Title: Stray
Fandom: -man
Rating: T for Kanda's mouth, yet again
Pairing: Kanda x Allen

A/N: Harroo~~~3 How's everyone today?

Anyway. To business.

This would be my second fic here on FFnet, Stray, which I do plan on making multi-chapter, if ya'll seem to like it.

This is AU. Don't like, don't read.

This is also shounen-ai. Again, don't read if you don't like.

Anywho, enjoyenjoy, don't hate me too much for my continuing lack-of-a-beta mistakes~

xxxxx

Kanda was not amused.

"U-um…"

"Just take the fucking soup and eat it."

Kanda ignored the disgusted looks he received from the other workers at his harsh words, returning their stares with his best 'if-you-say-anything-I-will-cut-you-open' glare before returning his gaze to the timid boy who had been standing on the other side of the counter just a second ago. Had, that is, until he'd been scared away by Kanda's harsh words. The dark-haired teen smirked slightly before snapping to the next person in line, "Do you want your fucking food or not?" Said person, who appeared just as timid as the boy before, flinched back a bit before holding out his bowl with trembling hands, into which Kanda poured a ladleful of warm, creamy soup. The man stuttered a quiet "thank you" before scurrying away, leaving Kanda free to serve the next person in line.

No, Kanda was most certainly not enjoying himself.

The month of December brought many things to the world, most of which Kanda hated. He hated the bright, colorful lights that seemed to adorn every single house he saw. He hated the way everyone was expected to be kind and giving and accepting and all that shit, since he was most definitely not any of these things and he wasn't about to force himself into a drastic personality change just because the founder of the soup kitchen wanted him too. He wasn't required to do this stupid volunteer work – in fact, if It wasn't for the fact that Kanda wasn't to get into a good college that required a good amount of community service to be completed by every aspiring student, he would most certainly not be here, which he had told said founder irritably on his first day of work. The man had then told Kanda that if they weren't in such desperate need of volunteers that they wouldn't even consider someone like Kanda, but alas, not many people had appeared they charitable that year and so Kanda was stuck serving soup to homeless folk under the watchful eye of everyone who seemed to expect that he would kill something at any moment.

Curse his fate.

He was ladling out his seemingly billionth bowl of soup when he happened to look up and see the boy he had frightened off earlier, sitting at a table in the far corner of the kitchen, alone. No one came near him, no one noticed him, and if Kanda hadn't seen one or two of the other tramps shoot frightened looks at the boy, Kanda would started to question whether the boy wasn't really there, or if he was some kind of spirit, or maybe a ghost. Of course, Kanda didn't believe in ghosties or ghoulies, even if the boy's strikingly white hair made that theory seem even more probable.

But Kanda wasn't one to worry about things that didn't concern him, and so he cast the boy from his mind and continued to begrudgingly pour soup into yet another bowl.

---

The sun had already begun to dip in a slow arc beneath the horizon before the kitchen announced that it was time to shut down for the night. Grumbles could be heard all around from the homeless who had been seeking momentary shelter from the snow outside, but eventually the kitchen emptied of all its patrons and was ready to close its doors.

All except for one boy who continued to sit silently in the corner.

Kanda was in such a rush to get out of the place that he almost didn't notice that the distinct mop of white hair he had noticed earlier had not yet moved from his spot. He stopped, turning his head slightly so he could see the boy better. The kid wasn't moving at all, his eyes cast downwards and his bowl of un-eaten soup growing cold on the table. Kanda vaguely wondered if the boy was dead.

"Dear?"

One of the chubby women who regularly volunteered at the kitchen cautiously approached the immobile child, who made no move to indicate that he heard. "Child, the kitchen is closing you need to leave now…ok?"

The white-hairier boy remained immobile.

"D-dear?" The woman seemed unwilling to touch the boy for a reason Kanda couldn't quite grasp. Was there something wrong with the boy? He had seemed fine when Kanda had poured him his share of the soup…He scowled at the woman who was still trying to get the boy's attention without any form of physical contact, and the display was starting to irritate the long-haired boy. Gritting his teeth with annoyance, Kanda decided that it was time he intervened.

"Che." He stalked over to where the boy was sitting inanimately at the table and gripped his right shoulder. "The kitchen's fucking closed. Scram."

At Kanda's touch, the boy snapped to life almost immediately, his gaze shooting up to stare at Kanda like a deer caught in headlights.

"O-oh…" the kid stammered, silvery-gray eyes swimming with fear at the gaze of the older teen. But the boy did not move, instead beginning to tremble slightly and pull his coat closer to him. Kanda noticed that the boy's left hand was gloved, whilst the right was not. Peculiar.

Still the boy did not move. This annoyed Kanda further. "Well? Get moving."

"…" The boy was silent, and returned his gaze to the full bowl in front of him. He still did not raise himself from his seat. "I never ate…"

"Too bad." Impatient now, Kanda tightened his grip on the kid's shoulder and yanked the boy from his seat, causing a sharp intake of breath from the chubby woman and a distressed squeak from the boy.

"U-um-"

"OUT."

Kanda roughly dragged the boy towards the doors of the kitchen and shoved him out, watching as he stumbled and almost lost his footing on the slippery, snow-covered ground. He cast his dull, frightened eyes back to Kanda, once, before tearing off down the street, attempting to put as much distance as possible between him and Kanda.

Pleased with himself for dealing with the nuisance, Kanda had already taken a few steps in the direction of his home when he heard the voice of the woman from earlier tentatively call his name.

"Mr. Kanda?"

He whirled around, patience running thin, and shot his best glare at the chubby volunteer, which drained the remaining color from her face rather quickly.

"WHAT."

"W-well…" the woman stuttered, casting her eyes aside and bringing her hands up to rest curled together beneath her chin. "W-why were you not afraid to touch that boy?"

Kanda snorted. "Why should I be afraid of some fucking kid?" So there was some kind of fear that circled around this child. Interesting.

The woman was baffled. "….do you not know?"

"Know what?"

"That boy…" stammered the woman, eyes slowly filling with fear and…a slight hint of disgust. Kanda found himself getting angry again, clenching his fists slightly as he waiting for the rest of the reply.

"What about him?"

"That boy…is cursed."

xxxxx

A/N: Well, I actually ended that chapter in a way I did not expect to.

Guess that just makes it all the more interesting, no? Hahahaha, NO.

Anyway.

That's the first chappie~

If anyone wants me to continue it, I will.

….-thinksitfailslol-

Well, till next tiem,

- 27