It was cold in here, the air conditioning on full blast, the cool, dry air wafting everywhere through vents in the walls. Kanda cringed inwardly but it could not be helped. It was just this one mission and he'd be back in the searing heat of Hell.

He crept along the corridor, sounds of music floating down the hall. Small minuets clashing against colossal fantasias, nocturnes and sonatas fighting against preludes and fugues. All the sounds in the air colliding with each other, effectively drowning out the sound Kanda's sword made against its scabbard as it was drawn.

It was a beautiful piece of metal, oiled and sharpened, glowing with the faint green that only a weapon of God possessed.

One step, two steps, three, he approached the door, tense and ready to strike at any moment.

Slowly, ever so slowly, did he ease the door open. He winced a bit when it creaked but a sudden wave of music from inside the room covered it up. He raised his eyes, scanning the room. His target should be here somewhere around here.

Instead, what he found was a boy, sitting at the grand piano in the center of the room, fingers locked in a rapid dance with the ivory keys, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. Each note was touched delicately, a delightfully refined sound coming out of the hulking instrument.

Kanda was shaken out of his reverie by the sudden wave of murderous intent.

Shit

Behind the boy was a creature that looked as if it came straight out of a nightmare. Weeping sores covered its oddly humped and misshapen body as it took uneven steps toward the boy at the piano.

Kanda stepped forward and in an instant, he was right behind it, sword poised.

Gotcha

He stabbed it and watched with satisfaction as it disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving nothing behind except for a thin, ear-piercing shriek.

Che, small fry, Kanda thought haughtily to himself.

"What the fuck was that?"

Oh right. Him. Kanda rolled his eyes; he might as well follow protocol. He'd get an earful from Komui if he didn't. Quickly, he tapped the boy's forehead lightly and muttered an incantation. The boy's eyes flashed an uncanny green colour for a moment before returning to its natural colour.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The boy brushed aside Kanda's fingers roughly and glared at him.

"Answer my question!" he said after getting no response.

Kanda's eyes widened. The boy was supposed to forget everything prior to the incantation and pass out…so what the hell was going on?

Kanda felt like he'd swallowed his tongue. No words would come out of his mouth.

"Come with me," he said suddenly, forcing the words out while pulling Allen to the door.

"What? No! Tell me what happened you ass!"

The boy struggled furiously, trying to wriggle out of Kanda's iron grip.

"Come on you fucking beansprout."

"Wha- I am not a beansprout!"

"Oh shut up." This stupid human. Why couldn't he just follow Kanda's instructions? Lesser beings like him should obey higher deities like Kanda. That was just how the world worked.

"Tell me what's going on or I will. Not. Move."

The boy was digging his heels into the ground now; throwing all his weight opposite to the direction that Kanda was pulling him in.

"You little shi-"

Kanda was cut off when he was suddenly thrown in every direction all at once. Groaning, he shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doin-"

This time he broke off his sentence in shock. The boy, the boy, the boy…what was wrong with the boy's arm?

It was a monstrosity of white; glistening in the warm light of the room and glowing with the green colour that Kanda was so familiar with.

…Innocence? That's impossible, he's obviously human.

.

.

.

Allen looked at his arm in fear.

What…what is this?

"What the fuck is going on?" he screamed. His arm suddenly moved by itself, pulling Allen's body along with it in the direction of…Allen screamed again at what he saw.

It was vaguely humanoid in shape, its entire body a crusty red-brown. And then…that face. It seemed permanently distorted in an expression of pain, tears of blood dripping down its eyes and its mouth nothing more than a jagged rip.

His eye throbbed. And then again. It was a sharp, burning pain that stabbed his eye again and again.

Help me. Helpme. HELP ME.

Each time he blinked, the world flickered.

Now it was a rainbow of colours, scattered dizzily across the room. Now it was static-y, edges too sharp and objects cutting off at random places. As if through a winding tunnel, Allen distantly heard himself scream.

"Snap out of it Beansprout."

That one sentence pulls Allen back to reality. He blinks. Once, twice and finally the world settles in tones of black, white and grey, everything tinted with a deep, blood red. He touches his head and his finger comes away red and sticky with blood.

The boy is breathing hard, breaths coming out in harsh pants and Allen wonders where the monster went. His eyes are on Allen, flickering with what could be concern but Allen isn't too sure. He looks down at Allen's arm and Allen, following his gaze, is horrified. Before he knows what's happening, Allen retches, emptying out the contents of his stomach on the carpeted floor beneath the piano.

My arm, he thinks. It is shrivelled and red, a glowing green cross-embedded in the middle of his hand, pulsating with an odd, green glow.

"Hello? Is there something wrong in there?"

Both of their heads snap up at once as the clacking of shoes could be heard, getting closer and closer to their room.

"Shit," the other swears and immediately pulls out his hair tie, allowing his long, black tresses to unravel lazily down his back. Astonishingly, a piano-sized hole appears in the air, completely black and crackling with energy.

"Let's go," is all the other boy says before pulling Allen into it.

"W-where are we going?" Allen yells as he falls backwards.

"To Hell."