From Doomsday to Doomsday - Chapter 3
DISCLAIMER: I don't own D .Gray-man, UNFORTUNATELY all is into the hands of that crazy woman whose name is hoshino... If it was otherwise... Lavi and Kanda should have been together from a VERY LONG TIME! And, more than a certain someone would be dead by now, before spitting out nonsenses.
WARNING: YAOI - if you don't know what this word means, or if you don't like boy/boy relationship this story is not for you, don't say I didn't tell you! You know the song, DON'T LIKE DON'T READ!
WARNING N.2! Mention of racism and violence (this is mainly in later chapters)! Please note that I in no way am encouraging or approving of racism. It's just that to keep the story as possibly close to its historical period, I must use terms, ways of thinking, and behaviors proper of the factions involved in WWII. So, if references to Nazism or to its ideology is offensive to you, please refrain from reading. I don't want flames about it. I want to make it clear that I don't approve in any way Nazi's actions and that I'm not a racist, I'm just using the historical setting as a background.
Okay, as promised here's a second update for another story that was stuck from a really long time^^"" Now however I'll be busy until the beginning of February, so the next update will be a bit late than I hoped for; but no doubt it will be done.
As always, a big THANKS to EM1&EM2, aka Saxon-Jesus who did the beta work for me, being so patient and helpful!
I love you!
And... If you spot any error is my fault for changing something the beta suggested XD ...Or for not noticing the correction... (yeah, a couple of times it happened u_u)
FROM TO DOOMSDAY DOOMSDAY
Chapter 3 - Decisions
General Tiedoll sat behind a heavy desk, surrounded by piles of paperwork, a long time empty cup of coffee lying forgotten in a corner between one stack and the other; with wide gestures of both arms the man invited them to enter, a jovial expression on his face.
"I see you brought me the new recruit as I asked, good, good." The man said, smiling while evaluating the newcomer.
Kanda raised an eyebrow, but didn't contradict his superior.
"Sir, the soldier Michael der Finder informed me about a young man matching his description," Commander Link intervened pointing at Lavi "which had hampered Herr Kanda yesterday during the subversive books' confiscation. I think it should be checked..."
"Oh, everything is fine Herr Link, the boy is in good standing." General Tiedoll granted under Kanda's astonished gaze. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have things to discuss regarding this boy's assignment."
"Ah, of course... By your leave, Herr General." The man bowed, then left the room.
His gaze following Link going out, the Japanese officer took a mental note he should have to skin that Michael alive for sneaking... Damn nagging rookie!
"Why?" Kanda asked immediately.
"Well, we don't want this poor boy coming to a bad end, right?" Tiedoll motioned to the both of them to sit, but only Lavi did.
"You didn't answer, Sir. Why did you lie?" Kanda insisted.
"Yuu-kun, Herr Link is a treacherous person." The man paused, staring Kanda in the eyes with a serious look on his face. "And I'm sure that if you brought me this youth here you have a good reason."
The Japanese man sighed, moving a step toward his senior officer's desk, stopping alongside Lavi.
"Herr Link told the truth. He's the grandson of the bookseller we arrested yesterday." He revealed to the General without beating around the bush.
"Oh, really?" Tiedoll suddenly became very interested to the whole story, and Kanda silently cursed himself for having dragged Lavi to him. It would come to a bad end, he felt it.
"Yes." He confirmed trying not to look annoyed by General Tiedoll's curiosity. "It seems that they're two historians, who mingled with the Jews living in the ghetto to study their way of life." Kanda ignored Lavi's pleading expression, continuing his report of the facts. "The old man is a fanatic for books and objected to their confiscation, so I had to get him arrested."
"And now you feel guilty," the General concluded, nodding good-naturedly.
"No!" Kanda immediately snapped, going on the defensive. "I only did my duty." He stated precisely tightening his fists, pointing immediately after his finger at Lavi with an angry gesture. "Then he appeared and told us this imaginative story."
"Is that all?" Tiedoll asked and the officer nodded. The General smiled to the young redhead, completely shifting his attention on him. "And you? What's your name, my boy?"
"L-Lavi." Bookman junior said, uncertain whether to use that name anymore given the bad turn the situation was taking. "Lavi Bookman."
"Oh. A Jewish name." Tiedoll commented thoughtfully.
"N-no, I'm a not a Jew, what a damn mess!" Lavi lamented holding his head in his hands.
"Che." Be a man and tell the General what you have told to me." Kanda hissed contemptuously. "This idiot wants us to free his old man."
"Yuu-kun, don't be rude and let him speak." Tiedoll exhorted him, then turned to the young redhead acting in a fatherly way. "Come on, Lavi, would you tell me why are you here? You're not a true soldier, right?"
"Look, some students I know suggested me..." Lavi noticed Kanda piercing him with a withering glare, and modified what was about to escape from his mouth. "...to appeal for leniency to the SS Commander who took my grandfather, so I came here."
"Alone? You really have got a nerve, my boy." Tiedoll smiled in amusement. "What about the Uniform?"
"Well... A soldier saw me kind of lost, and asked what I was lookin' for, and when I told him, he - err - said somethin' like 'you'll never manage to get close to Herr Kanda arranged like this' and guided me to a place full of uniforms, sayin' I should wear one..." Lavi confessed sheepishly, suddenly feeling so damn stupid.
Tiedoll burst into laughter, much to Kanda's chagrin and under Lavi's astonished gaze.
"Toma, it was Toma for sure, don't you think Yuu-kun?" The General guessed between tears, trying to put a stop to his hearty laugh.
"The idiot number two, yes." Confirmed the young officer in a sharp tone, crossing arms to his chest.
"Lavi, do you have documents with you?" Tiedoll asked, now serious again, considering how to best resolve the matter helping the youth, who nodded, handing him a card. "Ah, you're Italian. This helps a lot." Commented the high rank officer.
"I'm... Italian?" Lavi muttered, wondering what the hell the old man was up to with their documents.
"Listen my boy, there's no way to get your grandfather free if it's not proved without a shadow of a doubt that he's a loyal subject of the Reich," Tiedoll explained in a fatherly tone; Bookman Junior sighed, down-hearted, and the elder man continued. "But if you enlist you'll prove to be loyal to the Nation, and within one month your grandfather would be exculpated."
Kanda's eyes widened: that idiot? Enrolled?
Lavi was also speechless, but he completely understood the situation; he was already wearing the SS uniform by now, it wasn't that much of a difference what he became, if doing it kept him alive.
"I accept." He said simply.
"But General, this makes no sense!" Kanda protested vigorously, already seeing himself forced to wet-nurse the redhead. "We don't even know who he really is!"
"Come on Yuu-kun, this young man is fluent in Japanese, he's perfect to become your personal attendant." Tiedoll stated looking at his subordinate with hopeful eyes.
"W-what?" Kanda couldn't believe his ears. That idiot? Pestering him every fucking day of his life?
"He's also Italian, an ally. His enlistment won't be rejected." The General waved his hand with an indulgent air. "You also speak German, boy, don't you?" At that, Lavi nodded with a hesitant smile. "Excellent! Then it's decided." The man smiled back with an overjoyed expression.
Kanda shook his head sadly while the young Bookman was wondering if his troubles were really over or they were just about to begin.
"So I'll be at his service?" He asked fearing the answer.
"Of course. You'll be his attendant and interpreter, and maybe you'll be able to shove in that thick head of his a little German!" The General nodded repeatedly, and his pupil gave him a scorching glare.
Kanda growled a curse, followed by a second one, a third one... Lavi, noting the deep disappointment of his future superior, couldn't help but feel stuck in a situation bigger than him, which could only portend unpleasant developments.
"Can I leave?" The Japanese man finally asked, trying his best to mask the angry tone in his voice.
"I'd say yes," consented Tiedoll, rubbing his chin with a pensive gesture, as if trying to mentally summarize all the things he had to discuss with Kanda to make sure he didn't miss anything "but he's coming with you," he added giving Lavi another one of his bright smiles, then moving back again his gaze on Kanda. "Starting from today, he's under your responsibility. Take care of all the necessary formalities, Yuu-kun."
"Che." Grinding his teeth, Kanda grabbed Lavi by the arm and dragged him out of the room almost by weight, ignoring the redhead's plaintive protests.
Tiedoll watched them leave still smiling, pleased with his work.
"Where are ya takin' me?" Lavi asked in a pleading tone.
"Shut up and walk." Kanda hissed visibly furious, pulling his new ball and chain along the corridor, heading to the recruitment office.
"Me and my bright ideas," the officer complained to himself.
"But Yuu..." The young redhead didn't have the time to finish his sentence as he found himself slammed against the nearest wall, one arm painfully folded behind his back. "AWW! Why?" He wailed pitifully, confused.
"Don't you ever dare call me by my first name again." Kanda roared against the poor boy, thus responding to the question, his enraged face a few millimeters from the other's youth one to be sure that he plucked the lethal light in his eyes. "Never again, understood?"
"But the General..." Lavi protested weakly, only getting the grip on his arm to tighten up.
"I can't prevent the General from doing it, to you I can." Kanda said in a deadly tone, adding the other hand in action to clench Lavi's throat, and the poor redhead had no doubt that the Japanese officer would carry out those threats.
However Lavi couldn't help it, he had to find out why it bothered Kanda that much to be called by his given name.
"You've a beautiful name, it's a pity notta use it." Lavi gasped, turning his head - as much he could in that grip of steel - to look at his torturer, and gave him a mischievous smile.
Result? Another turn.
A little more and the SS officer would have broken his arm, yet the foolish young man continued to look at him with that air of defiance. An interesting change, Kanda observed smugly.
"None of your business. Mind to stay in your place and you won't have trouble. Otherwise..." He whispered in Lavi's ear in a more and more threatening tone.
"Herr Kanda!"A voice called from down the hall, more than a little worried. "What's going on?"
Toma. Dammit.
"Everything is fine," the Japanese man said coldly, slowly letting go of his future personal attendant. "We were just making something clear."
"Oh, Lavi... I see you've already become friends." Toma said in German, recognizing the young man and exchanging with him a knowing smile.
"Yeah. We're close friends." Bookman Junior agreed in the same language and with tone as much as ironic, rubbing his injured arm.
"If you two continue to speak German so I don't understand, I'll have your asses whipped." Kanda candidly informed them.
"Yes, Sir!" Toma sprang to attention, apologizing in his rough Japanese. "I won't do it again, Sir!"
Lavi stared aghast, wondering at this point what exactly was awaiting him.
It was after midnight when Lavi finally returned to his quarters, if he could define the place so.
He tried to make as little noise as possible, but once inside he realized that it was absolutely useless; everyone was intent on fulfilling the most disparate tasks and hadn't even noticed his arrival.
"Hey." The young Bookman greeted, warning in such a way that he was back.
Many moved their heads, looking at him to return the greeting and ask how things had gone, but stopped dead frozen by the sight they found in front of their eyes.
"A-Allen..." A little man with thick glasses grabbed of the English boy's sleeve, who, sensing the note of panic in his companion's voice, quickly turned toward him.
"What's the matter, Johnny?" Asked the albino noting the terrified expression on his friend's face and the latter pointed in Lavi's direction.
Allen's jaw fell when his eyes settled on the redhead.
"Lavi! What the hell happened!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards the other youth, interrupting whatever he was doing just a moment before and approaching him.
Lavi noticed the silence that had suddenly fallen into the room, realizing that everyone was staring at him and consequently looked upon himself. Oh, God, the uniform!
He laughed nervously scratching his head, while thinking of how to justify what happened and reassure them all.
"Well, it's not whattya think..."
"You wear an SS uniform Lavi, don't tell me it's a joke or that you've stolen it!" Allen urged him accusingly.
"No..." The redhead weakly replied.
"Do they know you're here?" Allen asked, but before Lavi could argue, he continued. "Forget it; they surely have put someone to follow you."
"No, it's impossible, only Yuu knows that I live here in the ghetto, and he doesn't..." Lavi tried to object, but the English boy interrupted him, more and more alarmed.
"Who's this guy?" he asked out of the blue; seeing Lavi looking down guiltily, Allen just put two and two together. "Kanda? Is it him? He allows you to use his name?" The young man was shocked by this discovery.
"Err, yes and no..." Lavi confessed, still looking down and playing nervously with one hem of his uniform; his interrogator appeared confused. "Yes, that's Kanda's name and no, he doesn't allow me to use it, but sometimes I let it slip..."
"Lavi what it means? You talk about Kanda as if you were friends..." The albino boy grabbed the redhead by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "That man is a monster; you'd better stay away from him! And instead? Would you explain it?"
"To me it doesn't seem that Kanda is as terrible as ya say..." Lavi objected, immediately on the defensive. "Of course, if one ignores his tendency to become violent," he mentally added.
"Lavi! He's fooling you, he's just using you!" Allen warned his friend again, hoping this time to get him to see sense, and the young redhead slowly raised his head to look at the other boy.
"I'm not sure." He replied; hearing those words Allen shook his head resignedly, but Lavi continued. "What's certain however is that I had no other choice for gettin' my grandfather free."
"I don't understand." The young albino was afraid to hear what the other would answer, but posed the question all the same. "Where are you getting at?"
"I had to prove my loyalty to the regime. I enlisted, Allen." Lavi confessed. The English boy stared open-mouthed, it was worse than he thought. Much worse. Monumentally worse. Like, the end of the world worse. "Don't give me that look; ya also know it works this way. Now the charges will fall."
"Don't count on it." Allen shook his head again, looking like you do with a poor mug.
"I'm Kanda's personal attendant; they've no reason t'doubt me now. I'll succeed in havin' my old man free."
"Kanda had wanted..." Allen murmured in disbelief.
"No, it was General Tiedoll who assigned me to him. In fact Yuu has no likin' for me at all..." Lavi shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't avoid it, it's my only hope."
"You'll end up in trouble, Lavi." Allen exchanged eloquent glances with all the others present. "Tomorrow we'll no longer be here. I hope for you that what you did will be of some help."
The next evening, when he returned there, Lavi found the apartment empty.
Kanda realized at once that something was wrong in his new ball and chain, because... said nuisance that morning wasn't annoying. For the record, the redhead hadn't uttered a word since he came into his office with some documents for him to view.
The officer was very surprised to receive them in Japanese, and wondered how Lavi had managed to transcribe them in such short a time. Now the young man was standing behind him, motionless, waiting for him to finish reading, and Kanda found it extremely irritating.
"Che." He spat out, exacerbated by the length of silence. "Well?"
"W-What?" Was Lavi's stuttered answer; the youth was startled, taken aback by the question.
"You are absent-minded. Distracted." The Japanese man met his orderly's gaze, and read uncertainty in it. "Private life is your business only, but if it affects your efficiency then it becomes mine as well." Lavi looked away, biting his lower lip, but didn't answer. "If you don't want to tell me what the problem is because you fear to be punished, I promise I won't do it." Kanda sighed, stopped paying attention to the documents and drew back his chair, like he was considering standing up, fixing his gaze on Lavi.
"I no longer have a place t'stay." Simply said the young redhead. "Or rather, I've remained alone and I guess I'll have t'leave from the place I lived in. Can't afford it anymore."
"I understand." Kanda raised an eyebrow. "Your student friends escaped just after seeing your uniform." Lavi nodded, his expression showing off sadness. "Then you can do without them, they weren't your friends at all."
The officer's comment surprised the young Bookman a lot; he didn't believe Kanda had consideration for other people's feelings, friendship included.
"I think a training session will be beneficial to you. Follow me." Without waiting for an answer Kanda stood up, gaining the door. "We'll settle the housing matter later," he added while they were leaving.
Lavi had never toiled that much in his entire life. He didn't expect that the Japanese officer intended to teach him the basics of hand to hand combat, but he had to admit Kanda was right: now he felt much better.
Moreover, it seemed that Kanda had appreciated his commitment, judging by the satisfied grin that was - but just a tiny bit - curving his lips.
Also pleased was their audience, all the recruits had stopped practice to watch them, and Lavi imagined they would have had material on which talking behind their back for months. They didn't often see - that is to say never - their commander personally train a rookie.
Outside the showers, Kanda casually brought up the argument 'accommodation' while they were drying themselves.
"As soon as you're ready we're going to pick up your things." Established the officer without even deigning to ask his attendant's opinion about it. "You will stay in the dormitory with the other recruits.
"Ah... Well..." Lavi looked at Kanda embarrassed, not knowing how to refuse the offer.
"What is it?" The Japanese man snorted, visibly irritated.
"I've... many books." Bookman junior saw that his superior in rank seemed almost amused by this confession.
"Of course, rare and precious. We'll keep them in my office for now, with everything you have of some value." Kanda imagined that there were many 'forbidden' titles among those books, but he didn't care at all.
"Thank you." Lavi smiled, happy he could keep his mentor's things safe until the return of the latter.
"Don't thank me. I'm only doing this because you're useful to me." Kanda pointed out flatly, shrugging.
But Lavi was convinced by now that the young Japanese wasn't so ruthless as he wanted everyone to believe, so he didn't stop smiling at him.
Kanda snorted, annoyed by his orderly's attitude always so informal, gesturing the idiot to follow him as soon as he was ready.
Allen saw a SS car stopping in front of their ex-refuge, and though he expected something like that, he was shocked to see Kanda getting off it, obediently followed by Lavi, while the driver stayed inside the vehicle with the engine running. He watched as they entered, and waited patiently to see what happened.
After less than half an hour Kanda and Lavi came out, and the latter was carrying a suitcase. Then the driver got out and loaded three boxes in the trunk, that the English boy was sure should contain the old Bookman's books.
So Lavi had passed completely to the enemy. Kanda had fooled him without difficulty, making him his puppet, thought the albino boy as he motioned to one companion at his side to warn Johnny.
The man, whose name was Tup, nodded and ran off, as much as his size would allow him to. Lavi looked really on familiar terms with that Kanda, from the way he was smiling and talking to him and the Japanese man let him do it; which was incredible considering that the SS officer was famous for trusting no one and for not bonding with anyone.
Allen sighed. Perhaps Lavi was better than what he believed he was to make himself liked by people, and it could be very helpful for them. With a satisfied grin the English boy left his guard station, right after the military truck left.