Disclaimer: I do not own DGM or its characters and get no pay in writing this!
ORIGINAL BY: Missus Carlikins
BETA'D BY: Shizaki Kuro
:3
CHAPTER 7
Kanda sighed and paced in front of the small cave. It wasn't like him to get so heated over someone else. Sure he had a temper, but that burn, that branding, had nothing to do with him. He shouldn't care.
His eyes drifted to the still form on the bed and he growled, turning away. He shouldn't care, but he did.
His hands clenched into tight fists, his short nails digging into the flesh. The pinpricks of pain shot through his body, sending short spikes of adrenaline up to his brain. Just enough to keep him awake through the night. This was the longest Kanda had gone without sleep. The last time he'd gotten a full night of sleep had been before Allen showed up, but Kanda just didn't feel safe sleeping.
He stared out at the woods as a feeling of unease crept up his spine. There was something in those woods, something more dangerous than he knew. His hand slid to his sword but he knew it would be useless. There were monsters in those shadows that even dragons feared.
He settled down for the night at the mouth of the cave and laid his sword across his lap. As the night wore on he felt sleep creep up on him. His vision started to dim and before he knew it he was falling under the blanket of sleep.
~o0o~
Allen had been having a dreamless sleep when something startled him awake. He sat up and looked around, but the cave was too dark for him to see anything. His throat seized with fear and his hands clutched the blanket tight to his chest.
"K-Kanda," he squeaked, his voice barely a whisper. The Samurai didn't respond and Allen swallowed down the fear. His eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and he thought he saw a figure at the entrance of the cave, but when he rubbed his eyes and looked closer whatever it was, it was gone. His suppressed a shudder and gripped the blanket tighter. "Just imagining things," he muttered.
Hee hee.
His body stiffened and his eyes shot around. The laugh echoed off the cave walls and made him feel like he was being surrounded. He dropped the blanket and covered his ears with his hands, a screech erupting from his lips.
"No!" he cried. "Stay back!" He felt hands tear at his skin and start to pull him from the bed. He thrashed against them, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn't want to see their faces. "Go away!"
Suddenly the arms were around him and there was a voice in his ear. "Moyashi get a hold of yourself." Allen knew that voice. That voice was safety. The arms around him didn't want to harm him, they were safe.
He took a deep breath as his heart began to slow and return to the normal pace. He took another deep breath, taking in Kanda's scent. Lilies and green tea.
"Are you calm now?" he murmured, his breath hot on Allen's neck. Allen nodded slowly, repressing a shudder. The arms released him and the body heat left him. He shivered at the sudden rush and rewrapped the blanket around him.
Kanda slid off the bed and returned to the mouth of the cave. Allen stared at his back and clenched his hands against the urge to get up and touch it. He wanted to wrap his arms around Kanda and make his shoulders relax.
"I'm sorry," Allen murmured, his eyes moving to the floor.
"You were screaming," Kanda said, his voice gruff. "What were you dreaming about?"
Did Allen dare tell him about his fears? "It was nothing, just a nightmare."
Kanda heard a frustrated growl and then there were feet in front of him. A hand grabbed his chin and forced him to look up into Kanda's glowering face.
"If it was just a nightmare you wouldn't have been screaming and thrashing. What was it?"
Allen licked his lips and his eyes drifted to Kanda's ear, he just couldn't bear the black flames that were leaping in Kanda's eyes.
"Just a dream," he said. Kanda pressed his face close and Allen had no choice but to look into his eyes.
"As long as you are here I am supposed to protect you," Kanda murmured, his breath puffing against Allen's mouth. "That includes protecting you from yourself."
Allen took a deep breath, he could smell something like smoke on Kanda's breath and he wondered if the man was perhaps a smoker. Allen didn't like smokers; he had bad experiences with cigarettes and burns.
"You don't need to protect me. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself."
"Are you really?" Kanda dropped his chin to grab his burned arm and hold it up to his face. He flinched back from it and looked away. "How is this protecting yourself? You could've died!"
Allen winced and yanked his arm back, scooting so his back was pressed against the cold rock wall.
"I had no choice! They drugged me and threw me into the fire. They laughed at my screams and when they pulled me out he branded me." Allen's hand slapped over his mouth and his eyes widened. He hadn't meant to share that. Kanda stared at him and Allen thought he was going to explode. His hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides and his eyes blazed.
"They drugged you," he growled.
"Please, ignore what I just said. It's the past. I want it to stay in the past," Allen pleaded, crawling towards him. His hands grabbed one of Kanda's and he looked up at him out of wide silver eyes.
"You were tortured. How can I just forget that? I'm supposed to protect you."
"It was before you met me! You can't protect someone you don't know!" He took a deep breath and squeezed Kanda's hand. "Please⦠just forget about it."
He refused to look away from Kanda until the older man relaxed and let out a sigh. Allen smiled and leaned his forehead against Kanda's chest, making the samurai stiffen. "Thank you," he breathed.
For a moment he thought he felt a hand on his hair but then it was gone and Kanda was pushing him away. "Get some sleep," Kanda growled. He moved back to the mouth of the cave and Allen stared at him before sighing and curling into a ball. He was afraid to fall back asleep but when he thought about Kanda standing guard his stress melted away. He was safe as long as Kanda was there.
~o0o~
Kanda sighed and pushed his bangs. He could still feel his blood boiling. It wasn't like him to get so worked up but that was a kid. A kid who had been tortured. He was only 15, he should be worrying about grades and girls, not if he'll live to see the next day.
He glanced back at the bed and saw Allen in a small ball. He shouldn't feel so protective of the boy, he didn't even know him, but there was just something about him, something that begged to be protected. Kanda grit his teeth and hunkered down for the remainder of the night. He wouldn't fall back asleep. Being awoken by screams had not been pleasant and for a moment his heart had stopped when he thought something bad had happened to Allen.
He let his head rest against the wall and his thoughts drifted. Dragons were solitary creatures, but when they found someone they wanted to protect, they protected them with their lives, and Kanda knew in that moment that if he had to, he would give up his life to keep Allen safe.
Please Review!
:3
