A/N: I do not own D. Grey Man.
HOMOSEXUALITY WARNING! Don't like, don't read.
-(Yullen)-
CHAPTER 1
Kanda's heavy exorcist boots clomp down the hallway, the repetitive noise echoing through empty space. His brow is furrowed, his pace combined with a stoic gaze express the importance of his eventual destination. Kanda knows a summons was to be expected, in the fragile state the Black Order was in, but he continued to worry. And this unneeded worry made him frustrated.
He had received a cryptic message in his room a day before, requesting his presence in a meeting that might reveal the location of a piece of innocence. (The message made him suspicious at first- It was a shoddily-ripped sheet of paper, with the words 'Meet in Komui's office at 8pm, tomorrow! Innocence may have been found!' scrawled across the surface. But asking around had givin him a rather irritating explanation for the letter… It was just Komui being a lazy-ass.) Kanda glances at a dingy wall-clock. 7:50 P.M., exactly. If anything, he'd be early. He exhales softly, trying to trick himself into calming the built-up anxiety in his stomach. But the knot stays, ever irritating. Kanda, thoroughly sick of the feeling, abruptly gives up any sort of effort to relax himself.
The door of Komui's office is just up ahead. It had obviously been a disgusting green color, before someone with half-assed intentions decided to splatter some black paint on it. Kanda grinds his teeth. Yet another untidy annoyance. Kanda comes straight up to the door and brings his fist down heavily upon it, aiming for a knock but settling with a decent KO punch. He hears a small commotion inside; Some talking, shuffling of papers, and suppressed laughter. Finally, the door opens.
"Kanda! I knew it was you!" Komui stands there, looking rather proud of himself. Kanda glares at him.
"Of course it was me. Who else would-" Kanda spots a few others in the room, behind Komui. His eyelids lower sharply. Staring back at him are three pairs of eyes, accompanied with exorcist coats and the like. Lenalee, Miranda, and… Allen. Kanda draws a sharp breath of frustration, and turns back to Komui.
"Care to explain?" The last word seems to drop out of Kanda's mouth, dripping so heavily with venom and rage that the entire room now seems to weigh a few tons. Miranda visibly hunches her shoulders. Komui laughs nervously, feeling intimidated despite his position of authority.
"Now, I never said anything about this being a solo mission-"
"You didn't say anything at all!" Kanda growls, remembering the suspicious looking letter that had obviously been slipped under his bedroom door while he slept. Komui sweats, glancing around for some help from the other exorcists. Lenalee is trying hard not to giggle. Miranda is staring off into space, careful not to involve herself in the potentially scary situation. But, finally, Allen speaks up.
"The point is, we were all summoned for this mission, even if Komui failed to mention some minor details…" Allen stares at Kanda, his gaze unwavering, his eyes trying to communicate something unsaid: 'I am not intimidated by you.' Kanda doesn't like the defiance. It isn't normal for him. He feels his eyes slipping from Allen's, to the floor, but scrambles to correct himself. He would not give in to this bean sprout, no matter how idiotic the challenge!
You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. In fact, you'd probably need something more heavy duty to cut this kind of tension; Say, a chainsaw.
"Erm, yes, Allen's right…" Komui stammers out, looking back and forth between Allen and Kanda. The two boys are glaring daggers at each other. It is alike to a staring contest… A staring contest that had bulked up on steroids, and then endured several years of military training in the Andes. The silence that follows seems to go on and on. Miranda shifts uneasily, twirling her hair with one finger and continuing to completely ignore what is happening.
"Hey-" Suddenly both Allen and Kanda turn their glares onto Komui. He jumps slightly, but knows it is imperative to keep their attentions focused away from one another. He clears his throat quickly.
"As you all know, I called you here for the possibility of recovering innocence." Suddenly Komui loses his previous nervousness. Determination settles onto his features, making him appear slightly grim.
"A large, isolated town far south of here is suspected of housing innocence."
"The reports of odd behavior have accumulated to a much larger number than normal. We have just enough reports to launch an official investigation."
"Though... I have to say, the evidence seems pretty weak..." Komui looks away, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. Kanda shakes his head and scoffs.
"If the evidence is weak, why send us off? Aren't there more important things to do?" Komui sighs dramatically and holds his head, still refusing to look anyone in the eyes.
"Unfortunately, the order to investigate this town came from above... We can't deny the request, no matter how foolish it seems. I only hope the ones who issued the order know what they're doing." Kanda grinds his teeth and pushes his knuckles into his temples. He hated pointless missions and investigations. Hated the wasted time, hated running in circles and asking idiotic questions. Hated the guilt he felt when, in the end, nothing had been accomplished.
"Don't you know anything else, brother?" Lenalee tilts her head at Komui, narrowing her eyes slightly. Komui sadly shakes his head, mumbling something. He pauses to organize his thoughts, and then takes a shallow breath.
"It gets a bit worse, I'm afraid..." Komui's sounds guilty. Kanda snaps his head up, nearly giving himself whiplash. He glares accusingly at Komui.
"What? What did you do?!" Kanda barks. Komui jumps, and then stares at Kanda with wide eyes.
"Huh? How did you-" Komui stops himself just in time. He suddenly looks back at Kanda with a cheerful face, armed with an excuse... But Kanda realizes that Komui is fully prepared to lie for his own sake. He crosses his arms, bares his teeth, and steps toward Komui, trying (and succeeding) at intimidation. Komui's smirk fades slightly and his previous confidence falters. He tries to recover, but finds his mind empty as Kanda lets out a low growl.
"I-... I don't know what-... Err..." Komui stammers.
"I-I may have... Done some unorthodox testing... " He admits, hanging his head in shame. Kanda's blood begins to boil, he's fully ready to shout at Komui for his foolishness. But he feels a hand on his shoulder, someone gently pushing him. Allen puts himself in between the two, and faces Komui...
"So what does this have to do with the investigation?" Allen asks calmly. Since Kanda and Komui were already pretty close together, Allen is nearly smashed between the two. Kanda realizes just how close he is, though, when Allen's hair brushes up against his face. Kanda stiffens, feeling a strange electric sensation run down his spine. A knot forms in his stomach, but he doesn't back away, even as his face starts to glow red.
"Oh, uh..." Komui is surprised at Allen's interference.
"Thing is, the people who's trust we need most to start investigating... are a bit... traumatized... to our organization." Komui coughs and clears his throat awkwardly.
"So, in order for this mission to be a success... I'm afraid I'm going to need all of you to go undercover."
"Undercover?" Allen tilts his head. The movement causes his white hair to brush up to Kanda's face again. Kanda inhales sharply, feeling the strange electricity once more. 'What's wrong with me?' He wonders, irritated. He fights the intense need to move away from the bean sprout, concluding that if he gives in and moves, he'll be perceived as weak. But Allen doesn't even seem to notice the close proximity, even though Kanda is practically breathing through his hair...
"Yes, undercover. You'll all be posing as students, students studying the abnormalities in community systems."
"This cover will give you the excuse to ask questions that would be considered inappropriate in other situations." Komui grins at Allen. "Clever, huh?"
"Quite clever." Allen smiles easily. He takes a step back, trying to move away.
"Hn!" Allen's boot catches on Kanda's. He falls backwards, making a small surprised noise, and collides into Kanda's sturdy chest. Both boys inhale sharply. Kanda's limbs go taut, his eyes narrow, glaring menacingly down at the top of Allen's head. They seem to be frozen in time. Allen's back rests against Kanda's chest, and the both of their bodies are completely rigid. Allen is the first to move.
"S-Sorry." The white haired boy stands, but doesn't turn around. He keeps his head lowered. Kanda, pleased that he was now not obligated to apologize but still in shock, murmurs something unintelligible. The room stays awkwardly silent.
"W-Well..." Komui isn't sure what he just witnessed, but seems to know not to comment.
"Um... Since the Black Order's dress is well known to most people, your clothes are going to pose a problem... So..." Komui claps his hands, startling the four.
"New outfits have been prepared for each one of you!" Everyone stares at Komui blankly. But Lenalee suddenly breaks into a confident smile, turning to Miranda.
"Did you hear that, Miranda? New outfits! We don't have to wear these stuffy old things!" She says with excitement, grabbing both of Miranda's hands and dancing around a bit. Miranda is a bit startled, but begins to giggle. The previously cold shell around her seems to melt, and a grin lights up her face. But while both of the girls are celebrating, the boys are just staring. Allen seems relatively intrigued, tilting his head at Lenalee and Miranda, a wondering look in his eyes. But Kanda is appaled. He ignores the two twittering girls, and stomps to Komui.
"Why?" He asks. Short and simple. Komui starts and looks over at Kanda, tilting his head.
"Why not?" Kanda resists the urge to strangle the older man.
"Can't we wear our own, normal clothes? Why would you PREPARE outfits for us?" Kanda seethes.
"But where's the fun in that?" Komui sticks his bottom lip out in childish protest. Kanda growls. Komui laughs loudly, knowing the face he just pulled was ridiculous.
"Sorry, Kanda. Actually, I wasn't the one who picked out outfits. Look." Komui points behind him, where four backpacks are stacked in a corner.
"Those packs were sent here, with a note demanding each of you wear what my superiors picked out." Kanda glares at the backpacks. Why in the hell did they need special outfits? Weren't they posing as normal students? What kind of idiots ran the Black Order?!
"Ohh, can we try our clothes on now?" Lenalee asks her brother, optimistic. Komui pats her head and smiles.
"Sure. See if they fit. Each backpack has a name on it, so find yours." Lenalee nods, grabbing Miranda's hand and dragging her over to the backpacks. Allen follows. Kanda fumes at his peers' complete acceptance. This didn't even sound like a real investigation! But, even so, Kanda's curious. He grudgingly makes for the backpacks, grumbling under his breath. He finds his name, slings the pack over his shoulder, and makes his way to an empty adjacent room.
In his backpack, there is a neatly folded black t-shirt, nestled on top of dark jeans. Then, under the jeans, sits a pair of bright white tennis shoes, socks stuffed in each. The entire outfit seems suspiciously simple. Kanda checks through each and every pocket of the pack, expecting something strange to pop out. He finds nothing. Satisfied, Kanda quickly changes into the new clothes. He looks around, searching for a mirror, but finds none. He sighs and grabs a hold of the doorknob, twisting it soundlessly. The door glides out of place, allowing him to slip into Komui's office with minimal noise. Though the effort turns out to be unneccassary, as none of the other exorcists are finished changing as of yet.
"So, you like it?" Komui appears out of nowhere. The young exorcist nearly jumps out of his skin, as he was sure Komui had not been there only moments before! Komui sees Kanda's surprised face, and chuckles.
"Sorry. You didn't see me, did you?" Kanda realizes he must look shocked. He quickly narrows his eyes and 'harumph's, turning away from the man. Komui stares for a second, and opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Miranda shuffling into the room.
"Oh, Kanda, that looks good on you!" Miranda smiles shyly. She adjusts her shirt, a white tanktop covered with a mint green cardigan. A cream-colored, lace skirt flows down to her ankles, nearly covering a flimsy pair of sandals. Kanda stares at her, slightly confused.
"Never thought I'd see you in such light colors..." He mutters, mostly to himself.
"Miranda! Ohh, that skirt is so pretty!" Lenalee trots over, smiling happily. Miranda blushes slightly and nods at the bubbly girl, giving her a small smile.
"Thanks Lenalee." Miranda tilts her head. Lenalee's ensemble is quite ordinary, a black hoodie accompanied with baggy jeans and dark sneakers. Kanda is surprised at the fairly conservative clothes. He fully expected Lenalee to come out of the room with barely anything on, maybe a bikini top with shorts, or even just the swimsuit-
"I... I d-don't think this is right..." A timid voice mumbles from the far corner of the room. Kanda turns around.
And there, radiating anxiety and embarrassment, huddled up against the wall, blushing fiercely, is Allen. Kanda gets one look of the white-haired boy before turning completely on his heels, accomplishing a full 360 degree spin. But he was too late, for the image had already been burned into his memory, bright-white and scalding.
A/N: HAHAHA CLIFF HANGER!... Sorry. But, the next chapter is almost finished, so you won't have to wait long! ^^