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I'm sorry about the slow-going, but life and life and... life...
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Cobalt orbs flickered to look up the torrential rain falling around him, the drops bouncing off his umbrella with vigour. His jaw tightened in disgust and frustration, despising the seedier locations of Allen's work, if it could be called such a thing.
After Allen hadn't responded in two days, Lavi and Lenalee vocalized their worry while Kanda internalized his, his patience reaching an end and he silently slipped out to check up on the idiot. His journey was evidently in vain however when he met nothing but an angry Cross and several drunk men and woman. A few of them, thankfully, decided to show him where the young man was staying, the receptionists admitting they hadn't seen him in a few days, though they couldn't remember the exact day.
Now, here he stood, checking the window where Allen was said to be staying, looking for a glimmer of light or a quick shadow to flicker by the windows; any indication that the young man was alive would be helpful.
That was their true fear, that the stupid moyashi would cross paths with the wrong man and wind up the next body on a slab in the morgue.
"Che."
Turning back to his car, Kanda figured he'd have heard something about an unknown young man showing up dead in the district.
His feet splashed along the puddles, his eyes raising to look up to the sky, his shoulders sagging as he sighed deeply. Kanda would never admit to anyone, not even to himself, but his feelings towards the young man were conflicted at best. The elder found that while they consistently fought and argued, there was something more there, something unexplainable. It was that unexplainable emotion that had him anxious whenever Allen ventured to his "job", that made him irritable whenever the younger never responded to him, and that made his company warming.
The strong body jerked at the sight of a white dart bolting from a collapsed cardboard box to a large dumpster outside a strip club. Curious, Kanda moved slowly towards the shelter the animal had taken cover under.
His cobalt eyes widened at the sight of a small and dirty white kitten huddled desperately for warmth, its eyes squeezed tight and the tail wrapped tightly around its shivering body, the ears flattened against the tiny white scalp.
"Hey there," the young man found himself speaking softly to the small creature so as not to startle it, "come here."
The silver eyes were bright and worrisome as they flickered up to him, the animal appearing stunned at the mere sight of him, which came to no surprise. Kanda figured, the animal being covered in filth and crouching as though it was wounded, the creature was a stray, and most likely fearful of humans. He had no way of knowing that the animal was the young man he had been searching for and that the shock was caused by him and him alone.
Allen was stunned at the sight of the dangerous and arrogant Kanda Yuu getting on his knees for a simple, filthy feline. To increase his shock, the elder's voice was, if at all possible for Kanda, soft and kind.
Since his transformation, he had been hoping, waiting, for someone to help him. Now, that someone had, Allen could do nothing but stare. The kitten managed to fold his body underneath the green dumpster, his ears flat against his head while his wide silver eyes stared out at the alleyway, his shivering form curling in on itself.
"What's wrong?" the young man asked as his boots came into view, the feet adjusting to allow the person to kneel on the ground, the long hair miraculously over his back as cobalt eyes peered curiously underneath the dumpster.
It was no longer the cold that kept Allen rooted in place, the shock of seeing the stubborn elder on his knees for a cat he never knew was nearly too much for the kitten to take. Eyes wide and tail curled around it's body, the poor animal seemed utterly terrified of everything around him despite Kanda's best efforts to comfort the animal.
"Come here," Kanda tried in a voice unbefitting of him, soft clicks made with his tongue and his teeth almost enticing as he tried to slip his hand underneath to touch the now retreating cat, "I'm not gonna hurt you," the elder pressed on softly, "I promise."
Still Allen refused to move towards him, his shivering body shuffling slowly away.
"You must be hungry," the Japanese surprised the kitten, his umbrella adjusted so that his hands could rummage through his bag, his hand pulling out a half-eaten roll, his fingers breaking off a piece of the soft bread before it was extended to the cat, "here you go,"
Allen felt his mouth salivate at the sight of the first morsel of food he'd had in two days, his hunger betraying him as he extended his neck and tongue for the piece, the rich flavour dancing on his taste buds. Closing his eyes as he chewed, the younger forgot to be surprised when the hand retreated only to return with a second chunk that was devoured about as swiftly as the first.
Bravery entered the kitten as he slowly approached the elder, the fingers still handing pieces of bread all along the way before his ears managed to flick out from beneath the dumpster. His silver eyes looked up at Kanda while the Japanese straightened up slightly, his body still kneeling while his hand held the remnant of the roll.
"There we go," Kanda uncharacteristically smiled, "you must be starving."
The kitten mewed as he gobbled up another broken piece of roll, curious when he saw Kanda rummage in his bag only to bring out a woollen white scarf, the paws touching his knee as he sniffed out of curiosity.
"Here," the elder murmured as he gently picked up the cat, the animal wrapped tenderly the fabric almost like a babe, the silver eyes looking at Kanda's face the entire way before he was tucked into the crook of the other's arm, the remains of the bread passed to him. "Alright," Kanda murmured, his middle finger running over the tiny skull, "better?"
Allen said nothing as he hummed while he chewed, his paws slipping out to hold it in place while he gnawed at the bread, the first meal in what felt like forever.
A small smile dared to tug at his lips, admiring the innocent kitten and how happy it was munching on the food. His thumb ran over the fur, almost shocked to see it was white; the animal would most likely need a bath…
The long hair shook; Kanda couldn't take him home, he knew next to nothing about pets, let alone cats and besides, they were aloof, liable to run away once they had what they wanted.
"Sorry," the elder murmured, his arms lowering to put the animal back to the ground, the eyes looking up at him in confusion, "I have to get going home."
He felt slightly guilty from the look the animal gave him, but a cat looking the way he did must surely have an owner, someone who cared deeply for him and was missing him terribly.
"MROW!?"
Much to his surprise, Kanda found the animal leaping to tug at his pant leg and run over his shoe, the creature appearing to want to stop him for whatever reason Kanda couldn't see.
"No no," the elder told him, "stay here, go back home."
"Mrow!" the animal protested, hopping with his ears pressed against his skull and his eyes hopeful, if a cat could even look hopeful.
Though the answer to his predicament was probably back with the old lady that did this to him, Allen knew that his chances would be better if he was cared for by another, even if that other was Yuu Kanda.
"I can't take you back," Kanda found himself reasoning with the small animal, "I won't be able to care for you."
"Nyaa…"
Allen felt pitiful as he begged to be cared for, to be taken away from the grime-filed streets and away from the woman who, if ever found him, may kill him in his cursed form. His paws soiled the front of the black pants that were not already spotted with mud and grime.
"What do you want?" Kanda pressed, kneeling once more to the animal, "my place isn't ready for a cat… I'm not ready-"
"MROW!"
"You're as pushy as moyashi," the elder grumbled, grinning as he looked the animal over, the scar over its left eye and the injury on its left paw, "and you kind of look like him too."
Save for the pattering of rain, the two were silent, the long tail swishing around the body and the large eyes hopefully pleading with the elder. Though he'd never admit it, Kanda felt the sadness of the creature tug at his heartstrings.
"No. You've probably got an owner. Go home," the long finger pointed to the alleyway that was overlooked by dingy apartments, the cat refusing to move save for the falling ears. "Come on…"
Allen watched as he sighed deeply, the small bud of hope he had blooming in his chest withering before it could grow any further.
"Mrow…"
The animal was now entirely dejected, everything drooping, the sight almost pitiful in Kanda's eyes. However, despite its appearance, it still tried desperately for what Kanda couldn't tell.
Figuring what would be best was to walk away, the boots moved around the white animal, the cat perking up at the sound of the splashing puddles.
"Nyaa!"
Kanda did his best not to look back as the animal chased after him, the cat stumbling around his legs in desperation.
"I told you-"
"NYAA!"
The elder stumbled back after realizing he had accidentally stepped on the animal's tail, the creature limping away while still looking up at him, pleading with him despite the pain he caused it.
"Alright!" Kanda finally caved, his shoulders sagging as he lowered to pick up the tiny white animal.
Shock was what overtook Allen's body, the mere fact that Kanda Yuu had given in to his demands enough to make him still. Rewrapped in the now dirtied scarf, the kitten was held to Kanda's chest, the elder moving towards the black car that was thankfully on all four wheels.
Warmth filled the vehicle quickly, Allen feeling the chill in his bones vanish as the scarf was coiled around his weary body, the vent from the car washing over his body. They remained still while the elder did something on his phone, the cat's curiosity nagging at him until they took off, their destination the animal shelter in the opposite direction of their homes.
Allen's heart plummeted at the sight, his stupidity enough to make him want to smack his head. Of course Kanda wanted to take him to an animal shelter, the elder thought he had an owner and, despite his arrogance, Kanda had his honour worthy of a samurai, and the temper to go with it.
"Stay here."
The door slammed shut behind the elder, the cat looking dejected at he saw him disappear from his vantage point. Desperate, Allen leapt to the dashboard, his body slipping until he found purchase with the ridges of the CD player. Scrambling, the cat strained his eyes looking through the water covered window, only just able to make out a figure standing by the door.
His heart leapt for a moment as Kanda, evidently disgruntled, rifled through the bag he had brought with him, his actions indicating he was scribbling something to be shoved into the door before he returned to the car, his umbrella tossed to the floor of the seat beside him.
"Figures they'd be closed on a weekend," Kanda muttered as he brushed off the droplets of water off his jacket, his eyes finally noticing the cat on his dashboard, "and get down from there!"
Meowing in response, the long fingers hooked around the animal's belly, Allen lifted back to the scarf on the passenger seat beside Kanda.
"It looks like I've got you for the weekend," the elder murmured, his finger running through the animal's scalp, the silver eyes closing at the feeling, "so you better behave!"
Curling up into a ball, Allen allowed himself the feeling of safety in the comfort and warmth in the car, figuring he would be protected for two days with Kanda; two days to figure out his predicament.
The two stayed in the car for a moment longer, his breath leaving him in a sigh, evidently set to be a pattern with him. His cobalt eyes looked over the sleepy animal, his scarf wrapped carefully around its body and pulled over top of the thin back. It purred unconsciously under his fingers, Kanda feeling a soft smile slipping onto his lips, half of him wanting to go back to the shelter and tear up the letter he left and keep the little animal for himself.
Sooo... Lemme know what you think! Reviews please ^^
