Lotus in the Snow (Snow Queen AU)

Chapter Nine
Taken

Alma didn't go to sleep when he came back to the church. He had gone straight to his room though, quick to slam the door shut behind him as soon as he could. Leaning back against the door, Alma exhaled raggedly. His right eye was still closed, and it would periodically throb. Alma had still been applying some pressure to it with his hand in an attempt to subdue the pain; he wasn't sure if this was actually helping, or if the pain was fading on its own. Either way, he was eventually able to remove his hand as he blearily blinked his right eye open. It felt unnaturally cold.

Then again, everything felt unnaturally cold.

And sore. It had initially just been in Alma's eye. There had been the sharp throbs of pain so fierce that they had felt as though they were icily burning into Alma's eye. While the pain in the eye had started to dull with time, the pain did not actually leave – it only seemed to migrate, and now Alma's head was roaring with a relentless headache that felt like it was closer to a migraine, and his body ached. Why the hell was his whole body aching though? It had just been some ice in his eye. It hadn't been anything serious.

Kanda had wanted to look at it. In retrospect, it would have made sense to let Kanda check to make sure it wasn't anything too severe. Alma had pushed him away though, and lashed out at Kanda. Honestly, Alma was not even sure what had spurned him to act out in such a way. It had just…happened.

'I said those things to him…' Alma recalled, thinking back to how he had just completely snapped out of nowhere. It was like Alma was just suddenly so angry again – but had he been that angry the night before? He had certainly felt sad, and hurt – even heartbroken really. But Alma had not recalled feeling angry.

The venomous emotion was real. It was real, and Alma could feel it burning in his veins like an unexpected storm that was swirling deep within him. Alma was angry. He was upset, and for whatever reason he was now feeling more pissed the fuck off than he could ever remember feeling in his lifetime.

'Except this isn't new, is it? You've always felt this way,' A voice seemed to tease from the depths of Alma's mind.

The thought was unwelcome, and it made Alma stiffen. 'That's not true…'

'Of course it is. You've felt this way for years now. You just don't want to admit it.'

Alma must have been losing it. Crap, now he was arguing with himself of all things. He tried to ignore the words that kept teasing and taunting him from within, but his attempt was in vain as the voice was relentless.

'You just don't want to admit you're some pissed off little boy who's sick of getting abandoned and beaten into the ground. Because admitting that would only be admitting that no one wants you.'

"Shut up,'" Alma muttered, gritting his teeth as he grasped at the laces of his ice skates which he had still been carrying. God, why wouldn't the stupid voice just shut up?

'And you really hate that, don't you? Being so unwanted.'

"I said shut up!" Alma snapped, impulsively throwing his ice skates across the room, as though such an action would have been able to help anything. But the pent up energy Alma felt was maddening, and his arm had seemed to acquire of a mind of its own as it hurdled the skates. They crashed against the window, falling to the ground, but causing the glass to shatter.

The sound of glass breaking seemed to snap Alma out of his fury, and for a moment he stilled, staring wide-eyed at the broken window. Had Alma seriously just done that?

Cursing to himself, Alma went over to pick up the skates, setting them aside. Most of the broken glass had fallen outside since the impact came from within, and Alma glanced at the window to inspect the damage. A few jagged pieces of glass remained, but the cold air seeped through. "Damn it," Alma spoke to himself, frustrated with the fact that his window was now broken. He would have to repair it.

A sharp pain shot through Alma's head, and he grimaced. For a second his vision blurred, and his equilibrium felt as though it were off, causing him to stagger slightly. He sought to rest his hand on the wall for support, but happened to clutch one of the glass shards still attached to the window pain, and hissed as he felt the sharp sensation of glass slicing into his flesh. Alma yanked his hand back to see the palm had been completely cut into, with red pooling out from it.

For a moment Alma just stared, strangely fixated on the gash on his hand. But then the pain started up in his head again, and Alma shut his eyes. Jaw clenched, he grasped at his scalp with his uninjured hand in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure, but no matter what he did the pain would not stop. "Just…fucking stop it…."

He tried to open his eyes, but his vision seemed to flicker. There was a high-pitched noise in his ears.

It felt hard to breathe. His whole body was beginning to ache again and Alma felt exhausted. Everything felt suffocating and hot, despite the icy chill Alma had previously felt. Even the open window with the quiet winter wind did nothing to alleviate the sudden burning Alma seemed to be experiencing everywhere.

'Please…make it stop…'

He couldn't stand. His balance didn't feel right. 'I need to lie down…'

Bed. Sleep. He needed to sleep. He couldn't stay awake like this. Nothing felt right. Nothing felt normal.

Everything went black.

When Alma came to, he was on his bed. He didn't remember getting into it – or had he fallen onto it? His memory was foggy, and the events of the previous night were jumbled in his head. Fragmented images flashed through his mind, though Alma struggled to process them all. Gradually, he began to piece them together. Everything from encountering Kanda in the church, to ice skating…

The ghostly sensation of Kanda's lips against Alma's danced through Alma's mind, and his heart lurched.

The memory was startlingly painful for Alma. He felt so stupid – why had he kissed Kanda? Kanda wasn't going to even stay. He had said as much in the church, and Alma could still recall the words Kanda had spoken with surprising clarity.

"But…I just am going to have to leave. I have to take care of things, and…it's just better for you if you don't know it all, ok?"

'Why, though?' Alma wondered. 'Why would you have to leave…?'

Why did Alma even care?

Alma sat up, bringing his hand to his eye. It didn't sting with pain, and he could see alright. But he froze as soon as he noticed the palm of his hand, which was unmarred and perfectly normal. 'Wait…that's not right…'

Hadn't Alma cut his palm the previous night?

Alma switched to look at his other hand, wondering if perhaps he had been so out of it that he had gotten mixed up on which hand he had cut. However, his other hand was unmarked as well, with both palms devoid of any gashes or even minuscule scrapes. Could he have imagined it? No, Alma swore he had cut his hand the previous night. He could remember staring at it. There had even been blood-

'Blood,' Alma remembered, suddenly realizing that the window would still have traces of it. Standing, Alma hesitated, leaning against the wall briefly as a small rush of dizziness swept over him. He took a moment to breathe a little, before he was sure he wouldn't lose his balance before he finally approached the window.

What Alma found were not traces of blood. In fact, he couldn't even find the glass shard that he had grabbed onto. Instead, the area that Alma recalled touching was completely absent all together, as though the glass shard had simply disappeared.

Frowning, Alma looked at the window. On the pain where the glass shard had originally remained there was a dark, charred color, with jagged edges that almost looked like a series of pentacles.

…Pentacles?

Alma shook his head. He wasn't in his right mind, and whatever had pierced his eye must have pierced into his brain or something to get him to see such ludicrous things. Was he hallucinating?

Unexpectedly, another pain shot through Alma's scalp and he cursed, completely caught off guard by the brutal sensation. He had thought that he were done with whatever painful side effects he had been feeling the previous night, though he had clearly been mistaken. The stabs of pain were there, just as prominent as the night before if not worse.

Feeling the room sway, Alma slunk to the ground, and waited until the flare up of pain subsided. As vicious as it had felt, the stabbing was short-lived, and quieted soon enough. Alma exhaled, but didn't stand immediately.

Just what was wrong with him?

Alma was not sure how long he remained there with his back against the wall as he sat on the floor, head down and eyes shut. He wanted to just fall asleep, but his whole body felt agitated and high-strung. He was exhausted while also feeling as though he had a massive amount of pent-up energy building in his body, and he had no idea just what it was he wanted to do at that point anymore.

There was a knock at Alma's bedroom door, and the young man jumped. At first Alma said nothing, not sure if he wanted to answer – he didn't feel like talking. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. Everything was aggravating him, and his body felt twitchy.

"Alma?" A voice asked, which Alma immediately recognized as Tiedoll's. Another knock could be heard. "Alma, are you in there?"

For whatever reason, Alma felt a sudden rush of panic. He didn't know or understand why, but he immediately thought of the pentacles on the windowsill. Alma stood, and broke off one of the remaining shards of glass before he quickly began to scratch at the pentacles in an attempt to obscure their appearance. There was a third knock, which spurned Alma to move faster, before he quickly discarded the chunk of glass.

Seeing that the pentacles were somewhat scratched out, Alma went to answer the door, trying desperately to ignore the increasing agitation he was feeling. When Alma opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Tiedoll. Alma noticed the man wore an expression of surprise, causing Alma to feel a wave of irritation. Why did Tiedoll look so caught off guard? He'd knocked, hadn't he?

Tiedoll spoke before Alma. "I wanted to check on you – I hadn't seen you since yesterday," Tiedoll began. Concern lingered in his warm brown eyes as he looked at Alma. "Are you feeling alright? You look as though the color has been drained from your face."

Alma hesitated before answering. Since waking up, he hadn't actually looked at himself, so he wasn't sure how accurate Tiedoll's observation was. He didn't want the older man to make a big deal out of anything though. "I'm fine…just tired," He answered, despite it being a blatant lie. Alma felt anything but fine.

Tiedoll paused, and appeared to be figuring out whether or not he believed Alma. His eyes soon flickered behind the young man though, where Tiedoll's gaze landed on the window. Tiedoll's eyes widened slightly. "Goodness, what happened to the window?"

Alma tensed. He couldn't very well admit that he had broken the window by flinging his ice skates at it, and scrambled to come up with a lie. "Um…yeah. It was wind," Alma answered, trying his best to keep his words steady. "The wind caused it to break."

For a second a doubtful look flashed in Tiedoll's eyes, and Alma held his breath. Had Tiedoll seen through the deception?

Fortunately, Tiedoll didn't challenge Alma on the response. "I see," He replied, his brow furrowed slightly. Tiedoll's expression softened as he met Alma's gaze. "Why don't you come back to my house, and rest there? This cold air isn't good for you, and you really are looking terribly pale."

"I said I'm fine," Alma cut in, his tone more snappish than he intended. Tiedoll appeared somewhat taken aback by the harshness of the tone, and Alma realized he had just about crossed a line probably – he had never snapped at Tiedoll before.

Averting his gaze, Alma tried to compose himself, though it seemed to be getting more challenging with each passing second. "I'm…going to go get some things to repair it," Alma spoke, trying to keep his words more even than they had just been.

A small frown appeared on Tiedoll's lips, and he looked as though he wanted to disagree with Alma going through the trouble when in such a state. However, Tiedoll ended up nodding slowly as a wariness remained in his eyes. "Alright," He agreed, though there was a cautiousness to the way Tiedoll spoke.

Alma briefly threw a glance in Tiedoll's direction, and for a second wondered if he were at risk for being questioned further. However, upon see Tiedoll wasn't going to argue Alma quickly brushed past the man, suddenly feeling desperate to get away. He did not say goodbye or when he would be back, and simply rushed to throw on his coat before heading outside, and away from Tiedoll.

Tiedoll said nothing as Alma speedily departed. The small frown had not left Tiedoll's expression, even when the young man had disappeared. Alma was acting oddly, and Tiedoll had never seen Alma so perturbed. At least not to such a snappish extent. In fact, Alma had seemed almost distressed more than anything. Tiedoll had been quite startled by Alma's appearance when answering the door; the young man had been pale as Tiedoll had pointed out, but had an almost haggard and worn appearance. Tiedoll honestly thought that Alma looked sleep-deprived.

'And that window…' Tiedoll thought, glancing back into the room. The air was cold, and Tiedoll was surprised that Alma had stayed there all night with the window being broken. More than once Tiedoll had offered for Alma to come to his house if anything ever happened, and for the most part Alma had always been comfortable coming by. Had there been a reason Alma had stayed put though?

Tiedoll had waited a few minutes, but once he was certain that Alma was gone he walked into Alma's bedroom. Normally, Tiedoll would not be a man to invade someone's privacy; he was the kind of person who sought to see the good in people while trying to give the benefit of the doubt. However, Tiedoll couldn't shake the feeling that something was just off. Alma hadn't seemed like himself, and there was something else that was bothering Tiedoll – which was what caused him to approach the window.

Glancing at the floor beneath the window, Tiedoll looked around. There were hardly any glass shards on the ground, save for a few tiny splinters. Tiedoll then looked outside, his eyes moving down to the snow ground. Sure enough, the bulk of the broken glass was scattered out on the ground, sticking out of the snow like crystalline blades.

An unsettling feeling trickled into Tiedoll. Alma had said the wind had caused the window to break – an unlikely occurrence, but not impossible. The last few nights the wind had periodically gotten tumultuous, so the possibility of the wind breaking the window was plausible. However, if that were the case, then the glass would have burst inward rather than outward. With the way the shards were scattered, the blow that caused the glass to break logically would have come from within the room.

But why would Alma lie?

"Something's not right here…" Tiedoll murmured to himself quietly, trying to piece it together. Alma had been upset the previous day about something; that much was certain. But Alma hadn't seemed…angry then. Could something else have happened? Something wasn't adding up, and it was leaving a nasty taste in Tiedoll's mouth.

Tiedoll was about to turn, when something caught his eye. Gaze shifting to the windowsill, he noticed a series of scratches, crude and rather sloppy attempting to mark out something. Looking closely, Tiedoll had to stare for a second before he could make out what appeared to be-

'…Pentacles.'

Eyes widening slightly, Tiedoll stiffened. They were mostly scratched out, but no, those definitely looked like pentacle traces on the windowsill.

Body rigid, Tiedoll glanced around there room. Aside from the window, nothing else seemed amiss – however, that did little to quell the disquiet he was currently experiencing. If anything, it only set the man more on edge.

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.

Tiedoll couldn't make any assumptions though. He couldn't assume anything just yet until he knew a little more about what was going on. Taking a final look around Alma's room Tiedoll quickly left, shutting the door behind him before he made his way down the hall and to another door – one that he rarely went in. Taking out a key, he unlocked the door, quickly glancing around to check that no one was around before he unlocked the door.

Tiedoll was greeted by the sight of the familiar staircase, and giving one last look down the hall he descended down the stairs, shutting the door behind him.

Again. Kanda had been unable to leave again.

'This is getting really fucking ridiculous,' He fumed silently, as he slammed the door behind him. He was leaving his house for the second time with the intent of leaving; Kanda needed to leave. Staying had been a mistake. Staying had totally backfired.

Kanda's mind was still plagued by the events of the previous night. The inability the leave, the guilt – all of these feelings because for whatever reason, Kanda had been unable to be at peace with the idea of leaving without saying anything to Alma. Why though? Why did Kanda have to go back? It hadn't gone well. At least, it hadn't gone well toward the end. What had happened?

Kanda recalled the way Alma had looked before leaving. He recalled the way Alma's eyes had flashed with a venom more potent than Kanda had even thought Alma capable of. The glimmer in his normally bright blue eyes had been so frigid and icy – Kanda had been stunned. Where was the cheerful, lighthearted young man he had become so used to? Where was that dumb, foolish little smile that Kanda had been so discouraged to see absent?

'What happened out there?'

Nothing made sense to Kanda. Looking back he was not sure what he had expected to happen when he went to go find Alma; at the time, he had still been uncertain as to why he felt such a need to even explain anything to the young man. The unfulfilled need had made Kanda restless though, and upon hearing Alma words in the church Kanda had come to an unprecedented conclusion that he actually did give a damn about Alma.

"Because no one will accept that answer when it's coming from someone they care about!"

Alma cared about Kanda, too.

Alma had been upset that Kanda was going to leave. He had been upset because he cared about Kanda. And shockingly, Kanda had realized that he felt the same. 'Fuck…'

The whole thing was overwhelming, and Kanda didn't even know how to begin processing it all. Alma had been upset, then Alma had been fine. They had been fine – hell, they had even kissed.

Fist clenched, Kanda's jaw tightened. The memory was unnecessarily painstaking to think about, and he felt like a goddamn idiot for letting his guard down. For giving in. For wanting that.

And then for Alma to just switch gears on Kanda so suddenly – Kanda still felt shell-shocked. Or furious. Or hurt. He wasn't sure which. Maybe he was feeling a little bit of each.

'He knew about what I said though,' Kanda thought, the realization making him even more bitter. How had Alma known about those words Kanda had said? Surely Tiedoll wouldn't have hashed out that conversation to Alma – Tiedoll did a lot of things Kanda thought were stupid, but the old man would never do something like that. Had Alma just eavesdropped or something?

Shaking his head, Kanda walked on. He didn't have time to worry about the details. He had tried to talk to Alma. He had tried to leave on a good note. And it had all blown up in Kanda's face.

There was no point in trying a second time. Alma had made it clear how he felt in the end.

"Just leave already if you hate it here so much."

Kanda had hated hearing those words. He had hated how much it hurt to hear them.

'Whatever,' Kanda thought, incensed by the whole transgression of events. It didn't matter anyways – Kanda actually was leaving. Right this moment. Screw Alma.

Because Kanda had already lost so much time, he had planned to just cut directly through the village. It would be annoying, and he would probably run into someone who would want to stop and chat, but Kanda didn't have the free time to take the long way around. If he moved quickly enough he would able to get in a good distance, and not have to stop only two hours away like he'd originally planned. If he kept up the energy he could probably make it to the next town a just a few hours after dark. It was doable.

Approaching the village outskirts, Kanda noticed that there seemed to be more people out than normal. At first he wasn't sure why – it even looked like some people from out of town were there as well. But then Kanda noticed some of the different lanterns being put up along with several last minute decorations, and it clicked. 'That's right…the winter festival is tonight,' Kanda recalled, cringing inwardly at the fact that he had probably picked the worst day to cut through the village. He wasn't big on crowds.

Then again, with it being so crowded, Kanda might be able to sneak through unnoticed.

The possibility gave him an inkling of hope, and Kanda began to weave his way through the business of the village. He tried to keep his gaze forward as not to get too distracted by anything, or accidentally roped into a conversation. Since most people seemed to be pre-occupied with last minute preparations, Kanda seemed to be having luck so far. 'Just a little farther and I'll be out of here-'

Someone brushed passed Kanda somewhat roughly, and he turned. His eyes soon rested on a man he had never seen before, with deep, olive skin that was the color of faint umber. The man's hair was dark and thick, falling in soft waves as several loose curls framed his face. He was wearing a white hood, which contrasted starkly against his coloring.

Before Kanda could react, the man turned to look at him. Kanda was immediately thrown off by the piercingly golden irises of the man, which to Kanda looked almost hawk-like and predatory. A dark mole was under the man's left eye. "Sorry about that," The man apologized, his voice like velvet against Kanda's ears.

For whatever reason, Kanda found his gaze fixed on the man's eyes. They didn't sit well with him, and he felt uneasy. However, it wasn't as though he had an actual reason to feel uncomfortable. Wordlessly, Kanda nodded. He struggled to find his ability to speak, before he was finally able to get his vocal chords to work. "Don't worry about it."

The man smiled at Kanda. "You here to enjoy the winter festival?" He asked, his tone casual enough.

Kanda kept his expression neutral. "No," He answered simply, though he fought the urge to scoff. "I'm actually heading out-"

"I said I'm fine! Why does everyone keep asking that?"

Kanda stopped abruptly as he heard the voice, which was far too familiar for his liking. The stranger also seemed to notice, and looked over in the direction of the voice as Kanda's eyes followed. As Kanda turned, and his gaze immediately landed on the speaker: Alma.

Alma wasn't actually too far away – just a short distance really. He hadn't taken notice of Kanda though, likely due to how busy it was. Rather, Alma was far too preoccupied glaring at the person in front of him. With surprise, Kanda quickly saw that the recipient of Alma's glowering was in fact a somewhat distressed-looking Lala.

Kanda frowned. He didn't like how this was looking.

The stranger beside him spoke. "That looks like it's getting heated," He observed, though there was a nonchalance in his tone. Kanda threw a somewhat annoyed glance in the man's direction before returning to where Alma and Lala were.

Lala currently looked as though he was filled with unease, but was scowling at Alma. "I was just asking – you're acting weird!" She accused, with vexation in her voice.

Alma's eyes flashed. "No, I'm not – I just don't feel like talking! Is that really so hard to get through your head?"

Hearing this, Kanda's eyes narrowed. Where did Alma getting off on talking to Lala that way? Lala could be annoyingly perky at times, but she wasn't a bad person by any means – and Kanda had grown up with her. She meant well, and to hear Alma talk in such a way to her caused Kanda's blood to heat up. Abandoning his plan to get out of the village as soon as possible, Kanda started over in their direction, leaving the stranger behind him.

"Anyways, why are you still pestering me?" Alma was asking, though his words were unusually cold. "Don't you have some stupid song to practice or something?"

Without really thinking anything through, Kanda sped up his pace to where he finally had approached them. "Hey," He called sharply, causing both Lala and Alma to turn toward him. "What's going on?"

Lala was the first to say anything. "I was just asking if something was wrong because someone," She emphasized, throwing an exasperated look in Alma's direction, "Is acting like a jerk-"

Alma scoffed. "Maybe if you weren't so annoying, then I wouldn't have to."

"Alma!" Lala cried, clearly upset by the way Alma was acting.

Alma didn't seem to care though, and very abruptly pushed pashed Lala causing her to stumble back. Kanda nearly saw red.

Without warning, Kanda grabbed Alma's arm roughly and yanked him back. He was seething at this point, and just about ready to break something. Kanda's dark indigo eyes seemed to burn with a fury as he sought Alma's gaze, and gave a warning look to the other young man. "Apologize," Kanda ordered, not about to let Alma walk away after he practically shoved passed Lala.

Alma's eyes shifted to Kanda, but the color didn't look like its familiar sky blue. Instead they appeared lighter, and reminded Kanda of frosted glass. Alma's glare did not weaken as he spoke. "To her, or to you?" Alma asked, giving Kanda a very pointed look. "Fine. I'm sorry that last night happened."

For a second, Kanda froze. His breathing seemed to stop momentarily, and a look of shock flickered in his eyes. Kanda was quickly overcome with an unmistakable rage at the words though, and his gaze immediately darkened. "Alma, you better shut the hell up because you're really fucking pushing it," Kanda growled, not yet letting go of Alma's arm.

Appearing completely unfazed, Alma rolled his eyes as jerked his arm out of Kanda's grasp. "Or what?" He asked, tone a taunting challenge.

Kanda's fist clenched. Was Alma trying to bait him?

Lala looked anxiously in-between the two, and placed a hand on Kanda's arm as she tried to pull him away from Alma. "Hey, both of you knock it off!" She half-begged, half-scolded. Her large eyes were filled with trepidation at the animosity that seemed to be sparking between the two young men, as she clearly did not want anything to escalate.

There was a tense moment that passed between Alma and Kanda, with both young men staring intensely at each other. For a second it looked as either of them could snap, with both individuals glaring venomously at each other. Sparks were practically flying in between their gazes, with neither one of them acting as though they would back down.

Finally, Alma turned. He did so sharply, and with the sudden movement Kanda had just about been ready to punch the guy or something. However, Kanda merely kept his fist clenched, and watched as Alma stalked off.

As soon as Alma left, Kanda released a breath he had not realized that he had been holding. There was still adrenaline coursing through him from the anger that had been ignited from the whole interaction, though he was now feeling drained and unmistakably low.

Kanda had not wanted to admit it, but Alma's words had stung. They had been like a jagged knife that had messily cut through Kanda's very core, ripping and tearing violently without any hint of mercy. 'Alma…'

Uncertainly, Lala looked at Kanda, seeing his distant expression. There was a troubled look in her eyes. "Kanda…what did Alma mean about last night?" She asked, unable to conceal the concern that leaked into her voice. "Did…something happen?"

Kanda did his best to keep his expression neutral. He really did – however, his insides felt as though they were crumbling. "Nothing happened," He answered, his voice low and his words short. Kanda felt hollow though, and his mouth was feeling dry. 'Nothing…happened…'

Swallowing the stabbing pain that seemed to be plaguing him, Kanda speedily focused his attention on Lala. "You ok?" He asked, his tone softer than it had been previously.

Lala nodded. "Yeah, I just…" She trailed off as she looked in the direction Alma had gone off in. "I've never seen him act that way before."

Kanda didn't really say anything to that at first, but a small frown appeared on his face. Before Lala had spoken, Kanda had started to consider that maybe Alma wasn't who he thought he was – but Lala had known Alma longer, and her words seemed to challenge his theory.

Curiously, Kanda looked at Lala. "So…this is a first time?"

Lala looked back at Kanda. "Well….yeah. Alma is usually so sweet. I've never even heard him ever raise his voice really. But I don't know what's going on with him," She replied, before looking warily at Kanda. "I mean I just asked him if he was ok. He looked so…" She trailed off again, shaking her head. "I mean he just didn't look well. I'm worried about him."

Lala's words lingered in Kanda's ears. It didn't change the fact that he was livid after seeing the way Alma was behaving. The guy had extended far beyond bratty and just started acting like an obnoxious asshole. A cruel and obnoxious asshole. Just what was the deal even? Kanda had to admit, something definitely seemed off though. Alma's behavior in general was just so….erratic. It seemed explosive and unpredictable, and was nothing like the lighthearted and cheerful demeanor he had come to be so familiar with.

'Lala's right though. He didn't…look good,' Kanda thought, thinking to how Alma actually had looked pretty terrible. At first Kanda hadn't paid much attention to it, because he had just been so pissed. But he soon remembered the frigid iciness is Alma's eyes, and the dark circles that seemed to linger underneath. His skin had also looked unnaturally white – where was the normal flush of color Alma usually had to his skin? Was he getting sick? What was wrong with him?

Kanda's mind briefly flashed to the previously night. Alma had seemed…normal for the most part. He had seemed normal until…

'Until something pierced him…' Kanda thought, remembering how something had apparently gotten into Alma's eye. But surely it hadn't been that that was causing such a stir, was it?

Damn it, if only Alma had let Kanda look at the stupid thing…

"Hey, why are you carrying your bag around with you?" Lala asked suddenly, pulling Kanda from his thoughts. She then gasped somewhat loudly before continuing with a somewhat accusing tone, "You're not leaving yet, are you?"

Kanda silently cursed at Lala's words. Shit. This was what he had been trying to avoid to begin with.

The silence seemed to confirm Lala's suspicions, and the tiny girl frowned before smacking Kanda on the arm. Her action actually caused Kanda to flinch slightly. "Kanda!" Lala scolded, though to Kanda her voice sounded whinier than anything else. "You can't leave today! Not before the winter festival!"

Exasperation filled Kanda. Crap, was he never going to get out of this godforsaken village?

Quietly, Kanda sighed. "Lala…" Kanda began, not sure what all to say. At this point he was not even sure if he had the energy to argue. "I don't have time for this. There's too much crap going on, and I have shit I need to do."

Indignantly, Lala placed her hands on her hips. "What do you mean there's too much going on?" She inquired, not hesitating to put Kanda on the spot. "Really, did something happen with you and Alma? Is that what this is about?"

"What?! No!"

Lala pouted. "Kanda, please don't go yet!" Lala begged. "Please? Stay at least for the festival? It wasn't as fun without you last year!"

Kanda was prepared to shoot down Lala. He really was. Some silly little event just was not on Kanda's priority list. However, Lala was giving Kanda this look was just just…ugh. Kind of pathetically heartbreaking? She looked like a baby bird that had just been kicked aside, and it reminded Kanda of the looks Lala had given him when they were kids and she wanted to play. As much as Kanda hated it, the dirty tactic seemed to be working.

Trying to ignore the grimace that was threatening to appear on his face, Kanda responded. "I'll stay until your performance," He said, hoping the proposition would get Lala to back down a little. "But I'm heading out after."

At first, Lala didn't look too pleased, but her expression softened. She realized this would probably be the most she would get out of Kanda. "Okay," She agreed, finally seeming content.

Lala then glanced behind Kanda with a curious look. "Weren't you with someone earlier?" She asked, looking back at Kanda. "Before you came over, it looked like you were talking to someone."

Blinking, Kanda suddenly recalled the stranger. He had completely forgotten about the man until Lala had said anything, but Kanda still turned back. He didn't see the stranger anywhere.

Returning his gaze to Lala, Kanda brushed it off. "It was just someone here for the festival," Kanda explained. "That's all."

Lala nodded, accepting the answer with ease. Kanda was different though; while he may have appeared nonchalant about the man, he couldn't erase the unease the man had caused him, nor could he forget those startlingly strange golden eyes.

Nor could he forget Alma's. Alma's unnaturally cold eyes.

Alma was quick to get out of the village. It was far too busy. He didn't like the crowdedness of it all, and he detested the noise. Everywhere Alma had turned there had been an annoying surplus of people bustling about like a flurry of annoying insects, and all for some stupid winter festival. Seriously, what was the point even? The whole thing seemed dumb and unnecessary, and the energy caused by the ruckus had only aggravated Alma.

Crossing paths with Lala hadn't helped. If anything, it had only made the experience of venturing into town worse. For whatever reason Alma had been really unwilling to talk to her; he honestly had not understood it himself. In the past he talked to Lala frequently, but hell, had she always been so irritating? Alma had found himself wondering how he even had managed to put up with her blabbering for so long. Then, as if the babble of chatter hadn't been enough of a nuisance, Lala had started poking Alma by endless inquiring as to whether or not he was fine.

Alma was still gritting his teeth over the whole exchange. What the hell was with everyone thinking something was wrong with him? Was it that much of a shocker he didn't always feel up to being stupidly happy? Honestly, Alma didn't even have anything to be happy about – so why should he wear some fake smile and nod his head dumbly in an agreeable manner to everyone he spoke to?

None of these people really knew Alma – none of these people really cared. People were wretched and only cared about making themselves happy. Lala only ever wanted to talk to people about her silly arias or when she needed something. Suman was similar. And Kanda…

Alma's memory filled with Kanda's image, and he thought of the way Kanda had looked back there in the village. He had mostly appeared angry, though for a moment Alma had thought he had caught a glimpse of shock in Kanda's expression when he had made the dig about the night before. 'Good,' Alma had thought, 'Let him be shocked. Let him be upset. He deserves it.'

Out of everyone, Kanda had been the worst. Kanda had toyed with Alma's emotions, and not even blinked an eye. He had strung Alma along that previous night, despite planning to leave. Despite planning to leave Alma. Just as everyone else Alma ever cared for had.

Alma's heart clenched painfully.

Alma had never had anything stable in his life, or anyone for that matter. He had no idea how he had ended up alone in Madrid. He had no idea if his parents had simply not wanted him, or if they were dead. Either situation was plausible, and both were terrible. Being taken in had helped in that Alma had a better chance of surviving – but the prejudices of being associated with gypsies had left its mark. Alma had become a part of a category without ever truly belonging, and without any sense of history.

It was true that his gypsy family had taken mercy on him, but the world was so cruel that even Alma had not been allowed to be with them for long. He had still been a child when they all unexpectedly vanished. Though, Alma assumed they were dead. He had to, because the thought of them leaving him of their own will – no matter how irrational – was simply too painful to bear.

Perhaps Alma was just meant to be alone.

Walking through the snow, Alma glanced up at the sky. It was a smoky gray, and it looked ugly.

He had not actually gotten materials to repair the window, he realized. Alma groaned. "Damn," He muttered. Alma had gotten so distract by the annoying crowds and the whole incident with Lala and Kanda that he had apparently completely blanked on the reason he had gone to the village to begin with.

'Whatever,' Alma thought, not about to turn back to the village now. 'I'll repair the stupid window later.'

A twig snapped, and Alma stopped. The noise had come from off the path he was walking, and he turned to look. Alma's eyes scanned the area, though he saw nothing through the snowy trees surrounding him.

Alma shook his head. It must have been an animal or something.

Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow moved. Startled, Alma turned once more. No, he definitely hadn't imagined that, had he? Suddenly feeling nervous, Alma's heart began to race. The shadow had been tall, and looked like the outline of a person. But, when Alma tried to look closely into the trees he saw no one.

An icy chill spilled through Alma. He didn't like this. He didn't like this feeling he had.

A sharp stab of pain tore through Alma's head, and the suddenness of the trauma nearly caused him to cry out. His vision flickered, and Alma grabbed his head. "Fuck!" He cursed, his balance swaying. The pain did not cease though, and Alma felt lightheaded; his lungs felt incredibly frail, and his balance was off. 'Not this again...!'

Gasping for air, Alma fell to his knees. He hardly noticed the coldness of the snow, and his lungs shuddered in his chest, desperate for air. His body felt strangely hot, despite the frosty temperature of outside, and everything seemed to be burning. Feverishly so.

Vision blurring, Alma tried to lift his head. However, the world spun as he attempted to do so, and he had to repress the instinct to purge.

A few painfully long moments passed before Alma could be certain he wasn't going to throw up. His head was still pulsating with pain, and his whole body was aching tremendously, but his vision was still semi-working. Blearily, Alma blinked as he looked to the side to where he had thought he had seen something moving earlier. Another shadow flickered.

"Wh-who's there!?" Alma called out, trying to get up. He was unsuccessful as he fell back down almost immediately.

The shadow moved again, and appeared to be coming closer. Alma tried to focus on who the person was.

But soon the world became one of darkness, as Alma lost consciousness.

Tiedoll was in a panic.

Alma's behavior had been unsettling. It was not even that Tiedoll had never seen Alma act in such a way, or that he was not used to it. There had been a distinctive energy to Alma that Tiedoll had been unable to put his finger on. He had not been certain of it, but it had bothered him and left him deeply unnerved – an anxious feeling that had only deepened it its intensity when Tiedoll had discovered the pentacles burned into the windowsill.

Tiedoll's expression was somber. Pentacles were not a good sign. Pentacles were ominous, and foretold of the presence of an akuma.

An akuma had been present at some point. Tiedoll was certain of that much. There was no other explanation, and the pentacles were formed too distinctively. Even with the way they had apparently been nearly scratched out, Tiedoll had recognized the acidic markings, as foreboding as ever.

Upon drawing these conclusions, Tiedoll had been left with a series of questions. Where was the akuma? When had it actually been at the church? Had Alma seen something? Had that been why Alma had been acting so strangely?

Tiedoll's head was swimming. Something wasn't adding up. If an akuma had shown up…the chances of Alma having survived would've been slim. Not impossible, but the gruesome reality is that no akuma would leave a human alive unless the akuma had just missed them entirely.

Tiedoll pulled his coat closely as he walked along the path. It was getting dark, but he wanted to speak to Marie. It would be tedious to find him in the village given the festivities going on, but Tiedoll wasn't about to be discouraged by any means. As he continued walking, Tiedoll's mind briefly wandered to wondering where Alma was at that moment – the boy had never returned to the church.

All of these thoughts continued to linger in Tiedoll's mind, before he finally arrived at the village. He had been able to hear the excitable chatter of people even a good distance away, with the sound of music filling the night and joyous laughter.

The village itself was a pretty sight. Decorative lanterns hung from balconies and out of windows, with silvery-golden glows that burned as though they were frosted flames. The air smelled of pine of hot cinnamon, and where there weren't lanterns there were ivory candles burning in the windows of homes to illuminate the wintry night. Vendors were selling more festive, seasonal trinkets to celebrate the solstice while attracting some spectators who were from out of town, and in the village square an area had been set up for different musicians and performers to use.

It typically was a time Tiedoll liked to enjoy. He liked the jovial atmosphere and the merriment of it all. However, he found himself skimming the area for any signs of Marie, all while politely greeting people when necessary.

A familiar head of dark hair caught Tiedoll's eye though.

Surprise flashing over his features, Tiedoll quickly approached Kanda. The younger man had been turned around, and was apparently watching the stage for whatever performance was next. Tiedoll grabbed Kanda's shoulder, and pulled him back slightly.

Kanda jumped at being touched so suddenly, and whirled around, looking as though he were ready to attack whoever it was that had grabbed him. His dark blue eyes landed on Tiedoll, with recognition filling them before they were overcome by annoyance. "What the hell?" Kanda asked. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you left," Tiedoll expressed, with the confusion spilling into his tone.

Kanda rolled his eyes. "I am after this," He said, pointing back to the stage, "Freakin' Lala was going to have a fit if I didn't at least watch her."

Tiedoll glanced at the stage, and sure enough Lala had come on next with her lyre.

The crowd that had gathered quieted, as they all awaited for Lala to begin her performance. Tiedoll glanced at Kanda, who looked like he didn't want to talk. The young man had distinctly turned from Tiedoll, and seemed intent on just focusing on the stage.

With the silence overtaking the spectators, Lala softly began her song, with the lyrics slow and undeniably ethereal. Her voice was almost entirely different as she sang, with her vocal chords becoming the instrument of something that could only be described as heavenly.

Despite it being mid-performance, Tiedoll found he could not keep what he had learned from Kanda though, and once again pulled Kanda close. "Kanda," Tiedoll whispered, "Listen to me. There is something wrong with Alma."

Kanda turned to Tiedoll abruptly, with his eyes flashing venomously. "Yeah – I noticed. What's wrong is that he's a fucking asshole," Kanda hissed back quietly.

Tiedoll scowled. He didn't understand why Kanda was still being so vicious toward Alma, unless something had happened that Tiedoll was unaware of. But Tiedoll didn't have time to dwell on that.

Trying to keep his voice down as Lala was still singing, Tiedoll continued to whisper. "That's not what I meant and you know it," He spoke quietly, before pausing. His insides twisted before he even could get the words out. "I spoke to Alma this morning. His window was broken, and there were pentacles on the windowsill."

This seemed to catch Kanda's attention. Uncertainty sparking in Kanda's eyes, his expression soon melted into a frown. "What do you mean?" He asked lowly. On the inside Kanda could feel his heart tighten. Pentacles meant…

"I mean there was an akuma there," Tiedoll explained. "I think something may have happened involving Alma. I don't know what yet – but there's something not right with him."

Kanda stiffened. What the hell was Tiedoll getting at? "What the fuck do you mean something isn't right?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down.

Tiedoll sighed, shaking his head. "It's just…the way he's been acting. He was acting almost…aggressively. And the window. He said the wind broke it, but the glass was outside, signifying it was broken from within. I'm not sure what it is, but something must have happened last night."

Lala's song was coming to an end at that point, and the crowd began to applause once it ended. The noise was a mere buzz in Kanda's ears as he found himself consumed by Tiedoll's words.

Once again, Kanda recalled something piercing Alma's eye. Just what the hell had it been?

Tiedoll watched as Kanda's expression became thoughtful, and he frowned. "Kanda, what is it? Do you know something?"

Kanda opened his mouth to answer, but was briefly distracted when the crowd quieted again. Glancing back at the stage, he was surprised to see Guzol on one knee in front of Lala, who looked as though she were about to start crying tears of joy. She nodded her head eagerly, and the two embraced, earning another round of applause.

'Alma would have been happy for them. He would have wanted to be here,' Kanda realized.

"Tell Lala I said congratulations," Kanda said stiffly, before he started to weave through the crowd.

Tiedoll took Kanda by the arm, stopping him. "Kanda, where are you going?" Tiedoll questioned, his words sharp. Was Kanda seriously still going to try to leave?

Scowling slightly, Kanda yanked his arm out of Tiedoll's grasp. "I'm going to find Alma," He answered, his words somewhat rough.

Before Tiedoll could say anymore, Kanda rushed off into the crowd.

Alma blinked open his eyes. His head was pounding, and his body felt as though it had been thrown into a wall. He was lying on his back, but he wasn't in his bed – no, where was he? It was cold, and it was dark, and the ground beneath him felt icy and wet. 'Snow,' Alma silently realized, 'I'm lying outside in the snow.'

Groaning, Alma tried to sit up. His vision spun as he attempted such though, and he nearly crashed back into the ground. Alma grimaced – why was it such a battle to function normally?

There was a chuckle off to the side, and Alma's eyes widened. Was something there? Again, Alma tried to sit up. He had to go slowly though, and use his elbows to prop himself up as he looked around.

"Easy there," The voice said, "Or you'll get dizzy again."

Turning, Alma's eyes finally landed on the speaker: a man leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. His skin was dark, and his long, dark hair was pulled back as several loose curls framed his face. Golden eyes, beautifully terrifying, peered at Alma keenly.

Alma instantly felt his body go tense. "Who are you?" He asked, his words wary. He was trying to stand at this point, and had just barely managed to do so, although his legs felt as though they could give out at any moment.

The man smirked as he cocked his head to the side. His arms still folded across his chest, he eyed Alma for a few seconds before finally answering. "Tyki."

Before Alma could find a way to respond, the man – Tyki – continued. "I have to say I'm impressed. You're really trying to fight that shard's influence."

Hearing this, Alma frowned. "What are you talking about?" He questioned, his tone agitated. He didn't like the way Tyki was looking at him, nor did he like the way Tyki was speaking. 'What does he mean by shard?'

Somewhat absently, Tyki twirled a strand of his hair around his finger. "You know. The one that nearly poked your eye out last night," He explained with an almost devious smile. "It was your eye it got, wasn't it? It's why you're taking longer to transition probably."

Alma's blood felt cold. No – it felt hot. Shit, why was his body feeling so hot again? He should have been freezing with having been lying out in the cold.

Shaking his head, Alma glared at the strange man. Alma didn't know what was going on, and he wasn't sure how this guy knew that something had unexpectedly pierced Alma's eye the night before. But it made Alma uneasy and jittery, and Alma's flight instinct was beginning to kick in. "You're crazy," Alma muttered, before starting to walk away.
As Alma turned, he was suddenly faced with Tyki. Alma nearly shouted, completely thrown off by the man's sudden appearance. "The hell!?" Alma exclaimed. 'H-How did he just appear like that!?'

Tyki smiled, yet it was anything but comforting. The way his eyes gleamed seemed deadly, and Alma felt as though he were caught in the gaze of a viper, leaving him paralyzed. The throbbing had returned to his head, and Alma winced, his body beginning to ache sharply once more.

"Let's see how far that dark matter has spread," Tyki spoke, before taking his hand and lightly placing it onto Alma's chest, where he then slowly began to press inward.

Where he then slowly began to press inward, so that his hand went into Alma's chest.

Alma's eyes widened, and his body went rigid. He wondered if maybe this was some twisted dream he was having, with this strange man's hand actually inside his body. 'That's….not possible…' Alma tried to tell himself, though he could not tear his eyes away from the dark arm that was reaching into his chest. It was surreal; he wasn't….hurting from it, but it felt weird.

A thoughtful look came over Tyki's face, as he seemed to be taking note of something. "Hm. It hasn't gotten to your heart yet," He observed, before smirking. "It's close though-"

A blade suddenly cut in-between Tyki and Alma. Tyki jumped back, with shock on his face as Alma nearly staggered. The motion nearly caused Alma to collapse to the ground completely as the world threatened to spin once more. 'What was that…!?' Alma wondered, before his eyes focused, which widened once he recognized who it was.

Kanda was currently blocking off Alma, and facing Tyki. In his hands he gripped a long sword, which Alma recognized as the one Kanda had been carrying with him when they first met. "Yuu-" Alma started, but stopped abruptly as a sharp pain started in his chest.

Kanda's back was to Alma, so he was completely focused on the stranger in front of him. Glaring fiercely, Kanda gripped Mugen, his eyes blazing with rage. He had recognized the strange man from earlier, and after having caught sight of the man sticking his fucking arm into Alma…Kanda had sorely regretted not slashing the man to pieces earlier.

Indigo eyes locking with gold, Kanda glowered. "What the fuck were you doing to him?" Kanda snarled, wondering if this bastard was the reason Alma had been acting up.

Tyki blinked, appearing surprised by the hateful tone Kanda was using. He then tapped his chin, appearing more annoyed than intimidated. "I'm sorry," Tyki drawled, "Was it any of your business really? I mean, you did rudely cut in just now."

Kanda growled lowly. He was not in the mood to be taunted. "What did you do, akuma?"

Grinning, Tyki looked at Kanda teasingly. "Is that what you think I am? An akuma?" He taunted, his words light as he laughed. "Sorry, I'm not."

Grip tightening onto his weapon, Kanda's body tensed. Was this freak messing with him? 'He just put his hand into Alma – what the fuck else could he be!?'

There was a sudden cry of pain that entered Kanda's ears, and the sound of a dull thud occurring. Kanda turned, his breath catching in his throat as he saw Alma down on the ground, kneeling and clutching at his chest as though he were in pain. Alma's face was scrunched up in agony, with his eyes shut tightly as he grimaced.

Turning back to Tyki, Kanda all but killed him right there. However, he restrained himself, gritting his teeth as he barely got his words out. "What did you do to him?" Kanda hissed, his eyes filled with fiery rage.

Tyki placed a hand on his hip nonchalantly, with a small smirk on his lips. "Technically, I didn't really do anything," He answered simply, before his smirk widened. "Your little friend was well on his way to becoming an akuma already. So why don't you let me take him off your hands for you, eh?"

The color drained from Kanda's face, and his heart dropped. 'No,' He thought. No….there….there was no way. No way that…

Kanda's shoulders shook. "Bullshit," Kanda growled, his voice low yet seething.

An amused gleam danced in Tyki's eyes, with pleasure lingering in his smile. "Oh?" He pressed, not at all wary of taunting the exorcist further. "It's true. The shard that pierced him contained dark matter – specially the essence from a previous akuma," He explained with a grin. "It's already almost to his heart, so you might as well let me take him unless you just want to do away with him yourself-"

Tyki stopped abruptly as he had to jump back, with Kanda's sword nearly slashing into him. Glaring, Tyki dodged as Kanda attempted to swing the blade at him. Frustrated, Tyki jumped backward again, landing on his feet.

Not deterred, Kanda made a run for it, and swung again; he barely managed to slice the stranger's arm. Kanda felt a tinge of satisfaction when he saw the grimace on the man's face. However, the victory was short lived as the man smiled, with his wound slowly closing up.

"Not bad," Tyki complimented, "But you're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

Kanda sneered. "Go to hell!" He said, charging once more when-

Sear.

A sharp pain pierced Kanda's core, and his dominant hand suddenly burned. Staggering, Kanda stopped his attack, his breath somewhat haggard as he bent down slightly. 'Fuck,' He silently cursed, the pain sharp and unanticipated. His right arm felt shaky, and while the pain in his core was subsiding it was now feeling sore and tender.

Curiously, Tyki looked at Kanda. While Kanda was gathering himself, the other man walked over to where he was in front of Kanda. Eyes interested, Tyki once more reached out his hand, before he pressed forward into Kanda's core. Kanda immediately stiffened, his face paling from the sudden contact.

For a second, Tyki said nothing. He raised a brow though, and soon a slow smile spread onto his face. "Well," He started, his voice filled with intrigue, "You really forced that innocence to synchronize, didn't you?"

Kanda stiffened, and his body remained tense. 'Mugen…'

The wind picked up, briefly distracting both Tyki and Kanda. Face falling into a frown, Tyki retracted his hand and stood, his eyes looking upward toward the sky. "Damn," He muttered, "She's here."

Looking over, Kanda stood up straight. She?

The wind became harsher, and more tumultuous. Kanda could feel his ponytail whip around him. Icy bits of snow thrashed through the air, and Kanda had to close his eyes briefly. He opened them after a few seconds, and through the snow he could make out the silhouette of someone in the distance. The silhouette of a woman.

She approached slowly, appearing through the snow as though she were some ghostly apparition. Kanda noticed that the snow almost appeared to swirl around her, as though it were an icy shroud of silk and frozen gossamer. He could hardly make out her features at first, but as she came closer Kanda's vision was able to focus on her more.

Her skin white, she looked as though she were carved from ivory. Smooth, perfect, cold ivory. She was dressed in some kind of gown – something eastern, and something that was so foreign and yet familiar to Kanda. What was it about that style that seemed so familiar? Her hair was long, and the color of melted onyx while being ornamented with two golden hair pieces; short bangs framed her face, and her eyes…they were dark, and brown, but they were so cold.

With an unnatural grace, she stopped, before looking in Kanda and Tyki's direction. Daintily, she waved her hand in a swift motion, and a sharp gust of icy wind instantly threw both Kanda and Tyki back. Kanda slammed against a tree and grunted, his head pulsating from the blow. Vision blurring, Kanda attempted to re-focus. His eyes nearly widened when he saw the woman kneeling beside Alma, who had since fallen to the ground unconscious.

"Alma!" Kanda shouted, before trying to stand. However, the woman looked at him, and another icy blast of wind threw Kanda back.

Tyki glared at the woman. "To hell with this – that one is a goner," He cursed.

"What are you talking about!?" Kanda shouted, his eyes flashing in Tyki's direction. Kanda returned his attention to where Alma was as the wind picked up though, with the snow becoming so thick that Kanda could hardly see. 'Damn this…!'

The air howled, and ice whipped through the air. The sound was shrill.

Suddenly, it stopped.

Kanda opened his eyes. He didn't see the woman. He didn't see Alma.

Quickly, Kanda turned. Tyki was still there. Not giving a shit what the man was, Kanda grabbed him by the shirt. "Where did she take him!?" He snarled, just about reading to rip Tyki to shreds himself.

Tyki was unfazed, and simply pulled Kanda's hand off him, his own grip unnaturally strong. "Doesn't matter. He's as good as dead now," Tyki mumbled, before sighing. "Lord Millennium won't be pleased…"

Quickly, Tyki jumped back into the air before looking back at Kanda. "Seriously, don't even bother thinking about it – it's just one less akuma for you exorcists to worry about!"

Glaring, Kanda shouted. "What the fuck!? Damn it, tell me where they went!"

Tyki just grinned though, and disappeared.

The world became silent.

Kanda's breaths were the only noise. His heart thudding in his chest was all he could feel. His body felt numb, and icy. His right arm hurt.

He fell to his knees, as the wash of shock began to settle over him.

Kanda was alone. And Alma was gone.

A/N: Holy hell this chapter ended up being like...over 10,000 words long? Like what the hell am I doing with my life even?

This was one of those chapters that just...sort of snowballed though. Maybe because up until the last chapter or so it was all pretty much setting up the foundation for the story, and now all this crazy shit is going down. Originally, I didn't even know if the actual part with the Snow Queen would make it into this chapter, because I knew if it did it would be a viciously long chapter - but hey, there it is. Is it obvious who the Snow Queen character is? I mean to me it is, but maybe not to everyone. XD For those of you who recognized her, I'm pointing out now there is an actual reason I selected her, and it is going to have significance with the plot later on. (Plus I love this character so much and HAD to use her)

But yeah. There are a lot of things I could babble on with regarding this chapter, because SO. MUCH. HAPPENS. And I'm still a bucket of emotions from writing it, even though it was a bit ago I started working on this chapter. I will say Alma is probably one of the more intense characters to write, probably because 1.) He's actually my favorite character in all of DGM. And 2.) now I get to go into the whole "infected mirror shard" element from Snow Queen, and tie that into a fun akuma transition. But like I've said previously - that doesn't mean this story will be a tragedy. My heart can't handle keeping Kanda and Alma separated because I diehard ship them too much, and am determined to give them a happy ending for once. Somehow.

Hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave reviews if you can (and if criticism please make it constructive). I know it's a lot, but it really does help me in knowing how the story seems to be progressing to outside perspectives. Plus it lights a fire under my ass to write more since I know people are actually still reading. And if you have any questions or just want to talk about an element you like/dislike and why, I'm open to discussing that as well. ^^ I also am just open to talking DGM with people period. XD

Much love! 3