Chapter Text
The warm, musky scent of pot tickled Allen’s nose. He paused in his tracks, sniffing the air as his arms were loaded down with boxes. “Hey, Lenalee, does it smell like weed to you?” he asked, glancing one way and then the other for the source.
“Hm?” She pulled a box towards her across the van floor before meeting his eyes. Experimentally, she sniffed as well. “Oh, that’s probably just Kanda.”
“Who?”
She motioned over his shoulder, and he followed the movement to find a tall man in a skintight black t-shirt, dark-wash jeans, and black boots blowing out a stream of smoke. His long black hair trailed down his back. His features were expressionless as he stared off into the woods surrounding the abandoned church they were going to be investigating.
Heat flushed through his body, and Allen was reminded of just how much he loved a good-looking man. “He’s gorgeous,” he murmured. At Lenalee’s quiet laugh, he turned away quickly trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks. “I didn’t see him on the channel. Is he part of the team?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t like being in videos or pictures, but he only joined last year after he got out of the Marines anyway.” She paused, two rolls of cable in her hands. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been a year. I’m really happy he’s back, but I wish it had been under better circumstances.” Turning, she led the way into the church.
“Circumstances?” Allen was deeply curious, maybe a little too curious. Who could really blame him though? Everyone on the team was attractive in their own ways, but Kanda was the most beautiful in an unreachable sort of way. Not only that, he’d watched nearly every video Your Discount Exorcists -a silly name, for sure, but they were the best professional ghost hunters that he knew of- had to offer, so he felt like he had a decent grasp on the entire team’s personalities.
Lenalee nodded, pigtails swinging as she walked. “He was deployed overseas for a long time and experienced a lot over there. He doesn’t talk about it, but I know most of it was bad if his 100% VA rating is anything to go by. That’s what the pot is for.” She paused, setting down one of the spools before continuing. “It’s medicinal, for the pain. It doesn’t get him high. I doubt he’s ever willingly gotten high before.” The thought seemed to amuse her. “I wonder what that would look like.”
Already, there was so much information for Allen to mull over. He should stop prying, but he didn’t have the willpower to. “You said he doesn’t like to be filmed. Does that mean he’s not an investigator?”
Lenalee stopped again on the dais, setting the second spool down. “You can set those down here,” she directed before continuing, “No, he’s not. He’s more like the team skeptic. He’s adamant about not believing in anything paranormal. Alma and I refer to him as our ‘hired muscle’ because he’s so big and strong and makes us feel safe. He hates it.” She giggled, shifting one box to the floor and popping it open. Carefully, she pulled out a camera. “He keeps us safe from anything living. He might not believe in the paranormal, but he sure does have a preternatural sense for human riffraff. He can tell if a building is empty or not just by stepping through the door. He says we’d all be able to tell if we just shut up and looked.”
Allen laughed, echoing Lenalee. He took the camera she passed him as she moved to open the second case. “Why join a ghost hunting team then? Seems kind of silly.”
“Oh, that was Alma and me. We convinced him. Well, begged and pestered him until he gave in. He didn’t have anything to do when he came home, and we promised to pay him well. I think it’s good. He gets out of the house and can make sure we’re safe.”
“You talk like you guys have known each other for ages,” Allen said casually, but the idea made him kind of jealous. They sounded like a family. He’d never known anyone for more than a few years. His longest relationship had been with The Noah, another well-known paranormal investigation group. They would hire him to come with them to locations, but they never felt like family. Especially not now that they had broken contract and were no longer compensating him for his participation in their videos.
Lenalee nodded, smiling as she set up a tripod. “Everyone on the team has known each other for years. Alma and Kanda were in foster care together, and I ended up at the same home with them for a while until Brother -sorry, Komui- could take legal custody of me. I think… Johnny or Lavi were the newest additions, but that was about a decade ago.” She paused, pressing a finger to her lips. “You know, that was the same year we started the channel. It’s crazy to think we’ve been doing this for ten years already.” She grinned.
Allen plastered on a smile. “Wow. Are you guys okay with me coming in and disrupting your family?” he asked. Though his tone sounded joking, the question was a very serious one.
Blinking those large doe eyes up at him, she said, “You’re not disrupting anything, Allen. Stay with us long enough, and you’ll be family too.”
“I thought I was hired to be Miranda’s replacement during her pregnancy. At least until she’s through postpartum.”
Taking the camera from him and screwing it into place, she smiled at him gently. “That might have been the official reason we asked you to join us, but we’ve been thinking about asking for a while. Miranda’s pregnancy just gave us a reason. We’re happy to have you here, Allen, and we hope you decide to stay.”
When Allen smiled this time, it was much more genuine. “Thanks, Lenalee.” The conversation throughout the rest of set-up was more idle after that.
…..
Alma stood between the backdoors of the van, grinning so widely he resembled the Cheshire Cat. Other than Johnny, Komui, and Reever who were tucked comfortably in the back of the van, the team was gathered around. The only one not with the group was Kanda, who was now smoking a cigarette close to the same spot he’d been earlier.
“Okay, everybody! The sun has been down for about an hour!” Alma said jovially. His sky blue eyes were smiling just as much as his mouth. “This church isn’t that big, but we’re going to have a great time. Make sure to document every sound you make so our analysts can actually tell what is what.” He waved a hand to Marie and Daisya who stood by one of the doors, camera harnesses already secured to them.
“Lavi and Lenalee, I want you guys in the main chapel. Myself and Krory will head up to the second floor. Allen, I want you to come in a little later after we've stirred some shit up. You'll go in with me and Yu. I'm really interested to find out what you'll see and hear. We'll hold off on any of your specialties for now since this is your first investigation with us.”
Kanda's head whipped around. “What?” He stomped out the bud of his cigarette before marching over to glare at Alma. “No. I don't get paid to be on camera.”
The smell of cigarette smoke and a touch of cologne intermingled as he stepped up next to Allen. He swallowed, only allowing himself to peek at Kanda out of the corner of his eye.
In his ear, he heard Nea whisper, ‘He is pretty hot. Gonna try to fuck him?’
He stiffened, resisting the urge to snap at his constant companion. Well, his other one. Timcanpy was at home nursing his pride from his most recent cat encounter.
“Oh, come on, Yu! You don't even have to talk. Just stand there all handsome and broody and musclely.”
“No.”
“Yu!” Alma's voice had turned into a whine. “You can't expect me to keep Allen from floating off? I'm an airhead! And our camera guy will be… well, camera guy-ing.”
Allen was sure he could actually hear the grinding of Kanda's teeth. Nea started to say something, but Allen waved him off absently as he spoke up. “I'm sure I'll be fine. I don't need an anchor.” Probably. “Well, depending on what you guys experience first.”
Alma groaned. “Allen, don't take his side!”
Smiling placidly, Allen said, “I didn't know there were sides to be taken.”
“Fine,” Alma huffed, crossing his arms across his chest like a petulant child. “Whatever. Chop chop, we're wasting moonlight. Make sure your GoPros have a full battery and your microphones are on. You too, Allen, just in case.”
Allen nodded, glancing down at the small camera strapped to his chest like all the others had. He did as directed and heard a beep when his microphone came to life.
The groups trudged towards the building, chattering excitedly. The three men in the van slammed the doors close. Then, it was just Allen and Kanda leaning against the back. It was nearly pitch black without the van lights save for the weakest bit of moonlight coming from the crescent moon above their heads.
Nea floated around Allen, grinning like a jester before gliding to hover close to Kanda's face. ‘He really is a handsome devil, huh? If you don't proposition him, I'll be very disappointed in you.’
Reeling in the irritation Nea always managed to stir in him -for a spirit guide he was a real pain in the ass- Allen pushed off the back of the van. He was close to the edge of the forest before he stopped and glanced up. The sky was beautifully clear, stars twinkling brightly. When Nea finally returned to his side, he glanced over and whispered his assessment, “You're a pain in my ass.”
Nea grinned smugly. ‘The feeling is mutual, nephew. So, are you going to?’
“No, of course not! We only just met, and the last time I was in a relationship with a team member, I got fucked over. So, no, I'm not going to.” He did his best to keep his volume below a whisper, but in the still silence of the night, he wasn't sure if his voice still carried or not.
This time, Nea grimaced. ‘Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about her. To be fair, Road wasn't the one who did that, but her family. Granted, she did choose them in the end.’
“Yes, how could I forget,” Allen muttered bitterly.
He startled as a branch just past the tree line snapped loudly. Not a twig, but something that would take weight to break. Nea went on the alert beside him, touching down as his golden eyes stared into the darkness and settling a hand on his shoulder. Every muscle in Allen's body tensed, ready to bolt.
The world was still around him, not even the rustle of a breeze through the trees to break up the darkness. Holding his breath, blood began to beat in his ears, making it all the harder to hear anything.
He jumped again as Kanda appeared at his side. His large hands were wrapped around the grip of a gun pointed to the dirt, finger off the trigger and eyes looking out. Black and lethal, it didn't waver in his grasp.
Allen hadn't even noticed that he'd had a gun! Where had that been hiding? Something about this, Kanda poised and ready to strike, made heat flood Allen's body for the second time that night. He understood immediately what Lenalee had been talking about. Unfortunately, the warmth didn’t last long.
“Van. Go. Now,” Kanda muttered haltingly, not even glancing at him.
He couldn’t move, not as another branch snapped. He felt like a prey animal, a rabbit waiting for the right moment to run.
‘Hey!’ Allen jerked around, eyes finally pulled away from the tree line, hand pressed to his ear. Kanda frowned at him as he stared past Kanda’s taut body, but there was only the rocky dirt path they’d taken to get here. ‘Hey! Over here!’
Spinning the other way, Allen just caught sight of a gate as it slowly swung open without a sound. “Nea-” he started, but when he looked, his companion was no longer there, “Shit.” It wasn’t uncommon for Nea to up and disappear for days or weeks at a time, but in conjunction with an investigation, it usually meant his senses were being overwhelmed with something else.
A baby's cry pierced the air.
“What the fuck?”
Allen glanced over his shoulder at Kanda's pinched expression, frown turning into a full-on scowl. “You can hear the baby?”
“Of course, I can fucking hear it!”
A real child somewhere then? Maybe Kanda had some spiritual ability after all? Or maybe Allen's own spiritual energy was spilling over? Inhaling slowly, he turned back and started for the gate. A hand slapped down on his shoulder, keeping him in place.
“I told you to get back to the van, short stack,” Kanda snapped just as the trees rustled meaningfully. The crying grew louder.
‘Maaamaaa!’ Not a baby at all, but actually a young child. A young terrified child.
“My name is Allen!” Allen snapped back instinctively. Years of being called every name except his given name as an orphan had predisposed him to react negatively to any kind of nickname, whether affectionate or derogatory. Shaking his head hard, he tried to pull out of Kanda's grip to no avail. “I'm not going to leave a little kid out here! We can give them a warm place to wait for their parent or take them to the police later if no one shows up.”
Kanda's scowl deepened further until he finally released his shoulder and waved Allen forward. All the while, the crying continued.
“You can just go back to the van. You clearly don't want to come with me,” Allen said as he turned and started for the gate. Setting his hand on the worn, rotting wood, he felt a shock ripple up his arm. He looked toward the stars, apprehension stalling him.
‘Maaamaaa!’ The child called again.
“The fuck I will. My job is to keep you idiots safe. If you want to go running around despite my warning, I don't have a choice but to follow your dumb ass,” Kanda growled as he stepped up to his shoulder, glaring into the darkness past the gate like he was warning something off.
Glancing over, Allen stared at the gun still held stiffly between Kanda's hands. “Put that away. You might scare them.”
“No.”
“Nice talk,” Allen said dryly. He huffed out a sigh before finally stepping over the invisible threshold of the fence. As soon as his foot set down on the soil beyond, he trembled violently.
Spiritual energy rushed over him, and none of it was peaceful. The spirits here were restless, restless, restless. Some were viciously angry, but at least it wasn't directed at him… yet. He couldn't even feel Nea anymore, not even a vibration, and that made him all the more uneasy.
He grimaced, forcing his feet to continue moving. Nothing was going to keep him from protecting a helpless child.
As he walked further into the fenced-off area, the light of the moon seemed to grow brighter until the area was completely illuminated. The area was larger than he'd been expecting. Yards upon yards of patchy grass stretched out dotted with weather-worn headstones. Hundreds of headstones, most simple slabs of stone except for a single figure at the far end. Seemingly overseeing the entire graveyard was an angel with folded hands and spread wings.
Allen could almost feel Kanda's tension ratchet up as they took in the scene.
Again, the child cried out, ‘Maaamaaa!’
Inhaling shakily, Allen started towards the angel. He paused only long enough to notice that its face had been worn away to a smooth facade. He swallowed and carefully peeked around the statue.
A small shape was huddled against the stone. He could see the dirt beneath and through the form. His eyes grew hot staring at the small figure. How long had they been crying? How long had they been here alone? No matter how many spirits he’d met and spoken with, children were always the hardest for him. Always, he was reminded of the child he used to be.
Crouching down to the child's level, Allen whispered, “Hey there. Are you lost?” He had to force a smile as the child lifted their face.
One side of the little girl’s head had been completely caved in. The entire right side of her face and shoulder were soaked in dark red blood, her pale skin splattered. Tears streaked down the left side of her face, her remaining brown eye large and shiny. The brown curls not matted with blood fell softly down her back. She clutched a mangy brown teddy bear to her chest.
‘Do you know where Mama is?’ she asked with a sniffle.
He shook his head slowly. “I'm sorry, I don't. Where did you see her last?”
The girl's lips puckered, chin trembling. ‘She pushed me into a closet and told me to stay quiet because Reverend was very angry. She told me she'd be back soon. I think he found me, but I don't remember. I just want Mama!’
“Do you know her name? Maybe we can find her. What's your name?”
‘My name is Beatrice. Beatrice Bowden. And Mama's name is… I think… Joanna. That’s what Reverend calls her.’
“Joanna and Beatrice Bowden, what pretty names. Come on, I'll help you,” he said gently, holding out his hand as he stood.
She stood slowly, chin still trembling, and took his outstretched hand. Her dress was simple and buttoned from neck to hem. There were frills at the end of her short sleeves and her black shoes were shiny. The dress was yellow where it wasn't soaked red with blood.
“Your dress is really pretty. Do you get to wear it often?”
Beatrice sniffled again, rubbing at her nose with the back of her wrist, still holding the teddy bear tightly. ‘On Sundays when we go to church.’ As they turned, Beatrice shrank behind Allen's legs, peaking around to stare at Kanda as he frowned at Allen. ‘Who's that? He's kind of scary looking for being so pretty.’
Allen smiled, blinking away the tears that were gathering in his eyes. “You don't have to worry about him. He's not going to hurt you. He's a friend of mine.” Kanda scoffed, and Allen shot him an unimpressed look. “Kanda, can you help look for Joanna and Beatrice Bowden?” He asked, waving around at the headstones.
‘I'm right here, silly!’ Beatrice said, popping out from behind him and drawing Allen's attention again.
“You are so right,” he told her before looking back at his teammate, “Please?” Exhaustion was beginning to weigh Allen down the longer they stayed in the graveyard. Even without all the others, Beatrice was pulling a surprising amount of energy from him. He wouldn't have been surprised if she was visible even to Kanda.
Clicking his tongue, Kanda muttered, “Fine.” He returned to the front right headstone, pulling out a flashlight.
Allen tugged out the small, cheap one Alma had given him when he'd been fitted with the GoPro chest harness. He guided Beatrice to the back left corner to begin. They talked quietly as he quickly checked name after name, sometimes having to crouch to run his fingers across indistinct grooves. “Did you get your bear for Christmas or your birthday?” he asked absentmindedly, catching the flash of Kanda's light growing closer. They were on the same row.
Beatrice shook her head. ‘No. A nice lady left it for me. She came to visit one time. I don't think she could see very well.’
“Why do you say that?”
‘She didn't look at me.’
Kanda and Allen stopped at each other's sides illuminating two headstones. In Kanda's flashlight beam was the headstone of Joanna Bowden. In Allen's, a bedraggled teddy bear leaned against the headstone of Beatrice Bowden. The dates of death were the same. He swallowed, his vision blurring with tears.
“We found her, Beatrice. Your mom is right here next to you,” he said, slowly crouching beside her again and holding her arms gently.
Beatrice's chin wobbled again as she stared at the headstones. ‘Why didn't she come get me?’
“She might not know that you got stuck here,” he said, reaching out to brush the bangs from her forehead, “I'm sure she's waiting for you on the other side.”
She stared into his eyes, gripping his fingers tighter. ‘Are you sure?’
“Positive.”
‘Okay. I trust you,’ she whispered.
A sucking sensation like water draining from a tub hit him, seemingly the rest of his energy leaving his body. His vision swam. Between one blink and the next, Beatrice was gone, and Allen was tipping forward into darkness.
The last thing he heard was Kanda snapping, “Shit!”
…..
‘Hey!’ The whisper was sharp and cold, right against his ear. He jolted, the word sending a shock through his system, but his eyelids were still too heavy to lift. ‘Hey! Over here!’
Grimacing, Allen shifted, trying to find a more comfortable way to lie.
‘Look at me!’
There was the whisper again, so close Allen wasn't sure if it had been said aloud or in his head. Weight slowly began to press down on his chest, making each breath harder and harder to take. The sense of his body being held still was a familiar sensation, and he swallowed knowing something would be waiting for him when he opened his eyes. The feeling was only made worse by the knowledge that whatever it was had been the thing watching him from the forest.
‘I said LOOK AT ME!’
Pain pierced Allen’s ears, eyes flying open involuntarily. Hovering so close to his face that he could taste the spirit’s acrid scent, a face of charred skin with a ghastly grin stared down at him. Where eyes should be were two empty seeping sockets. From one of those sockets, a thick gelatinous substance dripped and splattered across Allen’s cheek.
Letting out a screech, Allen scrambled to get away. He didn’t go far when his head cracked against something wooden. The creature scrabbled after him. Climbing over the obstruction, he plummeted, head cracking even harder against the stone. Looking around wildly, he tried to find the closest escape route. He had to get away, had to run from that awful face. Had to escape before it got its hands on him. It had gotten Beatrice, there was nothing that would stop it from coming for him next. He had to-
“What the fuck, moyashi!”
Long fingers wrapped around his biceps. He looked around wildly, struggling against the grip, sure it was that creature. Instead of empty sockets and burnt skin, though, he found Kanda’s deep frown and sky blue eyes.
Allen reached out, searching for any handhold to ground him, anything to bring him back down from his heightened state of awareness. He could feel everything around him. He could feel the spirits sucking at him from the graveyard and the malice of the land he was on. There were three living people being followed around by a spirit somewhere above him. There were another three also being followed somewhere behind him. Yet another three bodies surrounded by the constant buzz of electronics to his right. Kanda’s presence was the quietest of all, just a slight vibration against his skin. Then there was that thing that had woken him still lingering nearby.
Too close. Too close. It was still too close.
Fingers clawing into Kanda’s knee, he held on tightly as he tried to come back. His breath was coming in too fast pants, and he was growing more lightheaded with each passing second. He glanced over his shoulder, feeling the spirit drifting through the space. His space. On the dais, the altar cloth fluttered and behind that, a statue trembled.
“You need to calm the fuck down and start breathing properly,” Kanda snapped, roughly pushing his face to the side to peer at the back of his head, “No blood. I’m not carrying your dumbass again. What are you freaking out about anyway? There’s nothing here.” Gripping Allen’s chin, he yanked him back around to face him again. “Are you listening?”
Allen really wasn’t. There was too much going on, too much energy swirling around him vying for his attention. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to focus, tried to remember how to calm himself. Like Cross had taught him. In his head, Cross growled, ‘Focus on your senses. One thing you can taste.’ He gasped in a breath. He could taste the dust of the building, musty and decades-old on his tongue.
‘Two things you can smell.’ Another breath. He could smell the lacquered wood of the pews and the sweet musk of cigarettes and pot still clinging to Kanda’s skin.
‘Three things you can feel.’ Another breath, this one deeper than the last. Beneath his fingers, he could feel denim worn soft by use, the heat of Kanda’s skin, and the flex of his thickly muscled thigh.
‘Four things you can hear.’ Another breath, slower than the last. Around him, he could hear Lavi’s voice muffled by stone, the creak of the floorboards above him, the steadiness of Kanda’s breath, and the flutter of the altar cloth.
‘And five things you can see.’ Another breath, lungs expanding to their fullest. When he opened his eyes, he could see frustrated sky blue eyes, long black hair draped over a shoulder, black shirt sleeves pressed tight over tense biceps, soft pink lips cut in a scowl, and a muscle jumping along Kanda’s jaw.
Allen’s breath had slowed to something more manageable, the black spots no longer filling his vision. He whispered, “Sorry. I’m sorry.”
“What the fuck for?” Kanda narrowed his eyes, remaining still beneath Allen’s fingers. “You know what, no. Just get up. I’m tired of you. Lenalee and Usagi can babysit you.”
“Okay,” Allen whispered without argument, allowing the other man to pull him to his feet. He felt unsteady, knees wobbly. He leaned against one of the many pews, scanning the main room of the church slowly. The statue at the front swayed again.
Several things happened in quick succession.
Above them, Alma and Krory shouted as something crashed loudly. In another room, Lenalee let out a shrill scream. “Dammit!” Kanda snapped, taking a step toward where Lenalee’s scream had come from. At the front, the statue pulled away from its perch.
Allen reacted without thought, lurching forward to push Kanda to the ground just as the statue shot across the chapel. It had been perfectly aimed at Kanda’s head, but instead, it shattered against the stone floor.
Kanda glared at it. As the pews started to rattle, he jerked Allen back to his feet. “Outside, now!” He shoved Allen towards the door, but veered off, barely dodging something that shattered like glass against the wall.
Allen didn’t wait to see what else could be thrown, darting out as the back of the van popped open, releasing the other three men into the night.
“Allen, what’s going on?” Johnny asked frantically as Komui tried to run past him.
Catching the other man around the waist, Allen dragged him back to the van. Komui fought, calling out, “Lenalee!”
“Kanda’s getting her! Don’t go in!” Allen shouted, struggling to hold him.
A side door burst open, Lenalee, Lavi, and Daisya stumbling out in a cloud of dust, coughing raggedly. The door immediately slammed shut. As they hurried over, the double doors at the front of the church burst open, releasing Alma, Krory, and Marie followed closely by a pissed off Kanda. Blood ran down his cheek from a cut that hadn’t been there a moment before.
Gathering together in a tight clump, everyone listened to the destruction within the building.
…..
The only good thing to come out of this whole ordeal was the hot black coffee sitting in front of Kanda. Possibly the worst thing about all of this was that they were at a fucking New England IHOP just past midnight while the others clamored over Lavi's research and what they had filmed. Beside him, the newcomer, Allen, listed dangerously towards the table, eyes squinted as if trying to focus. Around them, every degenerate seemed to be out and making a fool of themselves, and that included his own group.
Glaring, he pushed Allen back against the booth to prevent him from shattering a mug with his face. His head flopped back, and it was lights out. Across the table, Lenalee smiled at him, and beside her, Alma was grinning stupidly. The pair exchanged a glance that made Kanda raise his hackles.
“I’m telling you, I have no idea what that was. From all of my research, the activity was supposed to be mild if present at all,” Lavi said vehemently, slapping a hand down on the table between him and Komui.
Komui was completely strung out, cheeks red as he glared at the redhead. “Well, it wasn’t! You put Lenalee in danger!”
“She’s my girlfriend! You think I would knowingly put her in danger?” Komui’s anger was spinning Lavi up now, pulling from his normally jovial mood.
“Cut it out, you two,” Reever cut in tiredly, ever the voice of reason, “Calm down. You’re attracting attention. None of us could have predicted what happened tonight. What we should be discussing is why it happened. We’ve never been to a location that was so active or violent.”
The table fell silent, and Kanda watched as all eyes turned to Reever. He didn’t have to guess why things had been different than usual. The reason was sitting right next to him snoring softly. He was positive about that even if he didn’t fully understand how or why. But process of elimination stated that Allen was the change to their team. Not only that but after everything he had witnessed that night, there was no doubt in his mind. There was something different about this guy, and if it was going to put his family at risk, he didn’t want him there. But as he looked over the others' faces, he knew they would want to keep him no matter what.
He interrupted the group as he asked, “Lavi, was there anyone with the last name Bowden in your research?”
Lavi cocked his head at him. “Bowden?”
“Yes. Joanna and Beatrice Bowden.”
“Yes, there was.” He riffled through his stack of papers before he pulled out a photocopy of a picture. “Yeah, right here. Joanna and Beatrice Bowden.” He turned the page toward Kanda, handing it over. “They were some of the victims of the murders at the church. Joanna was twenty-seven and Beatrice was eight. That picture was taken not too long before their deaths. Why do you ask? I don’t remember covering them during the debriefing.”
“You didn’t,” Kanda muttered, staring down at the picture. The little girl he saw there was a near carbon copy of the one he’d gotten a glimpse of in the graveyard just before she’d blipped out of existence. The only difference was that there was no evidence of her death. The picture was black and white, but the style of the dress was the same as were the loose curls tumbling over her shoulders. She looked so small and young, so full of life. In her mother, he could see what she would have grown to look like.
The feeling in his chest wasn’t a comfortable one.
As the others returned to their discussion, he folded the paper, shoving it into his pocket as he stood and headed outside for a smoke.