And the final chapter has arrived, people! Unfortunately, as I said a while back, there's no epilogue. But this chapter's way longer than the usual; I think there's almost twice as much so no complaints, right? :D aaaaaaaaaaaand, there's a useless omake at the end so enjoy XD

"Ugh, I can finally take these off." Lavi grumbled as the trio stepped into the Black Order HQ. He looked down at his attire with a sour expression. He'd had to borrow one of Morgan's husband's outfits and Lavi felt it didn't suit him at all. He'd asked for the most informal clothes and had been given a pair of black trousers and a crisp white shirt and, because it had been cold, he'd also been given a matching black suit jacket to wear.

And because he'd needed footwear too, he'd been given a pair of shiny black loafers. Morgan's husband was very close to Lavi in physique so everything fit perfectly. But…they called this informal?! He looked like a freaking businessman! Well, at least there wasn't a tie to go with it!

But, they'd arrived home now so he could get dressed in his own clothes. "I'll join you guys in a bit." he said as he turned away from Allen and Lenalee.

"Ok, we'll see you later." Allen called out.

Lavi went to his room. Ah, feels good to be back here, he thought, taking in the familiar clutter. But dust had gathered on most of the surfaces so he'd have to clean up. But, that was a job for later. He found himself an eye patch which wasn't digging into his skin and then got changed into more comfortable clothes and shoes. He folded up the things he'd borrowed and put them to the side. He'd have to wash and return them soon.

Thinking of Lily and her family, he sighed. He'd imagine it had been a bit of a shock for the little girl to discover that her little friend had suddenly disappeared and his big brother (the story which had been agreed upon) had come in his stead, saying that the child would never come back. She'd been crying when Lavi had felt. He felt so guilty; Lily was more than just a random brat off the streets. He knew her. He'd held her hand in his own. He'd played with her. He'd made her smile. And he'd felt so sorry for her; she was such a good little kid but she had never been given half a chance.

Well, I can still go visit her, right? He thought as he stood up and walked to the door.

He put the matter of Lily to the side as he headed up to Kanda's room. Kanda had been pretty aloof since Lavi had returned back to normal. Just before that, he'd been how he'd normally been towards little Lavi. So, what had suddenly changed?

Well, that was obvious but Lavi wouldn't have thought that his transformation from being a child to being an adult would affect Kanda at all. At first, in that small part of his mind which had maintained the thought process of an adult, he'd believed his grumpy best friend would be glad to have Lavi back to his usual self but then Kanda had slowly started to become more and more familiar with the kid.

So he'd rather have little me around than…the actual me? Lavi thought glumly.

He knocked on Kanda's door. "Pa…Yu?" Why did he keep doing that? Every time he wanted to call out to Kanda, the first thing which came to his lips was "papa" instead of "Yu". Well, he'd gotten pretty used to his kid self calling Kanda that so he supposed it'd wear off after a while. But it was so odd calling his best friend "papa"!

"Yu?" he called out again, knocking on the door a little harder.

"What?" a groan came from inside.

"Oh, so you are here!" Lavi exclaimed as he pushed the door open and went in.

Kanda rose from the bed, where he'd been lying down. He glared. "Don't just come in without being invited, bastard."

Lavi made a sad face as he went and flopped down at the foot of the bed. "Why so hostile, Yu? Makes me think you're not happy to see me after two weeks."

Kanda stared at him with a blank expression before letting his head fall to his pillow. "Whatever."

Lavi stared down at the other man. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

"Really? Doesn't seem like nothing."

"Drop it."

"But if there's something wrong with you, then I want to know what it is." Lavi insisted, removing his shoes. He pulled his legs up and shifted around so that he was looking down at Kanda. "Hey, sit up; I don't want to have to smell your feet."

"Shut the fuck up. No one told you to sit there."

"But I am sitting here so please move your feet."

"Ugh. Just shut up." Although he said that, Kanda sat up anyway. He sat crossed-legged with his back against the headboard and glared across at Lavi.

"What're you glaring at me for?" Lavi asked.

Kanda looked away and harrumphed. "None of your business."

"If it's got something to do with me then, yes, it is my business."

"Well, it's got nothing to do with you."

Lavi tutted. "I know you have random mood swings, Yu, but even this isn't like you. Why don't you tell me what's up? You seem depressed…and you were all right up until I changed back."

Kanda was silent. Lavi couldn't read his expression, which was often the case with Kanda. By default, the only emotions Kanda displayed were negative ones but, when something was really troubling him, his expression became so empty. Lavi knew it was a habit Kanda had developed since he'd been a kid but it bothered the redhead a lot; he could read almost every person in the Black Order HQ except Kanda, his best friend.

"It's…just forget it," Kanda mumbled after a few long seconds.

"Why don't you tell me? I wanna know."

"I said forget it."
"Damn, you're always so stubborn!" Lavi grumbled. But he brightened up. If Kanda didn't want to share, he didn't have to. But Lavi wanted to at least get him out of this sour mood. "So, wanna go for a walk? There's still time till dinner."

Kanda shrugged. "If you want."

That was easy, the redhead thought. Usually, it took a bit of time to convince Kanda to do anything. But maybe kid Lavi had weakened the man's defences. Lavi smiled as he stood up. "All right then, c'mon."

They went outside. Kanda stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat, trying to hide his embarrassment as Lavi talked about how he'd seen everything as a child.

"And you know, that first time, after the smoke cleared, it took me a while to figure out what was going on. And, suddenly, a part of me's thinking "it's papa!" and then I sorta ran to you, right? Forget the look on your face that time, I was freaked out, man!" he rambled. "And, after that, as the days went on…it was like, the attachment I had to you deepened…but mellowed out a little too, if that makes sense, as I got to know Lenalee and the others. I think I trusted Lenalee the most after you. But there was that time after the first bath – thanks for that, by the way; you don't know how weird it is to be given a bath by a friend – yeah, anyway, after that bath, when you left me with Lenalee, my mind was completely clouded. I missed you so much and I felt guilt for making you angry or whatever but I was also a little upset that you'd just dumped me there without a care. It was freakin overwhelming! Poor Lenalee; she tried so hard to get me to calm down! If only the part of me which had been able to see all this had been in control! And then when we first met Lily and…"

And on and on it went. The sky began to grow darker. Lavi talked for three quarters of an hour straight. Kanda figured he was making up for the last two weeks.

"Ah, we ought to go inside, eh?" Lavi said, looking towards the horizon at the fading golden sunset.

"There's an idea." Kanda snorted.

"Haha, love the sarcasm, Yu! Anyway, they're probably serving dinner now. I'm hungry."

So they began to walk back. Kanda was still embarrassed. Lavi really did remember everything.

"Ah, just remembered, there was this one time when I was going to ask about the Lotus."

Kanda sighed. "Why'd you bring that thing up?"

Lavi smiled. "That time, I think it was when you gave me away to Allen – shame on you – and then you wanted to go to sleep after that…I was going to ask you but then I went to sleep too so it slipped my mind. What would you have said if I'd asked?"

Kanda didn't reply.

Lavi chuckled. "You never do talk about it…you know I said you should get the research dudes to have a look at it and maybe they'll come up with a way to lift the curse?"

"I don't want to talk about this, Lavi." Kanda muttered.

Lavi stared at Kanda for a good long while, his expression suddenly not so jolly. "Why don't you try something, Yu?"

"There's no helping it. Leave it be."

"But, Yu…"

"I said leave it!" Kanda snapped, suddenly angry. He increased his pace and stalked off towards the entrance of the building.

Lavi clicked his tongue. Same as always, he thought. I wish there was something I could do to help you, Yu. I don't want you to die.

Kanda was fast. By the time Lavi arrived at the dining hall, his friend was already getting his food. Lavi hurried up to him and spotted Jerry behind the hatch. "Hi, Jerry!" he greeted.

"Oh, Lavi! Long time no see~!" the head chef responded.

"Haha, yeah it has been a while, eh? And as much as I love your soba, I think I'll go with a more normal dish today!"

Kanda narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the redhead. "What're you trying to say?"

Lavi chuckled nervously. "N-nothing at all! Soba's great, but it's not my thing."
"Hmph."

After they got their food, Kanda was going to go off and sit by himself but Lavi steered him over to where the others sat. "Hi, guys!" he greeted, putting his hand up to salute Miranda, Krory and Marie, the ones he'd not seen since he'd returned to normal.

"Oh, look, it's the Golden Pair." Allen snorted.

Kanda made no response as he sat down and began his meal. Lavi was still busy with greetings as he sat down beside Kanda. "Marie, good to see you again too!"

Marie smiled. "Likewise, Lavi. Good to have you back, I suppose?"

The redhead laughed. "Yeah, thanks."

Miranda smiled at him. "Er…Welcome back? Well, you weren't really gone but…all the same…"

"Thanks! So, Krory! What's been happening 'round here?"

"Well, you were here, weren't you?" Krory said.

"True, but, tell me anyway! I missed you, buddy!"

"Right…"

"I did!"

Krory looked sad. "The little you got scared of me the first time you saw me."

Lavi chuckled. "Sorry about that. You know, I was just apprehensive; sharp teeth are pretty scary to a kid."

"Reminds me of that first time we went to Krory's castle," Allen mumbled, looking sourly at the redhead. "He bit me and you thought I was a vampire and wouldn't come near."

Lavi pouted. "You're all being mean! I just returned to normal and you suddenly decide to gang up on me! Hey, Yu, help me out here!"

"Fuck off." Kanda grumbled.

Lavi was crestfallen. "Always so supportive, Yu. That's what I love about you."

"Shut up and let me eat, idiot. And can you move further along a little?! You're practically sitting on my lap!"

Indeed, Lavi was sitting very close. And it wasn't like there wasn't enough space on the bench to sit comfortably. Lavi moved up, leaving a sizeable gap between him and Kanda. "S-sorry…just seemed natural, ya know, to wanna sit as close to you as possible."
"That might have been fine when you were a kid but it's downright creepy now."

"R-right…sorry, Pa…Yu."

"Were you just about to call him papa?" Allen asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, bean sprout," Lavi said.

"I knew it! So your behaviour during the two weeks has affected the way you treat and speak to us!" the white-haired boy exclaimed, glaring at Kanda.

"Don't look at Yu like that. It's not his choice how I speak to you, right?" the redhead grinned. "I just like winding you up, that's all."
Allen sighed. "Just like a child."

"Oi, oi, I'm older than you are, you know. Stop acting like you're my granddad."

"Well, it's not my fault if you act half your age, is it?"

Lenalee interrupted, "Um…speaking about your granddad…about Bookman…"

Six heads jerked towards Lenalee and six pairs of eyes stared at her in surprise. She laughed nervously, "s-sorry…is it taboo?"

Lavi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No, it's not. Not anymore, I suppose. Time for me to get over it."

Kanda was surprised; first at Lenalee for broaching the topic so openly and then at Lavi for replying so calmly.

"I-is that all?" Allen stammered, slightly taken aback. "Just like that…you're going to get over it? But, you were so upset though."

Lavi chuckled somewhat nervously. "So you knew about that, did you? Sorry."
Lenalee rolled her eyes. "Of course we did. We're your friends, aren't we, Lavi?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I know that. I guess my attitude about the whole thing stank a fair bit, huh? That time after gramps left?"

Krory snorted. "You could say that."

"I'm sorry."

Allen's mouth turned up at the corners. "We forgave you for it a long time ago. But…can't you tell us why?"

"Hmm?"
"Why you did it?"

"Oh. Right. Well," the redhead grinned, "call me sentimental but I didn't wanna leave you guys! C'mon, the two of you are gonna get married some day and I freakin wanna be there!"

He said it loud enough that a few nearby Finders looked up quizzically. Everyone at the table burst out laughing as Allen and Lenalee's faces went bright red. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Sh-shut up, idiot!" Allen sputtered.

Lavi cackled. "Sorry." He sobered up quickly though. "But…I did do it because I didn't want to leave. If I'd gone on to become a Bookman, these past few years which taught me the true value of being a human being would have meant nothing. I would have had to abandon everything I learnt from you guys. I wouldn't even have time to remember you or get in touch. I didn't want that. So, I stayed." He shrugged.

Allen looked like he was in shock. "Just…just like that? Can you even do that?"
Lavi frowned thoughtfully, "Apparently so. I mean, if an apprentice doesn't have the will to be a Bookman anymore, then there's no point training him further, right? Because he'll just be a hindrance."

"That's a lie." The utterance came from Kanda. Everyone looked towards him but he stared back only at Lavi. "You know that's a lie. You can't say you don't have the will, because then you wouldn't spend hours and hours in the library writing records of things that don't matter. You wouldn't try so hard to keep your skills tiptop. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Lavi held his gaze for a few seconds longer before he turned away. "I'm sorry, Yu. I can't deal with this now."

Kanda harrumphed and got up and began to walk off. "Whatever."

Allen stared after the dark-haired man and then looked at Lavi. "Is that true? You still want to be a Bookman? Same as before?"

Lavi grinned feebly. "Ignore him."

"No, I don't think I should. He was the only one who didn't pretend everything was fine." the white-haired boy said with his eyebrows pulled into a tight frown. "The only reason you're depressed is because you still want that life, right?"

Lavi heaved a sigh. "But I want this one too. And I can't have both so I chose this one."

"Because your emotions mean so much to you?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Allen sighed too. "What're we going to do with you, Lavi?"

Lavi smiled a small smile. "Leave it be, okay? I'm the one who made this choice so I'm prepared to deal with it."

"At the cost of your own happiness?" Lenalee challenged. "We want you to be happy, Lavi. Not mock-happy like it has been these past few months. You don't need to pretend in front of us. You should give this more thought and…"
"And what?" Lavi asked. "It's too late to go back to that life now, even if I wanted to. This is the choice that I made and I will stick by it. I'm off."

"B-but…"

"Later, okay? My kid self went to sleep at midnight and woke up at half five in the morning today, can you believe that? And then there was all the walking I did in the afternoon…that was pretty exhausting for a kid, you know? And then the transition wore me out a bit too and now that my belly's full, what I want more than anything is to reacquaint myself with the dear beloved friend in my room whom I have neglected for two weeks now; my bed. Seeya."

As the others watched him go, Allen grumbled, "How can he be so carefree?"

"It's just a front. He acts to cover up what he's really feeling all the time." Lenalee said. "I wish he'd stop it."

Back in his room, Lavi opened the window but then shut it immediately as a strong gust of wind blew some of the papers off the floor. He wondered if he should change his bedcovers. It wasn't really nice sleeping among dust.

He felt really lonely. He'd gotten used to sleeping beside somebody these past two weeks. But the idea of sleeping beside Kanda now was embarrassing. He'd also felt a little awkward about it the first few times as his kid self had clambered up beside Kanda but he'd grown used to that. He'd been able to see it from Kanda's point of view; it had been a kid, not the real Lavi, so it was manageable. And, besides, the majority of his mind had had the thought process of a child so he'd felt happy sleeping beside his best friend.

Ah, but it's so boring by myself! He thought. Maybe he could sleep in Kanda's room, on the floor? Kanda wouldn't have anything against that, right? Well…Lavi had asked if he could sleep over a few times in the past and the answer had always the same; NO.

Lavi sighed and changed his bedcovers. Having done that, he fell onto his bed and tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. He really didn't want to sleep alone.

Just as he decided that he would go and ask (banking on Kanda being a little less harsh after babysitting his best friend for two weeks), there was a knock on the door. "Yeah?" he called out, sitting up.

The door opened to reveal Kanda. "Yo."

"Pa…Yu! C'mon in!" Lavi exclaimed as he shifted to one side of the bed to make room for his visitor.

Kanda stepped over the papers littering the room. "Aren't you ever going to clean this place up?"

"Nope."

"Tch. You're so irresponsible." He took a seat on the bed.

"Right, right. So, what brings you here?" Lavi asked.

"Just came to…" the black-haired man shrugged, looking uncomfortable, "just…thought I'd see how you were doing."

"Right." Lavi grinned. "I was about to come over, actually. I can't sleep here."
Kanda made no response.

"So?" Lavi prodded. "Would it be okay?"

"What?"

"If I slept in your room?"

There was a silence of a few seconds before Kanda shrugged. "If you want."

Lavi laughed once. "You're less stubborn than you used to be."

"Probably no thanks to you." Surprisingly, there was no bitterness in Kanda's voice. "I wanted to talk to you."

Lavi groaned. "About the whole Bookman thing, right?"

"Yes."

"Yu, can't it wait? Please? I don't wanna talk about it now!"

A pale hand reached out and grabbed a fistful of red hair and pulled. "Yeow! Yu, what…?!" Lavi trailed off. Kanda's face was frighteningly close and he did not look in the least happy.

"Stop putting things off." he hissed. "You think anyone's happy that you're doing this? Find the old man and resume your training."

Lavi huffed and pulled his hair of out Kanda's grasp. "I've told you many times already; I have no intention of doing that."

Kanda's gaze was blank. "Then you're dead to me."

Lavi's eye was wide. "Wh-what're you…talkin about, Yu?" What a random thing to say! How mean.

"I mean it. Find the old man."

"But, Yu…"

"No buts!" Kanda snapped. "It's for the best and you know it is so find the old man and go back to him, all right?!"

Lavi looked away. "I told all you guys it's time I got over it…"

"You've been saying that ever since he left! You're not fooling me, you know! I know you were just trying to put the others at ease when you said that but you're not going to try to do anything about it! You're inviting this depression in and it's fuckin pissin me off!" Kanda looked like he was ready to deal a blow to the redhead. He looked so angry.

Why did he care so much anyway? For years before they'd become friends, probably since he'd become an Exorcist, Kanda had cared for nothing but getting his job done.

Lavi was glad that that had changed, that the man now cared for those around him too…or, at least, he could admit to himself that he cared instead of trying to deny it; he'd always had a good heart. But, for him to be this worked up about an issue that had nothing to do with him was unusual. He wasn't usually one to stick his nose in other people's business; he always said it was none of his concern.

Although he was afraid he'd get beaten up, a small smile found its way to Lavi's lips. "Thanks, Yu."

The anger drained from Kanda's face to be replaced by a quizzing frown. "What?"

Lavi crawled over the bed and flopped down beside Kanda and slung an arm around the man's shoulder. "Thanks. Means a lot to know you care."

It really did. Lavi couldn't express in words quite how much it gladdened him that he had Kanda for a best friend. At the best of times, Kanda acted cold and uncaring but, beneath all that, Lavi knew there was a good soul. Kanda could deny it all he wanted but Lavi had the memories of these past two weeks to prove it.

Suddenly looking embarrassed, Kanda looked away. "Wh-whatever. And get off!" He pushed off Lavi's arm and stood up. "I'm going. I've said what I came to say. If I continued, I'd probably just end up repeating myself and you know I don't like that. It'd be a nice change if you listened to me this once."

"I always listen to you!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't now shut up!"

Lavi pouted. "Fine. Anyway, hold up. I'm staying in your room tonight, right?"

"Well, hurry up."

Kanda was asleep. But Lavi still couldn't drift off. He'd been lying in the spare bedding he'd set out for quite a while now but sleep just wouldn't come. He was tired, certainly, but his current insomnia probably had more to do with the restless thoughts revolving around his head.

"It's for the best and you know it is so find the old man and go back to him, all right?!" If only he could do what Kanda had said. But even if he did, he still wouldn't be satisfied. If he went back to that life, assuming that Bookman even took him in, he'd mope and then pretend everything was all right, just like he'd been doing these past few months. He'd miss his friends too much. He'd miss having his meals here. And, most of all, he'd miss his best friend.

He turned on his side and looked up at Kanda. If he went back to that lifestyle, it might be a while before he heard from Kanda again and, when he did manage to get in touch, what would he do if Kanda's time was already up? Well, it wouldn't matter if he was living this life or that other one; he'd still feel terribly empty if Kanda wasn't around anymore.

He then turned and cast his eye on the lotus hourglass. Was there a way to reverse it? There had to be! Kanda had taken a vow never to die until he'd found "that person", but he'd never thought of the possibility that "that person" might already be dead by the time he found them. It would have made sense if the curse had been removed the minute the one who cast it had died but it was a lot more complicated than that. "That person's" power still lived on, somehow. In short, Kanda's opportunity to save himself had gone and now he had to live with this curse. And he would die of it soon. There were just three petals left.

It's not fair, the redhead thought as he turned to lie on his back again. Yu shouldn't have to suffer from this. I can't go back to being a Bookman…I don't want to be here when he dies…but I don't want to leave him on his own either. Yu…

Frustration crept up his heart and he curled into as tight a ball as he could as his helplessness gnawed at his insides. He knew a lot more than most humans knew about the world and its doings and yet, despite that, he was useless in saving his friend. Next to Kanda's problems about when he'd die, Lavi's possible future as a Bookman meant nothing. Lavi was always left feeling this way when he thought about it, which was often why he tried not to dwell on it when he was in the presence of Kanda or the others.

A few seconds later, he heard the rhythm of Kanda's breathing suddenly go irregular as the man stirred. He immediately straightened himself out; no need for Kanda to see him like this. "Lavi…?" Kanda mumbled, sitting up and squinting in the light.

"Yo, Yu," Lavi greeted, trying to look nonchalant.

"Why's the light still on?"

"I was going to turn it off in a while. Sorry it woke you."

Kanda didn't say anything in response as he rubbed at his eyes. "I feel so weird."

"Why's that?"

He shrugged. "There's no little kid sleeping beside me anymore. Might have something to do with it."

"Aw, want me to sleep next to ya, Yu?"

"Eat dirt, bastard."

"Man, you're really grouchy when you wake up." the redhead snickered.

"Shut…" the next word was lost in a yawn.

Lavi sat up, looking up at the other man thoughtfully. Does he really have to die? He thought. There must be some way to lift the damn curse.

Kanda stared back. "What're you lookin at?"

"Do you want to die, Yu?"

He seemed surprised at the sudden question. "N-no, why'd you ask that?"

"So how come you're not doing anything about the curse?"

Kanda froze for a second before turning to look towards the darkened window. "Because it's hopeless."

"It isn't!" Lavi disagreed with vehemence. "There's got to be some way to remove it! I know it! In some place, somewhere, in this world, there has got to be a way to get rid of the damn thing."

Kanda sighed. "There probably isn't."

"If one person has the ability to do something, then there must surely be someone else, at least one person, in the entire world, who can do the opposite, right?"

"I don't believe that. And even if it is true, who'd be able to find one person in the entirety of the world's population?"

A sudden jolt of realisation streaked across Lavi's brain. He jumped up. "That's it! Yu, you're a fuckin genius!"

Kanda looked confused. "What?" Lavi plopped down on the next to him, nearly throwing him off. "Wh-what's wrong with you, all of a sudden?" he demanded as he steadied himself.

"Yu, this is it! I could do it!" Lavi cried.

"I can't read your mind, you know. What the fuckin hell are you on about?"

Lavi wanted to shake the man into realising it. It was so obvious now! How had he never thought of this before?! "I could do it, Yu! I could find a way to lift your curse!"
Kanda frowned. "How?"

"W-well, see, Bookmen have access to anywhere, even those lost cultures and traditions of times long past! Everywhere in the globe is open for Bookmen! If I looked hard enough, I'm sure I could come up with something! I could find that one in how ever many billions of people there are in the world!"

"That's stupid," Kanda scoffed.

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is! I don't know shit about any of the other stuff you said but finding one in billions and billions of people without any kind of proof of identity, not even so much as a name, is impossible. And, you're not a Bookman anymore."

"Well, I could always change that." Lavi grinned. Kanda socked him one across the head. "Ow! What're you doing, Yu?! That hurt!"

"Good! First you say you can't and now you can? Make up your mind, fool." Kanda huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

Lavi smiled. "If it'd help you out, Yu, then I'll gladly go look for the old man."

Kanda's eyes were disbelieving. "Yeah right."

"I will! And I will find that one person! I swear I will!" the redhead vowed with earnestness.

The long-haired man sighed. "Go back to Bookman but don't waste your time."

"I don't think it's a waste of time." Lavi disagreed. "I'll remove this curse for you. You don't want to die, right?"

Kanda looked away. "It doesn't matter."

"How can you say that?! You deserve a chance at life just the same as everyone else!"

"I'd accepted it. There's no helping it but…"

Lavi frowned. Why the past tense? "But…? But what?"

"These two weeks…"

What's he trying to say? Lavi thought. "When I turned into a kid?"

Kanda nodded. He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Lavi couldn't see his face. What was he talking about? "Yu? What about me being turned into a kid?"

"I'm sure I've told you, right? That regret is borne from attachments…"

It may not have been a great deal of information but, to Lavi, it was enough. He got off the bed, an expression halfway between incredulity and sorrow on his face as he approached his friend. "Yu…I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault."

One of the things Kanda was afraid of the most was having regrets. Regrets would lead to unwillingness to accept death and Kanda wouldn't allow himself to fret over something that was inevitable. Better to be prepared and die an honourable death than to go out like a pathetic fool. He'd not said this in so many words but Lavi understood.

Life was short. Normal people would be happy to die with someone at their side when their time came. But Kanda wasn't normal. He wanted to go out in the manner he'd spent his whole life; alone. Showing a cold front. Uncaring. Not wanting anything. Not…regretting.

And Lavi had given him a reason to regret. He'd given him a taste of a life he'd never have. He'd die before long and he wouldn't get a chance at the life he'd come to desire. Lavi took in a deep breath and let it whoosh out of him. "I should have been more careful that time, huh? If I'd looked where I was going, I wouldn't have fallen."

"Well, that part was your fault but I'm not blaming you." And, when Kanda turned around, he wore a smile. It just made Lavi feel even worse because it was such a melancholic gesture. He felt like crying.

"Yu…can I hug you?" he asked glumly, spreading his arms.

Kanda took an involuntary step back. "What the hell for?"

"Cuz I feel sad!" Lavi sniffled.

"Go to hell."

"B-but, you hugged my kid self! That's not fair!"

"How old are you, exactly?"

"But still! C'mon, just this once?"

"No. I'm going back to bed. Move."

"B-but, Yu!"

"Quit whining! It worked when you were a kid because it was kinda cute and I didn't wanna make a kid cry! How it's just plain hideous!"

"Ah, that's so nasty!" Lavi paused and then plopped down on the bed again, nearly throwing Kanda off once more. "Eh? So you thought I was cute? Aw, that's like the only compliment you've ever given me, Yu! I'm moved!"

"Go and be moved somewhere else! I don't think you're cute; I thought the kid was cute."

"Same thing; I am the kid."

"I know you're a kid. Now move and let me sleep."

When Lavi tried to sleep again, this time in the dark, his thoughts still wouldn't rest. But, the conclusion he'd arrived at before was now even firmer.

So, Yu wants to be a dad. He grinned. If it hadn't been for these past couple of weeks, he would never have believed something like that. But, after seeing Kanda slowly becoming accustomed to taking care of Lavi's kid self, the redhead didn't doubt it.

I will make sure he has a chance at this life because I will definitely find a way to lift the curse. I will. Gramps, I'm comin. He vowed.

Omake:

It was the big day today. He'd already been out to town, even though the wedding was in an hour's time. But, it wasn't like he cared if he got late or not. He'd just had something…necessary to attend to.

He made his way to Lavi's room and knocked.

"Yeah?" a voice from within called out.

"It's me." he said.

"Oh, Yu! C'mon in!"

He opened the door. Lavi turned away from the window and faced him and spread out his arms. "How do I look?" he grinned. He was dressed in a dashing black suit with a matching bowtie.

Kanda grunted vaguely in response as he walked over to the redhead. He held up a bag. "This is for you." he said in a dull monotone.

Lavi looked down at the bag, a look of wonder on his face. "For me? A gift?"

Kanda shrugged.

"Wow! This is a first! What d'ya get?!" Lavi cried as he took the bag and peeked inside. His happy expression turned to one of confusion. "Yu, the hell is this…?"

Allen hummed happily to himself as he walked along the corridor. What a beautiful day! The sun was shining brightly outside, as if blessing the young couple that would be wed today. He would have skipped because he was so happy but he didn't; that was just embarrassing.

There had been no attempts on his life today! Komui, who'd nothing short of become a beast since he'd found out the news a few weeks back, was being restrained. The air in the Black Order HQ was one of joy. And why shouldn't it be? It was his big day today!

He arrived at Lavi's door and, knocking once, he turned the handle and stepped inside. But a very odd sight greeted him.

Kanda stopped what he was doing. "Hn? What do you want, bean sprout?"

"Allen, help me!" Lavi cried.

Allen stepped inside. "What are you guys doing?"

Kanda was dressed in a tux, with the jacket missing. His arms were rolled up to his elbows and he was in the process of stuffing Lavi into a full-body white rabbit suit (complete with black eye patch).

"Bean sprout, stop this guy! He's gonna make me go to your wedding looking like this!" the Bookman apprentice cried out.

"Tch…idiots should look like idiots. Now, get in there!" Kanda snapped as he pushed Lavi's head down and covered it with the rabbit head.

Allen stared for a while longer, not knowing how to react. But then he had a flash of understanding. "Oh! I get it! This can be entertainment for the guests! Nice going, Kanda!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO…!" the white rabbit cried. "H-hey, c'mon! I'm your best man, Allen! You're not going to have me hand you the ring looking like this, right?!"

But Allen wasn't listening. "Maybe Komui will find it funny…I think he likes rabbits…so he'll stop trying to kill me…hmm…not a bad idea, Kanda."

"Tch…" Kanda picked up his black jacket from where he'd left it on Lavi's bed and walked towards the door. Lavi was trying to get himself out of the rabbit suit, without much luck. "You're so mean, Yu!"

Kanda looked back. He quickly turned back as he left the room, a grin on his face. So...whatcha think, people? I hope it wasn't too disappointing...at the least, from the useless omake there, you can assume that Lavi's "quest" was fruitful and he found a way to lift the curse. Oh yes, before I forget, the whole thing about "that person"...um, I know it was lame but I couldn't be bothered delving so much into the situation so I went with the easiest option XD

And, also, I didn't get the opportunity to make Lavi tease Kanda about all the things he did as a "dad" :( sorry, everyone . I'm just glad I managed to finish this up.

And thank you to the reviewers, y'all know who you are. Your reviews were very uplifting and it was good to know that people were enjoying this story. I just hope the ending was satisfactory for you all.

Aaaaah, I wonder what I should do now...? I still have writer's block so I've not written anything decent in weeks! Bad Shiki, stupid Shiki! Anyway, enough about that! Once again, I hope you all enjoyed this and I shall piss off and try to get some writing done now! Huzzah!