Neko: "Hello! I'm here like I promised. I put this thing up faster than the last one so I'm very proud of myself."

Kanda: "Of course you put this one up faster, the last one took half a year! How about you post these up faster!"

Neko: "Don't yell at me! I already explained why I took so long!"(Hides behind Allen) "Allen-chan, tell Kanda to stop reprimanding me!"

Allen: "Its just Allen! Neko, I'm afraid that I will have to agree with Bakanda on this one. You really need to put these up more frequently and...Neko? Are you crying?" (Allen asks worriedly.)

Neko: "N-No!" (Quickly wipes her eyes)

Kanda: "Great job Moyashi, you made a girl cry."

Allen: "You had a part in it too Bakanda!" (Goes to comfort Neko) "It's not your fault, don't cry."

Neko: "Really?"

Allen: "Yes."

Neko: "How can I know you aren't lying?"

Allen: "Bakanda and I will do anything to prove we aren't lying."

Kanda: " The hell! Why so I have to do anything?"

Allen: "Because you are the one who started it."

Kanda: "Che."

Allen: "So what do you say Neko?"

Neko: "Ok, then Allen-chan I want you to make a bet with me."

Allen: "A bet?"

Neku: "Uh-huh. I bet that you will love Kanda and have hot smex with him by the end of the story."

Allen: "W-What?" (Blushes so red it could put a tomato to shame)

Neko: "And Kanda, you will have to record and picture the whole thing and make separate copies for me when it happens."

Kanda: "Are you high? How can we know you wont just write it in your twisted story?"

Neko: "Oh, it won't happen in this story it is rated T after all. Any Twilight fan knows that. I mean, that by the time I finish writing this story you two will be in L-O-V-E!"

Allen: "Fine, I take that bet."

Kanda: "Moyashi?"

Allen: "Face it Kanda, she can't force us to fall for each other so we're safe. Right, Neko?"

Neko: "Yup I can't force you."

Allen: "See? So we are fine. Neko when I win the bet what do I get?"

Neko: "Confident aren't you. If you win the bet I will provide you with a year supply of metarashi dango, and Kanda will get a year supply of soba noodles. Is that ok?"

Allen: "YES!" (Eyes sparkle at the prospects of metarashi dango)

Kanda: "Fine."

Neko: "Great, it's a bet. Now on to the story, Allen-chan take it away!...Allen-chan?" (Turns to see Allen is still in his metarashi dango induced daydreams)

Kanda: "Idiot can't do anything. Baka-Neko does not own Twilight or -man."


3. Phenomenon

When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different.

It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window.

I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror.

A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen – coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bed now.

As I was heading back to bed I noticed a piece of paper by my door. I picked it up and read it.

"Stupid Apprentice, don't you dare get me in trouble with Mana for letting you skip school, as well as letting my hard work go to waste. So get up and get your ass out the door!" – Cross

I crumpled the paper in my hand and slowly breathed in and out for a few seconds. As soon as I was calm, and sure that I would not punch the day lights out of Cross as soon as I saw him, I thought he had a point. It would be of no use to skip school, for it would only make Mana worry that I wasn't fitting in or something, plus Cross would probably kill me for not obeying his orders. So with that in mind I got up and got ready for a horrible day in the snow. I downed two pants, two shirts, sweater, and pair of snow boots and left my room.

Apparently Cross had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Cross was like having my own place, bills included, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely.

I threw down a large bowl of cereal and a carton of orange juice from the fridge. I felt excited to go to school and that scared me, especially since only ten minutes ago I was planning on skipping till a though of something came to mind other than Cross' note. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Kanda Lee. And that was very, very stupid.

I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why would he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the constant hostility I felt emanating from him, and I was tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were like a square and a sphere that did not touch. Heck, I wasn't even sure if he even played on the team I was on. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.

It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to my truck, but managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish.

Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Kanda Lee by thinking about Bak and Johnny, and the obvious difference in how boys responded to me here. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in London. Maybe it was just that the boys back home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still though of me that way. Perhaps it was because I was a novelty here, where novelties were so few and far between that even my abnormalities were overlooked. Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me of as a "damsel in distress". Whatever the reason, Bak's puppy dog behavior and Johnny apparent rivalry with him were getting on my nerves. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored.

My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction though Main Street.

When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck – carefully holding the side for support – to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. So this was what he meant by hard work. Cross had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, if anything it was the other way around, and Cross' unspoken concern caught me by surprise.

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chain had brought on, when I heard an odd sound.

It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled.

I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.

Kanda Lee was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.

Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pining me to the ground. I was lying on the on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked next to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to colloid with me again.

A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.

Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thus hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt – exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been.

I was absolutely silent for one second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Kanda Lee's low, frantic voice in my ear.

"Allen? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realize he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.

"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.

"Ow," I said, surprised.

"That's what I though, Moyashi." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.

"How in the…" I trailed off; trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?"

"I was standing right next to you, Moyashi," he said, his tone serious again.

I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, he released his hold around my waist and slid as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, yet irritated expression and was disoriented again by the force of his sapphire like eyes. What was I asking him?

And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, and shouting at us.

"Don't move," someone instructed.

"Get Daisya out of the van!" someone else shouted.

There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Kanda's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.

"Just stay put for now."

"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. There was an edge to the sound.

"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car."

His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't."

"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of the adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.

"Moyashi, I was standing with you, and pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating, power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial.

"No," I set my jaw.

The sapphire in his eyes blazed. " Listen to me, Moyashi."

"Why?" I demanded.

"Just do it for now." He ordered, his commanding voice overwhelming.

I could hear the sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.

"Fine," I repeated angrily.

It took six EMT's and two teachers – Mr. Varner and Coach Wong – to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Kanda vehemently refused his, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded in the back of the ambulance. Kanda got to ride in the front. It was maddening.

To make matter worse, Chief Marian arrived before they could get me safely away.

"Allen!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.

"I'm completely fine, Cro – Master," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me."

He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images turning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the tan car's bumper – a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Kanda's shoulders…as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame….

And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety.

I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen – a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane, because I didn't need to add that to my list of "lovely" qualities.

Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Kanda simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I grounded my teeth together.

They put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-pattern curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked way, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed.

There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Daisya from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Daisya looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.

"Allen, I'm so sorry!"

"I'm fine, Daisya – you look awful, are you all right?"

As we spoke, nurse began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shadow slices all over his forehead and left cheek.

He ignored me. "I though I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…." He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.

"Don't worry about it, you're the one that was badly injured. Besides you missed me."

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…."

"Umm…Kanda pulled me out of the way."

He looked confused. "Who?"

"Kanda Lee – he was standing next to me." I'd always had a great poker face and was great at lying; a skill acquired while gambling in bars in order to pay off Master's debts. So I was certain he would fall for it.

"Lee? I didn't see him…wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he ok?"

"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher."

I knew I wasn't crazy. What had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen.

They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I told them there was nothing wrong, and I was right. Not even a concussion. I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So, I was trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Daisya's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself. Finally, I closed my eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling.

"Is he sleeping?" a musical voice asked. My eyes flew open.

Kanda was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at him. It wasn't easy – it would have been more natural to ogle.

"Hey, Kanda, I'm really sorry –" Daisya began.

Kanda just shook his head.

"No blood, no foul," he said, sporting his usual scowl. He moved to sit on the edge of Daisya's bed, facing me. He looked bored.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.

"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"

"I have my ways," he answered. " And stop whining, I came to get you out."

Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, wore glasses, he had dark purple hair…and he was handsomer than any of those fake, models like doctors I'd seen in TV. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Master Cross' description, this had to be Kanda's father.

"So, Miss Marian Walker," Dr. Lee said in a remarkably appealing voice, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said politely, but hoping it was the last time I had to say it.

He walked to the light board on the wall over my head and turned it on.

"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Kanda said you hit it pretty hard."

"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Kanda.

The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced.

"Tender?" he asked.

"Not really." I'd have much worse.

I heard a small chuckle, and looked over to see Kanda covering his mouth with one hand and looking at me with a patronizing expression. My eyes narrowed. I turned back to Dr. Lee to see him also staring at his son but with a shocked expression. Kanda noticed it as well since he stopped and turned away with his typical scowl back in place. Dr. Lee then turned back to me, resuming as if nothing had happened.

"Well, your father is in the waiting room—you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, imagining Master Cross trying to be attentive, I shuddered.

"Maybe you should take it easy today."

I glanced at Kanda. "Does he get to go to school?"

"Someone has to spread the news we survived." Kanda said smugly.

"Actually," Dr. Lee corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."

"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.

Dr. Lee raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"

"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly – I staggered, and Dr. Lee caught me. He looked concern.

"I'm fine," I assured him again. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head.

"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." I insisted.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Lee said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish.

"Lucky Kanda happened to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement.

"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Lee agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Daisya, and walked to the next bed. My poker's intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Daisya, and began checking his cuts.

As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Kanda's side.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw clenched.

"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth.

I glanced at Dr. Lee and Daisya.

"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed.

He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face me.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold.

His unfriendliness intimidated me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended. "You owe me an explanation," I reminded him.

"I saved you life – I owe you nothing."

I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "You promised."

"You hit your head Moyashi, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting.

My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head!"

He glared back. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."

"What do you think happened?" he snapped.

It came out in a rush.

"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me – Tokusa didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. The van was going to crush us both – and it didn't, and your hand left dents in the side of it – and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all – and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together.

He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive.

"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was too perfect, like a line delivered by a skilled actor.

I merely nodded once.

"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now. He pretty much admitted it, but I still wanted to know why and how he'd done it. He knew I did.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger. I really wouldn't, it wasn't mine to tell.

Surprise flitted across his face. "Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie without reason – so there'd better be a good one if I'm doing it."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"

"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant.

"You're not going to let it go, are you Moyashi?"

"No."

"In that case…I hope you enjoy disappointment."

We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious face. It was like trying to stare down an angel of destruction.

"Why did you even bother?" I asked frigidly.

He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.

"I don't know." He whispered.

And then he turned his back on me and walked away.

I was so angry, it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway.

The waiting room was more unpleasant than I'd feared. It seemed like every face I knew in Forks was there, staring at me. I couldn't help but to grip my left arm and hide it slightly behind me. Cross rushed to my side; I put up my right hand up.

"There's nothing wrong with me, Master," I assured him sullenly. I was still aggravated, not in the mood for chitchat.

"What did Komui say?"

"He said I was fine and that I could go home." I sighed. Bak, Chaoji, and Johnny were all there, ready to converge on us. "Master, let's go." I urged.

Cross put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved sheepishly at my friends, hoping to convey they didn't need to worry anymore. It was a huge relief – the first time I'd ever felt that way – to get into the cruiser.

We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Cross was there. I was positive that Kanda's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still could hardly believe I'd witnessed, but how to get him to explain how he did it?

When we got to the house, Cross finally spoke.

"You'll need to call Mana." He said as he turned off the cruiser.

I was appalled. "You told Papa!"

"Yea, and now I'm telling you to call him!" he yelled.

I got out and slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary. I would get it from Cross later, but I was mad enough already and this was some added stress I did not need.

Papa Mana was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell him I felt fine at least thirty times before he finally calmed down. He begged me to come home – forgetting that home was empty at the moment – but his pleas were easier to resist than I though. I was consumed by the mystery Kanda presented. And more than a little obsessed by Bakanda himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I wasn't as eager to escape Forks, as I should be, as any normal, sane person would be.

I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Cross stayed home tonight, to make sure I was ok and that I wouldn't randomly faint on the floor or something. It was kind of insulting for him to think me so weak. His constant watching of me when he thought I wasn't looking was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. They did help and as the pain eased, I drifted to sleep.

That was the first night I dreamed of Kanda Lee.


Well, that is it for this chapter. I would like to thank all of you for rooting me on to keep typing this, really thank you! I love you all! Remember, reviews keep me going! It was actually one of my latest reviews that made me finish this chapter! So there is your proof that reviews make this story come faster.

PS: I keep noticing grammatical errors whenever I post up these chapters, I would just like to say it is not my fault. They are perfectly grammatical when I type them up but get messed up when I upload them to . No clue why, it just does. If you find any really big errors where you really can't understand what is typed them mention it and I will try and fix it.

Well, that is all

~sayonara!