Chasing After the Wind

Chasing After The Wind is a currently running fanfiction work found on Fanfiction.net written by Doctor Yok. It showcases Lavi, a Bookman apprentice from the series D.Gray-man, in Argentina on a rare mission without any of his usual compatriots. However, Lavi's carefully stored memories from past stints in different 'personas' as a Bookman's apprentice are coming back to bite him. While coping with his sudden lack of control over his vivid memories, he must solve the mystery of Akuma blood in a river that had been dry for hundreds of years. Along for the ride is Esperanza Castillo, an incredibly calm Argentinian vaquera who serves as his guide and perhaps, maybe, as a friend. On the chase after him are a Noah, one drug lord, and a horde of Akuma and henchman as he tries to beat them to a supposedly cursed spring at the top of an Argentinian mountain.

The title is derived from The Bible, a phrase used constantly in Solomon's Ecclestiastes. Tends to use a good spattering of Spanish dialogue, though YMMV if it's Gratuitous Spanish or not.

Tropes used in Chasing After the Wind include:

• Affably Evil: Dominguez, the drug lord, is actually quite a nice guy, despite the fact he has people killed and sells opium. He throws a birthday party for his daughter and invites everyone in town to attend.
• Bilingual Bonus: The names of the horses that are owned by Esperanza and Lavi respectively, once translated, are Lightning and Porkchop.
• Boom Town: A subversion - the town should've been a Ghost Town by now what with the water running out many years before, but somehow they managed to cling to whatever lay outside of their town by establishing trails in the desert.
• Cowboy: Esperanza possibly counts as the Philosopher Cowboy category, as she is pretty quiet, reads her Bible (then again she is Catholic), and offers bits of advice.
• Fake-Out Make-Out: Esperanza and Lavi do this once when discovered snooping in someone's house.
• Frontier Doctor: Daniel, a side character, is a Frontier Doctor whose flaw happens to be that he's a stuffy British man and a little bit prejudiced against Spanish food and hygiene.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: A subversion. Esperanza has what would be considered a disfiguring scar marking her as evil and/or scary, but in reality they are from the harsh life of a vaquero.
• Halfbreed: Esperanza is hinted at this given her blatantly Blue Eyes.
• Mountain Man: Darrin, Esperanza and Lavi's guide up the mountain, could be considered this.
• My Skull Runneth Over: An interesting variation in that Lavi won't die, but it may as well be a Fate Worse Than Death. This appears to be happening with Lavi. It is alluded that if Lavi does not control his memories, they will overflow and cause him to lose his mind.
• Overly Long Name: In the case of the town, at least, which is Pueblo de Rio Seco de Maria de la Concepcion Immaculada de Belen. Try saying that in one breath. Translated, it should mean, Town of the Dry River of Mary of the Immaculate Conception of Bethlehem.
• Past Life Memories: A possible example or variation: Lavi has 'past memories' from each of his personas, which he considers different lives entirely. Each memory is properly put away by Bookman training so that accessing it does not cause insanity. However, it seems that he has begun to lose some of this ability to 'seal' away memories.
• The Bartender: One regularly occurs in the saloon that Esperanza and Lavi frequent.
• The Western: The series insofar currently shows
• This Is Gonna Suck: Esperanza, when Lavi is forced to remove needles embedded in her legs after a battle.