EH: Okay, so...totally have to share this. There was a guy on Jeapardy whose name was Baltazar. No freaking joke. I have to say, it was a challenge to finish writing this chapter and trying to re-read it and going over spelling...while hearing this guy's name. I'm amused. Anyways! Back to my chapter! Sorry for the sidenote. This chapter is probably the biggest crap I've written for this fiction in my opinion. But, unfortunately, I feel like it was an essential piece with Lenalee, Allen, and Lavi. You're probably about to read this chapter and hate Kanda...and I'm expecting him to totally come out of nowhere and killage me.

So, on to the chapter!


Where I Can Stand the Pain Just Long Enough
Chapter Six

Allen's eyes could be compared to tea saucers when they looked to Kanda. He panicked and started to throw his clothing on quickly. The moment Lenalee began to count down loudly, Allen's panic kicked into full-blown fear. He watched as Kanda casually pulled his clothing on, calmly. Allen was so shocked, he hardly noticed his zipper was down and his belt undone. Kanda, on the other hand, was completely dressed. Allen managed to zip his pants and fix his buckle before the door flew open; a very obviously pissed Lenalee following behind the door.

Allen, turning to look at the door in shock, completely missed the flying hand before it knocked him flat out onto the floor. He turned and looked up at Kanda in surprise. He slowly reached up to touch the stinging mark on his cheeks as tears unbidden, rose to his eyes. Lenalee's eyes went from the slight shock to sudden blaring anger but they were nothing compared to the cool, hate-filled glare he was receiving from Kanda.

"I knew it!" Lenalee shrieked, pointing uselessly at Kanda. "I knew you were treating him terribly! How dare you?! What makes it okay for you to hurt people?!"

"I-it's okay, Lenal---"

"Because. I have every right to hate something disgusting." Kanda replied coolly while looking at Allen like he was the scum he was talking of.

Allen felt his heart clench. What happened in just a few moments? Did Rhode take control of him? No. Rhode would be all over him, not caring what Lenalee thought. Was he suddenly back to being Kanda? Was he not himself? What was going on? His mind raced like a horse around a speed track.

Lenalee lost all control over her thinly veiled anger. She was before Kanda in a flash, using every ounce of her strength to throw her hand into his face. She didn't even imagine just hitting him. She imaged her hand going completely through Kanda's head to the other side. The impact caused Kanda's head to whip to the side roughly. He stared, bored, in the direction his head had been knocked to before looking back at her raising his eyebrows.

As if the red mark on his face wasn't visible or prickling with pain, he leveled Lenalee with the most nonchalant façade he could. "That's all you have, little girl?"

Taunting. He was taunting her. Lenalee's innocence activated. "Son of a bitch!!!"

Her deadly-boot-clad foot spun in a delicately dangerous arc toward Kanda's head. Allen screamed and tried to get to his feet fast enough to push Kanda out of the way. In that same moment, Kanda ducked down, spinning to kick her foot out from under her. He wasn't surprised when she lifted completely off the floor and floated on thin air.

"What? Are you afraid to attempt to kill me anymore?" He sneered up at the small female. She glared back in turn and dropped to her feet.

"No. I still want to kill you. But it's not even worth my time or effort." She turned to Allen and held out her hand to him. "Come on, Allen. We're going to get to a safer room."

"But I---"

"Just get the hell out of my way, moyashi!" Kanda snarled, face twisted in a nasty depiction of hatred.

"Y-Yuu. D-Did I---"

"Don't you dare call me by that name."

Allen bit his bottom lip and nodded. The tears he failed to hold back leaked out and down his cheeks. He grabbed his gloves off the floor along with his red ribbon. He took Lenalee's still offered hand and allowed her to drag him out the door. Lenalee kept glaring back behind them as if daring Kanda to follow.

"I don't know what the hell's wrong with him. How can he treat people that way!" She huffed and looked at Allen, stopping short causing Allen to lose his balance.

He fell back onto his butt and stared at his feet through blurred vision. Lenalee bent down, touching his cheek gently. "Allen-kun?"

"I…" Allen hiccupped, shaking his head. "I don't know…what I did."

Lenalee peered into his eyes with deep concern. "Allen-kun…this isn't about your cheek, is it?"

As if remembering now, he reached up and touched his cheek. Wincing at the sharp pain he dropped his hand back to his lap. "I gave it to him and he…he hates me now?"

"It? What is it?" She rested her hand on his shoulder, not sure why she felt so unsure about anywhere else.

Allen looked up and met her gaze. He didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned forward and clutched onto her sobbing into her shoulder. Lenalee was so caught off guard, she wasn't sure what to do. She sighed, wrapping her arms around Allen in a sisterly fashion; she rocked them both quietly in the middle of the hallway.

"Aha! Lenalee! I was just lookin'…for…you?" Lavi slowed his approach to stare at the two in the hallway. He raised an eyebrow quizzically at Lenalee asking silently what was wrong.

Lenalee met his gaze with a confused look and shook her head. Her attention was drawn back to Allen as he sniffled loudly and whimpered. His body began to shake all over. She couldn't tell whether it was because of fear, anger, or sadness.

"Geeze. What happened?" Lavi asked, squatting next to them. "It's not like him to be such a mess."

"Kanda happened." Lenalee replied coolly, not intended at Lavi.

Lavi again rose an eyebrow but shook his head. "…So, am I assume that Yuu did something harsh? Not that it's hard to picture."

"He dragged Allen to his room." Lenalee grumped and pulled Allen tighter into her embrace when he shuddered. She missed the expression that crossed Lavi's face completely before it was gone again.

"Then what?" Lavi asked, his tone different than normal. Lenalee's eyes sought out his as she looked at him confused.

"He hit Allen." She answered as if it was as obvious as could be.

"How long after he dragged him to his room?"

Allen stilled and felt his whole body go cold. He knew it from that tone. Lavi figured it out. He should have expected that, but somehow he wasn't counting on it.

Lenalee pursed her lips in thought, "I'm not sure. I didn't see him drag him off. Allen-kun…was he beating up on you before I got there?"

Lavi saw the way Allen froze and pieced the whole puzzle together. Kanda came to him about Allen when he was sleep walking. It now all made sense. What Kanda said he didn't remember doing to Shorty, was something Lavi hadn't wanted to ever imagine. Lavi's fists balled at his sides as he forgot about his distant outlook on the world as a bookman. He fell right into the role of angry friend.

"Where were you going?" Lavi asked, cutting into the silence to let Allen off the hook. Lenalee looked up at him.

"My brother's office. Allen needs a safer room assignment. He's too close to that…maniac."

"For now, he can stay in my room. I'm only doin' research now-a-days. Allen, you'll be stayin' in my room. Okay?"

Allen didn't say a word but only nodded silently, not wanting to fight.

That evening, Allen sat on the foreign bed in a different room. He came to realize that his room was probably the tiniest one. Lavi had a lot of room in his bedroom. His heart sank even further than it had earlier when he realized that Kanda's had been larger too. Tears rose to his eyes again. He bit down on his quivering lip, tasting metallic liquid slide down his tongue. Lavi looked up from his book on the floor. He frowned and opened his mouth as though to say something before shutting it; turning away, he pretended he saw nothing.

"Can I go take a shower? I feel…" Dirty. His mind finished for him when his tongue couldn't. Lavi nodded.

"Go for it. I'm gonna get some food for us. I'm starvin'!" Lavi rose and walked out, knowing Allen just needed some time to himself. He leaned against the door. Blowing out a deep breath, he looked up at the ceiling wondering how this had happened. How could he have missed it? Especially with Allen the way he was acting. "Damnit. Shorty's got a bad case of SS."

"A case of what?" Lenalee stood before him, curiosity clearly written on her face.

Lavi looked down and smiled at her. "You should at least give a warnin'. Though, not like we can do much tonight…"

Lenalee blushed and hit Lavi, glancing around. "Shhh! What if someone overhears you?"

"So big bro can't kill me, ya mean?" Lavi just grinned at the red-faced doll.

"Well I would prefer to keep you alive." She added, averting her gaze before gaining control over her face and emotions. "How's he doing?"

"I don't think you have the slightest clue as to what he's sufferin'." Lavi responded seriously, running a hand over his red, choppy hair. He knew the glare was there before he even looked at her. "I dun mean it in a bad way, Lena. What I mean is, you're focusing on the outside appearances."

"Oh yeah, smarty-pants. What am I missing?"

"The fact that Allen's in love."

Lenalee's arms dropped from where they were crossed in shock. She shook her head and frowned. "He can't be. With who?"

Lavi sighed dramatically before leaning closer to her, "Guess."

"Uhhhh…Miranda?"

"You really are hopeless, ain't ya?" Lavi smirked deviously.

"Hey!" She swatted him gently on the shoulder. "Who then?"

"Who's hurting him most?"

Lenalee stared for the longest moment before going pale, to a slight shade of green, then to a deep red. Lavi wasn't sure whether she was red from anger, disgust, or embarrassment.

"K-Kanda." She stated unsure. Lavi nodded in response. "B-but how?! He's been hurting him, Lavi! Hurting him!"

"It's called Stockholm Syndrome. Normally used in cases where abduction is involved. Not your average case for a rapist." Lavi sighed and rubbed his elbow randomly.

Lenalee's face paled again, this time to a sickly shade of white. Lavi realized his slip as he scratched the back of his head. He'd forgotten she wasn't the same as a bookman.

Lavi grew worried by the prolonged silence and the look on Lenalee's face. "Lena…?"

She blew; and not in the sense of just yelling and screaming. No, Lenalee blew up in a very silent (not to mention very frightening) way. She seemed to change colors a good ten times before settling on the color red. With that, and a mumbled 'he is more than dead now', she walked away from Lavi. The red-head stood pale in her wake, watching her go with an aura of pure fear.

"Remind me not to piss her off like that…" Lavi stated rubbing the back of his neck, choosing to follow her and try to calm the storm before it hits; or at least before the swordsman's blood was used as the new paint for the walls.


EH: So, don't hate Kanda TOO much!! Or me for that matter... Yeah. I have no words for this except please review and let me see what you think. I'm planning on getting some smexy in the next chapter. I'll try to update that soon too! Thank you all for your reviews so far and I look forward to reading what you have to say!!