He found himself in a valley, a massive rift in between tall, sheer mountains that almost blocked the moon. His steps were so loud in the quiet that they seemed to reverberate against the walls. Whispers flashed past him as he turned his head this way and that, trying listlessly to find the source of the voices. On every crag, a shadow seemed to perch, a half-formed face peering over the rocks. He shouted into the gloom as he walked along the bottom of the valley, calling out names he could no longer remember once they'd been issued from his mouth. Chanting took the place of the whispers, growing louder and louder from behind as he progressed, but he could not turn himself around in order to see the chanters. The shadows seemed to thicken, the shades take shape. As he walked, he realized he knew them, though the thought was vague in his mind.
The shades came down, leading him towards some destination. He followed along as if his feet knew the path better than his eyes. Idly, he recalled the faces that were racing past him.
Twi Chang walked past him, despite her current breakneck pace. Her husband trailed behind. Oddly, he had to laugh at that. Edgar could never quite keep up with his wife. A few interns that he'd been familiar with walked ahead of him. More scientists joined them on their exodus. They seemed to solidify more and more as the chanting grew louder. Dogs began to howl upon the ridges of the valley, their mournful song giving the effect of an eerie funeral procession. The shades flinched at the sound of howling, and just as soon as they'd appeared, they'd gone. He was left alone. The chanting had stopped.
And then he realized he was standing before a lake. It was long, dark, so glassy smooth that it resembled a mirror as he stared at his reflection within the water. Absentmindedly he remembered seeing this mirror before, a burst of déjà vu. The image in the water was the same as the last time he'd seen it – a man wearing white war paint, his sword slung over his back, hair tied tight into a tail with a leather cord. However, he was missing something – of that he was sure. He was meant to have some sort of companion, but he couldn't remember for the life of him who it was.
His image was joined by another, one he had seen in another life, a literal waking dream. She looked over his shoulder, that serene smile on her face. Those piercing eyes watched him in the water-mirror. His own eyes widened as recognition flooded him. He turned around, and there she stood, waiting patiently. She was just as he'd seen her all those times in the labs, and, more importantly, in his memories and midnight dreams. He lifted a hand to her face, stroking the skin. Porcelain smoothness met his fingertips. Silk strands of hair trailed over the back of his hand as he touched her hair, and she stepped closer to him, her heat so real and so near. How long had it been since he'd last seen her? He'd forgotten what it was like to touch her, to know her presence.
"You," he simply stated. She almost laughed, that fey smile flitting across her visage. He remembered he had loved that about her – her vivacity and spontaneity, so different from his strict, rigid mind and constancy.
"Me," was all she answered. Depthless eyes searched his for what seemed an eternity as she took his face in her hands, drawing him close, close enough that he could feel her breath wash over his own mouth, before she halted.
"You waited," she stated. Sadly, his eyes tightened as he reached for her, so near to him yet so, so far away—
The dream dissolved with the noise of a baby crying, and Kanda sat up in a cold sweat, feeling sick. He swiftly stood up out of bed, walking over to Nthanda's makeshift crib. The baby gasped as he cried, and Kanda groaned to himself as he rubbed his temples. Nthanda had had some very bad earaches, of which there was no cause they could discern. All they could do was soothe him the best they could. Kanda picked up the baby as gently as he was able, though he felt oddly clumsy after waking up. He cradled the baby, but Nthanda continued to cry mercilessly. Kanda hadn't been able to sleep for the past four days. Though he was used to running on the minimum amount of rest, this was stressing his abilities. Pretty soon they'd have to go to a doctor, if they could find one within range.
Their trek from the settlement of Lobatse had been made on foot. Though they managed to flag down trucks now and again, for the most part few were willing to take the travelers, especially with a screaming baby. The unrest in the area made people paranoid, and one look at Kanda had truck-drivers gunning their engines. On just about every radio band, they were warning against a man with Kanda's exact description, claiming him as a supporter of the current government and therefore an enemy of the militia. Needless to say, Kanda ignored such allegations and kept on going. The only inconvenience was the occasional militia transport, and they could usually hear them from a mile away.
Akuma were more of a problem, seeing as the ones in this area were high-leveled because of a lack of Exorcists to continually weed them out. They were crafty, too. More than once, Vanya had stepped on a truck first for safety issues only to be accosted by a face full of gun barrels. Several times, they had had no choice but to make a run for it rather than fight, especially given Nthanda's condition.
Kanda carried the baby over to the window, hoping that perhaps a fresh breeze might ease the baby back into sleep. He lifted the sash, and the cool, African night air wafted in, but it didn't abate the baby's screaming. Outside, Kanda could see Din keeping watch on the balcony. Pretty soon it would be his turn to take the watch, and the samurai wanted to shoot himself in the head. He couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours, three at best. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. That dream had drained him as well, and he felt his mind boiling under the half-remembered sensations.
He'd seen her. He'd seen her. In the labs in China, Kanda had only ever managed to catch ghostly glimpses of that woman as she trailed behind him amid the pillars. Even as old as he was now with the memories of his past life at his disposal, he could not fully remember her face. The dream was fading from memory as well, leaving a fuzzy patch where she'd been. Kanda had wondered more than once if it was not a fact that he couldn't remember what she looked like, but that he didn't want to remember. She was the last, and only, tie to his previous life. He'd sworn to her that he'd wait.
And he had. He'd waited some thirty-nine years. And he still didn't have the foggiest idea of where she could be, what she looked like, or even her very name. All he had was an apparition that had ceaselessly followed him, a remnant of those memories of a time when he was not the him he was now. It sometimes made him wonder if there was a point to looking. After all, he, the other one, had made the promise to her. Kanda had not. A vestige of old, chivalrous pride must still remain, because every time Kanda saw a woman in a wide, hoop skirt and flowing sleeves with her hair in a ponytail, he could do nothing but stare and hope that he'd found her.
She'd been so close…
There was a knock on the door, hardly heard over Nthanda's pained wailing. Kanda felt a pang deep within him, something he'd slowly grown used to over the past few days. He hated to hear the kid cry like this. Crying for food, for water, for toys, that was different from the utter, agonizing screams the baby had right now. Perhaps it was human instinct, but Kanda would give anything to make his pain stop. If only to stop his blasted screaming.
"'S unlocked," Kanda said tersely, not willing to move from the window. Din's head poked through, and he smiled wanly. In the dark, he was near invisible.
"Mistuh Kanda, 's youh turn for deh watch. I 'pologize, dough. Perraps I tek a sec'nd watch, letcha sleep a bit longuh, what wid deh babe," Din offered, his accent more pronounced now that he was tired. Kanda was tempted to take the offered rest, but he wasn't going to let something like a little lack of sleep keep him from making sure his mission was completed. He'd lose that much more response time if he were asleep and had to get back up again. He grumbled, "I'm fine. Get to bed." Din hesitated at the door, but he finally withdrew into the confines of the suite room the Order had put on their itinerary.
Kanda thought about the Order's list of hotels already paid for within the English Protectorate of South Africa as he walked out onto the balcony. Even now, they couldn't open a portal, despite the fact Kanda knew that Allen had been found. He'd had a short conversation with Lavi while he was en route to Guatemala, and the redhead had been awfully confused about the entire premise. He had also made no headway on Kanda's last request, seeing as his own research was being waylaid by the fact he was going to be stuck on a boat for a while. Kanda didn't mind – it wasn't a pressing matter. Still, he made his annoyance very clear, and Lavi had abruptly hung up without another word, very odd for the redhead. Something was definitely wrong on that side of the world for Lavi to give up the last word.
The samurai sat down on the balcony overlooking the forests beyond. This portion of South Africa was heavily wooded with thickets of trees and patches of open, green land. It was no wonder that the English and Dutch had come to snatch it up. It looked remarkably similar to the European forests. Kanda, however, would've been more pleased with an open plain. In the trees it was too easy to imagine all sorts of things hiding.
Nthanda's wailing reached a new pitch and volume, and Kanda knew that he was going to have to take him to a doctor tomorrow. They'd thought the earache would go away on its own, but that obviously was not the case. Kanda extended a finger to the baby wearily, feeling like his eyelids were about to slam shut, and Nthanda took the finger and teethed on it. On top of the earache, he was having teething issues as well. From what Ellis had to say, it was unusual for a baby to get teeth so late, but it wasn't anything serious.
"Some babies just happen to be late bloomers," she'd shouted over the massive noise. Kanda scoffed to himself as he thought about the woman making a raucous, nightly noise on the couch. Kanda had never realized just how loud that woman could snore until he'd shared a room with all four of his companions in Lobatse. No one got sleep that night.
As the baby gummed on his finger with sharp, nearly-there baby teeth, he lessened his sobbing, but continued to gasp and cry. Kanda winced as the sharp corner of a new tooth managed to bite down hard enough through the calluses to actually pain him. He made another mental note to get the kid a pacifier, if they ever managed to find another town.
This was a fairly fancy inn, but it was also a midway point between two towns. It would take them probably two days to reach the next big settlement, a trip Kanda was dreading. His foul mood kept growing fouler with every step they took, and it was taking a toll on his traveling companions. Even Din was careful about what he said to the samurai lest he receive a verbal lashing from the dour Japanese Exorcist. The only one who appeared somewhat unfazed was Ellis, who continued to be prim and proper to such an extent that Kanda was tempted to smash every single tiny fork and teacup in her little dinner set.
There was a soft knock on the balcony door, and Kanda didn't even bother to look.
"Go away. I'm busy," he grumbled. He did not want company. Company meant he actually had to interact. Interaction meant actual effort on his part. Interaction meant people.
"I hev somezing to stop ze babe from crying," a soft voice stated over Nthanda's sobbing cries, and equally soft footsteps padded on the platform. Kanda continued to stare straight ahead out over the forests, and Vanya sat down next to him as best she could with the limited space. He didn't deign to scoot over to give her room.
The CROW reached for the babe, and Kanda shot her a dangerous look out of the corner of his eye. Vanya, for once, hesitated before taking the baby from Kanda, and Nthanda resumed crying at an increased volume.
"Now look what you did. And I just got him to quit," Kanda snorted, his tone scathing. Vanya was expressionless as ever as she turned the baby over on his side and took a small dropper. She began to drip something into the baby's ear, a solution from a small bottle. The babe suddenly began to quiet, and Kanda narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the CROW.
"What was that?" he demanded, and Vanya gave one of her few expressions, a lifted eyebrow. She handed back the baby, who was beginning to fall asleep, exhausted.
"A homemade remedy. Alexei and I… vould geht constant eareches. My father vould drip it into our ears et night, end in ze day it vould hurt less. I edded a small portion of dat pain medication I vas given," Vanya explained, the last comment followed up by a swift and accusing look at Kanda. He gave his usual answer: "Tch."
Vanya's infection had forced him to take her to the hospital against her will. She had a very distinct hate for hospitals and the ilk living within them, so Kanda literally carried her kicking and screaming. It was for her own good. After all, she was obviously much better now, and she could resume her duties as Nthanda's personal guard dog and playmate. All's well that ends well. Kanda was silent, not bothering to add further comment, and Vanya got up.
"I ken take ze vatch, if you need to sleep," she offered, and Kanda gave her a disgusted glance.
"I don't need help," he stated simply, shifting in his spot on the balcony. The marble floor was hard and unforgiving on bony behinds.
"Oh, I em shore, you do not," Vanya retorted in a sarcastic tone as she leaned over him. Kanda's very aura seemed to darken at the implication that he couldn't do his job, and Vanya straightened back up, looking over the forests.
"I ken not sleep, anyvays. You, on ze other hand, hev dat ahbeelity. Use it," she urged. "Practically, you need rest the mohst. You are the ohnly defense ve have against ze Akuma. Somevon can die from you neglecting yoorself." Kanda couldn't beat her logic. Despite his near inhuman limits, this baby had pushed all of them back as far as he could go. Kanda didn't think he'd even taken a crap for the past three days he was so preoccupied with taking care of the kid. It seemed like every other minute the kid would poof and disappear for a few minutes, and Kanda would have to go and track him down. Somehow he had some sort of intuitive sense as to where the baby would be after a teleport, and for that Kanda was thankful. He'd nearly lost the kid countless times. To add to the workload, the baby was sick, hungry, and constantly in need of attention some way or another. Even in his sickened state, the kid wanted to get into everything, and Kanda had to be sure to follow him where ever he went. This was the most tiring trip he'd ever been on.
"Fine," he grumbled in angry dejection. The baby was only whimpering now, and he reached for a strand of Kanda's hair. The following tug was strangely reassuring to the man, and he cradled the baby carefully as he stood up.
"Vat did you dream about?" Vanya suddenly asked, and he stared at her back. She was facing the woods, outlined by wan moonlight. He was struck by the question as if someone had beat him up the side of the head.
"What?" he asked, not sure he'd heard correctly.
"You vere speaking in yoor sleep. Vat did you dream about?" she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. Kanda walked away without another word.
She was something he could share with no one. It was his personal crusade, his one last goal, perhaps his only goal for this life. He couldn't tell anyone about her, not in depth. For some reason, it would feel wrong.
As he went back to his room, he felt a stirring of loss so profound it shook him while he stood by the crib they'd fashioned from a basket, some sheets, and chicken mesh. Vanya's contraption was surprising resilient. As he laid Nthanda back inside on the sheets, he could feel a foreign lump build in his throat, like someone had clogged it with clay.
He'd only felt this sort of grief once, a long time ago. It lurked within every thought of her, that inordinately massive feeling of sorrow. He knew he'd never find another like her. Not in this life, not in the next life, not in the life after that, if it went on and on and on. Kanda was not a sentimental man, but he knew what love felt like. His past memories could give him that much information. Still, they were the ghosts of feelings, the barest wisps of the essence of those emotions. Just enough to give him a taste, the smallest amount, and leave him longing to know what the actual thing was like yet always knowing he'd never reach it.
He was hardwired to circumvent this thing, 'love', in order to complete his purpose. The concept fit nowhere in his equation. Without the memories stored within his brain, if he could call it his, he would've never known what love actually felt like. Perhaps that was why they had been so intent on destroying him. He was damaged goods. His equation had been tampered with. He was anomalous in ways that Alma had not been.
And yet here he was, and here Alma was not.
The upwelling of grief crescendoed until he didn't think he could contain it. It had been a long time since he'd thought of either Alma or the woman he was searching for, much less both of them at the same time. Everything he loved, everything he touched, seemed to wither away from him. Perhaps his arrogance and cold demeanor were a subconscious means of protecting those around him. After all, if a person could not understand love or replicate and reciprocate it, didn't that mean he would somehow hurt those around him in one fashion or another?
Feeling numb, he realized he was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. As a kid, he'd stared at another ceiling, one with friezes and dark shadows that created faces and shapes. He and Alma would point and tell each other what they thought each one was. Kanda's had always been something oddly morose, or perhaps strangely morbid. Alma's was usually something verging on the absolutely absurd.
"That one's a bean riding on a donkey to a castle with a princess waiting for him to save her!"
"Alma, that's stupid. It's a bear eating a donkey, and it's not running to a castle, it's trying to throw itself off a cliff."
"Awww, come on, Yuu, that's terrible! Sheesh, you're so negative."
"It's a lot more interesting than your bean on a donkey."
"What about that one? Doesn't it remind you of Twi when…"
Abruptly, Kanda realized that he had almost never dug up memories of his life before the Incident. He felt breathless as each one led to another, skipping around to those few bright moments in his life in the labs. Some of them were very fuzzy. He could only really remember one defining portion of the memory, usually some colors or a sound. Others were so incredibly clear, it was like it had happened mere hours ago.
And, all of a sudden, he realized he missed his best friend. This was the sort of harebrained journey Alma would've enjoyed. A mission across the African continent with nothing but a baby and their wits – it practically shouted Alma.
But he wasn't here.
Kanda really, really, really wished he could go home. He wasn't being a ninny or a whiner or any of those things he hated; he truly knew that he needed to go home and take a break. He was becoming emotionally compromised the longer he stayed here, and that would impair his judgment.
It didn't help that he just wanted to go to the training room and beat the ever-living snot out of a few rookie Finders to make himself feel better. Shamelessly, he knew that he beat people up as a pick-me-up. It was therapeutic somehow. And he only ever challenged people who were willing to fight – it wasn't like he found random passersby and socked them dead in the face. There was no enjoyment in that. Not to mention it was petty.
With these thoughts in mind, he began to drift off to sleep. Thankfully, he didn't dream.
Another imaginary enemy was sliced to shreds. Ellis had called their little trip to a halt after she'd discovered a bunion on her toe, and she'd acted as if her entire foot was going to fall apart. Yet another invisible target succumbed to a steel blade. In fact, Ellis had the gall to ask Kanda if he'd carry her! The next adversary went down in ribbons, a poor sapling that had had so much to live for. And then, to top it all off, Ellis had refused to move once they'd realized that it wasn't even serious.
Kanda did another eight-stroke lotus bloom strike, the vacuum created by the sword blade enough to actually suck dust into the strokes and paint the air with the adjoining attack. The dust smacked against a tree, cutting straight into the bark, but it didn't fell it. Kanda snorted. He was getting soft.
Nthanda sat on the ground with Din, wearily banging on his drum with a slowness born of exhaustion. The baby had been listless and cranky after his earache, but he was definitely in better shape today. The only person allowed to pick him up now was Kanda, and it was playing havoc on the samurai's nerves. At random moments in the day, the baby would cry, and the only one who could console the poor thing was the long-haired man who wanted nothing to do with the kid for the next few days.
"Oooh, good job. Now again, with feeling!" Ellis said from her perch on a fence, and Kanda resisted the urge to cut off her skirts and let her walk all the way to the next town in her underwear. He could feel a twitch develop in his eye, and the heat was not helping at all. Luckily the trees provided quite a bit of shade. Vanya was lounging on the ground, lazily playing with her switchblades. She'd recently restocked on spell tags, and Kanda had never quite realized just how much time it took to paint every individual tag. It had taken the better part of five hours on a rickety cart pulled by oxen to paint enough for a single binding spell. Kanda just about went cross eyed watching her paint the same thing over and over.
"How about again, on your face," he muttered under his breath, and Ellis asked, "Excuse me, would you repeat that?"
"Nothing, Granny. Just talking about giving you an impromptu face lift," Kanda retorted, and Ellis let her mouth hang open.
"Well, pardon me for my age and wisdom! It's not something I can control, dear, I'll have you know! Besides, I'm not a day over forty-five," Ellis professed with a flourish, and Kanda grumbled, "No, you're too many days over forty-five." He suddenly directed a slash at the post she was sitting on, and with hardly a groan it suddenly collapsed under her, dumping the lady on the dusty ground. She huffed as she picked herself up in a massive pile of fabric and indignation. Din snickered, and Nthanda ignored the commotion. Vanya slowly clapped, and Kanda gave a cheeky bow.
"If you are so good et vat you do, pehrheps you vould not mind giving me ze honor of a spar?" Vanya asked in a mock formal tone, mimicking a man asking for a dance.
"Tch." Taking that as an affirmative, Vanya very suddenly lunged in a blur of black cloth and bandages, and Kanda easily blocked a dig from a knife. They were careful to stay away from their spectators in case a slash went wide or a knife was deflected on accident. Sparks literally flew between the two as they furiously went for first blood. Kanda could actually feel sweat running down his neck. Vanya herself looked like she was beginning to run out of breath. This was the first time they'd actually fought for a while. Despite the Akuma attacks, Kanda had had no actual problems with the Level Ones and Twos, and the Threes had been so numerous that he dared not fight with Nthanda strapped to him. Unburdened by his charge, he had a freedom of movement he'd forgotten about completely.
Vanya herself had not sparred at all since her mishap at the bridge. She'd exercised rigorously once she was able, but actual footwork and knife-play had been thrown to the wayside these past few days on the road. Both were very aware of just how rusty they were with actual technique and finesse as they pushed each other back and forth across their stretch of dirt next to the road.
Duck, parry, switch, sidestep, block, parry again, dodge, slash, there's an opening –
It was a dance that both had forgotten. They were clumsy at first, stepping on each other's toes, making mistakes as they left themselves unguarded, and making unnecessarily flourished moves. However, after the first two minutes, they had fallen into an easy rhythm and begun to understand the other's fighting style. Both were dripping after the next two minutes, easily realizing that they were both almost equal in regards to their chosen weapons. However, Kanda had drawn first blood, and Vanya had yet to make a scratch on either the blade or its owner. Vanya's expressionless face twitched into her signature brittle smile as Kanda regarded her from a distance, the both of them making mental moves and formulating plans against their opponent.
"Ellis could move faster than you with all her skirts," Kanda taunted, and Vanya cocked her head in response.
"Mine grandmother hed two broken feet, end she hed better footwahrk than you do," Vanya retorted back. Suddenly, the two rejoined in a flurry of slashes and parries. Kanda didn't dare use his extra strength and speed for this duel. He still had a bit of honor left to him. It would've been unfair if he'd used his complement of other abilities against her. After all, she'd refrained from using her spells and other assorted goodies. This was a pure battle of blades.
The two locked against each other, two knife blades crossed against a samurai blade at hip height. Both contenders' arms shook as they struggled to hold the block. They were hairsbreadths away from each other, Vanya's head just under Kanda's shoulder. Compared to the bigger man, she looked like a fragile porcelain doll – albeit a very dangerous one.
"You're good," Vanya said, her brittle smile turning to an all-out grin. Kanda had to say he was enjoying himself as well. It wasn't often he came up against someone who was almost as proficient as himself in the art of blades. It'd been a long time since he'd met an actual challenge. The last had been at the Order Headquarters after Lavi had wagered an entire month's worth of soba noodles against his yakiniku. Needless to say, Kanda had won after a grueling two hour duel with the redhead.
"Wrong – I'm better," Kanda corrected as he suddenly drew his blade upwards and sidestepped the flashing pair of switchblades. He aimed a smack with the flat of his blade at her back, but she was already ducking beneath it. Kanda recalibrated the strike, switching from his right hand to his left, and swung down. The CROW danced away from the blade, nearly jackknifing in midair to keep clear. Vanya stepped in close, too close for him to use his blade properly, and with a light step used his knee as a literal stepping stool. She suddenly sailed over his shoulder, and Kanda ducked as knives penetrated the air above his head. She was fast, and this was only just after her recovery.
He pivoted, flicking the blade with his wrist behind him, and Vanya was forced to dance away yet again, giving Kanda the necessary breathing room to come up with a rudimentary plan. It was only after a few seconds of glancing at Vanya that he noted she was holding something between two fingers. His eyes widened as he felt his ponytail and realized that there was a small strand of hair missing, the sharp, newly cut edge prickling against his fingers. Vanya lifted a teasing eyebrow as she waved the strand of hair. Kanda glowered at her, standing up into his near-six-foot frame. Vanya drew up to her entire four-foot-eleven frame, putting the strand of hair into a pocket.
"You're better? Are you shoor?" she asked, the first time Kanda had seen her remotely playful.
"Tch." The eye-twitch was back. That should've been the first indicator of how far things were going to go downhill.
"Ooooh, I think things are heating up," Ellis stated, watching enraptured. Din winced as the fighting became that much fiercer. Those sparks were getting dangerously large. Did they have to hit each other that hard?
"You t'ink we should stop dem 'fore it gets serious…?" Din asked. Ellis whooped with a pumped fist as Kanda kicked Vanya's legs out from under her.
"You can't be serious. This is the most excitement we've had since that hooker in Lobatse sat in your lap and asked if you would like to make use of her services!" Ellis said, galled at the very notion of stopping such an interesting altercation. It wasn't often that CROW and Exorcists allowed spectators to their little matches, Ellis knew that. Din stared at the sky in bewilderment. Nthanda watched with apt deliberation, his little child mind working to understand the scene in front of him. He started to beat his drum with a little more fervor, babbling as he did so.
"Come on, walk it off, walk it off!" Ellis shouted as Kanda took a tumble in the grass. That little girl was a lot stronger than she looked, but then again, she could actually fend off Kanda's blade with what looked like hardly any effort. By now they were tiring out significantly, their blows becoming more and more haphazard. Din winced as Vanya finally got her cut in, a shallow line across Kanda's cheek. Kanda's own corresponding blood letting was leaking from Vanya's jaw. Of course, the two were getting sloppier and sloppier, and their spar was quickly devolving into a battle of taunts, insults, and underhanded shots.
"Mistuh Kanda mus' be real mad she got a piece of 'is hair. Sheesh, Missuz Vanya is strong. That sword went pretty far and… now they're just punching each other," Din stated in a deadpan, unsurprised voice. The both of them were hurling insults in their respective languages, and this was becoming more of a dirt-wrestling-match than a spar.
"Whack him a good one! Come on, you can do better than that!" Ellis shouted through cupped hands, and Nthanda babbled his own response, smacking his drum enthusiastically. Vanya suddenly crashed into the fence, and she lay there for a moment, dazed, in the heap of wood. She suddenly launched herself with a few Russian curses at the samurai beckoning her with two fingers.
"Ouch! I didn' t'ink someone could bend that way," Din stated. They were slowing down at the least. Din was beginning to finally enjoy himself, now that it was clear that neither was going to injure the other. Vanya was slide tackled into the dust, and she quickly followed up with a swift kick to the head. Ellis whistled loud as Kanda finally pinned Vanya completely, and the samurai grabbed one of Vanya's abandoned knives.
"Ooooh dear," Ellis muttered, swiftly trying to get up amid her massive pool of skirts.
However, she didn't have much to worry about. Kanda situated his knees on Vanya's arms and dragged out one of her braids. With a single snip, he took it off, and he dangled it in her glowering face.
"Who's better now?" Kanda taunted childishly, pocketing his trophy.
"We'll see," Vanya promised. The two of them extricated themselves from each other and dusted off. The two regarded each other, Vanya with a piece of hair dangling in her face and Kanda with a single, short piece sticking straight out of his ponytail. It may have been Ellis's imagination, but it seemed that the two looked at each other with a small modicum of respect, at least underneath the layers of antagonism and annoyance. It was not so much that each had met their match – it was obvious that in a straight fight, Kanda would win if it weren't for his immature streak. More to the point, the other had proven they were able to defend their reputation and abilities.
Kanda picked up Nthanda, who was staring at the two warriors listlessly. Suddenly started to swing his arms about, mimicking the harried, quick thrusts of a knife fighter and the long, languid arcs of a samurai.
"Tch. We're a bad influence," Kanda noted with the slightest shade of a smile. Nthanda burbled, and Din laughed.
"Met'inks, he tryin' to taunt ya, Mistuh Kanda, into a fight," he chuckled. Ellis tutted.
"Enough of this tomfoolery," she said huffily, lifting her skirts as she headed towards the road. "We really must be going." Kanda and Din shared a look as Vanya trailed behind her.
"She ees right. Sunset's coming," she stated. Kanda and Din picked up their bags and began to follow. Cheekily, Vanya dangled the strand of hair over her shoulder, and Kanda glowered.
Soon. Just… Soon.
A/N: Yippee! I was working on this at my grandma's house. It had taken me a while to get an idea going, but I finally hit inspiration after listening to some Lana Del Ray. The weirdest stuff happens when you listen to music.
Anyhow, big thanks to my reviewers! There are so many for the last chapter, I almost don't have enough space to write for all of it. I can't contain my happiness! Tintaglia, those reviews were way helpful. I loved that you went and did just about every chapter. They're good insight on each, and I love the depth. Keep up the good work! The same goes for Lotus seed and the amazing review you left for me to pour over. Karina001, your reviews are very poetic, and they give a deep emotional tether to the rest of the chapter and describe it (and its subjects) aptly. Big thanks as well to Keida Hattori, cheesybeans, and KHFFROKSMYSOCKS XD for their two cents, as well, as they were a humorous two cents. And of course, that anonymous reviewer, whoever they were, thank you.
Much to my sadness, I have no new subscribers to add to that fair family. Alas.
And last, but not least, lots of love to Annie Matsukaze and DGraymanGRL for favoriting Afrikaan Voices. It's always nice to have a little of appreciation, as well as a bit of advertising there.
Now: the discussion questions! This is the first sparring session between Kanda and Vanya; do you think that either overpowered the other too easily, was it too evenhanded, or was it well done? How was Nthanda's reaction? Are the characters at all interesting or well characterized? Are there any Mary Sue tendencies running amok? What did you like the most about this chapter? What emotions were evoked due to the dream; sadness, happiness, boredom, bitterness? Are there any discrepancies with the plot as far as you can tell? Are you still enjoying the story? Is there anything that it needs?
Well, that's it. God bless you and happy reading until next time!