A few days after his last encounter with the two, Allen agreed with himself that he would avoid both of them, if only for his own safety. He was convinced that, while Rifka seemed to mean him no harm, Kanda certainly wouldn't hesitate to kill him just for looking at her.
So it must have been Murphy's Law that caused him to want to go to the courtyard to relax on a day when she just happened to be there. Allen froze in place and looked around indecisively. Should he run? Should he take advantage? He hadn't yet decided when the music hit his ears and he looked at her again.
She was sitting against the foot of a tree, a shiny black guitar on her lap. Her nimble fingers were playing over the chords in a tune that felt deep and thoughtful. He walked forward a few steps, but when she lifted her head and saw him, he froze like a deer in headlights.
When she stopped her music to crook a finger at him, he obediently drifted toward her and took a seat beside her in the grass, leaning back against the tree. When he was seated, she resumed the tune. Allen let his eyes slide upward to the sky, watching the clouds as he found himself filled with peace by her music.
"How long have you been an exorcist?" He asked her quietly.
"Hmm… Since I was about your age, I think, possibly a little younger. It was very hard for me at first," she grinned as she was struck by a memory and leaned her head back to look up at the sky, chuckling to herself, "though; I think it was actually harder on the Order than it was on me…"
At Allen's puzzled glance, she continued. "I was an orphan… I've heard that's not uncommon in our line of work… but no one knows what happened to my family, or even if I ever had any. The only proof of my family…" Her fingers went to her throat, touching the scar there briefly before she clenched her hand into a fist and gritted her teeth in a flash of anger.
After a moment she relaxed, brushing away her thoughts with a sigh. "When they found me in the Amazon, I was completely feral, driven half mad by the Innocence that had somehow gotten attached to me." She flexed her hands a little and cracked her knuckles. "The strangest thing about that… was that I didn't speak English, Spanish or Portuguese… but I understood Russian, of all things."
She let Allen process that for a while, returning her gaze to the guitar and playing with the chords a little, lazily making them flutter in a display of skill that he admired. "It took many years and a lot of patience, which they tell me I tried daily, but they managed to bring me out of it, to where I could live normally and work with my gift. Though, much to the Order's chagrin, they discovered I couldn't be completely tamed… Maybe you've noticed?"
At her question, Allen looked at her curiously. She was wearing her uniform today, and like most Exorcists it was tailored specifically to her body and tastes. Apparently, she had a thing for bare bellies (which he was beginning to share…), for her coat was long enough in the back to dust the floor and wide enough to wrap around her legs if she wanted, but in the front it was barely long enough to hold in her breasts. He was unable to tell if she was wearing a shirt underneath or not, or a bra for that matter.
With it she wore a long loincloth in matching black and red, and tall black boots in soft, supple, worn-in leather. The overall outfit left stretches of her flesh revealed; from thigh to hip, from pelvis to ribcage, and from the tops of her breasts to her throat. The effect it had left Allen wondering if this was Rifka's most modest outfit, or her least.
"Personally," Rifka was saying, "I think it's entirely the Innocence's fault – it just won't allow me to be completely human." She paused to look at him, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement at his dazed expression, and she leaned forward, squeezing her breasts together enticingly with her arms. "Do you like my breasts, Allen? If you're wondering if my nipples are pierced – they are."
"What? No! I-I wasn't wondering that at all! …Wait, are they really?" He realized what had happened and jerked his eyes upward and clamped his hands over his mouth as his face flushed with heat. He heard Rifka laughing in delight and chanced a glance at her, seeing that she had thrown her head back and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking with laugher.
She wiped at her eyes and grinned broadly, her eyes dancing. "Allen! You are absolutely adorable. I don't think I was as innocent as you when I was born. I find that refreshing." She reached out a hand to brush his hair back from his eyes, which made him blush again. "Now," she leaned toward him, her tone changing unexpectedly, "I know you've been trying to get me alone, Alan Walker… What else do you want to ask me?"
Allen began to blush heatedly under her gaze, stammering. Finally! This was his chance! He could ask her anything! "Uh… uh…"
"There you are…"
Allen looked up in alarm at the sound of Kanda's voice and threw his arms behind his head, trying to act casual. "Wow, Rifka, you sure are really good at guitar!"
Rifka's smile was sly as she returned her hands to the chords and elicited more sweet music from the instrument, just as the surly Japanese exorcist joined them. "It started out as an exercise for my hands when I was little, but I enjoyed the sound so much that I ended up continuing to play just for fun. I even write my own songs now and then. Don't I, Kanda?"
Allen was trying not to sweat, dying on the inside. How could Rifka be so casual all of the sudden? It was almost like the things she had said meant nothing to her… But if that was true, why was his heart was pounding so hard?
Kanda looked at her and Allen sitting side by side, his face unreadable, and Allen held his breath, watching as Kanda finally settled his gaze on Rifka. "I heard you laughing a moment ago… What were you doing?"
"Oh that… I was just telling Allen about my nipple rings." Rifka's lips twisted as she tried to maintain a straight face.
Kanda closed his eyes with a sigh of suffering. "You shouldn't tease him like that, he's just a kid."
"Hey!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know… I couldn't resist."
For a moment Kanda simply stared at Rifka, while Allen sweated and Rifka focused on her chords. Shrugging, he sat down, crossed his legs and closed his eyes, beginning to meditate.
The phenomena caused the younger Exorcist to reflect that it was often believed that music could sooth even a savage beast's soul. The thought made him giggle softly to himself.
Rifka's lips curved slowly at the corners. "And it's not like I was telling him about my other ones… Oops."
Allen's eyes popped open. He stopped giggling and went scarlet again, hearing Kanda snort an unfriendly laugh. Maybe Rifka wasn't that nice after all…
"Rifka… You haven't told me what happened to your neck, yet."
Surprised by Kanda's indifferent tone and immediately curious, Allen looked at Rifka's neck, spotting again the short, thin scab near her throat. Rifka went silent at Kanda's comment and lowered her head, her fingers pausing over the strings.
-Outside Kiev, Ukraine, One Month Ago-
Sounds of a struggle came from a darkened alley way, a broken streetlamp buzzed loudly, its light blinking on and off in a shattered frame. Two men held a woman pinned between them, and though she kicked and struggled, she couldn't get free.
"You said you recognized the ring!" She growled, furious. "You said you knew the man that it belonged to!"
"I did, and I do. He's me!" A third man walked up to her, and a knife glinted briefly in the failing light. He slid it under the cord around her throat and flicked it lazily, making her hiss in pain when he cut her skin. The sliced necklace slid away, a ring and a cross pooling prettily into the man's palm.
"Silly girl," he reached out to her face and she jerked away with a snarl, "you really should be more careful about who you trust."
"I'm not some desperate tourist, you pathetic son of a bitch! Give it back to me or I will hunt you down!"
His response was laughter, and she could take no more. Her eyes blazed and she suddenly changed her stance, grabbing the coat-sleeves of the men holding her for leverage. Leaning back, she kicked out hard, driving a boot deep into the man's chest. He gasped in surprise and fell away from her. Shocked, the two thugs accidently let go.
It was more than she had hoped for. A dagger in each hand, she spun to the left, then again to the right, steel flashing in the darkness. The thugs dropped to the ground, clutching their wounds. She turned to confront the leader, but he was gone…
After a moment, Rifka seemed to come out of a reverie, touching the scar on her neck. She lifted her head, glancing sideways at Kanda with a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth again.
Kanda crossed his arms, bending his head. "Let me guess…"
"Really, Kanda, it's…"
"It's nothing?" Having anticipated her response, Kanda spoke at the same time. He snorted and looked at her. "I thought so." He muttered. Rifka shrugged with a sheepish smile.
Allen looked from one to the other. Was it just him, or had they had this conversation before? How long had they known each other? Were the rumors true? He didn't think it was possible, but there it was… They really seemed to get along.
After a break that was both nerve wracking and refreshing at the same time, Alan headed for the cafeteria, believing a snack was the perfect thing to settle his rumbling stomach. He soon felt a presence in the hallway moments before Kanda strode up alongside him. Allen glanced up at him nervously, only to see the expression Kanda tended to use around him when they were alone – his eyes closed and his head turned slightly to the side, pretending to ignore him.
That was fine with him! Allen decided to play along, ignoring Kanda while continuing on his way to the cafeteria.
"Be careful, Moyashi."
"Huh?" Kanda's tone had caught him off guard. It hadn't been threatening, or even just angry. He could almost be accused of sounding… concerned!
"Be careful around Rifka, Walker. I'm serious." Kanda looked over at him, "Especially if she catches you alone. She's not as nice as she seems, and she's – unpredictable."
Kanda used his real name. The world was ending! Unable to help it, Allen felt his face heat up in a mixture of embarrassment and panic. He narrowed his eyes and let his dark side take over. "I bet you're just trying to warn me off because you're worried she might be interested in someone a little less girly looking! You should cut your hair, Kanda; I bet it's even longer than hers is."
A shadow fell over Kanda's eyes and he smiled slowly. Allen shivered, not liking that expression coming from someone he knew to be so reliably violent. "Ohhh no, Moyashi… If Rifka's teasing you, and I know she is… I don't envy you at all. And shut up about my hair." With that, he brushed passed Allen and turned down the hall, leaving HQ to train outside as he usually did at this hour.
Curious, Allen went to the windows and looked down upon the grounds. He watched Kanda remove his long coat, revealing the muscle shirt he wore underneath. It covered most of his tattoo, except for the jagged edges that had extended down over his shoulder. It still irritated him that Kanda wouldn't tell him what the tattoo meant, or why it had gotten bigger.
Kanda had just begun his routine when Rifka joined him. They did not greet each other – not in a way Allen could see anyway, but the two flowed into the routine seamlessly as though it had been meant for two, instead of just for one.
The sight did nothing to convince Allen that there wasn't something going on between them.