Akirina: Another mass update again... The chapters seem to be quite short, don't they? Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 6

"Kanda?" Colmeui said when he heard Kanda's gruff voice. "We need you back here now."

"What is it again? Don't tell me that you want me to repair a burst pipe—like what you did last time." Kanda growled. "I'll carve you to pieces if you do that."

"We have an attack." Colmeui interrupted. "A student has been attacked at least three times, now."

"What?"

"You heard me." Colmeui said grimly. "We need you back here right now."

"I'm on the way." Kanda said shortly.

"There's something else," Colmeui added. "There's someone by the name of—"

Kanda hung up abruptly.

Colmeui stared at the phone that was transmitting a dial tone at him. "Sheesh! And I wasn't going to tell him to help me find a tutor for Renaree!"

"Colmeui, has he answered?" Gramps shouted from the other room. Colmeui turned around and gulped.

DPLSDPLSDPLS

Three days later…

"Class, this is the transfer student from Japan. His name is Kanda Yuu." Their homeroom teacher announced to the class. "I hope you will take care of him… Kanda, why don't you seat next to Arren?"

Arren looked up from the homework that he was trying hastily to complete, only to catch an expression of intense shock and grief cross the blue-haired guy's face before it was covered by an emotionless mask. Arren frowned.

Kanda made his way quickly to the seat beside Arren's and they sat in silence for the rest of the period. Finally, the bell rang and Arren stood up quickly with a sigh of relief. Lessons were starting; he'd no longer be stuck with Kanda…

"Excuse me." Kanda broke into Arren's thoughts. "But Professor Wenham told me that we have the same lessons together."

The first feeling that crossed Arren's mind was surprise, followed by annoyance.

Time has really tempered down Kanda's temper and built up on his patience.

Then Arren shook his head. What was he thinking? He had never met Kanda before… Then he noticed Kanda looking at him with a curious look on his face. Arren laughed nervously, knowing that he had to explain before Kanda misunderstood.

"I'm sorry." Arren apologized. "I was just thinking that time has really done wonders to you… But that's ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, we've never met before."

Then he frowned at Kanda's reactions to his words. Kanda had paled and was hyperventilating slightly. A strange reaction, Arren thought. It was… It was almost as if Kanda had… as if what he said was true…

"Kanda?" Arren called.

He saw Kanda shake himself out of whatever it was and followed him down the halls to their first lesson, art.

DPLSDPLSDPLS

Throughout the day, Kanda threw contemplating glances at the enigma that was Arren Wolcher. When Kanda had first set his eyes on the boy who was targeted three times, his first thought that this boy was Allen Walker. White hair, grey eyes… just missing the cursed eye…

An exact duplication of Allen Walker.

And their names were… similar. Arren Wolcher sounded like Allen Walker. The similarities were too many to be just coincidence. Kanda was nearly sure that this boy was the reincarnation of Allen Walker.

And yet, it was as if they were two completely different entities. Arren was an introvert, unlike friendly Allen. Arren had no friends, unlike popular Allen. Arren was intelligent… not that Allen wasn't, but Arren managed to spot things that Kanda was sure Allen wouldn't.

But both were kind, gentle people. And Kanda found himself growing increasingly bewitched by Arren a.k.a Allen, even though he had sworn not to fall in love again, lest his heart be broken by the death of his beloved.

And yet, Kanda still found that a part of himself loved Allen. He had never stopped loving Allen. Never. And now it was Arren that he loved. It wasn't betrayal; not exactly. It was just that he wasn't the same as before.

So why did he feel as if he were betraying Allen?

DPLSDPLSDPLSDPLS

Arren wandered down the halls of the dormitories aimlessly. School had just been dismissed, but Arren had been wandering the halls for far much longer than that. How long? Arren wondered. How long had he been wandering around? He could not remember.

All he had known was that something bad was about to happen. Something bad was coming. And that anyone around him would be in danger.

"Arren!"

Arren turned around in slight panic. Rabi? What was he doing here? Didn't he know that something bad was about to happen?

"Arren!" Rabi called again, hurrying towards his friend, feeling worry when he saw the blank expression on Arren's face. What was going on? Why did he feel compelled to go nearer… to hurt Arren?

"Get away, Rabi!" Arren shouted. "Something bad is about to happen…"

The ominous statement made Rabi shiver. "We have to go, Arren. Come on, you'll have to explain why you didn't turn up for lessons at all, today."

"Rabi." Arren grew frantic. "Please, leave."

"Not without you, Arren." Rabi said firmly, determined. "I'm not leaving—" He was cut off, his face going blank suddenly as he dropped his books, the papers scattering all over the ground.

"Lavi!" He heard the frantic shout of Arren as his mind was steeped in a dark pool of pain. His body convulsed, twines of dark energy emerging from Lavi's body and wrapping around his body, curling into a ball. They swirled together, forming a small circle in the middle of his chest. A rumble shook the building.

Arren backed away. Something bad was coming. So bad. He almost retched, but he had skipped breakfast because he was so focused on the foreboding feeling he'd had.

"Kanda…" Arren was wild with panic. Anything… Anyone would do! Just get rid of the creature coming through! "Kanda!"

The wards tore apart with a shriek and Arren got ready to run, knowing that he wouldn't make it. And then, to his horror, he saw a hand emerge from the hole in Rabi's chest… a forearm…

"What the hell are you standing there for!" Someone shouted behind him. "Run, you beansprout!" Arren turned around to glimpse Kanda sprinting past him at an abnormal speed and dashing towards Rabi. Bright flashes of light countered with the dark energy and Kanda started chanting a long latin verse.

He reached for Rabi's head, ignoring the loud growls and rumbles coming from the hole formed with dark energy, instead he exorcised the Taint from Rabi's body and mind and soul. Then he threw a look at Arren, who then realized that he was also chanting latin, but a different verse.

Kanda had a slightly wistful look on his face and then Arren realized that he was going to do something…

"No!" he cried out as Kanda jumped into the swirling hole. He took a step forward, reaching towards Kanda just as the dark energy disappeared. Everything was peaceful again.

But a storm raged on in Arren's mind and heart.