Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction, in no way affiliated with D-Gray Man.

Warning: This will later contain Mpreg.

Chapter One

Kanda was in a foul mood. Although most of the Black Order would say that there was nothing unusual there, Kanda knew that this was something above his usual ire. This was not some mild irritation over the white haired beansprout of an Exorcist getting on his nerves, or Lenalee thinking she had the right to come and sit with him during his meditation, or... he found his jaw clenching... Lavi using his first name so familiarly. His steps took on a quicker pace as he continued to search the area. The red haired, loud mouthed Bookman-in-training come Exorcist had been missing for three days, and everyone in the order was losing hope. It wasn't as if he and Bookman had taken extra time in getting back to the Order after a mission, that was something they expected as a matter of course, what they did outside of their direct orders they had no right to ask. But he wasn't with the tiny, elderly man; he had been taken during a fight which had left the Finders dead, Krory unconscious and the Innocence they had gone to retrieve destroyed. Kanda had managed to hold off his bad mood until Krory had woken and two words had slipped through his lips. 'Tyki Mykk'.

The Noah, the one who had killed too many of his brothers in arms, nearly ended the life of Allen and attempted to destroy his innocence; the one who had caused Suman to fall. And he was the last one seen with Lavi. As soon as they knew all optimism that they would find Lavi alive had faded. The red head was a proficient innocence user, but Tyki Mykk had killed a General without even raising a sweat. He understood their scepticism. But there was a part of him which would not let him believe that the terrible joke-making teen had been taken from this world. It would be... his brain tightened around the word he wanted to think, pushed it to one side. Still, it reverberated through his skull; 'painful'.

It was hard for him to ignore the reason behind that word, the slow building attachment that he had formed to the other boy. When Lavi had first appeared at the Order they were both barely sixteen, and he had thought him loud and obnoxious, had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts and angst to even contemplate looking a little deeper. Even when they had been sent on their first mission together he had wanted to rip the younger man's tongue out to stop him from talking. He remembered when all of that changed. It was late at night and he had been out walking in the moonlight to clear his head, the Order building was silent as the inhabitants slept but there was still a light shining from the library. Curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had gone to investigate. There he had found Lavi asleep, slumped over a table which was covered in books and parchments in languages he could not decipher, had never even seen before. There was a pen in his hand and an unfinished translation beneath his face. He wasn't wearing the Exorcist coat that had been made for him, just a sleeveless version of the oriental clothes he usually wore beneath, a bandage around his right upper arm. He had returned that morning with an innocence fragment and the injuries he had sustained in retrieving it. Kanda had taken a step forward, taking the chance to look closer at the teen, not knowing when it would be that he was still again. His shoulders were broader than he had expected, his arms more defined, and his physique spoke of lean strength, still with the hints of teenage awkwardness. There was the palest touch of freckles which peppered the bridge of his nose, and the lashes of his uncovered eye which swept over his cheek were darker than his hair, the rich red hair which fell over his creamy skin, the bandanna he usually wore askew on his head, more off than on. That had been the moment that he knew he would not be able to stop looking at Lavi, and the more he looked, the more he had seen. He saw what the others overlooked due to his persona; his intelligence and sharpness, his determination.

Kanda walked ahead of the others, ignoring their pleas for them all to stay together. They were worried about one of them meeting Tyki alone, of losing more Exorcists when their forces were already so depleted. But Kanda couldn't still his feet, needed to feel like he was doing everything he could. It was an impulse he knew he should be able to control, they had never spoken about any kind of emotional attachment, even when their relationship had escalated to a physical one. A Bookman didn't feel, Kanda did not let himself feel; but the moments when they shared their bodies, when he felt Lavi's breath on his face, joined their lips as their bodies slid together in passion... it was hard to remember that. He found himself growing eager to return to the Order after a mission, knowing that it wasn't just an empty bed which would greet him, that they would find their way to each other in the dead of night.

Rounding the corner his feet stopped, nearly making him trip over himself. He was not a clumsy man, but his brain shut down at the sight in front of him. There was a man huddled against the wall, knees clamped tightly to his chest. He was naked, body bloodied and bruised and broken, his hair was dirty and matted. Kanda knew that body, every single line of it, memorized by his fingertips from countless hours spent together in intimacy. It was Lavi, there was no doubting it.

'Don't just stand there,' came a gruff voice, making Kanda jump, 'give him your coat. Mine will not be big enough.'

Bookman was at his side, standing there calmly as though his apprentice wasn't cowered there in such a state. It made Kanda move though, and he removed Mugen and it's saya from his body, holding it out to Bookman before pulling off his coat, moving towards Lavi. He reached out.

Lavi whimpered, flinching as he pulled away at the touch. It was a pitiful sound, filled with terror and pain. It made Kanda stop, made him look again. The slight movement of the younger boy had revealed more of his body and Kanda's quick eyes did not miss the wounds on his neck and shoulders, the shape made by an eager mouth and sharp, vicious teeth. It made him look down, search for further evidence of his suspicions and bile crawled up his tightening throat as he took in the dried blood crusted on the back of his thighs.

He was on his knees in an instant, still reaching out for Lavi, but slowly, with patience. Lavi was speaking now, in a language he didn't understand, one that didn't sound like anything he had ever heard, not even the Bookman language he had been privy to infrequently. He didn't seem to be talking to him, his voice cracked and wild. He felt like someone had a hand in his chest and was squeezing his heart. It was hard to think, hard to breathe. Gently he touched the boys shoulder, careful to reach intact skin between the raw wounds.

'Lavi, it's just me,' he said softly, quietly, careful not to startle him again. Lavi looked up, his one eye clearing as though seeing him for the first time. It quickly filled with relief. Kanda pulled him to him gently, pulling his coat around his bare body. The whine of his pain fanned the anger in his heart, and he was torn between the sick feeling in his stomach, the urge to protect this broken man, and the burning desire to make whoever had done this pay.

'Come on, put your arms in it.' He coaxed, pulling back slightly, unable to stop his hand as it brushed tenderly through his dirty hair. This close he could see the sleepless stains beneath the boys eye, how swollen, bruised and cut his usually soft, smiling lips were. Lavi did not move, continued simply to stare at nothing, drifting in and out of lucidity by the blankness which was once again in his eye.

'What's happening... Lavi!' It was Allen, and the younger boy ran forward.

Kanda gripped his coat tighter around Lavi.

'Put it on Lavi,' he urged, tone harder than he wanted to use, panic rising, 'do you want them to see you like this?'

It worked, Lavi pulling his arms stiffly into the material, Kanda quickly fastening the buttons, covering as much of him as he could with the long coat. Allen's footsteps quickened and soon the younger boy was at his side, concern and worry so plain on his face.

'Lavi?' He questioned, obviously perturbed at what he was seeing of his friend.

Lavi didn't speak, and Kanda bit his lip. He wanted the energetic assurances they would usually get of him regardless of the situation, the wide smile.

'We need to get him back to the Order, he's injured.' Kanda said over his shoulder to Allen, in a tone which left no chance of disagreement. 'Can you stand Lavi?'

Lavi made to move weakly, but he gasped in discomfort, a soft sound of agony torn from his lips. Kanda bit his lip harder, a burst of sharp pain to centre his thoughts and stop his emotions from getting the better of him.

'I'm going to carry you, no arguments.' He told Lavi, almost more for Allen's ears. Allen would want to help and he doubted that Lavi could cope with having more than one person invading his personal space right now. As gently as he could he slipped his arms around the barely taller boy, straining only slightly to lift him. Lavi's weight was something he was not unused to, although this was different to pinning him to a wall as he panted into the skin of his throat. 'Why don't you do something useful for once Beansprout and use that Ark to get us there.'

'Oh, yes, of course,' Allen said, too concerned to even assert his name as he usually would. He could barely take his eyes off of Lavi and it took a few moments for him to turn and close his eyes, summoning the ark.

With Allen occupied Bookman shuffled close, hands joined in his sleeves and face as blank as if they were simply chatting about the weather. But his words, for once, said more than his expression.

'It is clear what has happened here, I'm sure Lavi would be grateful if you would keep your silence until he is ready.'

'You do not even need to ask that of me Bookman,' he replied sternly, fingers gripping tighter at the warmth of the boy in his arms, delighting in how solid he still felt despite how fragile and hurt he looked. Lavi was not dead, everything else he hoped could be healed.

Bookman nodded, nothing more to be said on the matter. Did he feel concern for his apprentice, or was he so solely a Bookman that his heart was closed even to this sight? It did not matter now, all that mattered was getting Lavi out of here and back to the safety of the Black Order Headquarters. Not only to protect him in his current state, but because who knew if Akuma or Noah were waiting in the wings.

The air shimmered as a glowing door appeared, Allen opened his eyes and walked to it, hand on the handle, tugging it open.

'We're taking you back.' He muttered quietly as he strode towards the door, conscious of the bareness of Lavi's legs which stuck out from his coat. 'Allen, go ahead, tell the medical staff to be ready.'

**break**

Kanda stood in the medical ward, leaning back against the wall as he watched the others whisper by Lavi's bedside. They had all been kicked out whilst Komui and the nurses had attended to Lavi's injuries, even Bookman, but now that he was put to bed and knocked out with a cocktail of drugs they had been allowed back in. Kanda did everything he could to stop from looking at the boy in the bed, but even so his eyes kept sneaking back to the figure beneath the sheets. He was pale against his hair, skin only a shade warmer than the fabric, not that there was much of him that wasn't bruised or cut. Silenced and still this way Lavi looked his age, Kanda had hit nineteen a few months ago, and Lavi was yet to catch up. But with what they faced they grew up quickly, most of the time he forgot that Allen was only just seventeen. But Lavi, he had so much life, even when he was injured on mission he would crack jokes and smile, but this was different, this had broken him and he looked small and fragile as a child.

'Bookman, I think it would be best if you and I talked in private.' Komui said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Kanda hated it when Komui was serious, not because of the change in personality, that he welcomed; but because it always meant that something was seriously wrong.

'I'll go,' Allen said, eyes widening instantly. He was such a good mannered boy. 'Let me know when he wakes up.'

Komui's eyes then turned to Kanda who simply stared back. He was not going to be forced out and protected from the truth. He needed to hear this.

'It's okay Komui, Kanda was the one who found him. He saw enough to know what must have happened.'

'If you are sure Bookman,' Komui replied, inclining his head to the small, elderly man. His respect of the Bookman clan was evident, and he had always been careful not to step on Bookman's toes when giving orders to his apprentice. 'He is badly injured, some of it appears to be a few days old, and would relate to the battle Krory describes; but there are... other, more recent injuries. ' Komui pulled off his glasses now, rubbing the back of his hand over his forehead. 'I'm going to confirm what you already know, Lavi has been repeatedly raped, and quite brutally it would seem. Why they have keep him alive and his Innocence intact I don't know... we will have to wait until he wakes for answers.'

'Will he be okay?' Bookman asked, perching on the edge of a chair at the bedside, although facing into the room.

'Physically all of his wounds can be healed, but as for how he will cope with what has happened... that is something I cannot be so sure of.'

'He has a strong will, a strong mind. I have faith in him.' Bookman said firmly.

'I hope that you are correct,' Komui replied, putting his glasses back on. 'I'm going to catch a few hours sleep before the medication begins to wear off. If you are in need of me I will be in my room.'

'Then there is nothing more I can do here,' Kanda said, pushing himself off the wall. Everything inside him screamed to stay, but there was no reason for him to, none that wasn't defined only by his emotions.

'Kanda, thank you.' Bookman said as he started to walk away.

To this he could only nod, careful to keep his eyes on the old man only as he glanced back. Bookman was sharp, and anything he gave away would be committed to memory. It didn't matter how he felt, what mattered was keeping Lavi's life as simple and normal as possible when he regained consciousness. It would do no good for Bookman to become suspicious of there being something between them.