Title: Fairy Tales

Summary: Kanda, Captain of the notorious Black Order, discovers a fey-like boy named Allen during a raid on the Noahs. They inevitably grow closer, but Allen's identity makes him a prize for the Noah – and a curse for Kanda and his crew. Not that Kanda knew. Yullen.

…Because fairy tales are as far removed from reality as he was from freedom.

It was a famous legend the drunken spoke of, inside taverns filled with bawdy conversations. There was once a man known as Mana. He was like the sea in human form; within shadowed bays, dolphins frolicked at his feet, in rivers sprinkled with sunlight, fishes gamboled around him in hoards, and at the wide, sapphire-blue expanse of the sea, all manner of sea creatures, predator and prey alike, came and told him tales of precious stones, of treasure in forgotten troves, of shipwrecks lying deep beneath the sea. The waves bowed to him and the winds were at his beck and command.

They say he was lordly, the ruler of the seas. He knew all there was to know about the sea, all her moods and all her whims.

They say that it was a magical era, and some claimed that the man had even met the enchantresses of the sea, the merpeople and the nymphs. Bullshit, others spat.

They say the man had a treasure, of beauty mortals could never comprehend, of price greater than the world itself.

For the man was a pirate.

Those were magnificent days indeed, days of conquests and passion and life, the world filled with otherworldly creatures. The latter part was whispered and quickly hushed, for centuries ago the gods – if they even existed – had washed their hands off this filthy world, and all the creatures of myth, the wise centaurs and whimsical faeries and others of the ilk had disappeared with them.

If they even existed, of course.

But in the end…

…It was only a fairy tale.

Foreboding clouds gathered above the streamlined vessel. Lightning flashed across the horizon, once, twice, and thrice. Then the faraway sound of rumbling thunder came, as though a giant sea creature were awakening from its deep slumber.

The seas turned choppy, the dark blue waters churning. Turbulence rocked the ship back and forth as the waves crashed unrelentingly upon its sides.

But the crew was made of hardened sailors. Ha! They cried, laughing at the tempest. The ship, or Black Order, as the paint slapped upon its side spelled, was tough, and it would get out of this storm with nary a scratch.

This storm was but a minor problem. The crew merrily sang Yo Ho Ho at the top of their sea-worn voices as they attended to their duties.

Then the door to the captain's cabin slammed open. Idly, some wondered if the knob had left (yet another) dent in the wooden wall. A redhead flew out of it laughing nervously. With an outstretched hand, he grabbed the nearest man and hid behind him.

That nearest man suddenly found a sharp, glinting katana pressed against his neck. His gaze slowly passed along the curved katana, the muscled arm holding it, and finally the positively murderous expression of the captain.

He gulped and fervently cursed the redhead behind him – in his mind, at least.

"Y-Yuu?" The redhead ventured.

The captain growled. "Call me that one more time, and I swear to the gods above – I will shove this up your ass."

"But, Yu–" At the captain's glare, he hastily corrected, "I mean, Kanda, you don't even believe in the gods!"

"Do I even look like I care?"

Gozu, caught between them, was feeling awfully awkward, no thanks to the cold metal pressed against his neck. As Kanda made an angered swipe at Lavi with his sword, Mugen, he let out a relieved sigh even as Lavi's shriek rang out across the deck.

The rest of the crew, amused, watched the pair as Lavi ran and Kanda chased, the former ducking behind masts. It was a typical affair, and the deck was soon in an uproar as bets were placed with the majority on Lavi's sorrowful end.

Lavi, who was currently mounting the ship's masts, was let down by the crew's lack of faith in their own quartermaster. Kanda, who didn't care, stabbed at his foot from below.

He decided to try persuasion.

"Yuu? Y'know, I thought we were friends and – ouch shit! – friends are supposed to care for each other in sickness and in health and first names are a way of showing I care so much for you and damn you nearly got my leg! How could you!" He rambled.

Kanda paused in his stabbing long enough to say, "And this is my way of showing that I care." Then he resumed his efforts with renewed vigour.

"By mutilating your friend? But we grew up together and played together and laughed toge–" The mast ripped right next to his head, courtesy of Kanda's katana. It would probably have sliced right through his neck too if it hadn't been for Marie's hasty intervention.

"Kanda. We're fast approaching The Chamberlain's Men. Your orders, please." He requested in that solid way of his. As an afterthought he added, "Oh, and Lavi, put more effort into your cracks next time. Kanda, well, he doesn't laugh. At all. Too unbelievable, that last one."

Kanda snorted. That was the understatement of the century. Screw laughing, he didn't even do smiling.

Lavi, whose attention was caught by the sight of another ship still a distance away, suddenly had his grin wiped off his face.

"Uh, Cap'n? I think you should check this out. See, their cannons? They're kind of pointing straight at us." Kanda took a single look and scowled. He hastily started to snap out orders.

Amidst the general chaos and shouts of 'To the starboard!', Lavi took a moment to do what he thought of as composing himself, and what most others thought of as being plain lazy.

Marie, who lounged beside him, suggested, "Perhaps you should be helping out, Quartermaster?"

"All in good time, mate. 'Sides, the crew are plenty used to such situations. We do get fired at a lot." He quickly strode away and whistled innocently as Kanda caught sight of him slacking off, waving back at Marie as he did so.

Then he added under his breath.

"After all, we're pirates."

The two ships, Black Order and The Chamberlain's Men, were connected by gangplanks and fastened into place by numerous ropes stemming from the former. Pirates hauled themselves along these ropes expertly, swarming onto the vessel of the Royal Navy like ants, their teeth clenching swords and evil-looking cutlasses.

Pirates below deck fired cannons in a non-uniform, trigger-happy manner as wood splintered and gaping holes formed in the other ship while their counterparts retaliated in an orderly way. The latter method was rather a waste of time, and even the Navy soldiers thought so themselves, except it simply wasn't a good idea to rebuke your dumb superior.

Kanda, first to board the other ship, wasted no time in slaughtering the far more inexperienced crew. He fought with Mugen as though it were an extension of him, master of the art, all practiced slashes and blows. Quick as lightning too, Lavi noted, as an unfortunate opponent found the sword buried in him, his mouth wide open in surprise. He watched as Kanda whirled, sword flashing as blood pooled like the rain a second later. By now the other crew was but a motley bunch, though it would be just a tad unfair to say that their captain was unskilled.

The rest of them, however, wielded their swords like they would skillets. The pirates finished them off as easily as they would their dinner.

It was at this point when the reinforcements came.

The ship arrived silently, like a harbinger of death. Lavi glimpsed the flag and his cheer disappeared in record time. A glance at Kanda showed that he already had his eyes locked onto the other dark-skinned captain, dressed in elegant clothes typical of nobility. A row of stigmata across his forehead revealed his lineage – from the esteemed Noah family, the official overlords and ladies of the sea, and chief executives of the Royal Navy.

It was Tyki Mikk.

They'd had several skirmishes with this particular man – or demon, indeed – before, and each time that sickening smirk never left his face. The mere sight of his face roused up memories Lavi never wanted to remember and set fire to his blood. His hand found the hilt of his sword as he unsheathed it for the first time that day, and his fingers clenched around it as though it were Tyki's neck. All former vestiges of his laid-back self had long since walked the plank, as the man who haunted his nightmares stood well and alive before him.

He hated that man, hated his unfailing smile, hated his very existence with his very soul, and the hatred burned and burned like red-hot anger, fast and furious as his expression became borderline crazed. His heart thudded in its cage and his hands shook ever so slightly with anticipation.

Tyki grinned at him and mouthed, "How's your grandfather?"

Fury overtook him as the memories rose and engulfed him like a tide, empowering him as he released a bloodcurdling cry of rage. He swung himself onto Tyki's ship, 3rd, teeth bared and sword raised. As though from a faraway distance, he dimly noted that Tyki's crew was boosting the enemy forces.

The scales tipped in the Noah's favour.

Kanda sheathed his sword. Even as his men fought aboard The Chamberlain's Men, hook and tooth and nail, the rain washed away all traces of blood.

But it was not an easy fight.

Tyki's crew was the elite of the elite, every single of them born and bred for fighting. His crew, though strong, was showing signs of tire and their faces were strained. Their movements, more dull than agile and strong, were more easily overpowered. Both sides dealt each other increasingly severe wounds, and the rain, which hampered their vision and soaked their clothes, didn't help.

Yes, it would certainly be a hard fight, Kanda judged.

He contemplated jumping into the fray. But his crew was a sturdy lot, and his trust in their abilities hadn't been betrayed so far. In any case, there was a mystery he had to get to the bottom of.

This particular ship they'd decided to attack, in their efforts to antagonize the Noah's family and to restock their provisions, wasn't of any notable importance. It was just a mere patrol ship, one among hundreds of them, and the Noah wouldn't have cared much. In fact, Kanda himself wouldn't have cared to attack it if it wasn't because the ship was conveniently near theirs.

So what would make it so vital to the Noah, so much so that a Noah himself would appear to protect it? As far as Kanda knew, even the Noah themselves weren't awarded such privilege from the Millennium Earl – though their battle prowess might have made it redundant.

What was it that this ship carried which warranted such special treatment?

Kanda decided to find out for himself.

Such delicate items would usually be in the captain's cabin, but a short search revealed nothing of much importance. He did find a small locked chest about the length of his outstretch hands, filled with coins. Those coins were now in his pouch and secured to his belt.

Next he tried the cargo hold, but again there was nothing but the usual items. Weapons, gunpowder, a carton of rum tucked behind other boxes, uniforms and luggage and other suchlike, and there was nothing, nothing at all that was precious, that was priceless – nothing at all that would deal a decisive blow in their war with the Noah.

Nothing.

Perhaps it might be a prisoner, down in the brig. But it was unlikely, and Kanda found his scowl growing as he walked down the rust-coated steps.

The lighting down here was dim. Mould grew in large, sickly green patches along the wall and barnacles encrusted the ground. A rat squeaked at his approach, fleeing into an unseen corner. But otherwise, it was completely silent down here – there was no sign of life, no sign of a prisoner.

He forged onwards silent as a predator, his breathing even. Down this corridor, evidence of the Navy's corruption was obvious. Compared to the stainless pristine upstairs, down here was a rat's haven.

Bodies still shackled in chains were heaped against the wall in their prison cells on either side of him. Their eyes stared sightlessly ahead, a silent plea for – what, redemption? It was a lacking commodity in the Navy. Clothes stained with their fear and pain hung loosely on starved frames, torn with whips and swords. The scent of vomit was faint in the air. The entire place, coated with the blood of dozens upon dozens, stank of cruelty.

But Kanda knew.

He knew that the torture was far worse in the ships of the Noah, having been on one of them before. That particular Noah was dead. But there'd been losses on their side too, losses that should never have been made.

Alma had been captured then. Had he ended up like one of these souls, tortured? He, who always smiled and was so kind and pure, had he suffered something he didn't deserve? Was he…

…Dead?

He shook his head to get rid of these persisting thoughts. It was useless to brood. Alma was already dead.

Now he focused on where he was, and details of his surroundings came out in sharper focus. The air was murky here, dead with the smell of rotting corpses.

Kanda walked on and on, down the corridor. He was ready to give up as he neared the end when he peered customarily into the last cell.

And within was a person with white hair, white as how he'd envisioned an angel to be when he was a kid, white as snow.

His back, facing Kanda, was crisscrossed with lacerations of the sort made by whips, some half healed and scabbed over, some still dripping fresh blood. The person knelt on the hard ground, held up by chains hanging from the ceiling. His head hung against his chest, and Kanda assumed that he was unconscious, till he spoke.

"Come back so soon already, Captain?" And he turned and looked at Kanda, and Kanda's breath caught in surprise.

The boy was beautiful. He possessed skin soft like a newborn's and his eyes were doe-like and grey as the seas, and you could stare in them and be lost in those depths, brimming full of wisdom and knowledge and determination, and most of all sorrow, great sorrow. Cheeks, still lined with baby fat, accentuated his innocence, and his lips were a delicate pink, like that of the cherry blossoms of his homeland. His features were effeminate, and you could see it even in the ridge of his nose, his lashes, and his white brows.

There was a scar on the left of his face, an upside down pentagram running down to his cheek, and it stood out all the more against his pale skin. But it wasn't ugly, no, it simply made him even more special.

He was beauty in definition, and it was an inhuman beauty. The boy looked as though he were haloed by light, and even his gaze, measuring and defiant, added only to his otherworldly looks.

Then the boy asked calmly, but in rattling breaths, "Did the Captain send you to torture me instead, or has Tyki arrived?"

And Kanda snapped back to himself.

With a hand on Mugen, he shot back, "Are you the one Tyki Mikk's after, brat?"

The boy retaliated, "Do you see anyone else in here? And the name's Allen, she-male." And his tone was as though he were talking to an idiot, which he probably thought Kanda was. Kanda, on the other hand, found himself questioning his hearing, because the not-angel in front of him had just insulted him. In fact, he'd been called a she-male.

A she-male.

Kanda, well, Kanda did not take that sort of attitude from those younger than him. Or from those older than him. Or anyone at all.

And he would have hit the boy named Allen, or perhaps threaten him with his sword, if it hadn't been so clear that he had been through a lot. And unfortunately, he wasn't nearly so heartless as to hit an incapacitated person. He'd hit him later instead.

So Kanda quelled his temper and said, "I'll be taking you, then."

With two expert swings of his sword, he sliced open the shackles. Allen would have fallen forwards, but Kanda caught him and hoisted him onto his shoulder, carrying him as he would luggage. The boy struggled weakly, but it was nothing Kanda couldn't handle.

They went up, out of the brig and onto the deck, where the fighting still ensued and where the rain fell heavily onto their heads. On the 3rd, Lavi looked the worse for wear, though Tyki Mikk looked as pristine as he always did.

Kanda grabbed on to a rope and bellowed, "Retreat!" Then he swung back onto his own ship, shifted Allen and held Mugen to his neck.

"Do not give chase, or I will kill this boy!" Tyki Mikk growled furiously, but Kanda pressed the sword against Allen's neck, and Tyki immediately repeated the order to his crew.

One by one, Kanda's crew escaped from the chaos, some of them supporting a comrade. He saw Lavi clash swords one last time with Tyki, but he too retreated.

None of the enemy stopped them.

So. We have here my first attempt at the DGM fandom, and I'm hoping it's to your tastes so far. I'd really appreciate some criticism, like how I could've done better, but simply hearing if you loved it or hated it would be really nice too.

Thanks for reading this, and I'll update it within a week.

Happy New Year!