Disclaimer: D. Gray-man and all its characters belong to Hoshino Katsura; if only I owned them…

WARNING: PG-13, but uh…some parts may be a bit raunchy. So reader beware!

Angst

He had never fit in. The others were always so optimistic and boisterous, so certain of their beliefs and that through sheer will alone, they could protect what they cherished. He had often skulked alone in the dark hallways, musing about the "what ifs". What if he had been like them, cheerful and supporting? What if he had not locked away his heart in exchange for strength? What if he had someone to love, and love him back?

Butterfly

Though not a person inclined to silly emotions, he found himself drawn to butterflies. Their weightlessness and grace were mesmerizing to him, a swordsman who sought the same things. It was not until he saw Lenalee dancing in the sky that he realized where his fondness came from.

Compact

In the hallway, she stopped and looked into her compact mirror to catch that pesky stray eyelash. She blinked rapidly as it came out, and the minute her vision cleared again, she caught sight of another's face in the mirror beside her own. Smiling, she turned and welcomed him back with a thousand unsaid words.

Deeply

Others have always asked her why she chose as she did. There were so many others more worthy of her, they protested. He couldn't possibly understand what she needed, they claimed, She simply answered back that she loves him. Despite their dubious glances, she knew without a doubt his love for her was unequaled by anything, even his desire for victory and soba. Smiling satisfactorily to herself, she squeaked in pleasant surprise as he appeared soundlessly and hugged her from behind, holding up a bag of her favorite treats. "I've missed you," he whispered hoarsely, intense emotions affecting his usual calm. "I know," she whispered back lovingly.

Envelope

Kanda sat stonily on the bed with his custom scowl etched across his face. It took all his restraint to keep from jumping her right there and now. Who knew that sealing envelopes could be turned into a seductive art? Ah, there goes that damned tongue again…

Frosting

"Happy Birthday, Kanda!" Lenalee grinned widely, happily presenting her boyfriend a chocolate cake in the shape of a heart, with butter cream frosting. Despite not being much of a sweet tooth, Kanda found he never got tired of anything Lenalee made, be they spicy buffalo wings or a three-tiered chocolate fudge cake with caramel and frosting. Kanda smiled—yes, he's allowed to smile, but only for Lenalee—as he approached her and took the cake from her. "You've got a bit of frosting on you" was her only warning before he took her in a searing kiss, both thanking her and rewarding her.

Granted

As he took his nightly stroll in the forest, Kanda looked up as the moonlight shined upon him, making his beauty even more ethereal than usual. As he moved out of the light, blending into the shadows, he thought to what awaited him back at Headquarters. Never in all his life would he have thought he would have something to cherish and protect, to love and indulge. Never would he have thought his wish would be granted.

Honey-custard

It was surprising how terrifying the common cold could be. Kanda, the talented Exorcist who could face down an army of Akuma without flinching, was now sitting outside Lenalee's door, cringing every time he so much as heard her sneeze. The doctor had kicked him out after he kept insisting on hovering over his shoulder and threatening him every time Lenalee coughed, as if it was the poor man's fault that she was sick. Which it just as well might be, for all he was concerned. Enough skulking. Kanda stood up abruptly and stalked his way into the kitchen, brushing past Allen and Lavi and all their inquiries. An hour later, he walked back to Lenalee's door and pushed open the door with his trusty foot. "Kanda! Where have you been?" was the surprised reaction he got. Then a sneeze. "Thought this would make you feel better, what with all the crap they've been feeding you," he murmured, setting down a tray of honey-custard pies and cakes in front of her. Blinking, Lenalee stared at the cakes for a second, and then enveloped him in a hug that melted his last pretence of calm. "Thank you." Wait. When did Kanda ever know how to bake pastries??

Iridescence

Looking at him in the moonlight was like nothing words could describe. How his silky ebony locks glowed and swayed, long and soft. They both had a certain affinity for the night, and she secretly came late to their meeting place sometimes, just so she could admire his beauty from afar and see him looking up at the moon, still as a Roman statue and just as beautiful. The moon may be a jewel in the sky, but nothing, on Earth or in the Heavens, could match his beauty.

Jealousy

Most people chalked it up to Kanda just being Kanda again, but those who knew him well, like Lavi, knew it for what it was; jealousy. Why else would Kanda deck Allen in the middle of the mess room just for asking Lenalee to sit with him?

Kindred

The theory goes that opposites attract, but that's not true for every case, and certainly not for everything. In fact, at this very moment, Lenalee savored the fact that Kanda loved to sleep in as much as she did. Even better was his affinity for morning kisses.

Lemon-Lime

"I'm telling you, lemons are better!" He loved that girl, but holy crab cakes in mayonnaise, how could one possibly prefer limes over lemons? "Well, limes are better, and I'll prove it to you!" Lenalee grinned as she tugged him after her. Kanda was about to ask just how exactly she was going to prove it when he noticed where they were going; her room. And two hours later, he decided that limes were indeed better.

Meddling

Lavi had always prided himself on his alertness and perceptiveness. He could always notice subtle shifts in emotion and behavior, and was proud to say he was nearly always right. And that is why he deliberately stole Kanda's clothes from the shower room and hid his key, leaving him to go charging down the hallway in a little 4-inch towel with Lenalee coincidentally coming right around the corner.

Newcomer

As Kanda stalked away from that silly boy with the white hair, he heard Lenalee laughingly say "That's just how Kanda is"; attempting to soothe that idiot's ruffled feathers, no doubt. He grinded his teeth when the boy—Allen or something like that—chuckled in reply and asked her if she would mind showing him where he was supposed to go. Knowing she would no doubt agree—bless the girl, her heart so pure—he changed direction to Komui's office so he could find the beansprout's room before him and give him a little lesson on just how exactly things were done here. More specifically, that a certain swordsman was going out with a certain pigtailed girl and whoever gets between them…heaven have mercy.

Onigiri

Kanda had never been one for rice. He much preferred his noodles and beloved soba; but when it was Lenalee making the rice balls, he realized he couldn't stop eating them. Especially when she was feeding him. And not by hand, either.

Pumpkin

Today had been a bad day, and all he wanted was to take a shower and flop into bed, although knowing his luck, he'd probably suffer countless annoyances before he got his well-deserved sleep—and he proved right. Coming back from the showers after a two-hour delay involving misplaced shampoo and idiots with soap, he was in an even worse mood. He slammed his door closed after him, and just before kicking off his shoes and going to bed, he noticed something was different. On his headboard was a little pumpkin with a wig that looked suspiciously like his own hair and a little twig stuck in its makeshift hand. He then noticed another similar pumpkin sitting on his pillow, but this one had pigtails and its arms were positioned as if reaching out for him. Walking towards the little vegetables, he gently picked up the Lenalee one and placed it next to his. Sliding off the covers, he got into bed with a smile on his face.

Quintessence

Watching them spar was like watching a dance of light. Their movements so fast, so pure—not a single action was wasted. Their footwork could put dancers to shame and make the gods cry. There was nothing else to describe this connection the two of them had—it was unadulterated, both simple and profound. Whether they were going for a stroll or having a mock battle, the two were just undeniably perfect together. A circle that happened to have two parts and the parts were now meeting.

Return

"Yuuu, why are you in such a hurry to get back? Can't we rest a bit?" Lavi whined. Sure, it was important to get the Innocence back in a timely fashion and all, but seriously; his own personal health was much more important and the walk back over the mountains, through the forest, under the nuclear testing site, and across two deserts was just not doing it for his own personal health. "Shut up. If we keep going, we can make it by midnight" was the curt reply. And then I'll still have some time to make it up to Lenalee for being gone three days, Kanda secretly thought, smiling just a bit. He could always pass it off as smirking at Lavi's plight, after all.

Strawberry

"Kanda, why does your hair smell like strawberries?" Lenalee inquired, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle her giggling as she grabbed another lock of Kanda's hair and sniffed it. "Shut up—I wanted to try it out, ok?" Kanda grumbled, attempting to retrieve his hair half-heartedly. There was no way in hell he was about to admit to accidentally grabbing the wrong bottle of shampoo. And how exactly had he managed to take Lenalee's was a mystery even to him. Unbeknownst to the two of them, directly six feet outside the door were two mischievous Exorcists, silently snickering and high-fiving each other.

Tissues

"It's so soft and floofy!" Lenalee laughed endearingly even in all her drunken glory. "You mean fluffy?" "No, floofy! Like…floof!" Kanda sighed, bemused at how silly Lenalee got when drunk. He made a mental note to never again let her drink, especially in places with tissues. Sighing again, he plucked another tissue ribbon out of his hair and attempted to rein the girl in before she started making tissue tutus for the science department. Now that was a scary thought.

Undershirt

Kanda sat patiently on his bed, listening to the sounds of water and her soft humming. When he had first heard the news, he tried not to get too excited. It's just a broken showerhead. She's going to go back to her room once it's fixed. He looked up as the water stopped and the door opened. "About ti-…." His voice trailed off as he noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts. His voice died just as all reason crumbled and fled his mind, cackling as they went. He changed his mind; maybe he didn't want her showerhead to be fixed any time soon.

Visitors

Lenalee hated being cooped up in that little room. She had learned to behave once she realized they would not mind tying her down to keep her here, their little weapon, their little tool to use as they pleased. Days went by, and she had become accustomed to the loneliness. Accustomed, but by no means enjoyed. Then one day, a dark figure walked into her room; they stared at each other for a few minutes, and then without a word, the boy threw her a packet of candy and left. The next week, the same long-haired boy came. This time, she mustered a meek hello, which he completely ignored. But instead of silently standing there, he came to sit with her on the bed and handed her a book. "Thought you'd be bored" was his carefully callous explanation as he got up quickly and left once more. This continued for months until she could no longer remember a time without his presence—or rather, she didn't want to. She never wanted to return to that darkness again.

Wonder

He had always wondered about her. Her smile, her laughter, her resilience. But most of all, he had always wondered what made her choose him above all others.

Xenophobia

It was a well-known fact that Kanda absolutely loathed people. His dark glaring eyes, the sharp cold steel of Mugen, and his caustic tongue were all too ready to slice up some poor, unaware soul who just happened to be on his bad side—his only side, it seemed. Anti-social creature he may be, the residents of the Order had noticed something strange going on recently. Kanda only threatened every other person he met now and rarely actually punched someone out cold anymore. He even grunted in acknowledgement sometimes when people brave enough squeaked out a greeting. Maybe it had something to do with that Exorcist girl who had been spending an unusual amount of time with him lately…

Yearning

Duty. Honor. Responsibility. Words like these held meaning for Kanda. He was the knight in the Order, the wordless shadow that would swoop in and defend their home, their lives. He was not like the others; Allen, with his cheerful optimism and kindness, Lavi with his dry humor and carefree attitude, Lenalee with her bottomless smile that seemed suspiciously brighter whenever it was directed at him. Sometimes, when all his mental barriers came crashing down, he wished for relief from his self-imposed rules. He wished for Allen's likeable disposition. He wished for Lavi's relaxed wit. He wished for Lenalee's capability to love. But he was not like the others.

Zenith

Lenalee laughs in delight as she makes a seat for herself next to the swordsman. Twilight is her favorite part of the day. The dusky blues and greys of the sky, with their peeping stars, were a comfort to her. She thinks it may be because of the similarity to a certain Exorcist's hair. She imagines that if she could touch the sky, it would feel silky and soft, dark and alluring. This dream has always been with her, and each time she trains, she pushes herself to go farther, higher up. Her friends thought she was just trying to improve, and of course she was, but there was also the secret hope that she could touch the sky. Because what she really wanted to feel between her fingers was inaccessible to her, or so she thought. The swordsman was a lot more perceptive than others gave him credit for, and Lenalee knew the day he had wordlessly beckoned her to follow him to the mountaintops that her dream had come true. As twilight faded to night, the barely distinguishable figures entwined. And her fingers were locked in his hair.