Disclaimer: I do not own any of -Man's story or characters. Only Rosio, Sil, and Ada belong to me and any changes in the story made due to their existence, as well as their own stories. Other OCs belong to my friends.
NOTE:This story takes place before the search for Cross whilst everyone is still at the order. Also, I know that this is late. I had started it on July 6, Kanda's birthday. My own fault, I know.
Kanda's Birthday
"Yuu-kun."
A knock beat at the door.
"Yuu-kun."
More knocking.
"Yuu-kun."
As the knocking continued, the male curled up in his sheets, trying to hide from any and all sunlight. A groan escaped him before he sat up suddenly and threw off his covers. He only took a brief moment to glance down and make sure he was at least wearing pants before getting up and slamming open his door.
"What?" He hissed out before blinking in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Tiedoll smiled gently and held out a box to Kanda. It was rather small, though the cube was neatly wrapped and had a green bow placed at the top, adding flare to the gift.
"Happy birthday, Yuu-kun." It took the samurai a moment to process just what the General was talking about. Did he lose another screw or was he just being batty? Though as he thought through the options, Kanda then remembered what day it is. Not appreciative of it, he slammed his door shut again, leaving the fatherly General outside. Said man began to knock on the door again, repeating his previous actions of calling out to Kanda.
Even though Tiedoll remained at his door, Kanda left the entrance and went to his small closet, pulling out black pants and a blue-grey turtle neck. Quite a few Exorcists found this style of clothing suitable, so it was almost a uniform in his opinion. Normally, he would have taken his sweater as well, though it was July and the heat was slamming into the Order. You would think that with all of this technology they could repair the damned air conditioning. The teen cursed in his mind.
With a heavy huff, he opened his door again and stopped only momentarily to look at Tiedoll before continuing on his way to the cafeteria. That is, until the older gentleman stopped him again by suddenly rushing in front of him, shoving the present towards him. The two starred at each other silently a moment, Kanda glaring rather harshly. With yet another huff, he took the box and walked past Tiedoll, who allowed him to leave. A smile rested on his face.
"Happy birthday, Yuu.."
Once he made it down to the cafeteria, Kanda was again intercepted.
"Hey, Yuu! What's up?" The man growled. "Back away slowly, stupid rabbit." Lavi only laughed. "Nah, I'm good. Anyways, what's up? Getting breakfast? You've been asleep for a while. I think Lenalee was looking for yo-"
"Why do you have to be so damn hyper this early in morning?" Kanda roared at the red head who quickly ducked and shook in slight fear. This being overly comedic and not serious of course. Lavi knew that Kanda was threatening, though he felt as though Kanda wouldn't actually hurt him unless he really did something wrong.
As usual, Kanda requested soba noodles from Jerry and his fast-working crew in the kitchen. Though today, rather than just his noodles, Jerry also passed him a second plate. It held a slice of pumpkin pie that had the sweetest scent coming from it. Kanda nearly cringed at the reminder, though carried the plate with him, keeping the box tucked underneath his arm. It really was a pain carrying the thing around like that. Quietly, Kanda took a seat at an empty table near a wall. He enjoyed the silence and being alone. Besides, today wasn't meant to be so happily celebrated with others.
"So, what's the pie for?" A shiver ran up Kanda's spine. He hadn't detected the rabbit that reappeared beside him. "Damned rabbit...Can't I eat in piece?" He slammed his chopsticks down and Lavi only gave a nervous laugh. "Hey now, I'm only kidding with you. No need to get violent. But really, what is it for? And the box too. It looks like a present." The fumes calmed as Kanda went back to eating.
"It's none of your business.." Lavi shook his shoulders lightly. "Come on~ I wanna know~ Even Tiedoll is here, so it's gotta be important~ Oh! Yuu, don't tell me! Is it your birthd-" The larger male quickly threw his hand over the eyepatch boy's mouth. "Shut up and I won't kill you yet." Lavi held his breath. "..Yet." Once Kanda removed his hand, Lavi took in another breath of air.
What was that for..? The red head wondered to himself.
That morning was quiet. Lavi ended up leaving with Allen whenever he came to the table, saying he needed the boy's help. The silence was such bliss to Yuu that he let out a relieved sigh after finishing his soba. The pie remained on the table though, and he inspected it wordlessly for a good five minutes. It took him yet another pass of time to pick up the fork and take off the end. Even then he waited before taking the bite into his mouth and nibbling on it suspiciously. No poison, no odd spices, only pumpkin pie. Although he wasn't quick to openly admit liking it, Kanda enjoyed the taste of the pumpkin pie.
Once done and out of the cafeteria, Kanda was out and going to the training hall. Usually he spent time there, meditating or beating on dummies. Today though, he wasn't alone. Lenalee was there, almost as if she were waiting for him.
"Kanda, where have you been? Have you been sleeping all day?" He groaned. Can I not get any peace and quiet..?
"No, I was eating. I have to do that too, you know." She sighed before smiling. "Either way, it's good to see you up. We've got something a mission for you. Komui told me to give it to you, along with this." The girl pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him. It had yet to be opened and seemed like an ordinary letter on the outside. "What's this?"
She took a seat beside him. "It's information about the next mission's whereabouts and cautions. That's about all I know. Anyways, once you get done, come straight to the cafeteria, alright?" She smiled. "Tiedoll wants you there whenever you get done." He rolled his eyes. "No." She glared.
"You will or you won't eat for the next week." A shiver went up his spine. Whenever Lenalee threatened him, he knew she wasn't joking. Unlike the others, he didn't see her as just some innocent girl. She was a teenage girl that had her wits about her. He nodded in agreement. "Alright, fine.." Her smile reappeared. "Good. Oh, and you'll be going with a partner." His frown increased. "Oh, don't be like that. You'll be fine. You're going to go with Sil."
He growled. "That Remedy ass? Why the hell do I have to go with him? Komui knows I hate him."
Lenalee walked over to him and smacked the back of his head. "Come on now, don't be that way. Sil isn't that bad. He just has problems sometimes with people, a lot like you."
"He's nothing like me."
"He's more like you than you think."
Both were silent a moment.
"..You don't know...you wouldn't know, and you shouldn't..." He turned away. Lenalee reached out to him, though he quickly left before she could get him. "Oh Kanda..I'm sorry..." She shook her head, now by herself. "Even so..I've got things to do now." She held a small fist in front of her before bounding off and out of the training hall.
Current Mission: London Bridges
A majority of the city, London, was happy as ever, not knowing of any wrong-doings. Of course though, the Order knew otherwise. Whilst everyone found this to be quite the nice day, a certain, smaller part of London, was being attacked. Three level one Akuma and two level twos have been sighted and it seems that more were coming when the Finder reported in. Now, Toma, Kanda, and Sil were on the mission to defeat them.
"It seems that there are five level ones now and the same two higher levels from before. One controls water and the other can become invisible. It seems the amount of time this invisible Akuma has is up to four minutes. Do you think you'll be able to handle it, Master Kanda, Master Remedy?" The two gave a single nod before glaring at each other. "I'll take the invisible one."
"No, I will. You take the water one." Sil protested Kanda's idea immediately. Kanda, not caring for the attitude, argued back. "No, because I can sense where the invisible one will be. You can't, and so you will take the water based one. Or even better, you take the small fries and I'll get the big ones." The copper haired boy only crossed his arms.
"I can take the invisible Akuma. I can sense him and so I will fight him. I can't fight the water type, so you will have to. The small fry will be out in a matter of seconds though, so just trust me on this."
"Why should I trust you?" The samurai had never actually seen Sil use his innocence. All he knew was that he could fight fist wise and was a parasitic type. "I don't know you."
"That's exactly my point."
Unsure of how to respond, Kanda closed his lips tightly and looked away irritated, eyes narrow. He would prefer work with Allen over this jerk. Toma, seeing the tension clearly, sat on the floor in front of them and began to play his single game of cards. Sil watched nearly curious, though Kanda held no interest in games.
By the time they got off the train, Sil had started small talk with Toma. The newly 19 year old blocked out their conversation. The three made their way out of the station and near one of the larger bridge areas, though lesser towns. Not many people lived there, but the bridge was vast, as was the river below it.
"They should be here at any time now. Master Kanda, you need to watch out for the Level two with water abilities. Master Remedy, you will find the level two that can hide itself. Kill any Akuma you see along the way." Toma had obtained the slight habit of ordering the Exorcists to specific posts. This being because it seemed that none of them could manage to work together without argument besides a few. He was lucky enough to always get the argumentative teams. "Fine." Kanda immediately took off and Sil did the same. "Remember, their goal is the-" Toma sighed. "Bridge..those two.."
During the Mission
"Back off! He's mine dammit!" Sil hollered at Kanda who had already defeated two of the level one Akuma's and his level two enemy. The samurai felt that his partner Exorcist was failing at his job, and therefore, came to assist him. Well, assist is a rather loosely used term for him since really, he was just going to finish it himself. "I'm not incompetent! Why do you think I can't do my own job?"
The red head glared and Kanda only barked back. "Because you take too long! Just hurry up and kill the damn thing! Don't get to know it first!" He closed his eyes to begin his search for the currently laughing Akuma. As he focused, Sil did the same, attempting to find the Akuma first. Toma watched, unable to do anything at the moment. All of the other Akuma were dead, though this one seemed to be much harder to defeat.
"Found him." Sil hissed as he suddenly breathed out flames. The heat reached out and circled around what seemed to be an invisible object: the Akuma. Reappearing, the Akuma showed himself. As it screamed, Sil ran to attack, though Kanda arrived first, slicing through the mask on his forehead. Sil fell back, landing on the ground below on his back while Kanda landed on one knee. The level two exploded and was defeated.
Both Exorcists collected themselves. Toma made his way over, rather unamused by what he saw. Even so, he couldn't exactly say much. He was only a Finder after all and couldn't really speak out against them. That didn't stop Sil though from raging at his teammate.
"Dammit! What the hell was that? I had him and you got entirely in the way!" He growled and Kanda only scoffed. "You're too weak. Just deal with it. It's time to go."
"You're such an ass, Kanda! You aren't the only Exorcist here! Why can't you just respec-" A large cough interrupted Sil. The male collapsed to his knees, holding his throat.
Unsure of the situation, Kanda turned around and watched the scene. Toma rushed to Sil and pulled out what looked like a pill bottle, handing it to him. The Exorcist rejected the bottle though, and Yuu felt confused. With quiet steps, he made his way over. The coughing continued violently and there was such a deep scratching sound in Sil's throat that both Toma and Kanda almost felt it in their own. "Master Remedy, you must take your medi-"
"N-No. I'm fin-" Again, he coughed. It almost sounded as if the male was ready to gag, but didn't. The scenario looked all too familiar to Kanda, though he was unsure why.
As Sil hacked up his lungs so to speak, Toma pulled his call box in front of him and dialed the Order. Once connected, he requested to speak with Komui. The Finder explained their current situation to the chief and held the phone to Sil's ear, or at least tried. "Sil? Sil, are you there?"
"Yeah I'm-" Again, he hacked. "H-Here.."
"Look, you can't go without taking your medicine. You know better. If you don't, you could very well make your condition worse. The Innocence will destroy your lungs and you'll be unable to breath, now take them."
"But Komu-"
"No buts. Now take your medicine or I will revoke your rights to go on the field all together."
Kanda listened in on the conversation. It seemed that this person had his own time limit...
He's more like you than you think...
Lenalee's words rang in his head. As he watched Sil swallow the pills dry, he thought to himself about the flower encased in his room. His own hour glass. When Lenalee said those words, he didn't think she had a clue what she was talking about. Has Komui told her things that were supposed to be kept secret? No, he wouldn't do that, would he?
Toma rose with Sil, assisting his balance a moment before Sil dismissed him. Both of the Exorcists glared at each other, though something about their glares seemed a bit more curious than hateful. Especially Yuu's.
Back at the Order
"Okay, now just come this way."
"Take off this blindfold, now."
"No~ Come on, just let me lead you there."
"Tch..Fine, just hurry it up. If I trip, I'm blaming you."
"Don't be silly."
Once Toma, Kanda, and Sil had returned, Lenalee immediately took Kanda. The two fought a bit, though she managed to get a blindfold over his eyes. He, quite obviously, disliked the idea, though allowed her to do so. The boy at least had some trust in this person...Some.
"Alright, we're here~" With that said, the small fingers untied the black cloth, taking it away. The bright lights were somewhat blinding at first, though his eyes adjusted quickly. All around him were many Finders and Exorcists alike, though none without a drink in hand of some sort. All of them raised their cups high and shouted, "Happy Birthday, Kanda!" Some of them said Yuu instead, though only a few.
Unlike the others during their birthdays, Kanda didn't shed a tear. In fact, he nearly turned out of the room and left if it wasn't for Toma and Lenalee pushing him back inside.
"Look, Kanda. We fixed your mug. And don't worry, it's insulated now and even has a functioning lid, so you can take tea wherever you go~" Komui chimed as he handed Kanda what looked like a mug, though it had a button on the handle. As he pressed it, a lid shot over the top. It had snapped so hard that he nearly flinched. "Yeah..thanks."
"Oh, oh, here, this is from me~!" Lavi pushed a small box to Kanda. Upon cautiously opening it, he found hair ties, a brush, and hair spray inside. "I thought you could use that whenever your on a mission and your hair gets all fussy and stuff. Happy birthday~" As the red head ran off giggling, Kanda tossed the hair spray can at him, hitting him directly on the back of his head. After him came a few others. This included Lenalee who gave Kanda a homemade card and a new golem, his last one having broken, Johnny who gave him a new outfit to where when he isn't in his uniform, Krory who gave him a Venus Fly Trap (it nearly bit him), Allen who gave him a new chopsticks, and Miranda who gave the male a hug. "I-I'm sorry that I don't have anything else. B-But I can always make you something or sew up anything that you tear. Ahah.." She quickly scurried away.
As he sat there with his odd ball presents, another person arrived. It was Noise, holding what looked like a card and some flowers. Daisya was with him. "These are for you. I couldn't find much else, though I don't figure you mind." Kanda shook his head as Marie patted his shoulder. "Happy birthday, my friend."
"Yeah, happy birthday champ." The bird nosed friend laughed as he smacked Kanda on the back and ruffled his hair before leaving.
Once all was said and done, Kanda leaned back and watched the crowd mingle. It seemed as though others were having more fun at his party than he was.
"Yuu-kun." The voice made him cringe. Hesitantly, he turned his head around. Behind him was a curious Tiedoll very, very close. "Did you like your gift from me?"
Shit.
"Um..yeah. Thanks."
"You're welcome, Yuu-kun~" Tiedoll hugged him like a bear before skipping away merrily. I completely forgot about his present..dammit. Feeling around in his uniform coat, Kanda found the box. It's wrapping was a bit torn and it was a bit crushed. Crap. He tore it open, making sure it was okay. Inside was something he didn't recognize though. A chain with a small locket attached. On a first instinct, he wanted to just leave the thing on the table beside him, but he opened it anyways.
Within the locket were two pictures. One from years ago with everyone in their team there. Daisya, Marie, himself, and Tiedoll. On the other side was them all grown up now.
A small odd feeling washed over Kanda. Something about these pictures...without much time between, he shut the clasp and slipped the necklace over his head, hiding the locket in his coat.
This..this was the real heart he was given. This was what he had here, and all he needed.
This present was his own heart.
This was Kanda's home.
Author's note:
Yeah, yeah, cheesy ending, I know, I know, hush. Either way, I do hope you all liked this (it took over a month to finish but hey, whatever. The ending was worth it). Also, a little side information for those reading my other fan fictions. I will be rewriting most all of my full story fan fictions (not the one shots) including Rusty Innocence, Corroded Friendship and Fire Really Does Burn. These one shots will not be rewritten though, so no worries there. Anyways, thank you for reading and please leave any comments and constructive critiques in the reviews and PM me any ideas you may have for further writings. Thanks again for reading!
-Akiho Shire-