Author's Notes:
I've got the idea for this one-shot while watching my sister play "Folkore" (where the female protagonist is called Ellen lol). I wanted this to be a short proof that I am able to write non-sensical Yullen stuff, with Allen as a BOY. (In a pairing which didn't include Link lol). Alas, this is anything but short... And took long enough to write and I'm still not happy with it.
Warning: Mentions of sex?
Disclaimer: D.Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino
Lights in the dark
Kanda knew that he worked reasonably well with Allen Walker, a fact which he has come to accept as well as curse. Accept because anything which would ascertain the fast success of a mission was very welcome to a success-approving man such as Kanda. Curse because their 'compatibility' gave Komui enough reasons to send them on joint-missions. Kanda had tried any protest which came to his mind to make Komui change his mind, but in the end the idiot wouldn't be convinced to change it. The white-haired adolescent hadn't taken it any better, but he had at least tried to hide his discomfort behind a polite smile and a nod. In the end they grudgingly bowed to their fate and went on their mission.
-o-o-o-
"I think it is kind of stupid to send us two on such a mission", Allen said as they were walking on a rough path on a hill overlooking the coast. The young man stopped to watch the dark water hit the grey sand, then he turned back to Kanda, who was looking up into the sky; black clouds were gathering in the distance.
"You're quite slow, idiot", he snorted and the other exorcist turned to him with an angry scowl, not befitting his normal cheery nature, "that's what I've tried to tell Komui countless times! Even inexperienced idiots could take down some Level 2 Akuma, there's no point in sending the two strongest exorcists out there".
"Why, thank you", the British exorcist said with a dark smile and Kanda shot him a glare.
"No point in denying facts, idiot – even if I don't like it. But don't let it get to your head, beansprout".
"Seems that you're not only one of the strongest, but also on of the dumbest exorcist of the order", the shorter replied with a dramatic sigh, "it's been a year and you still don't know my name. That's rather pathetic, Kanda". Kanda pulled out his sword and pointed it at Allen's face.
"One word and I'm going to cut you down, bastard!", he hissed and Allen just sighed again, but put the index finger of his Innocence hand on Mugen and pushed the blade down.
"Calm down, Kanda", Allen advised and the Japanese exorcist sheathed Mugen while muttering curses. A strong wind came up and Allen pulled the green travelling coat tighter around his body. "The wind's getting stronger. I'm sure that a storm will come"
"Then we finish this before it does", Kanda said and continued walking down the path.
The mission was actually quite simple; the people from the nearest town said that there were some strange things going on over at the abandoned town. Upon investigating the finders found Level 2 Akuma gathering, but observed no strange phenomena. It was rather suspicious, especially since the Akuma didn't seem to be doing anything. Komui didn't want to risk anything and sent out Kanda and Allen, the ones who would be able to improvise best with any unforeseen circumstances. Or so he claimed.
"Kanda!", the younger exorcist suddenly shouted and Kanda turned to look at him. Allen pointed ahead, where they could see the ruins of the abandoned town. Level 2 Akuma we're sitting on the stones, appearing to be doing nothing. "What are they doing? There doesn't seem to be anything!".
"Who cares! Let's get them!", Kanda shouted and shoved Allen out of the way. Allen watched him rush down the hill towards the Akuma.
"Stupid Kanda! Didn't you tell me not to rush into things?!", he called after him, but seeing no point in waiting, he followed, Innocence invocated.
It took nearly no time to wipe out the surprised Akuma and Allen found Kanda pinning one down into the dirt. It had started raining not long ago and the ground was becoming slick very fast as the water pooled around the exorcists' feet.
"What were you doing here?!", Kanda shouted to the Akuma who had Mugen sticking into his arm and was starting to dissolve.
"Ehehehehe!", it laughed, "night will fall eventually and when the sun disappears behind the horizon new light will appear! Innocence, Innocence! You'll never get it!", it shrieked and Kanda sliced it apart before Allen could ask any more questions.
"Useless", Kanda snorted and wiped Mugen clean of the dark Akuma oil, then sheathed it.
"Doesn't", Allen started to say, but the strong wind swallowed his words. It was raining pretty hard now and it was nearly impossible to see or hear each other. He knew that Kanda was walking away, as he could still vaguely make out his shape. He raised his hand and extended his crown belt, which caught hold of something. He felt a hard tug and stumbled into Kanda's shoulder.
"Idiot!", he roared, "what do you think I am?! And Akuma?! Or a dog?!"
"We should not get separated!", Allen replied equally loud to be heard over the storm's howling. He saw Kanda's angry glare, but then he turned around and started to move forward. "We should look for shelter!", the white haired exorcist suggested.
"Idiot, that's what I'm looking for!", came Kanda's shouted reply.
"What about the lighthouse?!", Allen continued while he followed Kanda up the hill.
"Well I'm keeping my eyes open, what about you?!". Allen frowned, but didn't reply. It was indeed very difficult to see anything and he lost sight of Kanda from time to time while he stopped to look around for the lighthouse or any other shelter. Once Kanda tugged a little bit too hard on the string connecting them, which sent Allen flying face first into the mud. He sat up and tried to get the dirt out of his eyes. When he raised his head to complain, he saw a faint light shimmer through the heavy rain.
"Kanda!!", he shouted.
"It's your fault for tripping over your own feet, idiot!", he heard Kanda yell.
"No! Kanda look! There's light!!", he shouted and tugged at the white rope. Kanda walked back to him.
"We should check", he said and Allen got back on his feet. They made their way along the slick path over the hill, the soaring of the waves hitting the coast was nearly as loud as the howling wind. The light was indeed coming from the lighthouse, but it was rather faint, as if it was flickering on and off with the last bit of energy it had left.
"How can there still be electricity? This lighthouse is no longer used, right?", Allen asked when they were near and the rain was no longer as strong as before.
"Why do you ask me?! Let's get inside!". Allen let go of Kanda's arm and the dark haired exorcist opened the wooden door. Allen looked back up but the light had disappeared.
"Strange…", he mumbled, but followed Kanda inside; a dry place where they could get out of their soaked uniforms was very welcome to him.
It was very dark inside once Allen had closed the wooden door behind him. Dark and cold, but at least it seemed to be dry. He could make out some shapes, but there wasn't much to be seen: a table with some books on it and a chair. Kanda was standing on the first steps of the stairs leading up. Allen heard his heavy steps and the water which dropped from his coat.
"I'm going to leave you behind", he warned and Allen started moving as well. After many steps they finally reached the upper floor. Windows lined the walls of the circular room and, as the weather had cleared up again, the light of the setting sun was shining through them. The room they were in was furnished and looked like someone may have lived here years ago, but now everything was neglected and covered in dust. Kanda didn't seem to mind, as he pulled off his travelling coat and started to get out of his uniform. Allen also discarded his soaking wet travelling coat and hung it over a wooden chair, but then something else caught his attention. "Kanda, look! There is a ladder which leads up!", he said and went to the metal ladder at the end of the room.
"Don't get so excited idiot. It probably leads to the light source", he said, "this can't be a lighthouse without a light which can be used for signalling".
"Have you ever been in a lighthouse?", Allen wanted to know and started to climb up.
"No. Child", Kanda spat disapprovingly and sat on the dusty couch. Allen chose to ignore his insult and climbed up the ladder. He was welcomed by a strong wind and the strong smell of the salty sea. There was no glass in the huge windows and the exorcist put his back to the stone railing. The light source was a huge spotlight, but it was rust-eaten and didn't look as if it still worked. But where had the light come from?
"The sky has cleared". Allen turned as he heard Kanda and saw him pulling himself up, "we might be able to catch the train back".
"No way! We're not that fast!", Allen protested and pointed to the red sky, "and what if we get into another storm? I don't want to drown because I slip and fall into the sea!".
"Che. Whatever", Kanda said and also walked to the railing, "we'll stay here for the night"
"You think it's okay to not tell headquarters?", Allen wanted to know, after he had turned back to watch the sunset.
"You tell me how, idiot beansprout. Over this distance we would need to connect to the telephone network. Have you seen a telephone here?", Kanda replied with a mocking tone, but without turning his head from the view.
"N… No. You don't need to start an argument now", Allen told him and Kanda snorted.
"I wasn't planning to…", he replied and the white haired exorcist sighed. The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon but the light of dusk was still enough to bath the landscape in shimmering red. There was silence between them and Allen welcomed it. It was rare to have some moments of peace. They stood at the railing, neither of them moving, only the sound of the sea and the wind was to be heard, as the last lights disappeared into the night.
Suddenly they heard a rattling sound and then a flash of white light almost blinded them.
"What?! What's that?!", Kanda shouted as he tried to shield his eyes from the light which came from behind them.
"I don't know! I guess the lighthouse still works!", Allen answered.
"That's ridiculous!", the older exorcist said, but Allen pulled him out of the light.
"I know. But maybe this is the strange phenomenon the villagers talked about. The sudden turning on of the light in a lighthouse which shouldn't be working anymore", Allen tried to convince him, but Kanda just shot a dark glare in the light's direction. "And remember what the Akuma said: night will fall eventually and when the sun disappears behind the horizon new light will appear. It's similar to the legend the finder reported"
"Legend? There was nothing in the report about a legend", Kanda said with a frown.
"Didn't you listen to the finder we met at the village? He has heard of a legend. Well, it's more of a rumour actually"
"Get to the point!", Kanda yelled and Allen rolled his eyes.
"Long ago there was a pagan place of worship here on the hill. Every night when the light disappeared, a new light would appear on the hill to guide the fishermen safely back into their village. This lighthouse was built on the same spot, becoming a light for the boats as well as a security for the villagers. But one day all the people of the town disappeared without a trace and the light disappeared with them. But recently it has started to flicker back to life after the last lights of the day have vanished as if it had something to guide. That's it", the younger exorcist said after he had told the story, then he turned to look at the light. "Do you think this is the Innocence?"
"Probably… But it's quite strange. Why would the Innocence stop working and then start again?", Kanda wondered and Allen frowned.
"To guide someone? That's what it's meant to do, right? But whom…?"
"Che. Who cares? Let's just take it and be done with it", Kanda suggested and took Mugen out of its sheath.
"Kanda, wait! You can't just attack it!", Allen shouted, but Kanda just shot him a glare. He raised his sword and wanted to attack the light, but Allen jumped in front of him and Kanda stopped his attack.
"Beansprout! Are you out of your mind?! Don't just jump in front of my blade!", he shouted but as he looked into Allen's face he knew that something was wrong.
"Kanda… I… I didn't! My body moved on its own!", he stammered and closed his eyes tightly, "I… I can't move!". Kanda looked around but saw nothing which could be manipulating him. There could be no Akuma or Allen's eye would have announced it.
"Damnit beansprout! You've really done it this time!", Kanda said and wanted to reach for him, but felt his body go stiff. "W… What?!". He felt his hand rising on its own until it reached the top of Allen's head and patted him.
"W… What's going on? That… That's kind of scary…", Allen whispered, but Kanda just glared at him.
"Don't be afraid", a voice whispered and Allen froze as Kanda's hand moved down to rest against Allen's cheek.
"Damn! Whoever you are! Stop this at once!", the older exorcist roared, but there was just a chuckling laugh to be heard.
"When the lights disappear a new light will come to guide you. Here. Here. Come now!". Before one of the two could react the floor disappeared underneath them and they fell into darkness. The last thing Allen felt was Kanda's hand wrapping around his wrist.
-o-o-o-
When Allen woke up again, he felt hard stone under his back. He cracked an eye open, but could only see the dark ceiling of a room. He sat up and looked around. They were no longer at the light house it seemed, but in some dark cell, which only had a small window. It was glassless, but had iron bars in front of it. But they were not held captive, because there was a wooden door which stood open. It was night and the moonlight was shining into the room. Kanda was lying next to him, partially swallowed by Allen's own shadow, his hand still around Allen's right wrist, but he was unconscious. Allen chose to let him rest for the time being and wanted to pull his arm away, but Kanda had a very strong grip on him. The younger exorcist frowned, but raised his left hand to help pry off Kanda's fingers, but as he lay it on Kanda's he froze. His Innocence hand was completely normal – normal in that it was just an ordinary hand; no black, smooth skin, no long black nails, no cross in the back of his hand.
"W… What's happened…?! Is this the doing of the Innocence?!". He looked around but couldn't spot Mugen either; they were here without weapons. He stared at his hand, but then he shook his head and pulled Kanda's hand from his wrist. The Japanese exorcist opened his eyes slowly, blinking up at the ceiling. "Have I woken you? I'm sorry", Allen said and Kanda turned to look at him, but widened his eyes shortly after having seen him.
"What's wrong?", he asked alarmed – had anything else about him changed?
"Who're you?", Kanda asked and sat up, eyeing Allen suspiciously.
"Stop that! That's creepy! I'm Allen! Allen Walker!", he shouted and Kanda furrowed his eyebrows.
"Che. What happened?"
"That's what I want to know!", the younger exorcist said and got up on his feet, holding out a hand for Kanda, who just got up on his own. "We've been pulled down by some strange thing, right? And now we are stuck somewhere without our Innocence"
"What?", Kanda asked and quickly looked down at Allen's hand, "it's gone?". Allen nodded and raised his hand. He didn't speak for some moments, but then lowered his hand again.
"It's really gone. I can't invocate. Is this some kind of illusion? You can't just take away my Innocence without ripping my arm off!"
"Our Innocence isn't the only thing that has been taken", Kanda said and glared at Allen.
"What?", he asked, fear taking hold of him, "what's wrong?". Kanda frowned, but then he started walking to the door. "Hey!"
"Get out into the light, beansprout!", he ordered from outside and with a sigh Allen followed. The first thing he did was shiver as the cold hit him hard, then he raised his head to look around. They just came out onto the pebbled road which led to the town, nested between hills.
"Is this the abandoned town?", he asked and turned around, "there's the lighthouse!", he exclaimed as he saw the tower in the distance. Its lights were on, which puzzled Allen greatly. He turned back to Kanda, who was staring at him intently. "Uhm… Is everything alright?".
"Your curse and your hair", he said and Allen frowned. He touched his fingers to the left side of his face, but couldn't feel the scar. Frantically he grabbed a strand of his hair and saw that is was of a light brown colour.
"What?! What's that?! How is that possible?!", while he was trying hard not to panic, Kanda opened his white shirt and found that his tattoo was gone.
"Maybe the Innocence caused time to wind back…", he said, hand still on the left side of his chest, feeling very uncomfortable without his curse.
"That can't be! I was born with this hand!", Allen shrieked, for which Kanda hit him on the head.
"Stop panicking, idiot!", he hissed and Allen let his head drop, "there has to be a reason for it. I don't think that we lost anything, but that things were temporarily taken from us", he said and Allen looked back up at him. "We need to find out what's wrong with this town. Maybe there's a riddle to solve so that the Innocence will stop this. I'm sure there's a way to break free from its influence – there always is. And now get a grip!". Allen managed a weak smile and nodded. Kanda groaned and pulled his hand through his hair, turning to the town. "As much as I hate to admit it, but for the time being we both are useless as exorcists. We need to manage this as humans alone"
"I've…", the shorter started and put his fingers of his right hand against the back of the left one. "Lost my Innocence once… But this is not the same. And I've had the curse for such a long time… I should feel as if a burden has been lifted from my shoulders… but I just can't…". Kanda looked at him, but turned away when he could see nothing else than a frightened, ordinary young boy. It was disgusting, but he surely didn't want to be in his shoes right now – not that he himself felt any better. Without his tattoo and Mugen he felt exposed, but now was not the time to ponder about it.
"Look, if we want this to stop we have to go find out what caused this. And even if I wanted to, I can't leave you behind now", Kanda said and started walking towards the town. Allen watched his back for a while, then he turned back to stare at the lighthouse. He shook his head and started to follow the older exorcist.
-o-o-o-
The town lay in eerie quiet, the houses lining the street were unlit and not a soul was on the streets.
"Maybe there's nothing here. We should go back to the lighthouse", Allen suggested, his left hand balled to a fist at his side.
"What? Are you too scared?", Kanda asked with a smirk and stopped in the middle of the road.
"You wish!", Allen shouted, his cheeks heating up, "It would just be more reasonable to go look at the lighthouse! That's the place we came from!"
"Maybe, but I don't think this place is real. You're probably too scared to think about it, but you said that all of the people in the town disappeared. Maybe we should find out why", Kanda said and started walking again, Allen following reluctantly.
"Don't you feel… strange without your weapon?", he spoke up again. The road led up to a big house and both of them were heading for it because it was the only one with lights in it.
"I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't know how to protect myself with my body only", the older exorcist answered with a sneer and Allen groaned.
"I do too! But I can't imagine us fighting against humans…", he said and Kanda rolled his eyes.
"You're such a girl", he mocked.
"You're the one with the girly hair!", came Allen's scandalized reply, which Kanda ignored. They arrived at the gates of the mansion, the windows to either side of it were brightly lit and it looked as if the people might be gathered inside.
"Do you think it's wise to just barge in like this?", Allen asked when Kanda put his hands on the door handles.
"I think it's stupid to stay outside. So we'll go in!", he said and pulled the doors open. A waft of warm air greeted them and there was laughter to be heard. They went inside and found themselves in a splendid hall with a high ceiling and chandelier. But soon after that the door closed behind them and they suddenly stood in entire darkness, the laughter dying down instantly. Both exorcists remained silent, waiting for an ambush, which didn't come though.
"When the light dies down, a new light appears", a whispering voice filled their ears and the whole room with its eerie echo. "New lights, we guided you here! Welcome!!". Suddenly the laughter reappeared loudly, Allen fought the urge to cover his ears. The light flamed up again and they found themselves in the spotlight and in a big dance hall. Masked people in luxurious dresses gathered around them, laughing and staring.
"Ladies and Gentleman! Let us all welcome the newest addition to our never-ending night of ghostly masquerade!", a voice thundered and it reminded Allen of the director of a circus. The owner of the voice was a man with a bright red suit, with a black top hat and a golden mask over his white face. "Clap, clap and cheer them on!". The people started clapping and laughing even louder, and suddenly Allen came to the realization that he was stuck in a royal blue dress and Kanda wore a white dress suit, very similar to what Mana used to wear.
"Stop this foolishness!", Kanda shouted, but then he suddenly turned around and took hold of Allen's hands, "Oi!!". Allen felt a tug and suddenly they were dancing around in circles, even though Allen was pretty sure that he was a hopeless case when it came to dancing.
"Our bodies are being controlled again!", he whispered and looked up at Kanda's face. He was very annoyed and grinded his teeth.
"There's no way out of it right now", he hissed.
"Dance, dance my friends! Until the light goes out!", the man in the red suit shouted and the other people were also starting to dance around them. It was a moving mass of dazzling colours, rustling of fabric, music, shouting, laughing and when Allen looked up at Kanda's face he saw that he was very uncomfortable.
"Are you alright?", he asked over the noises and Kanda shut his eyes tightly.
"I'm starting to feel sick", he confessed and lowered his head, where it rested on Allen's shoulder – but the strings controlling them were still forcing their bodies to go on. After half an eternity everything stopped and the noise died down. People were moving out of the light again and out of the way, forming a path which connected Allen and Kanda with the strange red person, who was standing on the stairs.
"And now, our guests will leave the party to you, my dear friends! Party till the lights will fade into darkness!". Allen and Kanda were forced to walk to the man and up the stairs. While leaving the floor they could hear the music and the laughter start again in what seemed to be an eternal party.
-o-o-o-
The strange man led them down a dark corridor to the very last door.
"What is going on here? Was it you who brought us here?", Allen asked when the stranger pulled a key out of his pocked and unlocked the door.
"It was the light which guided you here. We haven't had new visitors in ages", the stranger answered.
"What is this place?", Allen continued and the red man laughed.
"We have long forgotten! But now that you're here, I'm sure that we won't let you run away! You came with the light, that's why we can't let you go"
"Then what do you expect of us? What should we do? We want to help you!", the brown-haired boy asked, but only got a chuckle as answer.
"I'm sure the problems will come to you. Try to solve them as they do. Until then, you're trapped souls just like us poor fellows!", he finally said and pushed Allen and Kanda in the room. "Rest well, dear guests! Until the music starts again!". The door shut behind them and they heard the loud clicking sound of the key being turned inside of the lock. Kanda staggered to the bed and collapsed on it, panting loudly. Allen pushed his worry to the side for the time being, he knew Kanda would only spat an insult in his direction would he try to help him. The room they were in was quite luxurious, but looked abandoned. The once deep purple carpet was dulled by a layer of dust and other things. The tapestry had come loose at certain places and revealed the cracks in the stone wall. There was the bed Kanda was lying on, it was fairly big with white and purple bed wear. There was also a wardrobe and an armchair and table next to a shelf with leather-clad books. There were two windows and Allen went to the one next tot the bed. He pulled the moth eaten curtains aside and pushed the window open. Cold night air greeted him, but there were no noises of the party, just quiet and the blowing of the wind. He heard Kanda moan slightly and turned to him. Kanda was lying on his bed, arm over his face, but he saw that he was as white as a corpse.
"Are you… are you alright?", he asked timidly.
"Shut it! I can't bear to hear your voice or I'll throw up!", came the hissed reply. Allen frowned, but it was not right to ignore someone who was obviously in pain. He looked around and spotted a door, which was hidden behind a curtain. He pushed the fabric aside and opened the door to reveal a small bathroom. The white tiles where quite dull and the tap of the wash-basin was rusty. He turned it on and it took a while until water started flowing.
"Uh… At least it still works…", he mumbled and found a glass lying on the floor. He washed it and filled it with cold water. Before actually giving it to Kanda he tried it himself. It tasted normal, just rather bitter.
"Don't worry. It's not poisonous", Allen heard a voice in his head whisper.
"Are you…". Chuckling followed, it certainly was the voice of the red-clad stranger.
"That poor guy… I wonder how he's doing?". Allen grimaced, but refilled the glass and went back into the room. Kanda was still lying on the bed, arms both over his eyes.
"Kanda?"
"Shut it…", came the weak reply and the younger exorcist walked around the bed to where Kanda was lying, legs hanging over the edge. Allen put the glass down to the floor and took hold of Kanda's arms. He pulled him in a sitting position, upon which Kanda put a hand over his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes tightly shut.
"Ugh… Idiot", he hissed, but Allen just took up the glass again and held it against Kanda's hand. The older exorcist cracked an eye open and took the glass wordlessly.
"What's wrong with you?", Allen asked as Kanda drank.
"My tattoo was taken away…", he said and opened both eyes, "my body doesn't seem to like it".
"Oh…", Allen said. He had found out about the tattoo some time ago and they had already argued over it. "Oh, okay. But that will be okay, right?"
"Guess so… Thanks", Kanda said and handed the glass back to Allen.
"We're trapped here for now. Do you think we should listen to what the strange person said?", Allen asked after a while and got up to start getting out of the dress, "why do I have to wear a dress? You're the beautiful one of us two"
"You're the short one", Kanda said mockingly and Allen knew that he had recovered somewhat. Kanda got up and started opening the ribbons at the back of Allen's dress.
"Kanda?", Allen asked and looked over his shoulder, but saw Kanda frown at him, "him again?", he groaned and shook his head. Kanda pushed the fabric over Allen's shoulders and the dress fell to the floor, revealing only white silk underwear. Allen turned around to stop Kanda's hands when they made their way under the top, but found that he couldn't move anymore.
"Stop that! This is ridiculous!", Kanda shouted and Allen groaned in frustration as Kanda removed his shirt, revealing his unblemished white skin, "how do you expect us to solve your problems when you make some for us?!". Kanda suddenly felt his hands tingle slightly and was able to let them fall to his sides.
"Good thing he listens to reason…", Allen said and huffed.
"Aren't you embarrassed?", Kanda asked and started undressing himself – without Allen's help. The younger one went to the wardrobe and pulled its doors open. He was surprised to find their normal clothes, except their uniforms, hanging there.
"Why should I? It's just naked skin. Were you embarrassed?", he wanted to know and pulled out their clothes.
"No. But I might have been when that idiot would have forced me upon you"
"You worry about such things?", Allen laughed and Kanda rolled his eyes.
"I forgot, you're Cross' pupil after all – you have no shame or scruple".
"That's only half true", Allen said and sat on the bed next to Kanda, "I always worried when the people weren't too drunk to get what's going on. After all, I have my strange arm, right? Most people think that they would rather not touch a cursed person. But I don't worry about people knowing that I'm an exorcist"
"I'd rather not know how many bed-rooms you've seen from the inside", Kanda snorted and folded his arms over his chest, looking at Allen. He was good looking, at least somehow, but he had no clue who would try to get him inside of their bed – he was only 15 after all, and a boy.
"You brought it up, Kanda", Allen laughed and lay down on the bed, "but how do we get out of here…?". Kanda was glad he changed the topic, because thinking of Allen as sexually active was very disturbing.
"Probably find out what happened to the people, listen to them whine and so on. We eventually have to go to the lighthouse, but we can't do anything without our Innocence", the black haired man answered and started to change into his normal clothes, just as Allen had done before. "I doubt that these people are still alive". At that Allen grew pale.
"The… They're gho… ghost?!", he stuttered and Kanda rolled his eyes.
"You see Akuma all the time and yet you are afraid of ghosts?! That's ridiculous!"
"It's not, stupid Kanda!", Allen argued, "hah! I'm going to sleep! There's no sense in staying up!", he announced and went to the other side of the bed. He lifted the dusty covers and slipped under them. Kanda just stared at him disbelievingly, but in the end he too was tired; sleeping sounded nice.
-o-o-o-
Allen woke up when the mattress moved and turned around slowly. Kanda was sitting on the edge of the bed, perched over, head in his hands. The younger exorcist sat up and extended his hand to Kanda's shoulder.
"Are you alright?", he asked, but Kanda just shook his head, something the brown-haired boy wouldn't have expected, "do you need anything? Should I get you a glass of water?". The Japanese man nodded slightly and Allen let go of his shoulder to slip out of bed. It was still dark and the candles had gone out, but in the end he found his way inside of the bathroom, filled the glass with water and brought it to Kanda. The black haired exorcist took it wordless and drank slowly. Allen observed him quietly, watching Kanda turn the glass around in his hands.
"Maybe you should lie down a bit…", he advised and Kanda remained silent, but nodded after a while. Allen took the glass out of his hands and went back to the bathroom to put it next to the washbasin. When he came out again, he found Kanda lying under the covers, out cold. He frowned. Kanda was in a rather bad shape, even though it was very strange for him to be so… vulnerable. It didn't really matter why it has happened, because it was now up to Allen to go try to solve this riddle and get them out of this mad place as fast as possible. The young exorcist went to check the door and found that it opened, hinges creaking. He stepped out, giving one more glance to Kanda's resting form, then he closed the door and found himself in the dark, neglected corridor. There were no windows or lamps, but a faint bluish light coming from the other end of the corridor. He slowly started walking, hand gliding over the rough surface of the wall, until he reached the stairs leading down into the ball hall. It was quiet, maybe even the people had gone to sleep.
"Dear guest", a voice called from downstairs and Allen looked down to find the red-clad man standing there, "Good Darkness to you!"
"What?", Allen asked with a frown but started walking down the stairs, "is it still night? Where are all the people?"
"It would be day, but alas we are covered by an eternal night sky!", the man lamented in a light tone. Allen could see only his white lips, the rest was still concealed by a golden mask, "the other people are in their homes. Why don't you take a stroll outside, dear guest?". The exorcist raised an eyebrow sceptically as the stranger pushed him to the door.
"Didn't you want to keep us confined?", he asked and the man laughed, opening the doors for his guest.
"Confined you are, but only to the night we are living in. Feel free to explore the town, it is in our interest, maybe you can free us, or be trapped as well", he answered and turned around. Allen, thinking that nothing else would come from the strange man, walked away. "Oh, by the way…" The brown-haired exorcist turned to find the man adjusting the buttons of his coat, "I would hurry up if I were you, young friend. Your light is still shining brightly, but another one is in danger of falling into darkness". Even before Allen could properly make sense of what he's been told the man vanished from sight, his faint laughter ringing in Allen's ears.
"What does he mean…? My light?", he raised his head and looked to the upper floor, "is Kanda in danger?". He shortly debated whether he should go back to check on Kanda, but finally came to the conclusion that Kanda was an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of himself, even if he was sick. As he finally turned around to study the town before him, he found that the windows of the houses were dimly lit. "I must really ask the people then…", Allen sighed, "but where should I start?", he wondered, but suddenly found his body moving on its own accord. He was forced to walk to the very first house and let himself in without even knocking. "E- excuse me!", he called, but as soon as the door shut behind him he was in complete darkness. He was sure though that there had been light in the windows before he got in. A little flame flickered to life next to him and he turned around. There was a woman sitting by the window, the light source seemed to be her; she was giving off a faint light, but her eyes shone brilliantly.
"A guest I see", she said and turned her attention towards the window, "you're still filled with light, why are you even here?".
"I'm an exorcist… My comrade and I have been caught it seems… But I'm here to help you…", he said and saw the woman turn her head to look at him.
"Even though you are full of light, you've been trapped here. You're weak, how would you be able to help us?", the woman asked mockingly, but she still got up and walked past Allen to the door.
"If I knew what has happened to this town, I might be able to help", the young exorcist said and followed the woman out of the house, where he could at least see a bit more under the moonlight. The woman was ghostly pale and wore a tattered black dress, her eyes gleamed in the moonlight - just white spots of light in her pale face. Allen felt unsure about it, what if she was an Akuma and he had no way to find out but to wait for her to attack? Then again, this here was a 'reality' created by Innocence, it would be strange to have an Akuma trapped as well – here were no one seemed to die and no one seemed to particularly care what happened. "You're really shining. Where do you take this light from?", the woman wondered and Allen frowned at her.
"Pardon me, I do not think I understand… What is this light you are talking about?", he asked and the woman just snorted mockingly. "What happened to this town?"
"We have forgotten", was all she said and started walking away from him, in the direction to the other end of the town. The exorcist didn't hesitate to follow her. As they walked doors on both sides of the streets opened and some people joined them. The only light came from the moon above and their white eyes, but even though Allen was feeling anxious he continued.
"Have you really forgotten?", Allen asked as they were walking up on the hill, "I am trying to help you, why can't you tell me anything?". The woman didn't even look at him and neither did the other villagers. The exorcist frowned, but then the woman grabbed his upper arm and he turned to look at her.
"A very long time ago the light used to guide lost people back to this sacred hill. As time went by people began to use the light; fishermen and travellers would depend on it to show them the way back home. Later people built a lighthouse. It is a fact that the light guides the lost souls back to this town…" Allen turned to watch the lighthouse and the woman let go of his arm. The water under the hill was just a black, oily mass and the light of the lighthouse didn't even reflect on its surface.
"But how could all people disappear, why are you trapped here?", Allen wondered and the woman sighed loudly.
"I guess it was some sort of revenge for wanting to use the sacred light… Some people of the village, greedy and malicious, decided that they wanted to use the light source in a way to make profit. I do not know what they really planned, but they went up the lighthouse and tried to remove the sacred light source…", she explained, "suddenly afterwards the light disappeared and when night fell no new light came and darkness washed over us, trapping us forever…". Allen nodded; Innocence turning against people was nothing uncommon. If they had their Innocence with them they could easily smash the lighthouse and get to the Innocence, thus ending this "night". But they were without weapon and the only way to solve this mess was through solving this puzzle. Maybe it needed retribution? Some sort of sacrifice? The young exorcist shuddered at the thought.
"What about people from outside? Do they come here? Except for us I mean", Allen said and the woman nodded gravely, "what happened to them?".
"They came here because the light guided them to the tower and then swallowed them up. This means that they were in need of guidance… Their light was mostly too weak to withstand this night and they lost it… They are now trapped souls in the ghostly masquerade, they have forgotten who they are, forgotten everything but the fleeting pleasure of the pompous party they have every night".
"Do you have any idea how I could get us all out of this mess?", Allen wondered, but the woman shook her head and his heart sank.
"We have tried to get near to the light house countless times, but to no avail… But you shouldn't worry about us. Try to save yourself and your comrade before your own light disappears". Allen shook his head and smiled at them.
"I won't abandon you… I have been brought here by the Innocence. I will save you", he promised. No one spoke, but Allen could see that he had ignited a faint spark of hope.
"You really are filled with light, it's nearly blinding… I hope you won't disappear…", the woman said and put her hand on Allen's shoulders, "we count on you, young man".
"Yes… But I've got another question", Allen said and the woman nodded, "my companion is sick and this strange man in red from the mansion… He told me that another light would be fading, while mine still shone brightly…"
"Well… Your companion probably lacked the light you have. It is very possible that you're trapped in here because the light responded to your companion's need to be guided…", she said and Allen frowned. This was nearly ridiculous. Kanda? In the need of guidance? "Don't put on that face… Every person needs something to hold on to… And sometimes this is lost… You might want to make sure that your companion finds something else to hold on to than the nightly masquerade… I told you what happens if the light is entirely lost…". Allen sighed but nodded. How did this simple mission turn into this complicated situation in which he had to rely on himself alone, solve riddles (he should have Rabi and Linali with him, they surely wouldn't have problems) and save Kanda from becoming a soulless puppet which only lived on short pleasures? Especially the last aspect of this extended mission didn't become Allen well. How should he confront Kanda with this problem? He surely would try to stare him to death for even saying such a ridiculous thing!
"Maybe it's best if you left now. Try to save your companion. We are long lost, don't think about us", the woman said and Allen stared at her.
"I wouldn't do that. I'm here to save you! I will save Kanda and you all! What other sense would my coming here have if not this?!", he exclaimed and the woman widened her eyes. After having seen Allen's sincerity she smiled and nodded. "I will try to hurry. Please have faith in me!", the exorcist said, then he started running back towards the mansion.
-o-o-o-
The mansion was still eerily quiet when Allen got back inside. He stood in the dimly lit hall, waiting for a moment just in case the red-clad man decided to pop out of nowhere. But apparently he didn't plan to so and Allen crossed the hall and walked up the stairs. The only sounds were coming from his steps on the old floor boards, which creaked and cracked under his boots. Slowly he made his way to the very end of the dark corridor and put his hand on the door knob of their room. He turned his wrist slowly and heard the clicking sound of the door opening. He pulled and peered inside; nothing was moving and he didn't hear anybody either. He went inside and closed the door behind him, he looked to the bed but couldn't see Kanda there.
"Kanda?", he called and heard a creaking noise to his right. He turned around and saw Kanda rising from a dusty armchair, faded flowery motif barely visible on the worn-out material. The young exorcist breathed a sigh of relief and walked to him. "How are you feeling?", he asked, but stopped as he saw Kanda's eyes staring at him out of his ghostly pale face. The words of the woman resounded in his head. Once the light left Kanda he would be nothing more than one of the night's puppets, doomed to only live for the short pleasure of the recycling masquerade. But before Allen could start to panic, Kanda's eyes cleared up and he looked down at the brown-haired exorcists.
"You're back...", he said and walked past Allen to the wardrobe. "Found anything out?". Allen watched him get dressed slowly, observing Kanda's every movement.
"Yes and no. I found out what happened to the town but not how we'll get out…". He started to explain what he had come to know and Kanda listened wordlessly. "Can you make sense of it?", he wondered, but wasn't surprised to see Kanda shake his head. "Well, there is something else. The woman claimed that we've been caught by the Innocence because we were in the need of guidance", the younger exorcist said after a while, uncertainly twiddling his fingers. Kanda raised his eyebrow and Allen sighed. "Listen, I know this will sound strange to you… but the light only traps those in need of guidance. I am full of light, so there is no reason for me to be here and I do not need to worry about my well-being for now. But your light is getting weaker, your illness just proves this. If we cannot leave before your light disappears you'll become one of the party guests…"
"… I see…", Kanda nearly whispered and the boy widened his eyes. That clearly was not the reaction he had expected!
"That's… You don't seem surprised…", Allen remarked and Kanda just went back to the armchair.
"I have no clue how literally you can take guidance and light, but everything around me has constantly grew darker. You're the only thing which seems to radiate light now…", Kanda didn't look at him, "it's nearly blinding, really. How bothersome…".
"I'm sorry Kanda…", Allen said, "I'll get you out of here as fast as possible… I'll find a way", he assured him, but Kanda just looked away. The shorter boy frowned, then took the two steps separating him from the armchair and yanked Kanda up by his shirt. "I don't get you! Why are you so apathetic?! You're strong, aren't you?! You'd be ashamed if you weren't, even without Innocence, wouldn't you?! These were your words! How could you possibly start to go back on them now?!". Kanda just looked up at him, his blue eyes dark with anger and something else Allen couldn't quite place.
"Stop preaching, you idiot! That's exactly why you're so annoying! You always try to understand people. There's no point in doing that! It won't help either of us! You might be the light here and you might save us all, but if you try to understand me, then do it out of my perspective and not out of yours!!", Kanda snapped, freeing himself from Allen's grip on his shirt. The younger boy was too surprised to even argue with him, but Kanda wouldn't have let him anyway. The Asian man put his hand to his forehead, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You're just trying to save people not because you think they deserve it or anything, but because you egoistically want to spare yourself the trouble of feeling guilty about not helping them out!". Allen just stared up at him and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Even if I did it because of that, it would still be better than ignoring people' sufferings just because you can't be bothered! But that's not my reason! I love humans! I love them and I need to save them!!". Kanda grined his teeth and rose out of the armchair to stand in front of Allen. He looked down at him reproachfully which made Allen widen his eyes.
"That's annoying as well! You love them ALL! Even if you don't know them at all!! How could you possibly want to make no distinction between the value of a friend's and a foe' life?! The light you gloriously bathe in, Allen Walker, is fake!!", he spat, wildly gesturing with his hands. Allen stared at him, his mouth opened in unvoiced protest, until he got a grip on himself.
"Are you out of your mind?! You should listen to yourself speaking!", he finally shouted, but Kanda made another unexpected move; he slung his arms around Allen's body.
"You again!", he hissed, but Kanda shook his head, which made Allen shut up immediately.
"I know my own road! But I've kept watching you and hating you for such a long time that I've lost track of my initial goal! Your so-called light - it's just confusing everyone, it makes me hate you! It' deceiving and I hate that you don't care! You don't care that people love you and that you'll not return the feelings that they deserve! You love all humans, but you should love those close to you even more!". Allen just stood still as a statue, Kanda's arm around him like iron chains, Kanda's breath hot against his neck. He wondered how this conversation had moved away from the initial topic to Kanda making half-confessions.
"You too, Kanda, of course I love you too", Allen said, but that was exactly what Kanda hadn't wanted to hear, not in these circumstance, not how he had said it.
"Idiot!", he spat and pushed him away, "You make me want to kill you!". He stalked to the bed and let himself fall down heavily. The bed creaked and a cloud of dust was sent spiraling up into the air, but Kanda didn't seem to mind at all. Allen didn't know what to say.
"Kanda…", he started, but was interrupted by a ghostly laughing filling the room.
"Can you see his light leaving him? Can you see that every thing you say and do is like pouring water on fire? You're killing him, aren't you?"., came the whispers in Allen's ear and he whirled around, but nobody was standing next to him.
"What do you want?!", he hissed.
"Bring the light back", came the answer, "you're full of it. Give some to us".
"You're not Akuma! How could I possibly achieve this?!", Allen shouted, which made Kanda sit up again.
"You're a human, aren't you? Act like it", came the reply and Allen frowned, "Perform! You're actors on a stage! Perform!". It was loud enough so that even Kanda heard the voice.
"You bastard! Stop speaking in riddles!", he shouted, but was only rewarded with laughter.
"Once light has left it's very difficult to make out clear lines. Everything is blurred and everything is clad in mysteries! Human feelings have brought this darkness upon us, human feelings will also make it disappear again! We can no longer feel! Perform for us, dear guests! Perform and illuminate our night!". The laughter disappeared and complete silence lay heavily on the room.
"That's sick", Kanda remarked at last and Allen turned to look at him. Kanda glared at him, his dark blue eyes piercing his. "Go. You can still get out of here. Go and find a way to break the Innocence from the outside". The brown-haired boy just stared at him and shook his head disbelievingly.
"I can't do that! I can't leave you here! I promised to save the people and I've promised to save you!". Kanda groaned and balled his hands into fists.
"You must leave before your light disappears as well"
"But it seems to be my fault that were stuck here!", he stubbornly said and shook his head, "We have enough clues! We'll solve the problem and then everything will be okay!". Kanda just shook his head in frustration.
"Are you that dense? Don't you know what the bastard just said?"
"Of course I know what he said! And I'm not that stupid! Bad feelings such as greed have made the Innocence turn against them and good feelings such as love will make it stop this mess!", Allen said with a frown. "And you're the only other real human out here. We perform love. That's it. Right?"
"That's it?! Do you want me to kill you?!", Kanda spat and sprung up from the bed, furiously grabbing Allen's shirt. "Is that all you can say?!"
"Stop being so violent, Kanda!"
"That's not love! Even if we just act it! God, you make me furious!! There's no sense in trying!", he shouted.
"I didn't say act! I said perform!", Allen defended himself, but Kanda just let go of him and walked to the window, looking out stubbornly. "We can do that, right? I have no problem with it". Kanda didn't reply and it was clear to Allen that the older youth did have a problem with it. "That won't work then… Kanda will only hate me more…", he thought and sighed. How could he make this work? Kanda was precious to him, like everyone else. How could he possibly make himself feel more towards Kanda than towards the other people of the order? He just can't do it. He wouldn't know how. "I… I don't know what to do…", he confessed and he heard Kanda snort.
"Figure you wouldn't. Just go and try to get out of the Innocence's influence".
"But I don't want to! Help me a bit, Kanda! I can't do it alone!", Allen shouted and Kanda frowned at him. "I don't want you to be hurt!".
"Then go! It's of no sense that you stay here! Get out of this, save yourself the trouble and go!", he said, but Allen still refused, "you're selfish"
"I'm not. How could wanting to save you be selfish", he demanded, but Kanda just snorted.
"I told you; because you just don't want to feel guilty for our demise. But it's my own fault for being trapped here". He walked to Allen and grabbed his shoulders. "Just go… You won't find a solution. If you think that all people deserve your love equally, then you won't…", he said and guided him to the door. It took Allen a long time to process these words and he was already out of the room when he finally made sense of them.
"Now I understand…", he said and Kanda, who was closing the door after Allen, opened it again.
"What?", he asked and the brown-haired boy turned around.
"Why the red man said that I'm a threat to your light…", he said and Kanda raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry, Kanda… I didn't know that I was hurting you…". He pushed his way back into the room and sat on the bed, Kanda shutting the door with an uncertain look on his face. "Do you really hate me?"
"Idiot, I thought you said you weren't stupid", Kanda hissed, his cheeks faintly red in his white face. Allen's lips formed a small smile, then he sighed. Maybe… If he explained himself to Kanda…
"I'm really sorry… I live for humans and Akuma. I want to save them and I love them as much as I sometimes hate them… In the past, you all became much dearer to me than the mission I swore to give my life for… You were… too dear to me, all of you. I had to realize this in order to get back my Innocence. As an exorcist I am not allowed to discriminate between you. I need to love Akuma as much as humans, or I could never bring them salvation…", he explained and Kanda just approached him silently. "Maybe the Innocence would desert me once again if I ever put a single human over my mission… It is… unforgiving… You know that as well as I do…". Allen frowned and looked at his normal hand, "you really were right. I do this all out of selfishness… Because I'm scared of what would happen if I'd love a person. I just took things as they came, discarding them after proving that I still was able to love humans, not caring about what I felt…"
"That's not what I wanted to make you see. I didn't know that", Kanda confessed, "I was just angry at you…"
"But you were right", the brown-haired boy said and looked up at Kanda, "I really can't do this on my own… I do not need guidance because I know where I'm going… But maybe…"
"Here you do not have your Innocence… Maybe you should allow yourself to feel. You said that you don't really care and just take what comes your way", Kanda said and Allen nodded, "well… I'm appeased. If you give me some of your light then I'm sure you can guide me back to the life I've chosen to live". The brow-haired exorcist looked up at Kanda silently.
"We should perform love then", Allen said with a smile and raised his hands to Kanda and he nodded, lowering himself so Allen could embrace him. "But once we're back…"
"I'll just come knocking at your door from time to time", Kanda answered, which made Allen laugh, "now be quiet and show me how to perform".
-o-o-o-
Kanda loving him was an entirely new experience to Allen. Kanda, for all the grace he possessed while on a mission, was very clumsy when it came to sex. Allen, being more experienced than most of his previous lovers, was used to it, but it still left a sweet sensation to see Kanda screw up his face in embarrassed frustration. "No one, but you", had been the best thing Allen had heard for a very long time and he couldn't help feeling something other than carnal pleasure. Maybe it was because he focused on Kanda alone, or maybe it was the lack of Innocence involved (Kanda's virginity excluded), whatever the cause, the fact remained that it felt very good.
Kanda was lying next to him, still awake, gazing at the ceiling.
"I guess this performance was a success. At least to me", Allen said and Kanda just snorted, which made the brown-haired boy laugh. "But if these positive feelings were enough to appease the Innocence…?"
"We won't know until we try to get out…", Kanda said and Allen sighed slightly. Kanda turned over, his body half covering Allen's. "Sleep and we'll see after we wake up…". Allen nodded and closed his eyes, sleep almost instantly overwhelming him.
-o-o-o-
It was cold when Allen woke up again. He had his cheek pressed to cold stone it seemed and his back was stiff. He sat up with a groan and tried to find out where he was and what he was doing, sleeping on the floor.
"Awake at last?", came a familiar voice and Allen turned his head to find Kanda sitting against the wall, fully dresses, just like Allen himself.
"Where…?", Allen asked and looked around. It was dark and they seemed to be in a room.
"We're in the place we woke up after being trapped by the Innocence. I have no idea how we got here, but we should hurry now". Kanda rose to his feet and came to Allen to help him get up as well. They left the cell and found themselves not far away from the town.
"What about the people?", Allen asked, but Kanda already was walking away from the town in the direction of the lighthouse.
"Hurry up, Walker", Kanda called and Allen let a deep sigh escape, but then he followed Kanda.
"Why are you calling me Walker? What happened to beansprout? And what about Allen?", he complained, but Kanda just climbed the hill towards the lighthouse wordlessly. They reached the lighthouse, which was still sending light over the tarry surface of the calm sea, but looked unchanged otherwise. Without hesitating Kanda pulled the door open and went inside, Allen following wordlessly. The furniture was still covered with a layer of dust and they climbed up the metal ladder.
"Congratulations for making it up to here!", came a loud voice and Allen turned to see the red man standing on top of the spotlight. "Applause, applause ladies and gentleman for our great guests!". The calm was broken by hundreds of hands clapping and Allen saw lights appearing on the hill under the light-house.
"What is going on?! Do you want to fight?!", Kanda shouted, but the man just laughed.
"No, we want to thank you", the man said, looking down at them, then he made a bow, "thank you very much for saving us".
"But why!? Why was this enough?", Allen called over the clapping, but the man didn't answer. Suddenly the light grew brighter and blinded the two exorcists. Both raised their arms to shield their eyes and only lowered them when the clapping died down. Allen looked at the spotlight; it was broken and the Innocence cube was floating over it. He frowned, but then he realized that it was no longer dark.
"Kanda…", Allen said and the Asian man turned around after recovering the Innocence; the sky was turning orange as the sun was rising over the horizon, throwing its first rays over the blue water.
"We finished our mission", Kanda said and turned around, "let's head back". Allen nodded and heard Kanda climb down the ladder. He raised his hand and saw the familiar black colour and the cross edged into the back of his hand. With a sigh he lifted his head and looked out over the sea.
"I don't understand what happened… But I hope I was able to save you… And… Thank you…"
-o-o-o-
"Well done", Komui complimented the two exorcists, "I knew that you two would be able to improvise…". They had returned to the black order and just reported to Komui – leaving out some parts to Komui's own imagination.
"I had finders investigate the town just after you contacted me on your way back home. We have found nothing suspicious, but the Innocence is something we still fail to understand. I'm glad that you made it out safely. Don't burden yourself by thinking too much about it, Allen", Komui advised, "even though we can't be sure, I'm convinced that you were able to save those people"
"Thank you Komui", Allen said and the Chinese man smiled.
"You must be hungry, get something to eat and your well deserved rest", he suggested and the exorcists nodded. They left the science department and made their way to the dining hall.
"Would you like to stop by my room later tonight?", Kanda asked and Allen laughed.
"You were serious back then?", he asked and the older exorcist snorted.
"You take what you can get and I do as well", he answered and Allen nodded with a smile.
Fin
Notes:
Well... Don't know what to add. Any comments? :3