I know some of you might not bother to read this disclaimer part (I don't), so just skip this & get on with the story :D

disclaimer: DGM belongs to Kat Shino. Lavi does too. *wails*.

contains: LaviXOC-ness, very mild vulgar, hot guys.

other crap not worth mentioning: Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary. It'd be mind-blowing awesomness if you just read. :D

Chapter 1ne.

Reiniko's POV

Slamming the door shut, I threw my bag on the couch. It wasn't a big couch, just enough to fit two people. I was starving. Forgetting to bring my lunch to school was bad enough. But then, I had also forgotten to bring money. I opened the fridge, and was greeted by empty spaces of white. Groaning, I went into my room and picked up my wallet from where I had left it lying on my bed this morning. Shuffling my feet into my Converse, I walked to the nearby store, the only one that sold onigiri.

I guess I should give a brief introduction. I'm Itake Reiniko. It's a Japanese name. People I know call me Rei. My mum was Mongolian and my dad was Japanese. They're long gone though, somewhere up in heaven.

I live by myself in a small house, the rent taken care of by my so-called guardian. She's a traveler, and since I said I wanted to start my education, she sent me here, with enough money to take care of the rent for quite a while. For the rest of the money I needed for food and other necessities, I had to depend on my job as a cashier at night every Tuesday and Thursday.

I guess the first thing that you would notice about me would be my hair. It's black, and has two distinct layers. The first layer is a short heart-shaped bob. The second layer is below the first, and it reaches down just below my butt. About an inch of the second layer of hair is white, starting from the tips of the hair. Don't ask me why, I was born like that. I usually keep my second layer tied up. My fringe comes down messily, just above my eyebrows, though I clip it to the side sometimes.

The town that I stay in isn't so huge that I could easily get lost, or so small that I would be bored to tears at home. I love exploring, so I would go out sometimes and just walk around the town.

So there I was at the mini-mart, picking out onigiri and something to cook for dinner. Three boys from my school were there too. They were always seen together. Lavi, Allen and Kanda. Allen would always be seen bickering with Kanda over trivial matters. But, hey, Kanda doesn't get along with almost everybody, with the tiny exception of those two.

One look at Kanda, and you would have thought he was a girl. His blueish-black hair was tied high up in a ponytail. He even had bangs. Lavi moved in about two months ago. He had red hair. The only thing that I thought was weird about him was that he wore an eyepatch over his right eye. Allen has white hair, but I don't think he bleached it like what everybody says. I mean, come on. His eyebrows are white. He also seems to wear gloves wherever he goes, and has this red marking on his left eye

Shoving my hand in my pocket, I produced a ten-dollar bill and handed it to the cashier. As usual, she was wearing heavy makeup, which sickened me. Walking out of the store, I noticed Lavi glancing at my direction, but just shrugged it off. After all, why would they pay any attention to me?

I've lived here for six years, but I didn't have any friends or acquaintances. Just a hi-bye relationship with the neighbours. I preferred to keep to myself. I lived on my own for two years before my guardian found me. I would wander around different towns, doing odd jobs. I never opened up to anybody, because I had already experienced the consequences from my earlier life.

"Ms. Itake. Wake up."

"Huh? Wha-? Where?" Shit, I had drooled a bit.

"Just focus on the lesson please, Ms. Itake. No nodding off again." said my homeroom teacher, Ms. Moore.

"Yea, sure." I muttered. I had pulled an all nighter yesterday, trying to fix my sink. I wasn't really good with that kind of stuff, but I managed to do it anyway. I had only gotten three hours of sleep.

The teachers didn't seem to care whenever I fell asleep in class though. I guess it was because I was second in the grade. The Allen kid was first. He was one of the few who tried to talk to me on my first day here, but I guess he was put off by my behaviour.

It being a Friday, I decided to treat myself by buying lots of snacks from the mini-mart and pigging out in front of the really small TV. Happy by the thought, I smiled, which caused some to look at me weirdly.

I had only decided to take forty winks, but ended up sleeping for five hours. By the time I had reached the mini-mart, it was already 8pm.

I got a basket and went around happily picking out anything I fancied. After staring at the basket for a while, I decided that I definitely couldn't finish them all. So in the end I bought Lays chips, popcorn, and a 1 litre bottle of Coke.

"Hey, you're Reiniko, right?" a voice asked. Spinning around, I came face to face with Lavi.

"Yea, guess so." I side-stepped him and walked to the cashier.

"Aww… I just said hi and you're ignoring me?" he pulled his face into a pout.

"Hey. So, what do you want?" I asked, placing my basket on the counter.

"Nah, I just recognized you. You're in all of my classes. So, being friendly and outgoing like I always am, I decided to say hi." He said, shrugging.

I raised an eyebrow. He was in all of my classes? I guess I didn't notice.

"It's getting late, want me to walk you back home?" he asked.

"It's okay. I can handle." I assured him, flashing him a small smile. He insisted that he was going in the same direction anyway, so he might as well walk with me.

So there I was walking home Lavi. He would talk about some random things, like teachers and homework. I would just nod, pretending that I actually understood what he was talking about.

"So, who's at home right now?" That question took me by surprise, since I wasn't really listening to half of what he was saying.

"Uhm, well, nobody's at home. It's just me." I answered matter-of-factly.

"Your parents on a date or something?" I realised that Lavi had pulled down his headband. He looked nicer like this, with his hair hanging loose over his eyes.

"Nope. They're dead. I live on my own." A guilty look shot across Lavi's face.

"Ah.. I'm sorry!" Lavi scratched the back of his head, biting his lower lip. I laughed, saying it was okay. I didn't really know them that well anyway.

"Then... Would you mind if I came over for a while? Coz' once I return home, i'm sure that stupid panda will be throwing books at me to read." he said sheepishly, with a tiny hint of annoyance in his voice.

I was stunned. I barely even knew this boy, and he's asking if he could come over to my house, like we've been friends for years.

"Reiniko?"

"Uh, Lavi? I don't even know you that well. Isn't it a bit... weird?" I said, biting my thumb.

"Oh! Oh yeah, sorry! Sometimes I forget, you know. And after talking, it feels like I've known you for ages even though you didn't even say much, except for a few nods here and there." Lavi scratched his neck, his face red with embarrassment.

Ah... He noticed it.

"Reiniko... I think we've already passed by your house." Lavi said, glancing down at the me.

"Eh? Ah! You're right! It's just back there." I said, smiling nervously.

Just as I was about to step into the house, I turned around hesitantly and called out to the redhead.

"Hey Lavi! Thanks!" I shouted.

Lavi just turned around, gave me a grin and waved.

Closing the door behind me, I sat on my bed, wondering what had just happened. I actually talked to someone. That sounds kind of pathetic. Like I was some kind of loner. Which I wasn't. I didn't need "friends". They'd just lie and backstab you, using you for their own personal needs. That was what I tried to convince myself.

The next day was a Saturday. The weather was really nice, and I didn't want to waste it by cooping up in my room. So I grabbed one of the many books scattered around my room and headed for the playground at the park.

I liked to go to the playground, since it's old and no kid would want to go there. Meaning that I can stay there for long stretches of time without anybody disturbing me. I sat on one of the swings, and it squeaked a little under my weight. I don't know how long I've been sitting there reading my novel when I heard feet shuffling in the sand. Looking up, the last thing I expected to see was Lavi waving at me. But I still saw him anyway.

"Hey! Can I join you?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Yea, sure." I replied, going back to my book. Lavi sat on the swing next to me, slowly swinging back and forth.

It was after about fifteen minutes when I noticed that Lavi wasn't doing anything. He was staring at the passing clouds, humming silently under his breath.

"Why'd you come here for?" I asked.

"For the same reason that you came here. To get away from the noise. Nobody comes to this playground after all. It's nice to just sit here and do nothing." Lavi smiled. A peaceful look washed over his face.

"Is your life really that horrible at home?"

"It's exactly what I said to you last night. That stupid panda keeps giving me more and more books to read. He's been doing this ever since my grades dropped and Allen claimed top in the level." Lavi sighed. A long silence ensued, breaking every time I flipped a page.

"How does it feel to live alone?" Lavi asked. He looked at me with his single emerald eye.

I didn't expect that question.

"It's boring. Definitely boring. I hate being bored, it frustrates me. That's why I go out a lot. I like exploring the town." It felt nice, sharing this with somebody.

"I've already explored the whole of it." Lavi said, grinning wildly. So he was adventurous, like me. I thought he was the type who preferred hanging out with his friends.

"Me too, that's why I'm reading here." I said, pointing at my book. Then I began to wonder. "Hey, where're your friends?"

Lavi stopped humming. "Allen's down with the flu, and Kanda's at a funeral.'' He looked down at his feet and pouted, the same pout he gave me last night. "I usually come here when both of them aren't free."

"I come here a lot, too. I wonder why I haven't seen you here before." I said, trying hard not to laugh at his pout.

"Well, now you've seen me." Lavi grinned, but his face fell as he remembered something. "I'd better get back home. Panda's gonna kill me. Seeya!"

I waved goodbye and stared at his retreating figure until he was out of sight. Looking up at the sky, I realised that it was getting dark. The sky had turned from a boring sea of blue to a beautiful shade of amber.

After awhile, I got up and walked backed home, all the while wondering why I had changed. I was actually talking to somebody now.

That sounds kind of pathetic.

A/N Reiniko is a character I made up from scratch. I've been thinking about writing this for quite some time, and finally had the chance to do so when ideas clicked :D Sorry that this chapter consisted mostly of dialogue. And sorry if Lavi is too OOC. Chapter Two will be coming soon, with Lavi's POV.

Important-but-not-so-important : Onigiri is something that the Japanese eat. I love it. You can put anything edible into that triangle of rice and it still tastes awesome.