{ { SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH } }

DISCLAIMER : I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM. Thing not mentioned in DGM, however, are copyright to me, unless posted otherwise. Chapter quotes that are completely uncredited are my own.

FEATURE : Thank you to Raiji Magiwind, 1827alouette6927, EclipseLily, Tavialover14, YullenStarDust, Mijux, AnonymousAndrea, Silverwolfz, siesta sora, Blitzkrizer, Randomness-sama, datormortis1236, scarletbleedsforyou, Mako27, Morning Trance, Chocolate Addictionx, InTheDarkestHowers, darkling98zoulless, MOOOmas101, breathless13, KourtneyLourtney, Simplewriting, xXYuseiXAkikioXx, AquaPrincessLovesFairyTail, pandas1155, Mithya Aviana Cailin, RainyApples, LifeIsARayOfSunshine, kittylover195678, Mirimel, mg4of6, Screeching harmony, akuma-chan25300, Waltzing Shadow, shiki hyoka skylark kian, CloudWinter, piamikaellaa, rwbygirl, bronwyn141, Entity Rose, faded-lunar-sky, TaosBattleKin, try10, ametoyuki, PorfontoPorifin, TOtalBlondeCHick010, and Kira Neami (hey look, a Kira!) for adding this FanFiction to their alerts and/or favourites! (if I missed you or repeated I am so sorry I'm sleep-deprived haha)

A / N : This is a long-ass chapter. I rewrote it more than six times, and then rewrote it again trying to figure out a way to fix the length. Oh welp. It's what happens when I try to cram two important themes into one chapter. -sighs- Also apparently fanfictionNET doesn't like ipads anymore cuz editing this was a serious bitch.

(|Recap|) for your convenience

"It's alright, Kira. Just tell me what you do remember."

However, Kira only shook her head. "All I remember after that . . . is Chikita crying."

A silence fell between them. Kira was beginning to look distraught again, which signaled to Supervisor Komui that what was left to talk about should wait for another time.

Without further ado, the Branch Head reached out and ruffled the girl's mess of brown hair. The gesture of affection obviously surprised Kira, and she looked up at him in confusion, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. Komui smiled warmly at her.

"I bet a week's worth of coffee that Chikita won't be crying when she sees you again. If you'd like, we can go visit her now. How about it?"

The smile that answered the Supervisor could have brightened the darkest of days. And truly, the Black Order had plenty of dark days, and would assuredly have many more dark days to come - especially for the children dragged into its Holy War.

Nonetheless, as the previously bedridden and despairing girl before Komui accepted his offered hand, her eyes bright and expression hopeful, the Branch Head reminded himself that even in the darkest of days, light can be found. Sometimes, one just has to work to inspire it.

[ Chapter 21 ]

We Are Family

"In a world full of perishable things, cling to what you can while it's there. You may not get the opportunity to cherish it later..."

Frigid rain misted down in light undulating curtains, saturating the wooden roofs of Newton-in-Furness. Red cobblestones glittered like precious stones, water collecting in bright, glistening puddles in cracks and dips. A chill permeated the misty air, teasing goose-bumps to rise on flesh and shudders to wrack the bodies of quickly retreating townspeople.

A hush fell over the small town, only broken by the soft melody of falling rain. One by one, fireplaces were lit. Heat sighed from brick chimneys in puffs of smoky breath, and golden light glowed from candle-lit windows.

And then, the complacent scene was broken. A muffled sob broke through the quiet rain, echoing out into the empty town square. Following the source of the sound, a curious bystander would find themselves facing an alley between the old deli and shoe-shop. If intrigued enough to bother the shadows between the buildings, they would proceed into the darkness to find quite an unusual sight.

Huddled in that particular alley was a cloaked child, no more than the age of six. Her black garment was wrapped tightly around her small form, hood drawn far over her mess of dark brown hair and shadowing her face. Puffs of warm air escaped through her chapped lips, drifting upwards and glittering from the warm light of the single, solitary window of the building she was taking refuge behind. The glow, unfortunately, provided no heat for her, effectively trapped behind the glass. Indeed, the only feeling of warmth this child received was what collected in her eyes before trickling down her rosy brown cheeks.

Sniffling, the little girl held back yet another sob. She knew very well that she shouldn't have disobeyed her Grampy and come to town without him. He had warned her that she would get lost if she did so, and now here she was, very much lost because of her stupid rebellious streak.

The despairing child wiped the tears from her face, flinching at the hard texture of the black flesh marring her right eye and left cheek. A part of her desired nothing more than to go around the building she had hid behind and knock on its front door, but the other part of her was afraid of the reaction she'd get. It wasn't as if she was afraid of being harmed. In fact, she was quite positive the person living here would have pity and point her in the right direction. The problem was more that the child was afraid of the inevitable aversion she'd get towards her appearance.

The little girl had learned very quickly that the people of Newton-in-Furness didn't like her very much. Or perhaps, it was more that they didn't like her skin disease - that's what her Grampy told her, anyway. Apparently they were afraid of catching what she had, which is why they always avoided her . . .

More tears collected in her eyes, and the child sighed miserably. Now that she thought about it, even if she were to knock on the door and get pointed in the right direction, she was too far in-town and would only get lost again without an actual guide. And who would guide someone through the rain, let alone someone that could get them sick?

Regardless of this knowledge, the six year-old couldn't drown out the reality of her situation. Could she really just sit here and do nothing? Wouldn't she freeze?

The little girl could recognized the numbness creeping into her grass-stained toes through her shoes, and it worried her. Life was a bit of a priority over fears, after all. However, just as she was contemplating what to do about her situation, a strange call echoed through the silence of the town, effectively stopping all thoughts. She froze, her breath catching in her throat.

The sound was unmistakably an animal, the cloaked girl knew that much; but it wasn't a sound she recognized on the spot. It was too distant and muffled by the rain to distinguish precisely. Not a dog, definitely not a bird . . . but what could it be?

The call repeated, echoing ever closer to where she sat. Feeling her heart beginning to beat a haphazard rythm against her ribcage, the little girl whimpered softly. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and buried her face in them, as if doing so would protect her from the world.

Softly, the sound's echo died out.

The little girl's cloak's damp chill felt strangely comforting against her heated cheeks, but it could not calm the fear rising in her throat as a new silence stretched on. All she could hear now was the pitter patter of rain against the cobblestones and wooden buildings around her - and for some reason, she felt worse than before. While the animal call had scared her, it had been a sign of life. A sign that she wasn't entirely alone. Now all she felt was an aching sense of loss with it no longer echoing down the alley. This loneliness began to consume her as the minutes stretched and that foreboding numbness began to travel up her trembling limbs.

Splash!

The sudden sound outside the alley shocked the six year-old, and she gasped and strained her hearing, determined to pinpoint what had caused it. Sure enough, a new sound teased at her chilled ears. It wasn't an animal call but instead soft, very light footfalls tapping against wet cobblestones.

And it was coming towards her.

Heart now racing, the little girl stiffened, blue eyes wide behind her knees as the approaching footfalls became louder and louder. It was reaching her now, in the alley, coming nearer to her hiding place, and then close enough to touch -

It stopped.

Sucking in air, the child decided to face whatever it was. Fear lighting her brown face and eyes wide, she dared to peek over the top of her cloaked knees.

"Mreow?"

The little girl stared, effectively dumbfounded. Before her stood a considerably small, jet black cat. Its midnight fur was glistening and clumped from the rain, making it look particularly bedraggled and uncomfortable. A strange patch of white decorated its chest, whatever its shape indistinguishable at the moment.

But it was the eyes of the feline that caught the child's attention. They glowed a warm, molten amber, locked attentively onto her own wide blue ones.

The little girl felt strange, staring into this animal's gaze. It was almost as if she were looking into the eyes of a person, and it confused her, seeing as how this was obviously a cat.

The feline shifted, and it was then that the stunned six year-old noticed the distinct impression of the animal's ribs beneath its soaked pelt.

"I'm sorry, kitty," the child said softly, her voice wavering from her crying and muffled behind her knees. "I don't have any food."

The feline continued to stare at her. Feeling unnerved, the little girl frowned. It was one thing for people to stare at her, but animals too?

"It's not nice to stare, you know."

Could cats grin? The feline certainly looked amused.

The child began to wonder if the chill was getting to her head; following this, she realized once again just how cold it was. Her heart reaching out to the small creature before her, the cloaked girl shifted her position before beckoning to the sodden animal.

"You're going to freeze like that, kitty. I don't have any food, but I don't mind sharing my cloak."

To the child's surprise, the creature seemed to understand her. Without further ado, the little black cat trotted up to her, ducking under her cloak. The girl yelped in alarm when the sodden, furry lump crawled onto her, settling in the small space between her chest and knees.

And then it started purring.

A strange warmth bloomed in the lost six year-old's chest - and it wasn't just from the body heat of the rumbling creature now in her shivering embrace. Tears filling her eyes again, a particularly loud sob broke from the girl's throat as she pressed her face into the bundle of wet fur happily snuggled in her arms.

Ten minutes later, and the back alley was empty; a certain little cat leading a certain little girl through the quiet town and back home to her irate and worrying grandfather.

You are not alone;

I, whom you have welcomed

into your arms, will never abandon

you. My place is by your side,

To comfort, to protect,

Blood of my Beloved...

Darkness. Numbness. Emptiness.

She was gone.

Gone, gone, gone.

There was nothing. She could not feel her.

Her charge. Her child. Her friend.

There was no longer a connection. The last flimsy strands that had outlasted the struggle between two aggressive bonds, severed as if by the Fates' scissors. Ripped away in a burst of light and the murmurings of the Cube's Accomadator.

She was torn in two. Half of what she used to be. Betrayed by herself.

Or was that actually so? Had she betrayed herself, or was it the fragment's doing? Or were they one in the same?

How? How had this happened?

After all these years of keeping her oath, why now?

It hurt. It was too much.

I cannot feel her.

Guilt - betrayal - loneliness - shame - terror - panic -

Where is my Kira?!

As if knitted from shadows, a feline-esque mass of darkness prowled about its circular prison on four long legs, head lowered and predatory. The long, spiked up and bristling fur along its spine trembled as the creature's gate shifted from rapid to lazy steps indiscriminately; its powerful tail lashing out and bloodcurdling growls and snarls echoing from the depths of its bulging chest in warning.

But even with this threatening, surreal display, the beast made no move towards its recently arrived guest. No, instead it stayed as far away from the human as possible, and the aforementioned human of its attention didn't quite know how to feel about that.

Initially, the... thing before her had been busy trying to rip apart the stone walls trapping it with large, clawed hands. It had been tossing up waves of sand and howling hysterically through the broken sprinkler system's downpour like a scorned beast from Hell. But the moment she had stumbled into the containment area – the moment it had caught sight of her – the wild Parasitic Beast had immediately ceased its assault, fixing blindingly bright, sky blue orbs upon her.

Its gaze had not wavered, nor had it left her since.

Gripping the ugly powder-blue umbrella in her hands tightly, a currently frightened-out-of-her-wits fourteen year-old could only manage a squeak as the monster before her let loose a garbled, twisted sound from the depths of its glowing throat.

"Upset," Kira growled darkly, sweating bullets as the mass of shadows that was apparently her feline friend finally began to approach her. "Just a little upset, he said! Supervisor Komui, if I get out of this alive I'm gonna beat you silly with your own stupid umbrella!"

When Kira woke up the next morning, she was too terrified to open her eyes. So, the teen stubbornly kept them shut and turned over in the warmth of her bed, pulling her blankets over her head for extra measure.

Unfortunately, her bedmate wasn't sympathetic to her decision.

A sharp nip to the ankle, lots of cursing, and a bit of rough housing amongst the sheets later, and Kira was hanging out of bed upside down, scowling irritably whilst Chikita purred happily from her perch on her pillow. If it hadn't been for the sight of the stone walls around her, Kira might've strangled her little cat. Instead though, she remained hanging half out of her own bed, weeping with relief.

This was her assigned room. She was still at the Black Order.

It hadn't all been a dream.

Which meant…

Kira's weeping ceased immediately. Her sky blue eyes widened in horror. Then, in a panicked scramble, she threw herself up onto her feet and dove back under the covers, ignoring her little cat's indignant howl at her stubbornness.

Five minutes later, a scratched up, bedraggled and despairing brunette was being forcefully dragged from the safety of the bed by her ankle.

"Chikita, don't make me!" Kira wailed pitifully, thrashing as she tried to dislodge her little cat's teeth from the leg of her borrowed pajama pants. "I'll screw it all up, I just know it!"

"MREOW!"

"They won't like me once they get to know me better!"

"GRRRRROW!"

"You're a cat, dammit! You wouldn't understand how hard it is to make human friends!"

Kira yelped as her head smacked the stone floor, blankets tangling around her. Chikita stubbornly and insistently began to pull her along the floor like a human sack of potatoes; and as the wooden door to their assigned room got ever closer, stretching ominously high, Kira let loose another despairing cry.

"I don't even know how to keep human friends, for God's sake! It's inevitable that I'll screw up today! Don't make me, Chikita – have mercy! ARGH!"

Needless to say, when Lenalee Lee burst into Kira's room, having been alarmed by the sounds of chaos while waiting outside, she was met with a most unexpected and ridiculously amusing sight.

An hour later and Kira was out of bed, dressed, and sitting on a stool in one of the Order's many examination rooms. Trying to inconspicuously brush off any missed traces of cat fur, the teen still couldn't get rid of her embarrassed blush as Johnny chattered away excitedly and took her measurements.

"You know, Miss – ah, sorry, Kira! – everyone in the Science Division is amazed at how you handled the Innocen—sorry, I mean, how you handled Chikita! They're calling you 'the girl who tamed the beast'!"

Standing nearby and out of Johnny's way, Lenalee barely contained her fit of giggles. This was not missed by Kira, who blushed even brighter at the amusement on the older girl's face. She knew full well what Lenalee was thinking about and bit back her groan.

It was going to be a long day – especially for her pride.

Later That Day - Noon

Kira had always known that there were many things she hadn't seen before. To be frank, she could count the places she'd been to on her hands and not run out of fingers.

With that said, the Ark had been mind-blowing. However, Kira had only been in there for a little while, so to be honest, her walking through it felt much more like a dream than anything akin to reality. In contrast to the Ark, the Black Order was very much in Kira's face and present 24/7 – obviously, seeing as how she was now living here. It had been four days since her arrival, and yet the place still left her in awe, and not just in regards to the delicate architecture and strange, new technological sights.

Everything was just so . . . HUGE. The ceilings were high - ridiculously so in some places - and Kira could even see other levels of the building depending on where Lenalee led her. There were giant, sky-like domes, large staircases, grand halls, probably a hundred floors - and it just went on and on. It was like a bloody palace built on a palace; Kira had never felt so small in her life!

And there were so many people here as well. Hundreds of Finders, scientists, and Central workers moved in mass, pouring through the halls in ceaseless waves and streams - their footsteps echoing loudly against the polished floors, their voices loud and overwhelming, their bodies suffocating as they brushed past-

But Kira wasn't allowed to think about that.

After a considerably lengthy conversation with Supervisor Komui just half an hour ago, Kira had been given her first order: block out all thoughts of large masses of people. The Supervisor insisted that if Kira found herself in a situation with large amounts of people (and this, he noted, she should avoid), she ought to simply concentrate on a single person she knew in the vicinity and keep herself distracted by them until she was out of the area.

How Supervisor Komui expected her to actually do this, Kira did not know. It sounded like a distinctly childish suggestion to go about solving her, ah, issues, but as it were, she couldn't think of any alternatives to try. Furthermore, Kira found that she had grown to trust the Supervisor, especially since he'd shown a side of himself she would not have expected from someone with his authority. Kira could still remember how comforting his hugs had been back in the infirmary, just like her mother's…

Well, Kira figured it wouldn't hurt to try Supervisor Komui's idea. She no longer had her "skin disease," so that made things slightly easier. It meant that all she needed to deal with was her anxiety, no longer being subject to public scrutiny. It also helped that Lenalee had been a nearly ever-constant presence, leading her from place to place all day. Kira wished she could express her gratitude towards the younger Lee for everything she'd done for her, but she simply didn't know how to put it into words.

This morning had been filled with so many nice faces. So many kind greetings and smiles. As a result, Kira was shocked to find herself beginning to believe Lenalee's promise that the Order would become her new "home" and the people here her "family."

Indeed, the teen had been well-aware from the very beginning that she was lacking in areas of social interaction and confidence, having been spurned away from it at an early age. Her anxiety attack had reminded her of as much her first day here.

But even so, not one person has scorned her so far. Even when she'd arrived here with her "skin disease", Kira had not been pushed away even once.

Whilst in the Ark, Didi Lejeune the scientist had talked to her. Kira hadn't realized it at first - too shocked by the ethereal surroundings of the alternate dimension she was in - but Didi hadn't even looked twice at her obviously marred skin. Instead, he'd engaged her in conversation (even though his choice of subject - trying to convince her to style her hair and Chikita's in dreads - had been rather odd).

Then there was Lenalee who had personally offered to give her a tour of the Black Order. The Chinese had even touched her and stayed by her side when she fainted. And the scientist Johnny had welcomed her with comforting words, going so far as to bring her water to help her feel better after the incident. He'd been just as warm and welcoming today too.

Furthermore, there was Supervisor Komui. Like his sister, he had offered nothing more than encouragement and reassuring smiles to Kira this entire time - regardless of the drill incident with Chikita and both of their behavior after their examination with Hevlaska. Today during their meeting he had even patted her on the head and proclaimed that he would treat her as a little sister - after Lenalee, of course (Lenalee then proceeded to scold the Supervisor, but Kira was too busy giggling at the two of them to feel like a third wheel).

So in conclusion, it was, quite frankly, overwhelming. It was also why Kira was still frightened, even after the reaffirmation of this morning's events that she was still surrounded by people who were friendly towards her and who cared.

Kira didn't want to lose this. She didn't know how she'd cope if she did.

"Here we are!"

Lenalee's voice effectively knocked Kira out of her thoughts, and when she looked up the sight before her stole the breath from her lungs.

The training hall wasn't a hall - not at all - at least, not in the way Kira termed a "hall." Instead, it was an incredibly vast space. Half of it was "inside" per se, the other half exposed to the outside elements. Sunlight streamed down from the open sky in golden ribbons, highlighting beautiful white columns which supported an overhanging ceiling. Following the columns, a wide stone walkway separated the inside and outside training areas, and many "Finders", as Kira had learned they were called, were stretching, lounging about, and chatting.[1]

Kira couldn't see much of the outside section due to how bright it was compared to where she was inside, but the part of the training hall that was sheltered had various large, square pits of sand. In the pits, she could see other Finders training - some on practice dummies, others against each other. All of it appeared to be hand-to-hand combat.

And then, one particular pit nearby caught Kira's attention - a flash of white amidst the brownish yellow sands.

A feeling of relief swept through Kira at the sight of Allen, and she immediately pointed out his presence to Lenalee. The Chinese smiled brightly and wasted no time in directing Kira over to the training pit where Allen was; and, as it turned out, Kanda and Lavi were also present there.

Upon the girls' arrival and the usual exchange of greetings, Lenalee and Kira were informed of the current, comical going ons: Lavi had already gotten his "arse kicked by Bakanda," as Allen had elegantly put it, much to a certain red-head's dismay. Allen, meanwhile, had been tasked with "avenging" the defeated bunny – which was to start now.

By the time Allen and Kanda limped back over to the girls, finished with their spar and still exchanging muttered insults, Kira couldn't tell who had "won" at all. For one, she hadn't been able to keep up with their insanely fast movements; and for another, both teens were equally bruised up and battered. Even their training outfits - both of which looked Asian in style[2] - were ripped up in places, and Allen was missing a slipper.

Noticing her concerned expression, Lenalee quickly reassured Kira it was normal with the boys' sparring - especially in regards to Allen's and Kanda's. Apparently, the two were rivals, which to Kira explained Allen's strange behavior towards the pony-tailed man the first time she had seen them interact in Supervisor Komui's office.

Kira nearly jumped out of her skin when Lavi popped up next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders. Grinning down at her obvious annoyance, Lavi chirped, "So~? How did your meeting with Johnny go?"

Kira sighed, accepting the weight literally on her shoulders, then deadpanned, "It was scary."

Lavi laughed, and Allen offered Kira a sympathetic smile. The white-haired boy was leaning against the wall of the pit, arms folded neatly over the top as he looked up at the girls and Bookman Junior. Kanda, meanwhile, had decided that they weren't worth his time and had continued his training, now hacking expertly at the training dummies nearby; and Link was off to the side within earshot, sitting quietly and writing one of his reports.

Was that a gold golem napping on the supervisor's shoulder?

Before Kira could ask, Lenalee spoke.

"Johnny got over-excited again," the Chinese explained flashing an amused look at Kira, which was returned with an exasperated expression. "He didn't get to do much though, since we have yet to figure out how Kira's Innocence works. It's hard for him to design a uniform to work with an unknown weapon, so we'll be going back if we get any results during Kira's training sessions. At the very least, we managed to scratch some particulars off the list."[3]

"Ohhh? Like what?" inquired Lavi.

"No skirts or dresses," said Kira.

Lavi sniggered, "Awww, is ickle Kira embarrassed to wear a skirt~?"

Kira sniffed in response, finally managing to slip out of the Bookman Junior's grasp. Free of the older exorcist's weight, she retorted, "I've had bad experiences with them."

Quite frankly, Kira couldn't imagine fighting Akuma in anything but pants. Regardless of her... unfortunate past experiences with dresses, there was also the obvious risk of having embarrassing moments should the wind be just right...

"Speaking of which..." Kira turned to Lenalee and tilted her head with a particularly curious expression on her face. (Allen and Lavi shared an amused look, recognizing the teen's gesture as one she'd learned from her little cat). "Lenalee, how do you wear a skirt? Aren't you worried about -"

Kira snapped her mouth shut, blushing and suddenly embarrassed as she realized her question might not be appropriate to ask around the boys. "Well . . . you know . . ." she mumbled, trailing off and scowling as Lavi grinned knowingly and bounced his eyebrows.

"Worried about...?" repeated Lenalee in confusion - and then her violet eyes lit up in realization. "Oh!"

Lenalee laughed, surprising Kira. Before she could ask what was so funny, however, the Chinese exorcist straightened up with a smile - and lifted her uniform skirt.[4]

Chaos exploded in the training hall.

Allen and Lavi literally fell backwards, screaming something about insanely overprotective brothers with sister-complexes and robots. Alerted by the terror-filled noise of the two exorcists and catching sight of the cause, the rest of the training room's occupants immediately followed after in the symphony of panic - some going so far as to flee the vicinity.

Even Kanda looked alarmed - in his own Kanda-like manner - an annoyed expression flashing across his face as he turned sharply away with a loud "tch!". Link only twitched, an extremely disapproving look crossing his face, while the odd, forgotten golem on his shoulder continued to doze.

In the meantime, completely oblivious to the chaos ensuing as a result of her actions, Lenalee was still smiling just as brightly as ever, and Kira was staring at something she had not expected to see beneath the older girl's skirt.

The Chinese was wearing shorts under her uniform dress. They were black and form-fitting, just like the exorcist uniforms - and, well, most of the clothes here, it seemed to Kira.

"L-Lenalee, please . . ." said Allen weakly. His eyes were determinedly shut as he pleadingly pushed at his comrade's hands to get her to put down her skirt.

"Eh? What's wrong, Allen?" inquired Lenalee.

"Please don't lift your skirt," all but begged the cursed boy. "You'll give Lavi dirty thoughts -"

"Woah there, not even I have that kind of death wish!"

" - and your brother will murder us," finished Allen.

Lenalee blinked. Then Allen's words processed in her head, realization dawned on her face, and her mouth formed the shape of her unspoken "oh."

Without further ado, the Chinese exorcist let go of her skirt, the material flopping back over her short shorts and the pink ruffles waving a bit from the motion. Every male in the vicinity breathed a sigh of relief, coming out of their respective hiding places now that the danger had passed.

Kira, meanwhile, didn't know whether to laugh or feel concerned that Supervisor Komui could inspire such sheer terror in the people of the Black Order.

In the meantime...

On the other side of Headquarters, a certain procrastinating sister-complex felt his Dirty-Octipi[5] senses tingling. Purple hair curling, he prepared to get up -

- but then an obnoxiously large pile of paperwork dropped loudly onto his desk.

Before the Supervisor could even open his mouth to let loose his whine and dramatic monologue about saving his precious sister Lenalee from disgusting, dirty men, his Secretary cut him off with a sharp, meaningful glare.

And, once again, Brigitte Fay saved the day behind the scenes. If only people knew how often she did so, maybe she could get the pay raise she so deserved.

And back to our exorcists...

"Well!" exclaimed Lavi, grinning as he crawled out of the training pit (he'd fallen backwards into it when Lenalee had lifted her skirt), "now that that disaster's been averted, how's it going with the devil cat, Kira?"

"Chikita's not a devil cat, Lavi," sighed Kira, rolling her eyes. "But she's doing well, thanks. She was exhausted by the time I convinced her to, um, deactivate, so I'm pretty sure she'll be sleeping through today... if not all this week."

"Oh? What happened to her?" asked Allen.

Lavi raised his one visible eyebrow. "Didn't you hear, Moyashi?"

"That's not my name."

Lavi laughed. "Now that I think about it, you were busy stuffing your face when the Finders told us about it. Basically, the demon cat went berserk after Hevlaska's examination and went on a rampage. She had to be contained until Kira was well enough to see her again."

Allen looked shocked and immediately flashed a concerned look to Kira – but she only smiled back at him.

"It's alright, Allen, I got her to calm down. She was just a little panicked, is all."

"That's an understatement," deadpanned Lavi. Ignoring Kira's withering look, the red-headed bunny added with a cheeky grin, "You know, they're calling you the 'girl who tamed the beast' now. Pretty catchy, don't you think?"

"I don't know, Lavi. If you'd seen Kira and Chikita this morning…" Lenalee trailed off into a muffled giggle at the darkening aura around Kira.

"Maah, but it was pretty scary," continued Lavi undeterred, throwing his hands behind his head as he addressed Kira. "I was there when Komui threw ya in with the pissed off demon cat. For a moment there, we thought you were gonna become cat chow! Who would've thought the demon cat only wanted a hug?"

"Chikita was in a lot of pain, Lavi," insisted Kira, a frown on her face. "I think she panicked because she didn't know where I'd gone… it was my fault for leaving her…"

…for forgetting her.

It was clear as day, the events that had happened barely 24 hours before. Kira could still hear Chikita's sorrowful whines, see the cat's tar-like mouth agape in agony. She could feel the chill of the broken sprinkler system's fake rain seeping into her bones, her gut plummeting as realization constricted her throat and broken sobs for forgiveness tumbled from her lips.

"Please don't hate me!"

Kira knew with her whole heart that Chikita would never harm her. Even when the wail that had ripped into her heart burst from Chikita's maw and the hysterical, out of control Parasitic Beast had lunged at her, she had not faltered in her faith in her childhood friend.

However, Kira certainly wouldn't have held it against Chikita if the cat had beaten her around. She had expected to at least earn a few whacks over the head and a following silent treatment; but instead, Chikita had only tackled her to the sodden ground – strange, almost human-like forearms and hands grappling to wrap tight around her, soaked furry body encasing Kira in desperately protective warmth.

Even now, Kira was still ridden with guilt and at a loss from the cat's behavior. How could Chikita forgive her so easily? She who had abandoned her for three whole days?

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Kira."

The aforementioned girl blinked in surprise, the memory before her eyes flitting away.

Kira looked down questioningly at Allen, who was looking up at her from where he was leaning against the training pit wall. He smiled.

"You fainted, remember? It wasn't something you could've controlled the outcome for."

Kira frowned, a retort making its way to her lips, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning, she found Lenalee smiling reassuringly at her.

"Allen's right, Kira," the Chinese said, eyes warm. "I saw Chikita this morning, and she looked more than happy to be with you again. Regardless of what happened, it's over now, and I'm glad you both are safe."

Their words sank in, and warmth blossomed in Kira's chest. Overwhelmed, she quickly lowered her head and rubbed at her eyes, hoping to stop the warm tears that threatened to spill before anyone saw.

Needless to say, if Kira had looked back up, she would've found that she wasn't fooling anyone. The flustered fourteen year-old was just in the process of muttering a quick and shaky "thank you" – only to cut off with a squeak as Lavi's arm found itself around her shoulders again and got her in a playful headlock.

"Mah, mah, don't cry, Kitten-chan! Turn that frown upside down!"

It took a moment for Kira to process what she'd just been called; but once she did, she gawked openly at Lavi – watery eyes forgotten.

"Wh-what did you just - k-kitten?! Did you just call me kitten?!"

Well, that certainly diffused the awkward emotional moment. As Lenalee, Lavi, AND Allen burst into laughter, Kira looked around at them all, more flustered and lost than before. Even Link looked amused, though he was still pretending to write his report.

"Told you he'd come up with a stupid nickname," Allen reminded Kira, grinning widely. "It was only a matter of time!"[6]

"B-but why - why kitten?!" exclaimed Kira, watching the white-haired boy climb out of sand pit to finally join them above. "Of all things - kitten?!"

"It's cute!" giggled Lenalee, earning a mortified look from her fellow female.

"Not you too, Lenalee!"

"Oh, c'mon now!" laughed Lavi. "Everyone loves my nicknames!"

"Lies," deadpanned Allen, crossing his arms.

"Now, now! Denial isn't healthy for the soul!" said Lavi knowingly, waving a finger at Allen as if the boy had committed a grave sin. Lavi turned to Kira before Allen could react and added with a cocky grin, "You see, Kira dear, the sooner you accept my nickname, the happier you'll be!"

Lavi proceeded to motion grandly to a certain pony-tailed man nearby, who was currently beating the shit out of a training dummy.

"Why, just look at our lovely Yuu-chan over there-!"

The dummy exploded.

"I'll cut you, Baka Usagi!"

"-he's obviously much happier in spirit than our adorable little Beansprout over here!" finished Lavi undeterred, throwing his other arm around Allen's shoulders.

Kira watched stunned as Lavi crumpled to the floor, a sharp elbow having intimately greeted his ribs. Meanwhile, Allen vehemently insisted that he was not little.

"- and my name is ALLEN, stupid Lavi!"

Whatever Lavi responded with amidst his wheezing on the floor, Kira missed, but Lenalee obviously didn't. The dumfounded brunette yelped when the Chinese exorcist next to her suddenly yanked her aside – and then she saw why.

Not a second later, Kanda - to her disbelief - actually made a flying leap out of the training pit to attempt to strangle Lavi. The startled rabbit let loose a particularly girly squeal in response, scrambling up and knocking over Allen in his attempt to get the hell away (a similar fate Lenalee had saved Kira from). Allen gave an indignant cry as he hit the ground, but the fallen bean's protest was duly ignored as Kanda activated his Innocence katana Mugen. With a snarl, the raging Japanese unleashed a barrage of vengeful, otherworldly insects in Lavi's direction.

Unfortunately for Lavi, there were too many to avoid.

The attacked Bookman Junior started screaming for mercy, running around the training hall like a chicken with his head cut off (there WAS a particularly large insect currently feasting on his hair, after all). Finders scrambled in mass panic to get away from the shrieking exorcist, not at all desiring to get between him and the enraged Kanda still giving chase. Knocked over and forgotten, Allen ignored the bunny's plight from his spot sprawled on the floor, instead opting to huff angrily and mutter dark curses about "stupid rabbits" and "Bakandas".

Indeed, it was quite the spectacle - one in which Lenalee and Kira were enjoying immensely. The two girls laughed so hard that they were leaning on each other for support, tears in their eyes.

As the shrieks of Lavi faded into the distance, the Bookman Junior having fled the training hall with Kanda hot on his tail, Allen sighed and sat up, glancing up at Kira and Lenalee. Seeing the former girl's expression, he couldn't help but swallow his exasperation and grin.

Seeing this, Kira, still leaning on Lenalee, managed to ask through her breathless giggles what was wrong. But Allen chuckled in response, scratching at his cheek bashfully.

"Ahah, sorry. It's just nice to see you laughing again, is all."

Kira blinked owlishly. And then she turned an interesting shade of red.

Utterly flustered, the fourteen year-old covered her burning face with her hands, an unintelligible sound leaving her lips. Her actions earned an innocently confused look from Allen - which made Lenalee burst into a particularly girlish fit of giggles.

Barely a week in, and new bonds were already being tied amongst them. Lenalee playfully hugged her new and very embarrassed comrade, laughing lightly and heart warm as the poor girl tried in vain to recover herself.

Welcome to our family, Kira!

( Extra: A Little Change in Perspective... )[7]

Meanwhile, a safe distance away and on the other side of the vast training hall, three Finders – a pair of newly joined twins and their veteran guide - watched the amusing episode between the Apostles with varying expressions.

"I dunno, mate. They're lookin' anythin' but saintly an' all-powerful to me," remarked one of the twins, scratching at the dirty blonde stubble on his chin. He snickered as the younger of the Apostles, a girl with dark skin who couldn't be more than fifteen, blushed a bright red and hid her face, much to the amusement of the older girl leaning on her. The older girl herself looked around sixteen or seventeen.

As the third of the Apostles, the one who was on the floor, shifted and scratched his head in confusion, both twins noted that he too looked the same age as his female companions. And the former two Apostles, a red-head and long-haired boy, were also no exception.

Teenagers, the lot of them. These were supposed to be the famed Apostles chosen by God? Who had supernatural powers to combat Akuma and stop the Earl of Millennium?

"In the end, they're jus' a bunch of tikes," added the other twin with a shrug.

The twins' companion scoffed. He was a middle-aged man, stocky and riddled with scars – unwanted trophies from his days in the field.

"Don't let their appearances fool you, _, _," said the veteran Finder, motioning with his mangled right hand. "Like I said, those 'tikes' got the power of God in 'em. They could cut ya down in the blink of an eye!"

"Oh~? You hear what Micky's spoutin'?" snickered the twin with stubble, _. "I'm shakin' in my boots!"

Micky scowled darkly. Why did he always get stuck with the greenhorns? He was growing too old to deal with the cockiness of the youths.

"See the girl over there?" Micky snapped, gesturing again towards the Apostles they had been watching. "The taller one, green hair. That's the Supervisor's daughter, Lenalee Lee. Her Dark Boots can let her fly at the speed of sound and give her legs the strength to crush a Level Four Akuma!"

Both twins whistled appreciatively. The veteran Finder twitched, beginning to wonder if these boys were even taking him seriously.

"And that short one on the ground?" Micky barked. "White hair? Kid's Allen Walker."

Both twins choked. Micky smirked in triumph at getting a reaction from the ignorant bunch. Of course they'd know about Allen Walker. What Finder, regardless of how new, didn't? The moment a man stepped into the Order's halls, whispers of the boy inevitably reached his ears.

"Yer bluffin'!"

"Blimey! That bean?!"

"Tha's right!" growled Micky. "Prophecied Destroyer of Time, apprentice of General Cross Marian, Critical Point Breaker, suspected reincarnation of the Fourteenth Noah - the whole deal! Brat's fought one-on-one with the bastard Earl of Millennium himself, I hear. How's that fer perspective?"

Before the twins could respond, the previously faded away shrieks of the Apostle who had fled earlier returned. The trio of Finders looked across the huge room just in time to see a still screaming red-head burst back into the Entrance Hall, the exorcist dubbed "The Demon" by all Finders right at his heels. The two laughing female exorcists and one grounded Allen Walker had no time to react before the hysterical bunny reached them, impact unavoidable.

Yelps of varying pitches resounded from the group – increasing as "The Demon" inevitably stumbled on top of them - and then there was a mass of tangled limbs, strangled curses, and howling laughter piled on the floor.

The apparent Apostles of God were making quite the scene – different shrieks of "NOT THE HAIIIIR!", "I CAN'T BREATHE- ACK!", "OW OWOWOW!", and "DAMN IT, LAVI!" echoing throughout the training hall. The Finders across the room and a safe distance away watched with varying gobsmacked expressions.

"Tikes," reaffirmed both twins in unison.

Micky deadpanned.

( Extra - The Day Before . . . )[8]

To say Legory Peck was unimpressed would be an understatement.

The recently retrieved Innocence contained within a cat had ended up much more troublesome than they could have predicted. Regardless of Supervisor Komui Lee's orders not to remove the God Crystal fragment from the animal (a decision Legory had not agreed with in the slightest), none of them could have dreamed of succeeding at it anyway - not with the state in which the creature had immediately reverted to since Hevlaska's examination.

Indeed, from what Legory had heard, it had happened as quickly as if a switch had been flipped. One minute the creature had been nothing but an upset little feline as her apparent "owner" was carted away; and the next, well, the cat had no longer been so little.

A seven foot tall demonic thing running amuck and howling and raging and tearing at the walls and anyone who passed by - good grief! And just as they'd finished repairs from the aftermath of the Supervisor's ridiculous robot, Komurin V!

Fortunately, leading the raging and hysterical Parasitic Beast into a containment room had been achieved within the hour and resulted in no casualties; however, those unlucky few who had been tasked to be bait for it to chase were quite scratched up, bruised, and predictably traumatized towards cats for the rest of their lives.

But! Once in the containment room, everything was supposed to have been fine after that. Innocence within a living creature only had so much energy to expend, after all - and if it spent too much, well, it ought to deactivate, right?

Except that hadn't happened.

Unlike what the Science Division had predicted, the Parasitic Beast hadn't run out of energy after 24 hours in the containment room. No, it had only gotten more violent.

And they still had not been permitted by the Supervisor to put the damn beast down.

Speaking of Supervisor Komui, his idea to fix the mess? Tossing a new exorcist - a fourteen year-old girl, no less! - right at the hysterical, blood-thirsty beast!

"I did not expect the Headquarters' staff to be so incompetent," commented Mark Burroughs.

Legory chuckled, agreeing wholeheartedly. As a fellow former Central employee, he knew well that Mark had found it just as surprising as he had how vastly different the Headquarters' work environment was compared to Central's. If they had known beforehand, perhaps they would have thought a little harder on their transfer to become Chiefs of the newly incorporated Sections Two and Three of the Science Division here.

Turning to the taller man, Legory said, "Didn't you say this place didn't meet your expectations our first day here? Did you expect them to prove you wrong?"

"I have found it necessary to repeat," replied Mark simply, rubbing his fingers together. "For a Supervisor to act so recklessly and irresponsibly, it is most unprofessional."

"Chief always acts reckless," sighed Reever. The Chief of Section One turned his exhausted face towards the two former Central employees, adding, "But he knew what he was doing, as you can see from the results. Curly wouldn't risk endangering an exorcist needlessly."

"Wouldn't risk endangering an exorcist?" Legory's brows shot up into his hairline. "Did the Branch Head not just throw our newest Apostle into a room in which a Parasitic Beast was running amuck?"

"Er, well, yes, but -"

"Unprofessional," repeated Mark, the rubbing of his fingers becoming louder. "To think such a man is heading our European Branch's Headquarters -"

Reever twitched, a tick forming on his brow. "Oh, come on now! That's going a little far -"

Whatever the Australian had been about to say was abruptly cut off. A bone-jarring SLAM echoed throughout the observation room, and several shocked screams pierced the air (Legory would not admit one of them was his). However, the culprit in the now open doorway, instead of inspiring fear, was only responded to with exasperation and anger.

"Damn it, Curly[9]! Was that really necessary?!" snapped Reever.

The Section Chief's complaint was immediately followed by the angry shouts of the rest of the startled and sleep-deprived scientists present; but the recently arrived Supervisor Komui only laughed, completely undeterred by the menacing glares and threats sent his way.

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry! Just wanted to join the party, is all! Any coffee in here?"

"Supervisor Komui," addressed Mark, his tone clipped, "has it not occurred to you how irresponsible and reckless your decision was just now? To risk the life of an exorcist when we have so few in the first place -"

"Hmmm?" Komui interrupted and blinked owlishly, a ridiculously large smile on his face. "Why, I have no idea what you're rambling on about, Section Three Chief Burroughs!"

The Supervisor, now grinning, proceeded to motion grandly to the observation window nearby. Through the cracks and dents in the thick glass, everyone present caught sight of a sobbing teenage girl in mutual embrace with a (strangely enough) also sobbing Parasitic Beast.

Perhaps such a scene would've been heart-warming... if only the still-demonic-looking Innocence-containing creature hugging its owner hadn't been out for their blood and wreaking havoc in the containment room for nearly three days.

Just as this very thought crossed everyone's minds, Komui explained ever-so-cheerfully:

"Can't you see the cute little kitty-cat just wanted a hug?"

All the scientists in the room fell over.

Still on a roll, Komui proceeded to announce that Chikita's "flying glomp of love" for Kira had almost been on par with his own "flying glomps of love" for his darling beautiful sister, Lenalee. No sooner had the words left his mouth, the entire Science Department, deprived from sleep and stressed from the last two and half days of terror, finally snapped.

Supervisor Komui dropped to the floor with an offended squeal as various pens, clipboards, mugs, and even shoes and socks were chucked his way. When the scientists ran out of projectiles, they made up for it by throwing themselves at the man instead.

Keeping well clear of the grappling bodies and chaos ensuing at their feet, Legory and Mark shared a withering glance.

"Unprofessional!"

*Micky and the newbie Finder twins are fan characters (OCs). I'm still picking out Finders that have been specifically mentioned in the manga to possibly use, so for now I'll rely on fan charas.

[1] The visual description of the training hall is based on my examination of the panels of it from the DGM manga, Chapter _.

[2] Referring to the referencing in [1]. While the exorcists are also seen training in the tight black shirt, white pants, and brown belt outfit (Manga: Chapter 157, Page 4), we also see them train in more Asian-esque outfits like in Chapter 185, Page 3-5.

[3] Canonically, Johnny is specifically pointed out repetitively as designing the exorcist uniforms for each exorcist. In the anime, Lavi's flashback during his fight with Road in the Ark shows him arriving at the Order and Johnny's enthusiasm to create a fitting uniform for him. Pretty sure it's the same in the manga, but I can't find it atm. Also, in one of Komui's Talk Corners in the latest DGM Volume, Johnny talks about the work put behind the exorcist uniforms, and how they ain't cheap. I'll try to detail more on that later, maybe grab some direct quotes to insert into this fic and reference more specifically.

[4] The scene where Lena lifts her skirt is inspired by a scene Hoshino drew of Lena revealing to the boys that she wears short shorts under her skirt. I wish I could link images here... urk. Fun Fact: Hoshino admits in one of her Q&A that Lena's skirt seems to be getting shorter and shorter, and she says it's due to her "inner old man".

[5] Komui often refers to boys as "dirty octipi" when it comes to Lenalee, which is especially emphasized during the anime filler where he has an octopus gun that shoots hard-to-remove octopus hats onto his targets. (I referenced this in a previous chapter).

[6] Lavi enjoys nicknaming and using nicknames, period. Pretty sure it's mentioned canonically somewhere, but I can't remember atm. Anyway, examples: Allen - Beansprout/Moyashi; Bookman - Old Man Panda/Panda-jiji; Krory - Krory-kins, Crow-chan; his Innocence Iron Hammer/Tettsui - Little Hammer, Big Hammer/Ozuchi Kozuchi, etc. My headcanon is that pretty much everyone ends up receiving a nickname from him eventually, haha. As a side note on this, my choice for Kira's nickname to be "Kitten-chan/Koneko-chan" is not because we all know kittens are cute, but because it reflects Chikita's influence on her and Kira's nature itself. You can take the latter as you will.

[7] The Finders' view on exorcists has always intrigued me, so I wanna expound on that further later. Canonically though, we know that Finders hold an almost fearful respect for exorcists - calling them "Sir" and "Lady" when addressing them, like Toma in the Martel/Mater/Matel Arc - and generally they don't seem to mix often with the exorcists (in the Mess Hall/cafeteria, often the exorcists are grouped together, the Finders spread out elsewhere). This isn't to say that Finders don't have personal affiliations with exorcists, however; Allen pretty much befriended Toma, and Lenalee is obviously familiar with many Finders considering the Order and everyone it is her home and her reactions to the death tolls (148 in the manga) wrought back in Chapter 44 after Daisya's death. Lenalee and Allen also befriended finders in the anime who were included in the death toll.

[8] Legory Peck and Mark Burroughs were introduced in Chapter 171, as well as the knowledge that new Sections were added to Headquarter's Science Division. Some of Mark's comments were based off his commentary to Reever about his disapproval of the Science Section's poor hygiene, and his finger rubbing thing seems to be a habit of his when he's annoyed or disapproving.

[9] Reever sometimes uses the nickname "Curly" for Komui in the anime (not sure about manga). When I find the specific referencing, I'll come back and edit it in.

*The "containment area" and any other "examination rooms" that I don't reference are my own creations based on headcanons for the Order.

*Would like to clarify that I'm holding true to Komui's "Lenalee comes first." While I support the fan character headcanon that Komui would happily become a "protective brother" to a new recruit who is a young girl (especially with Kira's situation - it DOES work with his character), at the same time, I'm not gonna go about stepping on how important the Lee sibling's relationship is and how tightknit it is canonically. Personally, I can't see Komui choosing anyone over Lenalee - he gave up his life for her, becoming the Supervisor to protect her; and Lenalee chose to fight for him specifically, which is the oath that allowed her Innocence to evolve. No fan character or outside person can get on that level, in my opinion.

A / N : Holy noodles, I can't even begin to express my gratitude for the feedback and suggestions people left me. Y'all have been a huge help! Due to the amount and length of reviews (as well as this length of this chapter as it is...), I'm not going to specifically respond to every single one - it'd take way too long, and I'd repeat myself a lot, haha. I've recapped and answered what was said by most in summary on the previous chapter (my Author's Note chapter), so you can go there to read that.

Next update is either next week or the week after. BUT I can't promise anything after the next chapter. Late last year, I came to the realization that I have some, ahh, problems I need to get counseling for to see what's up. I won't go into details since I'm not too sure myself. Between that and 18 credit hours with college, updating schedule after Chapter 22 will have to be on my own convenience. I decided to go ahead and update now simply because I felt the need to end the arc for y'all, since you've all been so fabulous to me orz;;;

But more importantly, for those who aren't aware, HOSHINO IS BACK! And yes, this is the real deal. Her instagram is Hoshino1000, and she's been uploading personal pictures, upcoming chapter panel sneak peaks, and fun DGM artworks! You can check out translations on Tumblr by gummyfoxes, or just Google it; either way, definitely check her instagram out - it's beyond inspiring!

Anyway, onwards!

MVD - Thank you so much for the compliments and specific feedback! I'm totally flattered that you think some of my scenes could've been placed in the manga - that's gotta be one of the best compliments I've ever received just oh gosh laskjdf. I also really appreciate your suggestions/critique on my writing! I had someone mention the variations of the way I refer to the characters before (redhead, Time Destroyer, etc), but the way you've worded it makes a lot more sense to me, haha. I will aim to improve on that *v* Same with using "said" versus getting too extravagant. I hadn't thought of that before, but I can see what you mean o: Let's see if I can work on that as well xD Thank you again for helpful review!

averyenture - I know I already messaged you, but again, thank you SO much! All your suggestions and feedback were extremely helpful, and your compliments had me grinning silly, haha. It means a lot to hear feedback from someone who can relate to having skin issues, because as a writer who doesn't have any (well, aside from acne) I can only guess and hypothesize about it and the reactions to it. So thank you very much for giving your input on that, as well as everything else!

MCRDanime - Haha, believe me, I've contemplated what I could have done if I put Kira into the plotline earlier. However, the reason why I avoided this is because I wanted to keep away from having her become too much of the focus next to the extremely important character developments that occurred both before the Ark Arc and after. Inserting her after Timothy's recruitment also gives me more "leg room" to work with, since Hoshino slowed events down at that point before they spiral out of wack with the upcoming Third Exorcists and Kanda Alma Arc. Hell, there was even a time-skip in there. While I'm obviously going to need to stretch the timespan regardless, it's at least easier to manage than inserting a large timespan between major events that occurred one after the other earlier in DGM's story (that quick pace was important back then!). Even so, thank you very much for your input! It's reminded me of the challenges I have with my decision to insert her where she is, and that I'll need to incorporate Kira's learning about the Noah and Fourteenth soon to get her up-to-date. c:

Sabet163 - Thank you as always for your encouragements ;v; They never fail to brighten my day!

Sock my Rock - (Laughing because I had to fix your name twice again due to my weird spellcheck on iPad). As always, thank you so much for the detailed feedback - I can never express how much I appreciate it enough! Regarding your question, while I have had a few ideas for the ending for SOTF (I never have just one idea, always three or more orz), hearing the question out-loud really got me thinking harder on it. So many thanks for asking it xD But yeh, I do have a general idea of how SOTF will end, next to a bunch of Plan Bs and Cs due to Hoshino's lovely tendency to throw us derailing plottwists :D