This is my first fanfic, technically. I know there are some inconsistencies, but this is mainly for fun. So just enjoy.

Chapter One – 緊張 Tension

"Bean sprout? I have to go with him?" Kanda complained. He looked over to Allen Walker unsatisfied. He was pretty sure Komui just liked to irritate him by sending him out with Allen. Kanda could, regrettably, only stay away so long; his other missions would eventually come to a close.

He was better than Allen. He hated all this talk about how Allen was so special and so damn amazing. Kanda could beat Allen. Actually, that didn't sound like a bad idea to him. He would take down all the higher level Akuma by himself. Allen could handle the measly bunch of level ones. Kanda was trying to think of how to accomplish this while Komui babbled on about amazing, wondrous Allen Walker.

"Oh, there he is!" Komui shouted excitedly as Allen entered the room shyly. Kanda took his hand away from his pondering chin and glared in Allen's direction.

"You and Kanda have a mission together. It's across sea on an island. We believe there is Innocence there. See, the island keeps moving. And because this is so peculiar, I'm suspecting a large amount of Innocence. With this quantity, I believe your Innocence will be helpful. I've already explained to Kanda why he's your partner. Please ignore his moody tenor, "Komui explained cheerfully.

"Okay, but where is the island?" Allen asked.

"Were you not listening?" Kanda asked condescendingly. "The island keeps moving, bean sprout."

"He has a valid question Kanda," Komui said, backing Allen. "Unfortunately, the only way to find the island is really to just run into it. This is going to be a very long mission boys. Don't ever worry about supplies running out, there will be a full cargo ship attached to your ship."

Kanda's eyes widened and he sat straight up in his chair. He stared at Allen and then to Komui. He was in disbelief.

"You don't know how long we'll be stuck together?" Kanda asked Komui angrily. He stood up and slammed his hands palm down on Komui's desk. Papers flew up and spiraled down around the three men. A single sheet landed on Kanda's head. His lips were pursed and his brows furrowed. Allen stood up and quickly snatched the paper from Kanda's head and handed it quickly to Komui.

"Thank you Allen,"" Komui said receiving the paper. He looked up to Kanda. "You two can go now."

Kanda glared at Komui and waited for Allen to leave. Allen smiled at Komui and left the room respectfully.

'Eager little…probably already packing. Ready to please-' Kanda's bitter internal dialogue was interrupted.

"You know I've got to have someone to watch him. He'll over exert himself," Komui said gently. Kanda backed off the table and turned. He walked through the door and huffed off to his room.

Everything had been packed already; he should've known that. He looked at his room with no particular feeling and came into the large hallway. Allen stood at the end; he smiled to Kanda. Kanda did not reciprocate. He didn't know much of Allen and didn't like how everyone thought he was a gift from God. Kanda was sure that he was a better fighter anyway.

"What's the matter?" Allen asked approaching Kanda gently. Kanda ignored him and walked down the hall. The ship was to leave immediately.

---

Kanda pulled the rigging hard; the rope burned his hand. He enjoyed the work, anything to keep away from Allen. He looked out over the ship; he was still angry about not knowing how long this mission would last. Missions like this had happened before; Komui just decided to pair up Kanda with Allen instead of the normal crew.

The wood was becoming warm beneath Kanda's boots. He shifted uncomfortably holding the ropes. The early light rose over the blue ocean to make for a cool morning. A breeze picked up and it sailed through Kanda's high ponytail. He was relieved by the subtle wind, he hated warmth. Kanda was best suited for survival in the arctic, not the tropics. Warmth gave him nausea. He worried about becoming controlled, relaxed, gentle, and even soft. While these are all feelings that one might greet with open arms; Kanda recoiled. He liked ice to keep him alert and rigid.

"Kanda!" Allen shouted as a morning greeting. Kanda had nowhere to run, he let the fifteen year old boy talk to a wall. "Kanda, you haven't talked to me since we got on the ship, that was two weeks ago," Allen pointed out while resting on the side of the ship. Kanda kept his breath steady and his eyes focused on the lapping waves. "What did I do to you to make you so cold towards me?" Allen pressed on. Kanda ignored him. Allen gripped Kanda's sleeve to get his attention.

"Let go, bean sprout," Kanda said with a dead tone.

"Answer my question," Allen said stubbornly.

"Do you think you're so special that you're the only one who pisses me off?" Kanda asked throwing Allen's hand from his sleeve.

"Hey!" Allen said keeping his hands to himself now. "I just know you're a particular-"

"What? You're not special, Walker. Get over yourself," Kanda said tieing the ropes and walking away. Allen didn't give up.

"I never said I was-"

"You didn't have to. Your presence just exudes it."

"What?"

"Stop playing stupid! You're really annoying. Am I the first to have told you that?" Kanda was itching to just punch the kid and go back to work. Maybe a good physical injury would make him leave Kanda alone.

"I haven't done anything except what I was ordered to do," Allen said defending himself.

"It doesn't make you less annoying," Kanda said still walking away with his back turned. Allen was following Kanda with determination.

"You're just-"

"Can you not live with yourself if someone doesn't like you?" Kanda turned around. In Allen's haste to follow, he didn't stop in time and ran face first into Kanda's chest. He backed up quickly and found himself blushing.

"The Earl doesn't like you," Kanda continued. He was trying to cover up being just as flustered as Allen.

"The Earl…" Allen didn't know how to finish. Kanda didn't care anymore, he left Allen to glisten in the sun.

---

"The galley is going to close boys, it's late. You better eat now if you want food!" The cook yelled across the upper deck. Kanda realized he hadn't eaten for six hours. He walked down to the galley expecting to eat in the dim candle light, by himself. Allen's white hair moved across his face as he looked up at the door clicking behind himself. Kanda refused to look Allen in the eyes. He sat down on the opposite end of the table and listened for the cook to follow them in. Awkward silence circulated through the room.

"Ka…" Allen went to speak up but the cook entered the room. He greeted the two boys happily and proceeded into the kitchen. Kanda sat in his uniform, chair pushed back, left leg resting on his right knee. Allen sat opposite, hands folded neatly in his lap and eyes focused intently on his glove. Food arrived in front of the exorcists with friendly service. Allen thanked the cook and he went back into the kitchen to clean up. Kanda pushed in his chair in and ate the food with little ravish. His stomach growled. Allen thought he heard it and wondered if Kanda was just being polite by not stuffing his face. Allen wanted to eat like a hog. The room was heavy with unspoken words. Forks entered opposite mouths at different times to keep anyone from articulating feelings.

Kanda looked up to the soft white hair across the table. He watched Allen take his gloved fingers and push his hair gently out of his face and behind his ear. Kanda's pony tail felt tight against his head in contrast. He couldn't stand sitting and eating with Allen anymore and he certainly didn't want to go below deck with him. He left his half eaten food on the table, pushed his chair back, and turned around. As Kanda reached for the door knob, Allen spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Kanda gripped the handle. He didn't know what to make of the apology. He didn't know how to react. He didn't have the impulse to accept the apology at all. He wanted to reject anything that Allen said. He ignored it and left the galley to go to his room.

'He can't stand anyone who doesn't like him. He's apologizing to get on my good side, he didn't even know what he was sorry for,' Kanda thought opening his tiny sleeping quarters. He pulled off his uniform and not two minutes later, Allen came down. Kanda had changed and pulled out his hair. He put out his oil lamp and climbed into his cot. He curled his body to fit the six foot pad and pulled an itchy blanket over himself. He made sure to face away from the screen mesh opening in his door.

---

Kanda woke up before anyone else did. He went up on deck and stared out at the moon. He wouldn't lose his cool after three weeks. There was something about Allen that bothered him. He told himself that Allen thought he was rare and held himself higher than anyone. The truth was that Allen didn't think or act like that. The Order treated Allen like that, which made Kanda irritated with the fifteen year old.

Black long hair was picked up by the wind and it covered Kanda's high cheekbones. He let the mane flow over his skin, obscuring his sight of the moon. The moon looked strange with black streaks of hair over it. Clouds of a darker nature drew over the light in the sky. The wind dropped Kanda's hair and his eyes lingered where the moon had been. His skin gave rise to goose bumps and the mysterious orb peeked through the grey blue clouds, it tugged at his heart.

As quietly as he could, Kanda snuck back into his little room and laid on the cot, cold under the itching blanket.

Kanda had a hard exoskeleton when it came to social interaction. The entire month of March while he was on the ship, he was hostile. He almost barked orders like the captain. It was so dull on the ocean; it left too much time for thinking. Kanda was uncomfortable with his thoughts. He was prepared to fight. The ship provided work which Kanda often did; relieving men of their jobs.

"Hoist the anchor!" had become Kanda's favorite phrase in the mornings. Moving and sailing through the ocean made him at least feel like they were covering ground. At night was the worst to be around him. Coming to a stop, relaxing in the current, playing dice, and ending work; the crew looked forward to it. Kanda stopped speaking and often stared out to the waxing and waning moon. He almost had a romantic connection to it. Someone noticed on this.

"You know, he's full of himself. He stands over there like he's the King of England, too good to talk to anyone," a crew member complained while playing poker.

"He can probably hear you Clive," another man said while folding.

"I don't really give a rat's ass if he can hear me," Clive continued raising the stakes.

"Just leave the crab to his shell," the second man said.

"Those exorcists are egocentric and sons of bitches," Clive went on taking a swig from his flask.

"I like Mr. Walker," said a third man, trading cards.

"Allen's alright," Clive agreed. "The one over there though," Clive cocked his head back to motion to Kanda, "he's got some issues."

No one said anything to agree or disagree. They could see Kanda coming. A hand shot out and grabbed Clive strongly on the shoulder.

"Do you want to keep talking?" Kanda asked coldly.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Clive said turning his head to face Kanda. His own hand tried prying off Kanda's hand with no avail. Kanda's face held a snarl on it.

"You're just proving my point," Clive said digging himself a deeper hold. Kanda picked up Clive by the shoulders with both hands. No one else stood up until Kanda started pushing Clive towards the edge of the ship.

"Kanda, he didn't mean it, he's drunk, he's drunk!" the third man said standing back nervously. Kanda's temper was never in check. He felt his neck getting hot, but his hands kept cool and firm. He demanded respect with his presence, and when it was disregarded, he had daggers flying out his eyes.

"Yuu!" Allen shouted from across the ship. He had been on the upper deck near the helm and saw the scene coming undone. Kanda instantly dropped Clive (who fell over and scrambled away) and started toward Allen. Allen started to come down from the helm to meet Kanda, who was making a B-line for him.

"What did you call me?" Kanda asked seriously.

"Yuu…" Allen repeated. He found something sort of secretive about Kanda, and he could hold it over him. Allen wasn't really vindictive, but he liked the idea of teasing Kanda.

"No. No, you don't call me that," Kanda ordered sternly.

"That's your name," Allen said acting like he didn't know what Kanda was talking about.

"Alright, bean sprout," Kanda said grabbing Allen's uniform. He gripped it tightly and pulled him close to his face threateningly. Allen's heart was bruising his ribcage with its rapid thumping. He was not afraid of Kanda's wrath, just the proximity. He could smell salt water and something else. He couldn't place the smell; it wasn't bad, just unique.

"Don't call me that ever again. We aren't friends and I don't like you," Kanda said making uncomfortably alarming eye contact. Allen's breath was caught in his throat; he just stared at Kanda wanting to kiss him. Allen blushed. Kanda was repelled by this and pushed him away. The two boys stood only feet apart, each wondering what had happened. Kanda stared apathetically. He was trying to make Allen leave first. Kanda was the dominate one there; he wasn't going to let the all important Allen win.

"Yuu…"

Kanda charged back over to Allen and pulled the hair back from his forehead.

"Did you not hear me? Do you like this?" Kanda asked glaring ruthlessly into Allen's eyes. His hold on the boy's white hair was tight and it exposed his scar fully. Kanda watched as Allen's face changed. He could see a nervousness within those eyes. Allen's mouth parted, he was having trouble breathing due to Kanda' intimidating stature. Allen raised his mutated hand to Kanda' chest. Kanda loosened his grip on Allen's hair and pushed him away. Kanda's mouth opened in mock disgust. Pretending to be sickened, he walked to the edge of the ship. He held on tightly and fixed his gaze on the moon. It was safer that way.

"Yuu," Allen began for the third time. There was no reproach. Kanda tensed, he wasn't going to humor the boy anymore. It irritated him to have anyone use his first name and Allen now knew that. Nobody called him that, and if Allen started to…he didn't need people thinking they were any sort of 'together'. Allen came to Kanda's side. Kanda felt every intention to kiss him, and he couldn't explain it. He devoured the moon with his eyes. He repeated things in his head about instructions on the mission and meaningless facts on Japanese cuisine. Antyhing to keep his mind off the white hair to his right. Allen pulled lightly at Kanda's sleeve.

"Don't," Kanda said taking his arm back to himself. He turned to go again, to run away from an uncomfortable situation.

"Don't leave me again," Allen asked softly.

"What's my name?"

"Kanda."

Kanda left, feeling secure with his first name intact.