Chapter Three

Because of his unfortunate habit of blacking out, Allen was refused a drivers license. At the age of seventeen he had gone for a learners permit like all his other classmates, it never really occurred to him that his gift would interfere with this normal endeavour. He was just going through the motions of life, and learning how to drive a car. However months later, during a lesson, he found himself drifting out of his own mind and into that of a forty six year old man having a heart attack in the passenger seat of the car three cars behind. His wife drove on, staring ahead and talking about Janice from work, unaware that her husband of twenty years was dying right next to her. While he clutched at his chest in pain and started to gasp, so too did Allen, but at the wheel.

The instructor managed to steer the car to the side of the road, and Allen was taken away in an ambulance. The forty six year old man, who's name was Lawrence McCartney Allen later learned, was taken away in another. He learnt the name from the small newspaper article written about the coincidental incidence. Allen was tested, and almost got into trouble for not mentioning to the learners company any previous conditions. He got out of trouble because he was never actually diagnosed and by playing dumb. Instead he was subjected to a number of expensive medical tests, which found no physical reason for his blackouts. In the end the doctors decided that it was a mental problem, brought on by his hard childhood. He was appointed a psychiatrist and had 'seizures' written on his medical forms. He never went to see his psychiatrist and instead said good bye to any hope of holding a drivers license.

He accepted the fact that he would never be legally allowed to drive, and instead bought himself a nice mountain bike and helmet. Sometimes it annoyed him, but mostly it didn't. Where else did he need to go but around the small town? And with the internet, he was able to online order anything he needed that was not within his immediate vicinity. He accepted his lot in life, knowing there was no cure for what he saw and experience. He liked the small town, and that he knew everyone. He knew a big city would kill him, his mind would be unable to cope with the vastness and the people.

So he was content to taking his bike down to the shops. When he rode he not only wore a helmet, but also wrist pads and knee pads. He had come off his bike more than once when slipping into a 'seizure' and learnt the hard way that he had no control over the way he landed. He knew the kids made fun of him, but he didn't care, because right now he needed a loaf of bread. Putting on his protective gear, he got on his bike and headed towards the centre of town.

The house he shared with Kanda was at the very far end of town, where houses started to disappear and fields took their place. As a result, there were long stretchs of road that were more dirt than road, and mostly single lane.

He had barely cycled out of his driveway when he felt it, the tug of his soul trying to leave his body. He had but a moment to think, 'oh shit' before he felt himself ripped from his body. He felt for a moment his body falling from the bike and hitting the ground, sliding across the dirt and tangling with the bike.

Next thing he knew he was staring at himself in a mirror, except he wasn't looking at himself, but at an unfamiliar face, with his eyes. The pain of his fall faded away and in it's place, a new pain made itself present. Everything hurt, every part of him was in pain. He felt weak to the point of collapse but most of all he felt pain. He felt like he hadn't just fallen off his bike, but instead been dragged behind a car, skin bruised and torn, bones shattered, lungs compressed. The face he stared at was bloodied and bruised. He became horribly aware of how hard it was to breath, and started to panic. He wanted to move, to run away, to curl into a ball and sob. But he couldn't because he was merely a spectator here, and all he could do was stare at the reflection of a man he did not know.

"Well hello!"

Another face joined the reflection and upon recognising it, Allen was sure that he must have thrown up. It was the man he had been drawing for days, the man he told Kanda to run from. He was there looking into the mirror, staring directly into his eyes and Allen knew, he was addressing him directly. He wanted to leave, he didn't want to see this.

"Do you know how long it took to find you?"

"Days!" he heard someone say behind him, he couldn't see them though, their face wasn't reflected.

"But now that I've found you, it should be easier from now on. I just need a little information."

Allen murmured in fear, and then realised it wasn't him that made the noise, but the person he was viewing the sick scene from. He felt the mans hair gripped and his face was forced into the mirror, spiderweb like cracks appearing into the mirror.

Allen felt the dull effects ricochet through his mind and thought miserably to himself, that he wished he could take his pain away. At the thought, the pain Allen felt doubled, and he realised the pain he felt before was a mere shadow of what the poor man was feeling. Now Allen was taking his pain away, and feeling it himself. The amount of pain he was feeling was unlike anything he had every felt before, he couldn't concentrate, yet his eyes continued to stare straight ahead into the fractured image.

Then a gentle sigh escaped the mans lips and Allen realised, he didn't feel pain anymore, because Allen himself had taken it from him. Allen took a moment to try and decipher this in his head, and realise that this was new, that he had never done this before. Instead he shoved it aside to think about later and tried his best to focus on what was happening in front of him.

"Tell me what you see?"

Allen tried to respond, but couldn't and then realised that the question wasn't directed at him. The seconds ticked by and no answer came.

"Okay, lets try something else. What is your name?"

The man whimpered in fear, tears falling from his eyes. Allen could feel the sting of the salt water.

"M-mmy n-name is Nicolas J-jane."

It was a strange feeling, Allen had never been this closely connected before, he felt the words leave his mouth, but it wasn't his mouth.

"Now, Nicolas Jane, tell me what you see?"

The man continued to whimper, tears spilling down his face.

"TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE!"

Nicolas shivered and Allen felt it too.

"I s-see, the sky," he managed to murmur.

"Oh for fucks sake, look around."

"I can't! That's all I see! Please, please let me go. Oh God, please let me go!"

"SHUT UP!"

The other mans face disappeared from the reflection, but Allen, could hear him moving around, out of sight. Allen then became fully aware that he was strapped in place, unable to look anywhere but at the mirror. He himself shuddered, but this time, the motion was acted out by the man who's body he was occupying.

"What was that!" Nicolas yelled, having felt Allen's motions through his own body, "Let me OUT! Please, please, please, please.."

"SHUT UP! What do you see? What do you hear?"

" I don't see anything!" he sobbed.

"What do you hear?!"

"I can't, I can't"

The second man appeared back in the reflection, horribly close. Resting his chin on Nicolas's shoulder her whispered into his ear.

"Tell me what you can hear, and I'll let you go."

Nicolas continued to sob, still unable to move his head, Allen's eyes staring back at himself through the reflect.

"What. Do. You. Hear?"

"A-all-llen," Nicolas chocked through a sob.

And in that moment Allen had a horrifying realisation, not only could he see through Nicolas' eyes, but Nicolas could see through his. The connection was too strong and Allen had no idea how to break it.

"What was that?"

"Allen, I hear Allen! Now let me go!"

The man removed his head from Nicolas's shoulder and stared straight into the reflection.

"What else?" he snapped.

"N-nothing, I just hear Allen. Allen, Allen, Allen. Please, please, please."

The man moved his head back to the mans shoulder, but continued to stare straight into his eyes, into Allen's eyes.

"Is that you're name? Are you Allen? Well, Allen, my name, is Tyki Mikk and I will hunt you down, and I will find you, and when I do. I will fucking kill you."

When he finished speaking he turned his head and savagely bit into the mans neck. Allen recoiled at the pain and started to drift away, back to his own body. He felt weightless and pain free, drifting between no where. The weight of the pain being removed let him clear his sense. Enough to have a very stupid idea. He focused, and forced himself to return to the body of Nicolas, return to the pain. He felt the pain of the mans elongated teeth in his neck, he could feel the blood leaving his body, and the lightheadedness, he felt himself drift again but he forced himself to hang on.

Because he knew that he was alive and that Nicolas would die, and the least he could do, was take the poor bastards pain for him and make his death easier. Because Allen knew that the only reason this man was dying was because of him. It was his fault because this monster, this Tyki Mikk, had sort him out using Nicolas as a conduit. So he held on through the dizziness and the pain, and he forced himself to watch what was happening, He forced himself to stare into the yellow eyes of Tyki Mikk. And then just like earlier, when riding his bike, he felt his soul pushed away.

Yet he didn't snap back to his body like he thought he would, instead he was left hovering in empty space. He felt empty, hollow, like nothing. And then he heard a scream.

He could see Tyki Mikk pull himself away from the body of Nicolas, as that was all he was now, a body. Tyki tore himself away, grabbed the body and tore it from the restraints, throwing the body to the ground.

"He took it with him!" Tyki screamed, "He took it!"

Allen watched as Tyki continued to kick and kick and kick the lifeless body. Screaming at the top of his lungs.

Allen felt the tug again, and knew it was his body calling his soul. As he started to leave the room, Allen took in the room, trying to remember the details of the room and the other figures in it that he had not known were there. The last thing he heard before his saw no more was Tyki screaming,

"He took the death with him!"

"ALLEN!"

Coughing and gagging, Allen found himself back where he should be, in his body. He could taste sick in his mouth, and his body felt heavy. He took a moment to calm his breathing and orientate himself. First of all he was on his side, staring at a stretch of familiar road. Second, the sick in his mouth, he hadn't just thought he would vomit, he actually did. Third, he noticed that he had been rolled into the safety position. Blinking he tried to look around, but his eyes were rolling around in his head without his control. His head felt heavy and he couldn't lift it. Instead he let his head rest back on the ground and closed his eyes, trying instead to make his world less distorted.

"Allen?"

Hearing his name he forced his eyes to open, looking around he found a familiar figure.

"Hey Marie," he managed to croak.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?"

"No, I'm good. Just give me a moment." Allen said, closing his eyes again.

He was eternally grateful that of all people to find him passed out on the side of the road it was Kanda's brother. Marie was in the know to Allen's condition, his full condition, not just what was stamped on his medical forms. Allen could feel that Marie himself was in touch with the other side, but it didn't come naturally. Marie wasn't born with the gift like Allen was, it was a side affect of his blindness. It was something that happened as a result of becoming blind and refusing to believe that that was it. Most people would put his abilities down to acute improvement of his other senses. Allen knew better, but compared to Allen, Marie was still a blind man. Yet he had managed to find Allen passed out on the side of the road.

"Would you like me to call Kanda?" Marie asked.

"No," Allen managed to croak, "I'm not far from home."

Slowly, as Nicolas's injuries still echoed in his bones, he pulled himself up. His head swam and he had to fight down the urge to throw up again.

"What happened?" Marie said.

If anyone else asked Allen would have just said he had a seizure, yet Allen knew what Marie was really asking.

He took a moment to bring himself to his feet, spitting out the lingering taste of vomit in his mouth. When he attempted to retrieve his bike he crashed back to the ground, his legs too shaky to hold him upright.

"Do you need a hand?" Marie said, offering a hand.

For a moment Allen thought to refuse, but instead, accepted the hand offered to him. He let Marie's strong hand pull him up, and hold him up as the world spun.

"What happened?" Marie said again.

Being able to stand upright, Allen began to think clearly again, and the pain disappeared.

"I was, I saw… something." Allen started, he couldn't confide in Marie what he saw, instead he lied through his teeth, "She was old, dying of lung cancer, she was full of regrets. She did some horrible things in her youth. Horrible, horrible things. She's dead now, her regrets gone, but instead living with me."

Unfortunately it was a regular occurrence for Allen, so after a moment of hesitation, Marie believed him.

"Let me help you home," Marie said.

Shaking his head quickly, Allen pulled away from Marie's hold, he didn't feel right to have anyone touch him right now.

"I'm okay, the house isn't far. I'm sure you have your own things to do."

"Are you sure?" Marie said reaching for him again.

Allen flinched, and despite his unseeing eyes, he knew that Marie felt it.

"I'm fine," Allen said, a little to harshly.

So Marie stood by while Allen retrieved his bike, his legs still shaking and his moments sluggish. Pulling the bike upright he pushed the bike beside him, knowing he would be too weak to actually ride it right now.

"Thank you for your help," Allen said as he passed Marie by.

Reaching his house, after dropping his bike by the door, the first thing Allen did was run to the bathroom and retch into the toilet.

He had somehow managed to end up with a twelve hour shift. He wasn't happy with it, but at the same time, extra money was always good. Kanda knew that for a man his age his savings were rather pitiful, so when the extra shifts came up he took them. He was five hours in, another seven agonising hours to go, when Marie walked through the door. While Marie was the family member he detested the least, him showing up at his place of work was never a good thing. Marie didn't drink, so the only reason he could be there was to talk about something. Kanda hated having to talk about something.

"What're you doing here Marie?" Kanda said.

"It's a delicate matter, can we talk in private?" Marie answered, making his way to the bar.

"What ever it is the old man wants I don't care," Kanda said, turning away from the bar and making his way to the glass washer.

"Actually, it's about Allen."

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth in annoyance, Kanda tried really hard to turn around and say that he didn't care either way. Instead he kicked the glass washer and turned back around.

"Fine," he spat, "Go around to the back entrance and I'll meet you there in five."

Marie nodded and made his way outside carefully. Kanda attempted to control his boiling nerves. Turning to the few people in the bar Kanda said, "I've got to go talk to my brother for a few minutes so does anyone need a refill before I go?"

A few nodded and Kanda took their orders and their money. He tried to ignore how one of them said, "I didn't know Maire had another brother?". When everything was sorted his stomped his way out to the back entrance.

"What, Marie?"

Marie as always was not affected by his anger.

"I was on my way to the supermarket when I found Allen on the side of the road. He's had another…turn."

Kanda felt a small bubble of concern, before he squashed it to oblivion beneath his metaphorical foot.

"What else is new?"

"Other than almost choking on his own vomit and having an actual seizure?"

That was new.

"What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter what he said, he was lying to me. Whatever he saw, it wasn't normal. I could smell blood on him, but Allen seemed unaware that he was hurt. He came off his bike."

Kanda thought back to the other night, the nose bleed, "It's not my blood". There was a chance that he was actually injured, there was also a chance that it wasn't his blood that Marie smelt. Letting out a loud sigh, Kanda leaned back against the wall of the building and rubbed his face.

"What do you want me to do about this, Marie?"

"I think he needs someone, even though I know about him, he wont tell me what happened. He trusts you."

"I can't," he started.

"Can't you finish a little earlier?"

"I can't, I finish at midnight when the main bar closes. I need the money Marie, I can't."

He could tell the Marie was disappointed in him, but he shrugged the feeling off.

"I've got to get back, it'll start picking up soon. Whatever it is, i'm sure by the time I've gotten home he would have worked it all out in his head and be fast asleep."

Pulling himself up, he walked through the door without another word to Marie. He pretended he didn't feel his brothers sightless gaze on him.

When Kanda did manage to drag himself home, the house was dark and quite. He let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't been looking forward to hearing about whatever it was Allen had seen. He didn't want to deal with it, and seeing the house dark and silent meant that Allen had sorted himself out and was asleep, hopefully having peaceful dreams for a change. He walked through the house quietly, not wanting to wake Allen. Not because he was polite, but simply because he had had a long day, and didn't want to make the day any longer or more tiresome than it already was.

Passing Allen's door he noticed a faint glow pulsing from underneath the crack of the door. He shrugged it off as the screensaver of Allen's laptop, knowing the idiot never turned it off, but instead kept the machine running twenty four seven, obviously not caring about what it did to the battery.

He had a shower, and climbed into bed, thankful alone. He was off work tomorrow, and after a nights sleep, he would listen to whatever it was Allen had to talk about. But right now he didn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep.

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming if you want more updates.

I'm glad you all seem to like the relationship Allen and Kanda have. To me it's a believable relationship for the two to have.

Yes there will be more lemons in the future, there is a lot going on here, but they will come.

Please review and give me honest opinions.