Chapter Text
Kanda groaned, waking up slowly. The first thing he noticed was the absence of pain running hot through his body. Blinking open his eyes slowly, he looked around, confused because he noticed it wasn't a white room anymore, but one of a tanish color, leaning towards a bright beige. As he blinked more of the fuzziness away, he noticed a spot of red leaning against the side of the bed. Quickly, he realized who this person was; he would never admit it, but the amount of relief he felt was like fresh air. He would never say it out loud, but Lavi was one of his best friends, and knowing the man as he did, he knew that what he had done, saving him from what the Order was doing, had just put a target on his head. He will forever be deemed a traitor.
Lavi groaned, moving his head closer to Kanda's limp arm. He noticed the hand around his in a firm grip. He tried to force his hand, but regretted it instantly.
"Ow..."
"He was by your side every step of the way. He wouldn't leave your side even after we forced him out. He always found a way back to your side." Kanda moved his gaze to the door, his body tensed and on alert, which wasn't the best reaction given his injuries. The woman who stood before him wasn't anyone he had ever seen. She had long blond hair cascading down her back, swaying as she walked closer to the bed to grab a clipboard. Her eyes were two different colors; the left eye was gray, while the right eye was magenta. He noticed the tight body suit she wore underneath her white doctor's coat.
"We were never introduced, given the situation, now is the best time. My name is Naomi Renn. I am an old friend of Lavi's." She stated, looking down at Lavi's sleeping form, a soft smile upon her lips as she took in the exhaustion of her good friend. She gently ran a hand through his red locks, careful not to jolt him awake.
Kanda opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He furrowed his brows in a way that asked, "What the hell?"
Naomi laughed quietly.
"The experiments you endured destroyed what was left of your voice box. Using your voice is now limited. There will be occasions where, in the middle of speaking, your voice will cut off and stop working." Naomi gazed in his direction. "I have tried every possible outcome to the damage that was inflicted on you. Whatever that mad scientist did to you damaged your voice box beyond repair."
Kanda watched as Naomi's eyes narrowed.
"I need to make one thing absolutely clear, Kanda." She moved away from Lavi's sleeping form, observing the clipboard she had picked up earlier, reading the diagnosis.
"You have contracted a heart disease known as Valvular Heart Disease. This disease interferes with the blood flow, and narrowing the valves of blood flow will cause fatigue, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat. These are only a few of the issues you will have to suffer through."
Kanda looked down at his hands, noticing the shakiness for the first time.
"Your healing factor has also been weakened, so it could only heal injuries of severity within two days before shutting down completely for hours to replenish." Kanda heard Naomi sigh, he heard footsteps coming closer, and he felt a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. Glancing back up, he met two beautiful, mismatched eyes that were filled with pain and sorrow
"Kanda, know that Lavi wouldn't ask for anything from me if it wasn't important to him. He asked me to save you. Even when knowing that my Innocence could only do so much, he begged me to help. Whatever organization you were both working for, I am happy you both made it out alive, even with a few drawbacks." Naomi moved her hand from his shoulder to gently cup his cheek.
"He gave up everything to get you out of there. You must mean so much to him if he was willing to put everything on the line for you. Please, protect him and keep him safe from those who want to harm and from himself - the gods know how much that child has suffered to live in this world, and I will not see him suffer anymore."
With that, Naomi walked out of the room, leaving behind two lost children. Kanda almost whimpered when she removed her hand, but he held back, looking down at Lavi's sleeping form. He placed a shaky hand on his head, gently caressing the red locks through his fingers. His shaky hand moved through each strand of hair slowly until the shaking wasn't noticeable anymore. With a groan, Kanda noticed Lavi's eyes begin to move behind his lids, then slowly flutter open.
"Ugh..." Kanda watched as Lavi picked his head up from the mattress, moving a hand down his face in exhaustion as he finally realized where he was. He sighed, moving his hand from his face. He froze, eye wide and mouth open, tears making their way down his face as he noticed his friend finally woke up in realization.
"Y-Yu?"
Kanda grumbled but nodded. When Lavi launched himself at him, Kanda did not push him away; as a matter of fact, he held him closer, tighter.
"Fuck, fuck... I... Shit, I'm glad you are awake!" Lavi cried. "Don't disappear on me again, you bitch!"
Kanda tensed in the embrace, When the hell did Lavi develop a potty mouth?
"I'm so glad Naomi saved you! Kanda, you were basically dead when I brought you in." Lavi stated, pulling back from the embrace and wiping his face.
However, Lavi noticed something was off; Kanda hadn't uttered a single word or phrase.
"Yu? Why...Why are you not saying anything?"
Kanda made a motion to request a pen and paper. Lavi searched the room and found a pencil and a blank notepad. He watched as Kanda began to write something on it and froze when the notepad read five words.
My voice box was damaged.
"No...No way..." Lavi whispered in anguish. He watched as Kanda turned the page and wrote something else down.
My heart is damaged as well. It will limit my performance as an Exorcist.
Lavi bit his lip, looking down as his hands clutched together in anger. His body was shaking, and his heart was rapidly beating against his ribcage. He panted, looking up at Kanda with a wild eye.
"I'll kill them..." Lavi exclaimed. "I'll kill them for reducing you to this state!"
Kanda scribbled something down.
Calm down!
In that moment, Lavi wasn't paying attention to the other; he was too caught up in his anger and hatred for what the Black Order did to Kanda that he barely noticed him moving until he felt his face being cradled.
"C-Calm d-down... take r-revenge... s-s-soon." Kanda stuttered out, his face contorting into pain as he coughed, holding his aching throat in one hand while the other was still cradling Lavi's face.
"Please don't talk. Don't... I'm so sorry for not making it in time, for not finding you earlier." Lavi cried, holding the other's wrist as he nuzzled in his palm.
Kanda shook his head, rolling his eyes as he panted.
"Yeah... You were always the one to refuse help, damned bastard." Lavi laughed out. "But, let's do with a little less kidnapping, huh?"
Kanda snickered, nodding. He pulled back and gently lay back on the mattress, letting out a breath of relief.
"Take time to rest, I know you are still exhausted. I'll go and find Naomi so she can assess any damage you did when you spoke." Lavi turned to leave, but Kanda quickly caught his hand. Lavi looked down with shock before smiling sadly.
"I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?"
Kanda nodded, slowly closing his eyes, and sighed in relief when he felt Lavi's thumb rubbing circles on his hand.
Two injured souls finally find the time to rest safely from the organization now hunting them. Although a time is coming for them to reunite with the one they value most.
Allen woke in the world of the living and not in his subconscious. He felt something heavy leaning against his chest, warm and breathing slowly in slumber. As his eyes fluttered open, he noticed a blob of familiar purple hair against his chest. Allen moved to reposition himself, and as he did, the person against him groaned.
"Stop moving, brat." Allen froze, rubbing his eyes and finally seeing who was leaning against him.
"Nea?"
He watched as Nea groaned a second time, pushing himself away from Allen's chest.
"Wha...Wait, Allen?"
"Um, how are you here?"
"Here? Where are we?" Nea looked around before realization hit him. He turned towards Allen with wide golden eyes.
"Am I-"
"How are you-"
Allen and Nea looked at each other.
"Shit,"
"Fuck,"