Chapter two – Rooming with Yu
Homeroom gave way to English and English gave way to lunch and Allen found himself walking bemusedly beside Lavi on his way to the school's cafeteria, and for some reason, walking beside him was none other than one, Yu Kanda.
Allen wasn't exactly sure how it had happened but it appeared his new red headed friend had taken a liking to him, and as said red head was Kanda's self proclaimed best friend it entailed that Allen would be spending much time in the future with him. Not that he wasn't already doomed to be spending a lot of time with him due to their shared living arrangement.
The cafeteria proved to be quiet crowded, nearly all tables were occupied and Allen looked around, disheartened.
"Lavi! Kanda! Over here!"
Lavi grinned from ear to ear, heading towards a waving girl sitting alone at a table far at the back. Allen followed and was pleasantly surprised when she stood up and offered to shake his hand.
"Lenalee Lee. You must be the new transfer student. I've heard all about you from my brother." She smiled warmly at him and Kanda let out an annoyed che before sinking into a seat across from where she was sitting.
"Your brother?" Allen queried as she let go of his hand and took her seat again. He hovered uncertainly for a moment before Lavi grabbed his sleeve and yanked him down beside him.
"Yes. Komui-nisan is my older brother." Lenalee sounded almost exasperated and Allen had to raise a snowy, white eyebrow in surprise.
Lavi laughed at his expression and opened his mouth to say something when he was silenced by a loud and animal like growl. Their table sat in silence for a moment.
"What the fuck was that?" Kanda asked finally. Allen grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as the animal like sound repeated itself.
"My stomach." He admitted.
Lavi laughed loudly and clapped Allen hard on the back, nearly sending him sprawling sideways off of the bench on which he was sitting. "Sorry man. Completely forgot it was lunch here for a minute. We better get some food into you before your stomach decided to eat us all."
Allen's expression perked up at the mere mention of food and he was out of seat and heading towards the cafe line before Lavi could open his mouth again. Smirking stupidly Lavi got up and the rest of the group made their way to Jerry, the schools cook.
The line was short and Allen was at the front soon enough. Jerry raised his eyebrows at the snowy haired boy before him. "Haven't seen you here before. You new?"
Allen smiled politely and nodded. His stomach let out another growl.
"Well I make a point never to let a student go hungry." Jerry vowed and leant over the counter to better hear the boy. "So what cha' want?"
Allen proceeded to list an almost inhuman amount of food. Lenalee and Lavi openly gaped at him and Kanda snorted. Frowning, Jerry asked, "are you sure you can eat all of that?" He gave the scrawny boy an upraising look.
"Oh believe me, I'll be fine." Allen promised.
And true to his word, only moments after resuming their seats there was a teetering pile of plates and trays at his elbow as the deceptively skinny boy wiped his mouth clean on a napkin.
Lavi was first to recover. "That was... Uh... Impressive?" It came out as more of a question than a statement and Lenalee was picking uncertainly at her sandwich, as if she was almost scared that it would band together with Allen.
"Uh, yeah. I didn't eat much for breakfast. I was in a bit of a rush this morning." Allen gave his gentlemanly smile and Kanda resisted the urge to poke his eye out with his pair of chopsticks he was using to transfer the Soba from plate to mouth.
"It's not that it's bad or anything, it's just not a sight you see every day." Lavi explained.
Allen nodded and stretched his arms out.
"What have you got next?" Lenalee inquired – no doubt trying to shift the conversation back to a more normal topic. Allen frowned as he tried to summon up his schedule in his mind.
"Uh, biology I think."
Lenalee smiled widely. "That's great! Me too!"
"Oh, great." Kanda muttered under his breath and Allen shot him a nasty look.
"Don't tell me you have biology too BaKanda."
"Unfortunately, I do Moyashi. And believe me, if it were up to me I would rather scrap the skin of my flesh than remain in a class room with you."
"Well, I would rather pull every hair from my body than sit next to you again."
"I would rather –."
Lenalee watched their bickering with concerned eyes. Lavi shook her shoulder gently. "It's been like this since they first saw each other." He grinned. "Don't worry about it. I doubt they would do half the things they're threatening to do."
The promises of self mutilation had somehow morphed into threats of bloodshed and annihilation – in very graphic detail.
"– and would do the same to that fucking snitch of yours."
"It's a golem." Allen stressed.
"Speaking of which." Lavi interrupted loudly, seeing the perfect opportunity to break the fight up. "Where is Timcanpy anyway?"
Allen shrugged. "Exploring, probably. Tim likes new places. I just hope he doesn't run into a cat..."
"A cat?" Lenalee echoed, tilting her head to the side to observe him with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Yeah..." Allen sighed and leant on one of his gloved hands. "Tim has a bad habit of getting eaten by cats. And it's disgusting watching them hairball him out later."
Even though Lenalee was by no means girly, her nose scrunched up at the thought of a cat hacking out disgustingly wet hairball. Even Lavi shivered. Kanda just ignored them all, setting his chopsticks down gently on the now empty plate which had once contained his much worshiped Soba.
"The bell will be ringing soon." Lavi said, glancing down at his watch and pulled a face.
"Yes." Lenalee agreed. "We should probably start -." As if to simply get one up on the dark haired girl the bell chose this moment to ring loudly, earning a chorus of loud groans from the students assembled in the cafe.
Allen sighed and got to his feet, brushing a few non-existent crumbs from his lap – as if he of all people would leave crumbs behind after a meal. Anything edible was eaten, crumbs included – before following Lenalee and Kanda down the hall, Lavi beside him.
"If you've got class with Lenalee and Kanda, that would make your teacher Headmaster Komui." Lavi said, deftly dodging a student tottering through the corridor with arms laden with books. Allen blinked.
"The headmaster?" He repeated. Lavi grinned. "Have you met him yet?"
"No, not yet. I did all my registration by telephone."
Lavi's grin widened. "Just wait till you meet him." He said before sprinting off. Allen watched him go, slightly bewildered before almost walking into Kanda who turned to glare at him whispering out watch it in a dangerous tone.
Allen collected his belongings and was relieved that he didn't have to find the classroom himself. Lenalee and Kanda seemed to know where they were going.
The door to room 401 rattled slightly as Kanda pushed it open, Allen just behind him. Allen barely had time to catch a glimpse of the classroom before he and Kanda were thrown out of the way by a tornado of white and purple.
"MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER!" Something howled, and Allen scrabbled to his feet, a hand pressed over his throbbing nose to see a purple haired man clinging to Lenalee desperately, bawling his eyes out as if they had been reunited after a long and painful separation.
"Nisan..." Lenalee sighed, prying herself out of Komui's arms to glare at her brother.
"Lenaleeeee! Are alright? Have those thick headed friends of yours been treating you all right? Have you..." Komui trailed off as a hand grasped his forearm and he looked down to see Kanda hauling himself to his feet, an aura of absolute murder nearly visible around his lean frame as he slowly raised his head to glare at Komui.
Komui gulped. "Oh... Kanda-kun. I didn't see you there..." He stuttered as the Japanese teen tightened his grip on the man's arm, the white cloth of Komui's coat wrinkling beneath his grip.
As Allen observed his roommate the only thought running through his head was whether or not Kanda was Satan himself reincarnated.
"Don't you think that for once you could actually try acting like an adult?" Kanda hissed menacingly. Komui tried to take a few steps back.
"Now, now Kanda... Perhaps we can settle this with an apology... I'll be more careful... just, no Mugen." He suggested.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "Mugen?" He asked Lenalee who was watching the whole scene, clearly exasperated. "Kanda's katana. It goes everywhere with him. Except classes… The school won't allow it." She said elaborated. Makes sense... Allen thought. I guess...
Kanda had raised his voice and was now shouting at his teacher, something that would normally get a student suspended if not expelled, but judging by the lack of interest the others in the room were showing, scenes like this were considered perfectly normal at Black Order high.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on my precious sister!" Komui was screeching. Apparently talk of peace had long since given way to harsher words and the two males were standing face to face shouting at each other.
"Enough!" Lenalee finally shouted, stepping forward and pushing each man back with enough force to send them staggering. She glared at Kanda who glared back before letting out a disgusted, che and stalking off to sit down. Komui's lip quivered as Lenalee turned to glare at him.
"Nisan, you've already wasted ten minutes. Don't you think it's time to start the lesson?" Lenalee suggested. And Komui slunk back over to his desk obediently. Lenalee sighed and turned to throw Allen an apologetic look.
"It's the first day back and you already have to deal with scenes like this." She said wearily as the two of them took their seats near Kanda – Lenalee wisely sitting between the temperamental Japanese and Allen.
"Don't worry about it." Allen whispered back with a patient smile. "I'm use to shouting. My master is a rather loud individual."
"Master?"
"My legal guardian." At the word guardian Allen's face twisted into that of distaste and his eyes flickered dangerously. Lenalee leaned away a bit and resolved that she should probably not drag the subject out.
The lesson finally began and Allen was quick to learn that not all was fair in love and war.
For the more difficult questions Komui deliberately called on Kanda, and after the seventh time this happened in as many questions Kanda finally exploded.
"If you ask me so much as one more question I will dismember you in the most painful way I can possibly think of." The long haired male hissed, hands on his desk as he glared up at his teacher with the most utter loathing.
After that Allen found himself subjected to Komui's barrage of unmerciful questions and didn't have the slightest clue what he'd done to evoke it.
"Who can tell me what the predominating chemical compounds respectively found in eggshell, white and yolk?" Komui asked his class and before anybody could raise their hand said, – for the umpteenth time – "How about out new student, Allen?"
Allen could do naught but shake his head. Komui tisked loudly and looked up from the science book in his hand to better give Allen a mocking disappointed look.
"How about," Allen said in an annoyed tone "you ask someone else for a change Komui-sensei?"
"But you're our new student! I need to test your knowledge." He protested innocently and Allen opened his mouth to tell Komui exactly what he could do with his tests in an uncharacteristic show of annoyance when the bell rang and instead let out a relived sigh.
Quickly, their group gathered up their class things and fled the classroom before Komui could either glomp his sister or find new ways to torture Allen and Kanda.
"What does your brother have against me?" Allen asked when they left the room. Lenalee blushed and Kanda snorted.
"Nisan is just very overprotective of me." She said and Allen – who did not completely understand – none the less let the subject drop.
They ran into Lavi on their way back to their homeroom to collect their bags and the redhead immediately slung an arm around Allen's shoulders.
"Allen-chan!" He said happily ruffling the boy's hair. "What did you think of Lenalee's older brother?"
The look on Allen's face must have been enough because Lavi instantly dissolved into a fit of laughter. Annoyed, Allen stomped on his foot but that only increased Lavi's laughter.
"I'm going to my room." Allen grumbled and stalked off as Lenalee attempt to help Lavi from the floor where he had fallen after his laughter got too much to keep standing.
Allen wasn't completely comfortable with going to his room – a place he was sure Kanda would be – but had things he himself wanted to do and he had promised himself that having Kanda as a roommate would not affect him in the slightest.
The door was locked when he arrived and Allen did not waste time knocking when he was sure Kanda wouldn't open the door and simply fished his keys out of his bag. The second his hand entered his bag he was greeted with a loud chomp of over sized teeth biting gently into flesh.
He swore, pulling out his hand quickly as Timcanpy emerged in a fluttering of gold wings.
"So this is where you've been." Allen chuckled slightly as Timcanpy settled on his shoulder and slid his key into the door.
Kanda was sitting at his desk looking interminablely bored as he sorted through the pages of Biology homework Komui had assigned himself and Allen. He looked up as Allen entered, glared at him then resumed scribbling on the sheets.
Timcanpy took off, leaving Allen's shoulder to settle on his desk and observe his new surroundings.
Allen sighed and closed the door, throwing his bag onto his bed beside his suitcase. After a moment's hesitation he opened the suitcase and began unpacking his meager belongings.
His spare school uniform, and a few changes of casual clothes went into the set of draws at the bottom of his wardrobe and a single, framed photo was placed on his bedside table.
That being done, Allen announced "I'm going to have a shower." He received no response. Not that he really expected any. He rolled his eyes and vanished into the bathroom.
oOo________________________________________oOo
The water washed over Allen, calming him down instantly. His arm hurt, as it often did. And he carefully traced one of the many markings marring the raw, red flesh of his disfigured limb.
His fingers twitched in response and he watched forlornly as the water dripped from his black nails. The scars on his body seemed almost translucent rather than the raw pink they often were.
He had been rather surprised when Cross announced barley two days before the start of the school year he was enrolling Allen in Black Order high. He had never really thought Cross cared much about his education.
Allen had been torn – on one hand he wanted to go to school, do something normal for a change. On the other, the mere thought of the large pile of debts that would accumulate upon his return to his master was enough to make him weak at the knees.
Not that Allen got a say in the matter. When Cross decided on something it was impossible to discourage him. Allen had learnt that rather quickly.
There were other reasons as well, that he was slightly apprehensive about school life.
Fitting in had never been Allen's strong point and he had be subjected to ostracization due to his disfigurements all his life.
And then there was his... history to be considered. Something he could no easily shake off and something that still scared him. Allen shivered.
Sighing, he turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower.
oOo_____________________________________________oOo
Kanda only stood up when he heard the water signaling the start of the shower start. He glanced around the empty room for a moment before heading over to his bed to unpack his own belongings, something he hadn't wanted to do with the younger boy present.
Clothes went to the wardrobe and school supplies to his desk. He gently pulled his beloved Mugen out and leant it against the wall beside his bed. It was then that he caught sight of the picture beside the Moyashi's bed.
Kanda normally wasn't a snoop, but even he had to admit he was a tad curious about the boy. He threw the bathroom a quick glance before quickly striding over and lifting the picture to eye level.
It was a picture of a man wearing a black cloak, gloves and a top hat. The collar of the coat was flipped up and the hat was pulled down, obscuring any and all facial features.
One gloved hand rested lightly on a young boy's shoulder, whom couldn't have been more than five years old when the photo was taken. Messy brown hair framed eyes that were a cross between blue and grey, wearing a bulky tan cloak himself; his left hand was encased firmly in a dull patterned mitten.
The pair stood before a colorful circus tent, a tent that somehow seemed dull in the monochrome layout of the photo.
It took a moment of staring before something clicked. The boy was Allen.
The differences between the boy then and the teen now were astounding. And it wasn't just limited to the new hair color and tattoo on the eye.
There was the sound of a door clicking open and Kanda hastily returned the photo to the bedside table.
Allen was leaning in the bathroom doorway, dressed now in black pants and a neatly buttoned white long sleeved shirt, his gloves still on his hands as he dried his hair. He looked between Kanda and the photo back again and his eyes narrowed.
The hardness Kanda had glimpsed earlier flashed through his eyes as Allen tossed his towel over the back of his desk chair and strolled past Kanda as if he weren't there.
"That is Mana." He said flatly and it took Kanda a second to realize what Allen was talking about.
"Che. You think I care Moyashi?"
"Then don't snoop." Allen snapped in return.
"If you don't want anyone to see, then don't leave it plain view." Kanda retorted coolly, returning to his Biology homework.
"Fucking Komui." He muttered under his breath as he reached for his pen again.
Allen grumbled under his breath and decided to make a start on his own homework.
The pair fell into an uncomfortable silence.
A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! To show my appreciation I cranked out another chapter today just for you ^_^
About Komui's biology question, I found it on the net after search up Biology questions, so if it's not legit I'm sorry. I'm not nearly smart enough to think up a question that difficult myself.
Do you see that pretty button? Yes, that one right below this A/N.
Go on. Press it. You know you want to. The powers of reviewing demand you!