Omg. So, after like... two months of not updating, I finally have a chapter. I'm sorry. November was NaNoWriMo and December was crazy. But now its break and you guys get a chapter. You'll get more stories and chapters sooner than last time. I hope you like it~ No lemons in this one.
Chapter 4: Old and New; Union and Reunion
He wasn't quite sure where he was, but he was positive of where he was not. He was no longer in the room with Allen, that was one hundred percent true. He looked around slowly. It was hard to tell where exactly he was. He lifted his head a little, sheets of ebony hair covering his face. Annoyed, he pushed it away from his face so that he could see. He was just about to give up in finding where he was and try and get out of there when a scent stopped him in his tracks.
It was a strong smell, but not overpowering in the sense that there was too much. It was just right. And it was wonderful. His eyes flickered around, wondering what it was. It made his nerves tingle on edge, head spinning a little with the power of it. He hadn't remembered the last time he had smelled something so teasingly delicious. Had Allen smelled this good, as a human, when he had first met him? He was having a hard time remembering.
Slowly, Kanda followed the scent, eyes traveling around the landscape that had appeared gradually. Wind whispered through the leaves of the oak trees, rustling as they were dragged across the ground and against each other. This place looked familiar.
He stopped walking.
A howling had echoed through the clearing in which he stood. His eyes narrowed swiftly and he turned. He disliked the noise. It sent shudders through his spine and made him uneasy. He stood there, silent and unmoving for what could've been hours. And then the sound of footsteps met his ears.
Kanda looked up through the bramble oak. It would be impossible for anyone to sneak through those, without getting caught up in the twisting branches or dried leaves. Surely he would hear exactly where they were approaching from. But this wasn't the case. A gust of wind blew across the clearing, tugging at his hair and made it swirl around him. Leaves danced in the pull, twirling around his feet. That lovely, deliciously beautiful scent had come on the breathe of wind. He turned around swiftly.
She had made no sound to announce her arrival through the underbrush, nor was she scratched from fighting her way through. She stood perfectly, bathed in the moonlight that made her skin shine palely. It was her scent that Kanda smelled before. He couldn't look away from her. She was magic, he knew that much. And not human. The way her hair hung down around her body in crimson waves showed this. It moved without the wind, which had strangely stopped.
"Hello," she said in a soft voice that reached him even though their was a large distance between them all. "Yu..." She began to pick her way towards him, bare feet not making a sound as she walked closer. He was unable to look away from her, the way her scant clothing clung perfectly to her curved body, the way her hair flowed from her as she walked.
This was wrong. This was very wrong.
He wasn't sure what was wrong, but his instincts had never lied to him before. He forced his body to take a step backwards, away from the woman. She stopped walking, her curved eyes on him. "Oh...don't go Yu...I came just for you...just for you..." her voice was hypnotic. He nearly stopped walking all together, almost going numb once more.
This wasn't right. Kanda heard himself say it out loud, but it sounded like a stranger had said it. The woman hadn't started walking yet. Her eyes narrowed a little, her beautiful expression turning a bit ugly. "What do you mean?" she asked him, finally stepping forward. "I'm here for you...what isn't right about that?"
"I'm not yours," he said finally, voice strong. He grimaced, throwing his hair from his face. "Even if you tried."
"You're not mine? But I wish for you to be mine..." she cooed, ignoring his grimace. "And you will be mine..." She reached out and touched his cheek with slender fingers. The touch was like fire, sending shudders of ecstasy through him. His eyes widened slightly at the feeling before he forced himself to take a step back.
"What the hell are you? I don't belong to you," he snarled angrily, fangs bared. "I would never belong to a being like you."
"I've won over harder targets," she hissed out, a smirk curving her scarlet lips. "And you will be especially fun to win...especially with the reward that I will get from doing so."
"What the hell are you--"
Kanda! A voice like the wind drifted through the clearing. The woman looked around swiftly, eyes widening in shock. Something about how she reacted told Kanda that that wasn't supposed to happen. She hadn't expected that. Kanda looked around as well, unsure of how to react. He knew that voice.
Kanda, stop being lazy. Kanda blinked several times. The scene around him was melting, the dream world dissolving. The woman looked livid. She walked up to him and leaned close, stealing a kiss. It sent a shudder through his being, stronger than her hand had created. Then she too had disappeared. The feeling of lips on his own did not.
His eyes opened to find Allen kissing him. The silver haired vampire pulled back once he noticed that he was awake. "Oh look, that actually worked," he said, looking pleased. "You're sleeping too late, Yu...The sun's gone down." Kanda sat up, glancing around. They were in the bedroom in which he had fallen asleep in, having carried Allen there. The boy was sitting before him, knee's bent.
He said nothing as his head cleared. "What were you dreaming about? You were mumbling," the boy continued, getting up off the bed. Kanda looked over at him, eyes narrowing. What had he said, he wondered? He was having trouble remembering the dream. Allen glanced at him.
"What did I say?" he asked, getting up. He pulled his hair into a pony tail and fixed his bangs. He looked over at his partner, who shrugged in answer to his question.
"I couldn't understand," he said as he straightened his shirt. He stretched his smaller frame and Kanda watched, admiring his body. Allen stuck his tongue out and headed from the room. "Come on. I'm hungry."
Allen headed out of the house. He had heard Lavi leave before Kanda had woken up, but hadn't gone out to say anything to him. He was still angry with him and didn't want to talk with the redhead. He sniffed to himself, a slight expression of annoyance on his face. Kanda caught up with the other vampire, strides longer, and fell into step beside him. "Why're you making that face?" he questioned.
"No reason," the boy responded, not wanting to get into that topic. Yesterday, he had been hit by a car because he was talking about that topic, so he really didn't want to talk about it. Kanda eyed him carefully for a moment before shrugging and falling into silence. Allen looked happier when Kanda didn't push it.
Kanda cut through a park to shorten their time getting into the main part of the city. He was hungry as well. They were passing by the swing sets, hanging eerie and alone in the lighting of one street lamp, when he smelled it. The scent hit him hard and he stopped walking, covering his mouth with his hand in disgust. Allen staggered beside him, a retching sound coming from him.
"What's that?" Allen choked out, looking around swiftly. "What's that smell? It's horrible!"
Kanda's eyes were narrowed as he scanned the park. It was empty, but the scent was strong. He glanced up at the sky. Day before. The moon was definitely right for this. But why were they here? He hated that stench. "Come on," he said, grabbing Allen's wrist and dragging him through. "Lets get away from it."
Allen followed then came to a halt and his wrist slid from Kanda's grip. "What is it?" he asked, trying not to breath in the horrible smell. The boy was looking at a tree. He motioned to it before moving closer.
"Look," he said, touching the bark. There were several deep gouges out of the tree, strips of thin wood curling on the edges. He leaned closer and sniffed it before pulling back swiftly. "Ech! That's...disgusting...Whatever made this made that smell..." Kanda caught his wrist once again and dragged him away.
"We're leaving this area," he said not giving a second glance at the tree that Allen had pointed out. Hopefully they would just leave them alone, or bug some other vampires. They had had too much trouble already for his own liking, before Allen had become a vampire. Allen followed but he continued glancing over his shoulder at the tree, and the maples beside it. All the trees around them had similar signs. It looked like some sort of animal had scratched it.
Kanda asked, "Aren't you hungry?" When Allen nodded, he continued. "Well, maybe we should split up and meet up later. This way we can eat quicker." The boy blinked several times, staring at Kanda. He wondered if Kanda had a reason for suggesting this, other than the one he had given.
"...Alright," the silver haired vampire said. "Where should we meet?"
The other shrugged.
"Fine, unhelpful," Allen said with a small sigh. "Just come back here. Then we can go home or something. Why do you want to hunt separately anyway?"
He shrugged again. Allen's eyes narrowed a little. "No reason really...Just get a meal faster," he said. He wanted to see if he could find the ones responsible for making the gouges in the trees, and didn't want Allen involved. He knew Allen was suspicious. Allen gave a slow nod then turned around and headed away from Kanda, towards the club and the more dense part of town. The dark haired vampire stayed where he was.
He watched his companion walk away from him. Allen didn't glance back at him, but he thought he would. He would deal with his anger later though. Right now he was going onto a hunt of a different kind. He turned around and headed back into the park, going to the trees that showed signs of animal attack. He crouched by the foot of the maple, touching the dirt surrounding the roots. There was a print made in the soil. He stood straight, looking around.
The park was still empty. He walked through, standing beside the swing sets for several moments. They had to be somewhere. He closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the rancid smell. It was stronger coming from the area around a park bench. He headed that way, following the unbelievable smell.
His thoughts drifted back to Allen. He hoped he would forgive him for not wanting to hunt together. Allen had really looked annoyed when he had said that. But he wanted to be alone in hunting this, because he really didn't want Allen to get mixed up with this group. He muttered to himself, following the scent.
-ooo-
Allen sighed as he headed down the street, hands in his pockets. He glared around, in a bad mood. Was Kanda mad at him or something? Why didn't he want to hunt together? He wasn't feeling very hungry anymore and stopped walking, slumping down on a bench that was situated in between two street corners.
"Stupid Yu," he said, letting out a long sigh. "Why won't you let me stay?"
"What's up sprout? Are the two of you fighting?" Allen jumped at the familiar voice then looked up into the face of the redhead. For several moments, he only stared vacantly at him, which made Lavi's expression turn to one of slight worry.
"I dunno," Allen said finally, shrugging. Lavi sat down beside him, hands in pockets. Allen looked him over for a moment, remembering that he was still holding a grudge. He sniffed, glaring a bit then sighed. He was too upset about what Kanda had done to really care about what Lavi had done before he had even been a vampire.
"Come on, tell big brother Lavi what happened," Lavi said, nudging him with his elbow. "You can tell me anything."
Allen glared a little at him and stuck his tongue out. "Its nothing," he said and looked across the street, watching a couple people walk towards a restaurant. As he watched, a group of people left as the others went in. His eyes followed a couple teenage boys.
"If Yu knew that you were checkin' out other guys, I don't think he'd be very happy," Lavi pointed out, noticing how he was eyeing them. Allen shot a glare at him.
"I don't know if he would care at all," Allen said flatly, looking back at the boys. They were good looking, and seemed to spark his hunger a little. He wondered if they would taste good. If they liked guys, it probably would be easy to get them on their own.
Lavi blinked, a bit startled at the tone of voice. "You guys are fighting...come on, tell me what's wrong," he said and tugged at the younger vampires arm childishly. "You know you can tell me anything."
"It isn't anything, let go of me!" Allen said, voice getting louder. He actually sounded upset now. Lavi let go of his arm, green eye missing nothing. Allen crossed his arms over his chest, gaze still on the group of teenage boys across the street. One of them noticed his gaze and muttered something to his friends. The other too glanced over and grinned at him.
"I know that it's something, because your reaction was so strong," Lavi said. His voice was more serious than usual. "If something's bugging you, you should tell someone. Probably Yu, but since he's not here..."
"Okay fine!" Allen cried. "He wanted to go hunting separately and didn't seem to care when I asked him why he didn't want to find something to eat together. He said it would be faster but..." He looked like he might cry. He felt thoroughly upset about this fact, and he was annoyed with himself. It wasn't that big a deal, why was he getting so emotional. He calmed down.
"It wouldn't be faster," Lavi said, looking at the guys across the street unseeingly. The were starting to drift over to them. "...He's up to something. Maybe I should go find out. Oh, and I think your meals here...they noticed you were staring at them."
Allen looked up. "Have fun," the redhead told him and gave him a partial salute when he had gotten up from the bench. He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered off. He was going to see if he could find Kanda and see what was up. He doubted that Kanda was mad at Allen and thought it was more probable that the Japanese vampire had found something that he didn't want his partner to get tangled up in.
Allen didn't move from the bench. The guys had come over to him. "Hey," one said, the one Allen found the most attractive. "We noticed you were watching us..."
"Yeah," Allen said, looking up at them and gave a slight smile, hiding behind his hair a little. "Well, you're good looking..."
The first grinned at his friends. "See, I told you. I knew that that was the way he was looking at us..." he said and one of the other guys laughed. "So, do you want to hang out with us then?"
"I'm not into groups..." Allen said watching them very carefully. He just wanted one, because he thought that that would be enough for his hunger for now. And one would be much easier to eat. He wouldn't have to deal with the other two trying to fight or run.
"Only one huh?" the first guy said. "I'll hang out with you..." When he saw the look his friends had on their faces, a look of disappointment and annoyance, he said, "I saw him first..." They said fine, they didn't care and started off, talking.
Allen got up off the bench. "So...that redhead that left, was he a friend or anything?" the young man asked Allen as they started to walk down the street together. Allen shrugged his slender shoulders, looking around. He smelled pretty good and his hunger had returned.
"Just a friend," he said. "...No one can see us here..." he rested his hand on the young mans arm, stopping him in an alley way. He grinned looking at the silver haired vampire.
"Anxious?" he asked.
Again Allen shrugged. "...Your hands are freezing," the young man said holding one then looked into his face. "Are you cold?"
"...Maybe you could warm me up..." Allen said, leaning against the brick wall of the alley. He had no intention of letting him do anything. But why work when he could let him come to him. The young man moved closer and Allen stretched out his neck a little. He closed his eyes momentarily taking in his scent.
And then he sunk his teeth into his neck, hands tightening on his arms. The young man let out a startled noise, trying to jerk back. Allen held fast, drinking deeply. He felt his strength returning swiftly and vaguely heard the boy pleading, trying to pull away. He didn't let go, biting down harder. The body jerked a little. He was nearly dead, Allen could feel that. His head was slowing. And then...
It stopped. Allen let him go, running his tongue along his lips. He wasn't half bad. He glanced at the body, then walked from the alley, fixing his shirt. He felt better after he ate and wanted to find Kanda, to see if he had been mad at him, or whatever the reason for him wanting to hunt alone was.
Allen glanced up the street, then down it. He wondered what the young mans friends would say, when his body was found and his death was announced on the news. It didn't make him feel guilty, it just made him think. He had just disappeared. Lenalee knew that he was 'alive', but he wasn't sure if she knew what he was. He started to walk down the street, every little sound louder than it normally was. He didn't know why though. Maybe it was just because he was full.
He stopped walking. Stood still. He was like a statue, staring up at the full moon, his chest still, his body unmoving. He stood there for several long minutes, just staring at the silver orb that hung in the sky. And then, even though he hadn't been breathing, a horrible, reeking stench wafted to him.
Allen gagged, covering his mouth with an arm and coughed. "W-what the hell is that?" he wheezed, spluttering a little. It was the same scent that had been in the park! He looked around, nose and mouth still covered. It had to be coming from from somewhere.
The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Something was out there. But all that he could see was the empty street and the alley; the quiet shops with their dark windows that lined the street. He turned in a circle, silver gaze sweeping his surroundings.
He whipped around when he heard a howl, but it sounded too distant to be the owner of the scent. And then he heard a much closer one, quieter, and more threatening. It turned into a rippling growl, and Allen was frozen. Even though he didn't know who was making that growl, he knew it was his enemy. It was not a normal animal, he could tell.
Panting softly, he stepped back slowly once, twice, and a third time, until he was in the alley near him. He moved back slowly, eyes flickering swiftly to catch any movement. A harsh bark ripped from the back of the alley he had been using as a hiding place and he whirled around, startled. It hadn't been there before!
Before he could even think to run, he was slammed against the alley wall. That horrible smell was overpoweringly strong now and it made his head spin. For a moment, he was unaware of the fact that his arms had been pinned against the stone by strong claws. And then he focused on the thing in front of him.
If he hadn't met Kanda, and if he hadn't been pulled into the whole business of spells, magic, and vampires, he wouldn't have believed what was holding him against the wall. Its heavy panting played across his face and he wrinkled his nose in disgust more than fear. He was being held by a wolf. But this wolf was bigger than any canine he had ever seen or heard of. It it was more human in nature.
Still laboring to breathe, he tried to fight against the strength the were-wolf was applying to his arms. He could barely move and every time he tried, the claws bit into his arms. He gritted his teeth, turning his face away from the jaws of the beast.
"Vampire." Its jaws moved, and its speak was guttural and deep. Allen didn't look at it, still trying not to breathe in the stench. He growled loudly and Allen flinched a little. He was scared now. Those jaws were very close to Allen's face and neck, and even if he could heal, he didn't know what would happen if the werewolf decided to bite him.
Allen bared his teeth, trying to force the creature away from him. He let out a small growl of his own, but it didn't match that of the mystic dog that held him there.
"...Silver hair..." it hissed and shifted its clawed feet a bit on the asphalt of the alley. It inhaled deeply and Allen could hear its heart beating loudly and strongly in its chest. It's hold was like fire on his arms, the things paws hot and burning. He struggled. He didn't like what it was saying. "...You are the one I want..."
Allen's eyes widened then he let out a startled cry of pain as the wolfs claws bit into his skin deeper. It dragged them down a bit and he hissed, feeling blood starting to run down his arm. He struggled, letting out another small sound of pain. That hurt more than a normal scratch! It stung and burned. He writhed, trying to get away from the stronger, larger beast.
"Gh...let go!" he cried, tears in his eyes due to the pain. He tried to fight against it, but it was too strong. It turned its head and opened its jaws to howl. But it never got the chance to. Allen jerked a bit as a harsh sound attacked his ears and the werewolf's grip was ripped away from him.
The werewolf's head had jerked to the side and hot, red blood splattering Allen's face. He stood frozen, still leaning against the wall. He could feel the werewolf's blood start to drip down his face. The scent was even stronger now, but at the moment he didn't care. Just stared down at the body that lay before him, stretched out, head at an awkward angle from the bullet.
There was a bloody hole in the side of its head, and its tongue lolled out of its jaws, which were parted slightly. He could see a sliver of golden eye but it was glazed. Its claws twitched slightly, as did its jaws but it was otherwise completely still. It was dead. He knew enough about the myths to know that no ordinary bullet killed werewolves. That had to be silver. He turned slowly to face his savior.
"...It looks like we might be on the same team, boy."
-ooo-
Kanda had heard the howl. It sent chills down his spine and reiterated the fact that what he was looking for was indeed a werewolf, or a pack. He had gone back to the park. To look at the scratched trees. They told him nothing more than the fact that the werewolves had stopped for a moment to leave the markings. He knelt beside the base, touching the soil.
"Yu-chan, I see you there! What the hell are you...holy shit what the hell is that smell?!" Lavi covered his mouth and nose with his sleeved arm, squinting. Kanda looked around, hair falling over his face for a moment. Stood silently, eyes sharp in a glare. It didn't faze Lavi.
Kanda didn't answer for a moment, then said, "You should know what it is. You've seen them before."
The redhead took a whiff of the heavily scented air and wrinkled his nose, grimacing. "...Werewolf?"
"A lot of them," he grunted, glancing around the park. His gaze drifted for a moment before it was caught by Lavi, who had walked over to him.
"Is that why you ditched the sprout? He was upset," he said, poking Kanda in the gut. He grunted and glared, letting out a soft growl. He showed his fangs momentarily. Really, nothing worked in threatening Lavi. He was too used to everything Kanda had done.
"I didn't want him getting involved," he said simply. "He's been through enough shit already."
"...Wouldn't being alone be more dangerous?" asked Lavi, vermilion eyebrow raising under matching hair. He crossed his arms across his chest and successfully ignored the stench that hung in the air thickly.
Kanda was silent for a moment, eyes on him but not looking at him. Eyes unfocused. The Japanese man was thinking.
"Didn't you hear that second howl? It was in town..." Lavi continued.
"...Shit," Kanda growled and his hair whipped from behind him as he rushed passed Lavi. The one eyed vampire shook his head slightly, following him. He was surprised that Kanda hadn't thought of that before this, but he knew that the violent vampire rarely thought things out. The dark man glanced behind him swiftly, eyes flashing. "Where did you see him?"
Lavi had fallen into step beside him. He motioned in the direction that he had last seen the silver haired boy and Kanda set off in that direction. The redhead followed him. Kanda paused and he nearly ran into the vampire. He stopped himself just in time. "Why'd you stop?"
"Can't you smell that?" he breathed under his breath. A small wave of worry went through his body and his expression hardened. Werewolf scent clung to the wall. It was strong. He could smell blood. Werewolf blood. Vampire blood. Very bad. And then another scent hit him and he blinked in surprise before speeding his steps.
"...I know that smell..." Lavi murmured, looking confused and shocked. Kanda didn't even glance at him. Of course he knew that smell. He had been close to the owner of the scent. He rounded a corner around the alley and was able to get a clear view.
Kanda let out a loud growl and he stepped forward, loose gravel sliding beneath his feet. "Tyki!"
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