A/N: Many, many thanks to AKiy0z for braving the onslaught of bad fic writing that is Chimera and actually making it fit for human eyes. She's the new beta, so that means I might actually update faster!

I decided not to put the entirety of Do not stand at my grave and weep. It's a personal favourite of mine, and there are many variations of it.

Sorry for being so incredibly late (As usual). There will be a second note at the bottom of this chapter, so see you later.

Beware: Extremely OOC characters. Many of the cast members in the dgm universe don't have nearly enough screentime for me to put together an interesting personality, so I took many liberties.

Rivers II

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

-Mary Elizabeth Frye

Allen was coped up in his tent, listening to the radio. The hotel had been destroyed, even though it lay far from the outskirts still teeming with Akuma. Never mind the fatality rate of the town–

'-A shocking 21% of the overall population, roughly 500 people declared missing, with their families in denial and –' cracked the faraway static voice of the newscaster.

'Suman's… gone.'

A crushing mass weighed down upon his conscience – he had known beforehand: the plan was ridiculous and dangerous. If I had detected the Akuma faster; if I had been stronger, Suman would not have died.

'Tim, why am I so useless?' Allen grabbed hold of Timcanpy's cheeks and stretched them, preoccupied with his thoughts.

Nothing's even changed at all. It's like Suman never existed. Toma didn't even ask what happened to him – and now I think of it, he wasn't even with us all this time! Why, are we all simply insignificant chess pieces?

Then it dawned on him.

We are. We're just chess pieces – 'OUCH Timcanpy why did you bite – oh. Sorry.'

Allen released the now swollen cheeks of the golem, who fluttered weakly before settling in its preferred nest of white.

'Don't bite my hair off, got it?'

Timcanpy made an impatient 'phooff' in reply and snuggled more into the winter-white tangle it adored.

Lenalee looked at her only mirror (Komui's only present that she allowed to be surfaced in public), staring at the stranger who followed her every move.

She has choppy hair, pallid skin and swollen eyes.

But then, so do I.

Suman would have personally come down to chastise me for being weak. I wish he would.

Goodbye Suman, dear friend.

She frantically reached for a cloth to blow her nose on, and to dry her tears, for surely if I continued at this rate I'll have no water left in me and I'll become a prune.

Despite herself, Lenalee fought the urge to giggle. That very threat had been what Suman told those young children, so long ago. It had worked, much to her delight.

What's wrong with me…?

Tears began anew at the thought that she would never again hear any of Suman's ridiculous reasons for everything.

'Lenalee, stay strong!' She chided her reflection halfheartedly.

Kanda's familiar monotone sliced through the air deftly like those swords he used. '…You've become so ugly.'

SNAP.

'KAANDDDAAAA! YOU – '

'… What about me?'

'Oh don't you even try making me think about that, Suman's just- just…'

She sat back down on her chair.

'Kanda, please, I'm not in the mood to fight- ARE THOSE SCISSORS? Wait, what?'

Kanda had taken out a comb, attempting to tame the nest that Lenalee's hair had woven itself into.

'I can't believe you're not a girl.' Lenalee said with disbelief, a reference to his prepubescent years.

Clip, clip, went the scissors.

'Kanda, you'll be the best mum ever.'

Clip, clip.

.

.

.

'Thanks, Kanda.'

Clip.

Miranda was lost in her cloud of thoughts as she wandered aimlessly about the grimy streets.

Children were running about everywhere, searching for their family. A little boy wailed in a corner, his blond hair dirtied and knees scraped.

I can't help. I can't help any of them.

A soft-spoken lady approached her, eye bags dark and bottom lip swollen red from biting.

'…Excuse me, have you seen this boy? He's my son – I can't find him – please!'

She held out a picture shakily. It depicted a smiling young boy, twirling his golden locks with his fingers and petting his dog.

Just as Miranda was about to shake her head and hurry off, she came to the realization that she had indeed seen the boy.

'I saw him! He's – there! In that alley…' Miranda's voice trailed off as she saw something arrive in the woman's heart.

Hope.

'I'll lead you there, come.' She bought her to the boy who had been crying loudly for his mother. Now he was silent, staring in wonder at the two people before him.

'MUM! MUM!'

The boy ran to the woman with legs that could not carry him fast enough, and allowed his mother's arms to finally welcome him back.

Miranda did not stay there. She had some survivors to reunite.

'Yes, yes, applicant 114738 confirmed fallen. Revoked application. Innocence retrieved.'

'…Ah, for this rank A Mission, they received a FAIL. You see, they did not complete any of the objectives required of them.'

'…On the next ride available, huh. I'll take care of it. Still, it has to be tomorrow, they're repairing the damaged train tracks.'

Finder Toma hung up the phone.

'We're… going back to the school?' Allen asked quietly, his voice almost unheard amongst the discordant noise generated by the busy train station they were in. Earlier that morning, Toma had woken them and requested that they packed up.

He was sleeping in Suman's tent. Why did he not… not even ask about Suman?

'Yes. You see, each Mission usually spans over a week, but the school has terminated your Mission and requests that you be back in it as fast as possible-'

Lavi cut in. 'So, we've failed.'

There was no reply, and they did not need one.

Allen found himself staring at the village's signboard from the train window. The wood bore the marks of weather and age, but the black paint neatly set on it still stood out clearly.

Morente.

Oh, such a fitting name for this town, Allen remarked sardonically to himself.

And in the midst of the wispy smoke emanating out of the little engine room, the train surged onwards, and the town disappeared behind the mountains once more.

'Ehhhh! Lulu! What if there's really a ghost?!'

'Misters Anglerfish and Sunbear, I find it painfully ironic when people who specialize in tormenting and destroying the souls of others, like the two of you, are terrified of these so-called 'ghosts'.'

'Would you just shut up with the nicknames, Flat-chest? I bet Tyki-pet's really annoyed when you call him 'Smelly' too. Aren't you, Tyki-pet?'

'… You're not any better, Debitto-'

'-Would you all just shut your mouths before I personally seal them forever?' Lulu Bell looked up from the book she was reading.

Silence. At last. And just as she was beginning to bask in the glorious quietness of it all-

Tyki Mikk had missed the golden timing of a smart reply, but he tried anyway. 'I wouldn't mind you sealing up my lips forever, if you know what I mean.'

Mimi found this the perfect moment to contribute her piece. '-Mistress Lulu Bell, you must be tired from the strenuous fights we have been engaging in. Would you like a feet massage –'

'Hey! What about me?' Sticking his left foot up on the table and pointing at her, Jasdero looked expectantly at Mimi.

'Mister Anglerfish, I am afraid you have not earned that particular right from me yet.'

'Lulu's a Noah, I'm a Noah, you serve the Noah! Why her and not me?'

'Because.'

'What kind of reason is that?!'

Lulu Bell sighed.

To think that the human would be the most well-behaved…

Indeed, Eeez was diligently continuing his research quietly, childish hands against the dusty spine of the worn book.

'Mimi, I don't need a massage. Jasdero, Debitto, stop fooling around and put all your legs back down on the floor. Tyki, don't you dare start smoking within thirty meters of me.'

'But Lulu!'

'NO. Get back to your work. We are attempting to find a plausible explanation-'

'-Didn't I just say, ghosts!-'

'-That does not include something without conclusive evidence of its existence, such as a ghost-'

'I say there's plenty of rock-solid evidence that ghosts exist.' Jasdero and Debitto spat out together, and proceeded to high five.

Lulu Bell pressed on. '-for the strange occurrences at the town Exetear, as seeing how it has nothing to do with Innocence. Is that clear?'

.

.

.

Taking a short break from her reading, Lulu Bell glanced at what she had gathered so far on their Mission. On one delicate sheet of faintly perfumed paper, an elegant script stated:

Mission 0053

Exetear, Confictas Island

Find the cause of the Akuma swarms and exterminate it. Also destroy any stray Akuma.

Finder in charge: Buzz Bodne

Akuma have been sighted circling above the town of Exetear. They are unable to enter the town but continue to swarm around it. This may be caused by the excessive fear invoked in the townsfolk, by the recent scare involving the family of Marie and John Grey. The events leading to the scare are as such below:

-Marie Grey died after experiencing very ill health.

-Her eldest daughter, Olivia Grey died after her.

-Another daughter, Mercy Grey soon also died due to unknown causes.

-Following her death, a son, Edward Grey, experienced a heavy weight on his chest when he slept and his health deteriorated.

-Soon, other people in the town experienced similar symptoms. There was no illness that matched the description.

-Alleged sightings of ghosts began and the town was quarantined by the government.

-The people felt fearful and hopeless. Such strong negative feelings tend to attract Akuma.

We must do research in order to identify the true cause of the symptoms. To date, nothing of interest has turned up under the 'Science and Medicine' sections in the Exetear Royal Library.

'Lulu, didn't ya say not to slack off?', Debitto grinned.

'… '

'O-Okay, do what you want -just keep your hands off my neck…'

'RESIDENTS OF EXETEAR, GATHER AROUND! I HAVE UNCOVERED THE TRUE REASON BEHIND THE FATE OF THE FAMILY GREY, AND OF THOSE UNFORTUNATE SOULS!'

A bespectacled man shouted as loudly as he could, ushering people near the box he used as a stage. Soon enough, a curious gathering amassed despite the still cold weather. Winter had been abnormally heavy this year in this area.

Extinguishing what was left of his cigarette, Tyki Mikk crushed the offending item underneath his boots and extracted a fresh one from beneath his coat. He proceeded to light it up, despite the threatening aura emanating from the sworn enemy of smoking, Lulu Bell.

'Seems interesting enough. Let's go!', came his voice from far, far away. Or, thirty-and-a-half meters to be exact. Tiny little Eeez tottered behind him.

.

.

.

'NOW, citizens, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Darius Grey, and I am related to the Grey family you all know so much about. I have come today to tell you about what we have discovered!'

The crowd fell instantly into silence.

'We have been suspecting this for quite some time now, but it was only recently that my elder brother, John Grey, husband of the deceased Marie Grey and father of the deceased Olivia and Mercy Grey, decided to finally allow us to do what's right.'

A ripple of whispering broke out amongst the crowd. What could the Grey family be hiding?

Taking care to inhale in a dramatic fashion, Darius spoke anew.

'We suspected that one of the three deceased family members is a vampire.'

Collective gasps from the mass followed.

'Until recently, John Grey did not allow us to exhume their graves to see if our suspicion was truth. But even he eventually saw the error of his ways and realize that he could not protect what should not be protected, and we were allowed at last to peer into the graves of the Greys.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, an expression of utter grief and pain etched on his face.

'On the opening of their graves, both the bodies of Marie and Olivia Grey were significantly decomposed. It was evident that they were both truly dead. However… the body of Mercy Grey… was very well preserved. It looked as if she was simply asleep - plump and cheeks red from the blood of others!'

The crowd simply stood still.

'It is John's wish to put this matter to rest completely, so we are organizing a public execution of the Undead Mercy! To prove that the Vampire Mercy is no more! In exactly two hours, the execution will be carried out in this very spot.'

Darius stepped off the box and hurried away, brushing off any questions.

Tyki had dropped his cigarette. 'Well, what did you think of that, Lulu-Bell?'

'…Completely fabricated. He has obviously rehearsed this performance to a perfect, dramatic finish. Whatever reason was it that the Greys met with such a fate, it has nothing to do with the undead.'

'Eeez?'

'… I-I agree with Lulu Bell.'

'Sooo, Lulu, it turns out you were right about the ghosts.'

'Don't.'

'It wasn't ghosts, it was a vampire! This is turning into the perfect fiction novel! We could star us as the main heroes, right, Debitto?'

Debitto hit the head of his twin brother. 'Don't be silly. A story can't have two heroes! We should merge ourselves and-'

Mimi could not resist.' The adventures of Mister Anglerfish-Sunbear, now in all leading bookstores!'

'It does sound interesting,' laughed Eeez.

Tyki ruffled Eeez's hair. 'Eeez, don't do that. Simpletons like those don't get sarcasm.'

'HEY! TYKI-PET! WHO YA CALLING SIMPLETON!'

Lulu Bell rubbed her temples.

Debitto and Jasdero kicked dirty lumps of snow, remnants of the harsh winter, with surprising accuracy on Tyki's coat.

'Don't ruin it. This is my best coat.' said the latter in a monotone fashion.

Jasdero snorted. 'That's your only coat.'

'That's why you shouldn't dirty it.' came the reply.

The group had travelled near the border of the town.

'I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner.' Muttered a very defeated Lulu Bell. Eeez looked anywhere but at her.

'The signs were everywhere… abnormal weather, appearance of Akuma, but no Akuma attacks…'

Innocence.

Eeez took it upon himself to fully explain his theory to the still confused part of the group. 'The Innocence present in this town has recently become active, forming a barrier that the Akuma cannot penetrate. It also changed the weather, but because this area has always experienced harsh conditions, everyone didn't take notice of it.'

Jasdero and Debitto both nodded understandingly, though said otherwise. 'Say what?'

'Dumb it down for them, Eeez.' Tyki prodded.

'There's Innocence in this town.'

'Ohh.'

.

.

.

'Then, the vampire thingy?'

'… Who knows? I don't think Innocence could have caused that.'

'We'll just have to wait it out for Mister Darius Grey, then.' Mimi concluded.

A large crowd had gathered in the town square. Several carts and tents had been removed to make space for a large pile of wood and a crude wooden crucifix. A small, dirty coffin lay on the floor. Many of the onlookers brandished homemade weapons, such as knives tied to broom handles. Darius Grey suddenly broke out of the mass, with another man clutching a small cross.

'Good afternoon, residents of Exetear! We will begin the obliterating of the Vampire Mercy now! May her soul find peace in the afterlife. John has declined to join us, for he fears the sight of his daughter's corpse.'

The crowd only had eyes for the coffin. The man held his cross closer to his bosom, and reached for the coffin cover, slowly pushing it away. With a creak and a final clattering of broken wood, the grave of Mercy Brown, tiny and filthy, was open at last.

'…She looks… not-dead.' said Tyki disbelievingly.

True, her cheeks were nothing like the delicate blossom pink of the living, and her flesh had gained a most peculiar translucent property. Her face was sunken, her body diminutive even in death. And yet her closed lids looked as if it would open at any moment, and her chest was not hollowed and had not collapsed. Her skin had remained firm and taut, lending her the appearance of the living.

'Now, we will begin the exorcism!'

The child's body was fastened to the wooden crucifix, her head lolling forwards and backwards in a horrifyingly morbid manner. A thick wooden stake was raised near her chest.

'No, no way…' murmured Mimi, her voice thick, as she turned away and shielded her face.

The rest of the group stared on along with the crowd, as if hypnotized.

And with a sickening thud, the stake was driven clean through the heart of Mercy's corpse. Blood, too fresh to belong to the dead, flowed like a macabre river. The broken organ was then taken out and put into a box; victims of Mercy would drink its ashes as a cure.

'Sickening humans.' said Lulu Bell quietly.

A saw had been passed to the man, now shaking and holding his cross so tightly that his knuckles were white. He inched forward once more and aligned the saw against the silver of pale skin revealed on the corpse's neck.

The crowd was silent, transfixed.

The head of what was Mercy fell to the ground, but the open wound bled little. Someone was clearing a path between the crowds, and soon a third man arrived, holding a lit torch. Everyone stared mutely at the flickering light, watching as it was passed from one hand to another. They continued to stare at it being strategically lit and spread on the wood pile that now surrounded the crucifix. At it slowly rising and rising, and at last swallowing the body of Mercy, and burning and burning, until nothing was left.

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A/N: Wow, that was scary. Once again, thank you to the new beta aKiy0z, who's really reeeaaallly good at writing so if you're into okikagu please check out her fics.

What am I saying there's like 3 people reading this in total.

Anyways Chimera will be undergoing a rewrite of the early chapters so I don't need to plant my head in the nearest bush every time someone mentions them.

And NO romance, was the message your reviews generally gave, so no romance it is. Back to hidden-obvious-sexual-tension I see.

Please review, constructive criticism is good too. Just let me know that you've been here.