stainedlotus]

[There's a fire in the middle of this particular courtyard, and a Kanda just standing in front of it, watching. His Tease is out, fluttering near him worriedly. He's not in in uniform, opting for a simple grey-blue dress shirt and jeans

Comments

[fallforthesky]

[The Rose Crosses curling into smoke catch and hold her eye just as they're intended; like the targets they're fashioned to be.]

What are you doing?

[stainedlotus]

[....Gdit.]

Not looking back.

[fallforthesky]

[Not looking... oh.]

You're leaving.

[stainedlotus]

I'm sorry. I can't stay anymore.

[fallforthesky]

Why? What happened?

[stainedlotus]

Leverrier. [Here's hoping that that's all he needs to say.]

1/2

[fallforthesky]

[Unfortunately, for as loaded with reason as that name is, Lenalee has been trapped under its shadow for far too long to simply accept it as an answer. There's a part of her-larger than she's willing to acknowledge-that's bitterly envious that he thinks he can be the first to walk away because of something that man's done.]

[fallforthesky]

You think... you're the only one who's wanted to leave because of him?

[She would just as soon walk away from him as end her life to protect her brother's, but that isn't how this works.]

You aren't.

["You should know this," her tone says.]

[stainedlotus]

I almost killed him, once, in North America. I would have if Cyril [Noah] hadn't stopped me.

I thought I killed someone, ten years ago. I didn't. [He's still facing the fire as he tells her these things.] The Order kept him alive. Didn't tell me. They experimented on him while he was in a coma, and turned him into an Akuma.

[Pause.]

...Alma was the person I've been looking for my whole life. Now I can't reach him [her] anymore.

1/2

[fallforthesky]

[That is... a lot to take in all at once. Something in her throat tightens, tightens, tightens, until it physically hurts to breathe, and she wavers on her feet. Suddenly she's remembering a pale boy being led away to Hevlaska's chamber, for the first time in a long time.] But... Brother...

[He put a stop to the experiments. Hadn't he?]

[fallforthesky]

[In a thin, breaking tone:] Kanda... I'm sorry. But... ten years ago... the Order was a worse place.

[That's got to be the explanation, right? This Alma person had been turned into an Akuma... ten years ago. Right? Before things changed.]

[Right?]

[stainedlotus]

There's only one way to create Akuma without calling for a soul, Lena.

1/2 AGAIN gjfdkf

[fallforthesky]

ACTUALLY 2/3

[fallforthesky]

[No, no, no, no, nonononoNO-]

DONE.

[fallforthesky]

-No! [Her bare ankles suddenly feel far lighter. Without realizing it, she's reached up to clutch at her temples, where there's still a scar cutting across the right and her fingers are shaking, lungs on fire from acrid smoke, and ha-ha, maybe she'd be able to stand without swaying if she still had her tail.] They wouldn't- they wouldn't!

SOB.

[stainedlotus]

[Glances back at her, finally. There's no emotion in his eyes. They're blank, blue slates.]

Komui wouldn't. Leverrier would.