Chapter 9 – And then…

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Yu Kanda

It had taken a total of six days from their human to be discharged from the hospital. He'd been let out a little earlier than expected because a scan on this odd 'x-ray' device had told the white-coat humans that the boy wasn't as injured as they'd first thought. Apparently, the fracture wasn't very serious and actually quite miniscule. That didn't mean he was alright.

So, during this time, the wolves hadn't left his side. Not once. Except when he went to the bathroom: seeing him naked was a big no-no.

However, what irked Kanda the most was how that damned female human kept getting closer and closer to his human every single fucking time they met. He could practically smell the hormones oozing off of it.

The only reason he'd even been able to restrain himself from attacking it had been how the white-haired boy had somehow managed to distance himself from the female, even while being so close. Kanda had been able to see the subtle signs of discomfort it had around the female, despite how the boy had hid it behind such a polite façade.

The Alpha sneered at that. Their human relaxed more around them than around his own species. That alone was proof enough that the boy belonged to them, and not those stupid two-legged creatures.

Of course, Kanda was still annoyed. More like infuriated, really… That little stunt had set their plans back three days. THREE WHOLE DAYS.

Well, at least they'd been able to learn some interesting things during this time, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

One: their human's name was 'Allen Walker'.

Two: his fear of humans had a backstory that they were just aching to know.

While the Alpha was busy pondering that, the human boy had thrown open the door excitedly, the first thing it did once inside the house being to run to the kitchen

Two of the three canines shared a bemused look, the other actually secretly worried deep down. Deep, deep down. Above all, he was just really annoyed at having to face these kinds of bothersome emotion. So he pushed them to the side; it wasn't anything knew.

A groan met their ears from the direction of the human. Staying silent, they heard the boy grumble out something that may have been 'I never actually got to go grocery shopping', followed the jingle of keys being retrieved from where he'd left them last time he'd gone out.

Allen barely even made it to the door before the Alpha blocked the path with his body, preventing him from leaving. The wolf didn't want the boy going out again, especially not after what had happened last time. Nope. The brat wasn't leaving. Outside was dangerous and the boy was far too breakable for Kanda's liking. Humans were nowhere near as strong as wolves; weaklings like the white-haired human had to be protected.

When the Moyashi tried to skirt around the Alpha, Kanda mirrored the boy, always between the former and the door. If the brat wanted to play this game, Kanda could go all day.

Seeming to sense this, the boy knelt down, now at eye level with the other. "I'll be fine. This time, I'll be a little more careful, 'kay?"

The Alpha still refused to budge an inch. He wasn't stupid. The human hadn't said that nothing bad would happen. Nothing was certain. The fact that they were now here, the three of them together, worrying over a human was proof enough of that.

Watching the wolf a little while longer with pursed lips, the Moyashi motioned Kanda over. The Alpha responded immediately, moving and sitting directly in front of the youth, waiting for what the boy had to say next. If it had something to do with leaving, god help him…

"What happened?" Allen scratched the Alpha's muzzle, liquid-silver eyes questioning. "Why were you…" The boy bit back whatever he'd been about to say, licking his lower lip with timidity.

Their human threaded his fingers through Kanda's fur, bring his facer closer to the latter's 'til their noses bumped in a kind of comfortable clashing of pale human skin and a wet canine rhinarium.

"What are you so afraid of?"

Kanda shifted uncomfortably as the questions hung in the air, his nose twitching. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the closeness. He was an Alpha, being this close to another was normal. But these questions… an Alpha wasn't supposed to rely on another like this boy wanted him to. It made things incredibly awkward.

He sensed the others shift behind him.

They knew how he worked. They knew him too well.

Just as he knew them.

He knew what they would do in this kind of situation.

Taking a page from Lavi's proverbial book on stupid things to do, Kanda licked up the entire left side of the boy's face.

"Gaah!" Allen squealed, falling back.

Great. Now the Alpha just had to deal with the smug look he could feel his damned male beta giving his from behind.

Allen Walker

The sleeves of my t-shit were short and I wasn't wearing gloves.

Of course, I was still in the house, but I was a little more comfortable with them seeing me like this now. They didn't seem as scared of it as I'd thought they'd be. That was always a plus.

The four of us were all in a heap on the couch watching reruns of Heroes. It was warm. I was warm.

"I'm gonna miss you guys…" I sighed, not missing them tense at my words. I knew they couldn't stay with me forever, except, I didn't think they understood that.

They didn't belong with me. I wouldn't confine them here.

But their fur was… so warm… and… inviting.

I smiled despite myself. It really had been too long since I'd felt this sort of emotion. I mentally chastised myself for becoming this attached.

What I'd done would only make it harder to say my farewells.

I scratched their bellies, mindful of all the bandages that I'd managed to change earlier today. The red wolf seemed to like it there the most, though I could see that the navy one was pretending he didn't actually enjoy it, despite the little keening whine I got out of him when I stopped. He glared at me for that. Stubborn bastard.

We were only halfway through episode four when went my mind started going fuzzy and I began to drift off, a series of colours and memories playing across the back of my eyelids in no particular order.

Two large hands bruising my forearms. My face shoved down into the floor. The acrid metallic taste of my own blood.

Black.

The shadows seemed alive. They taunted me. Beckoned for me.

Glassy eyes that weren't my own.

Pain ripping through my body.

Orange.

The crackle of burning wood. Watching as he screamed, flames stripping flesh from bone.

I was pulled from the drea- no… I was dragged from my nightmare by someone who shook me by the shoulders. Cracking open an eye with a yawn, the dark shape looming above me eventually came into focus. "Wha?"

Slowly, my mind put everything together, trying to make sense of it all. Like the fact that I didn't remember inviting anyone into my house that didn't have four legs.

I was underneath a man; that much was certain. His chest was bare and decorated by a strange swirling tattoo on his left pectoral that reached with black tendrils over his shoulder. Long tresses of navy-blue tickled my face from the way he leant over me, the rest of it all untied and cascading down around him like a waterfall of one of the deepest of blues I'd ever seen. Dark eyes stared down into my own lighter ones, almost unreadable, verging on scrutiny, and just a smidge of frustration.

Recognition came like a bucket of ice water, freezing me to the core. O-oh god!

My breathing picked up, and I could feel my body trembling. Striking out blindly, I winced as my fist connected with something that felt like a face, and then I scrambled off the couch, making a dash for the door.

My hopes of escape were crushed when someone tackled me from behind, dragging me down to the floor.

I couldn't scream, my voice caught in my throat, too terrified to even attempt making a sound.

It was futile; no one would come to my rescue, anyway.

Strong hands held me down, pushing me into the wooden flooring when I tried to stand.

A sob made itself know to me, and I only just barely realised that I was its origin. It was followed by more horridly shameful and humiliating sounds that wracked through my body and refused to subside. Once they began, I simply couldn't stop.

I reflexively curled my body up into a ball, using my hands to shield my neck as I waited for the inevitable.

But his hands retreated.

And… nothing.

No one touched me. No one yelled at me to 'shut up'. There was nothing except for the sound of my hyperventilating and crying.

I was half convinced it was some kind of ploy to lure me into a false sense of security then finish the deed, but every second that passed made me thing that it wasn't so.

Eventually, my tears slowed to a stop, breathing gradually evening out, hiccups becoming more few and far between, and I hesitantly raised my head.

The man, who appeared to be Japanese in origin, sat cross legged roughly a metre from where I lay, mouth pulled into a partial grimace. "You done now?" His voice was smooth, holding not much trace of an accent.

I pushed myself up into a seated position, back against the wall, wiping the tears from my face using the back of my hand. My head hurt from crying, the pain now a dull throb in my temples that was easily dismissible. There were more pressing things to be dealt with than a headache.

He made to advance, and I, in turn, pressed myself as far against the wall as I could, eyes watching him for any more movements.

He backed off.

Something nudged my side. After a mini-heart attack, I shakily patted the green wolf's head.

My attention quickly returned to the Japanese man and his now-calculating stare, scolding myself for looking away, if even for a moment.

Fate must have had it in for me, because the next thing I knew, a soft voice from beside me spoke up.

"You're 'Allen', right?"

I whipped my head to the side, this time actually having a heart attack upon seeing my hand on the head of a young girl, who was possibly around my age, her violet eyes shining with concern. She, too, lacked any form of clothing.

I withdrew my hand from her like she was fire.

W-what?!

She smiled at me, reaching out for my hand. When I flinched away, hurt flashed through her eyes. "We don't want to hurt you."

I wrapped my arms around my legs, silently praying for them to leave.

What's going on?

"We just wanted to thank you."

Now that was unexpected.

"'Thank me'?" I asked, doubt thick in my voice as I finally broke my silence.

She smiled slightly. "Yes, for taking care of us."

…?

"You wrapped our wounds and fed us, so, thank you." She reached for me again, and I, with no more room to move back, winced as she rubbed my knee soothingly.

"B-but I didn't d-do anything." My voice was shaky. It was pathetic. But I was scared. "I don't e-even know you."

That smile of hers held patience, almost like she was waiting for me to realise something. "Yes, you did," she insisted.

The red wold shoved its way past, head bumping against my knees. He looked at me, and I mean really looked at me, with the same emotions in his eyes as that girl, waiting for me to see something.

And I watched as he morphed into a naked red-head, bandages swathed around his right eye, and that other brilliant green eye filled with such familiar intelligence. "Do you understand yet?"

Huh?

After that, my mind just kinda shut down on, everything going black, the last thing I remembered before it all faded away being the Japanese man shaking his head, those cobalt orbs closed.

Fate really screwed me over this time.

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I have fantastic news! I brought the laptop off of the person who leant it to me and now it's mine! Yay! I'll be able to continue writing!

Anyway, I plan on placing little hints here in there so people aren't too shocked or horrified over Allen's past.

There will still be fluff, but the story has really begun to move now, so there may also be a couple… dark scenes.

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