Woot, new chapter up. Sad, nobody reviewed…oh well. I'll just give out hugs to everyone still reading up to this point.

I DO NOT OWN D.GRAY-MAN.

--

Kanda woke up around dawn the next morning. He yawned, stretched and massaged the back of his sore neck; sleeping sitting up did not agree with him. He stood up, and a blanket fell from his knees onto the floor. He looked at it curiously as he did not remember getting one, and then glanced over at the sleeping Clara. He stared at her for a minute, and looked back at the blanket, then shook himself mentally. She'd woken up and put a blanket over him in the night, so what? There was no need to feel happy about it…

He sighed in exasperation and got up to go have a shower.

--

Just as Kanda was drying his long dark hair, the phone rang, so he quickly put the towl down to go get it.

'Yeah? Kanda here.'

'Hi Kanda!' Komui said cheerily, 'Just ringing to tell you your train will be leaving around ten AM, got it?'

'Yeah, thanks.'

There was a shocked silence on the other end of the line. Then-

'MY GOD KANDA! DID YOU JUST SAY THANKYOU?!'

Kanda blinked in surprise, and a vein throbbed in his temple.

'No, I didn't, now is there anything else?'

'Yes, how is Clara? Allen didn't tell me what was wrong, said it was private…'

'Well, I'm not sure…' Kanda said, looking back at the girl in bed, 'But I think she's ok, I think she was up last night when I was sleeping.'

'Well that's good….by the way, Kanda, you're really concerned about you, aren't you?'

'NO, I'M NOT! I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE STUCK IN ITALY WITH SOME GIRL WHEN I COULD BE WORKING!'

'Hehehe….'

'WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!'

'Nothing, it's just normally, guys in you're position would say the opposite.'

'Baka.' Kanda said grumpily, blushing slightly.

The samurai slammed the phone down and checked his watch. They had another couple of hours. He went back to the bathroom to dry his hair and tie it up.

Sometimes he wondered why he kept it long as it was such a nuisance; he guessed it was cos it was a custom in Japan. But still, he hadn't been home since he was little, he could barely remember living there, so the question sometimes bugged him.

He pulled his ponytail tight and came out of the bathroom. Clara was sitting up in bed reading a book she'd fished from her bag. She looked up and smiled.

'Morning Kanda.'

'Whatever…Are you alright? Cos last night you were pretty….'

He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence so he just shrugged and walked forward. Clara put the book back in her bag.

'I'll be fine, I'm just still a bit shaken up, you know?'

Kanda nodded, trying not to look too concerned, and sighed.

'Well, I'm going to get breakfast.'

'Ok, see you when you get back.'

Kanda went out the door of the hotel suite and as he closed the door, momentarily glanced back at Clara, wondering how she could still be smiling.

--

They didn't speak much on the train home, an awkward silence covering them like a thick blanket. Kanda occasionally glanced up at her when she wasn't looking, hoping she really was alright. She certainly seemed fine, and actually attempted to strike up a few conversations, but Kanda was trying his best to not get friendly with her, fearing it would imply something…what, he didn't know exactly, but whatever it was he didn't want it.

At the Paris station, the two teens were surprised to discover Allen was waiting for them with a very worried look on his face. The second Clara stepped onto the platform, the young exorcist rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.

'Clara!' He exclaimed as he cut off the circulation in his sister's arms, 'Are you ok? Did Kanda treat you ok? Do you need anything?'

'Um, could you get off? Not that this isn't nice of you, I just can't breathe...'

'Oh, sorry...'

Kanda rolled his eyes at them and started to walk out the door, embarrassed to be near such a silly display of affection, though he felt a bit relieved now that Bean sprout had taken over, he was better at the whole "compassion" thing…

--

At dinner, Kanda ate his usual soba noodles and tempura, and sighed at himself angrily. He wasn't able to rid the image of Clara out of his head…And his thoughts of her were really confusing, and he HATED being confused. First, he'd feel really happy, a seldom-felt emotion for him, then he felt kind of depressed, then he felt really angry, then he felt annoyed, then after that a new image of her smiling at him or being kind showed up and the cycle repeated.

'Kanda?'

Kanda almost stabbed himself with his chopstick. He stiffly looked up at a nervously grinning Clara, unsure if we were pleased to see her or not.

'Yeah, what is it?'

'Um, I never really got around to thanking you properly for saving me….so, uh, thanks.'

Before Kanda could respond, the girl blushed, leant down and kissed him on the cheek. Tiny bolts of electricity ran up and down Kanda's spine and his face felt like he was on fire. Clara stood up straight, her face going redder and redder, and quickly walked away to the line at the food window. Kanda looked around to see if anyone saw; no-one was looking. He sighed in relief and stared down at his food. He suddenly lost his appetite.

She kissed me…She kissed me…she kissed me…

He absent-mindedly reached up to his face and touched the place he'd been kissed. Suddenly-

'HA!'

Kanda almost had a heart attack. He looked around for the source of the voice, but saw no-one.

'Alright, Eye patch, where are you?!'

Lavi crept out from his hiding spot under the table and grinned, completely ignorant to the death stare Kanda was giving him.

'HA!' Lavi repeated, 'I knew you liked her!'

'WHAT?!'

'I thought you were acting pretty suspicious so I hid under your table to see if anything would happen, and now I have enough evidence!'

'EVIDENCE FOR WHAT?!'

'I DUNNO, JUST EVIDENCE!'

Suddenly, Lavi was lying on the ground, Kanda standing above him with the tip of his mugen at his fellow exorcist's throat. Lavi gulped as a drop of blood slid down his neck. Everyone in the hall turned to look.

'N-now Y-yuu, no ne-need to get physical….'

'Oh, really? Cos if I did, the world would be finally rid of your forever present voice and your perverted accusations, so it seems like there IS a need to get physical…'

Lavi started whimpering; Kanda looked really serious this time. Nobody in the hall made a move. Kanda gripped his sword tighter. Then-

'KANDA! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!'

Everyone including Kanda looked up to see Clara striding angrily forward. Kanda froze and stared at her. He didn't want to kill someone in front of her.

'Let him go Kanda.'

Kanda paused for a minute, then made a "che" sound and re-sheathed his sword, muttering something about Lavi not being worth the mess on his blade. Then, he turned and stalked out of the hall.

'MY HERO!' Lavi cried dramatically, anime tears streaming down his face as he clung to Clara's waist. 'Thank you so much! I really thought I was going to die!'

Clara sweat dropped and patted him on the head.

'Lavi, what did you do to Kanda?'

'What did I…? I'm the one who almost gets turned into a pincushion and you accuse me of doing something?! I'm insulted!'

Clara gave him a look. Lavi cowered.

'Ok, ok, I found out that he likes you, and he obviously wanted to silence me.'

Clara blinked in surprise and pushed Lavi of her. She laughed.

'Aw, come on Lavi, Kanda doesn't like me!'

'Oh really? Then how come he's nice to you and to no one else? And how is it that he only refrained from murdering me because you intervened? He's never acted like that for anyone.'

Clara just stared at the Bookman's earnest face for a minute, and then sighed, trying to put on a casual face.

'Look, Lavi, I doubt he'd fall for someone like me very highly, so just…Drop it.'

'You like him too, huh?'

Clara blushed and walked away.

--

Ok, sorry about the fluff, I'm just putting stuff in until I can find a way to get back onto the plot, so you can flame me if you like, just be gentle, kay? And as for the lenaleexallen fans, be patient…..