Chapter 10

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updating. I'm not going to make excuses so to put it simply: once I got internet back, I just didn't feel like writing. I am now over that stage and I do apologise for the selfishness of that act. As a result of the break, I hope that my writing will be up to standard, if not better. Thanks go to all of my reviewers and I would love to hear more feedback. Thank you for being so patient and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Kanda didn't have time to turn around before he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown away from the cell. The prisoners gasped at the sudden loss of their escape but shrunk back from the bars, too afraid to help their would-be saviour. Kanda yelled as he hit the bars of a, now empty, cell.

The Queen shivered.

"It's been a while since I heard you scream like that, my toy. How invigorating. Scream more."

Kanda didn't have the time to prepare for refusal. An armoured foot slammed into his, still delicate, ribs. The scream Kanda released was louder than the cracking of his bones and he crumpled, coughing blood.

"Much better. I wish you had been so vocal earlier. Bad toy."

Another foot to the chest. Kanda couldn't breathe. It hurt just attempting to pull in oxygen. None of it stayed in his body anyway and Kanda wondered if he should, perhaps, just stop trying.

"Perfect. I wish you hadn't disobeyed me, toy. I would have liked to have played with you a little longer."

Kanda managed to roll over. He still couldn't breathe in and his vision was dulling but he could see the killing blow that was about to fall. The foot would smash his skull. Even Kanda's curse would have trouble recovering from that one. Kanda didn't try to move. He knew he couldn't avoid it anyway. He would just have to hope that his curse really wouldn't be able to bring him back. At least then it would all be over. Kanda's eyes closed.

"Bakanda! Wake up!"

Kanda's eyes snapped open as the voice washed over him. There was a flash of white above him.

"Kanda! Are you ok?"

Kanda saw a flash of black. He wanted to reply to both of those questions no matter their rhetorical intent. He had never been asleep, had he; and wasn't it obvious that he wasn't ok? Unfortunately, he had no breath for a reply and the eye contact with a glare would have been necessary to convey the true extent of Kanda's murderous intent.

Kanda heard the Queen screech as there was a metallic clang. Running footsteps passed by Kanda's head and he realised that someone had finally freed the remaining prisoners. The Queen screamed as something hissed through the air and then the flash of black was back. It stopped by his head and Kanda saw Lenalee's face poke into focus.

"I'm so sorry, Kanda. We shouldn't have left you alone for this long."

Kanda felt his vision waver. Perhaps he really did look as bad as he felt, then. He wondered if she could count how many times he had died from the scars. He hoped not. It would only scare her to know the truth. Better she think that the Queen favoured him as a practice target.

"How is he?" Another voice called out.

Kanda who that voice belonged to: it was the flash of white. If Lenalee was the flash of black, then it only made sense that the flash of white was that foolish clown of an innocence.

"Shut up, Beansprout." Kanda, himself was shocked. He hadn't thought that his voice would work. At the same time, he felt a sense of pride that was entirely misplaced considering his condition at the fact that his voice had worked when it did.

"He needs medical attention." Lenalee was ignoring him.

Kanda was not impressed.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'll be back on my feet in a second. Did you pass the other prisoners?"

"They're all safe. We guided them outside and gave them directions to the order," Lenalee replied.

"Lenalee! I could use your help over here," Allen called.

Kanda felt his head placed gently back against the floor and then Lenalee was gone. Kanda tried to see what was happening but his body would take time to recover. He concentrated on breathing right and slowly rolling over. When he finally managed to lie on his front and lift his head, Kanda was met with a scene that would have made another person urinate in their pants.

His two saviours were hardly faring against the Queen, even with their innocence. In truth, this didn't surprise Kanda at all. He had battled the Queen for three days to a standstill previously and knew how strong she was. The problem was the other Akuma who had obviously heard the fuss. Allen and Lenalee apparently saw them too for they both retreated to Kanda's side. He felt himself being lifted into the air and he winced as he was laid over a white shoulder. This was going to come back to haunt him later. Kanda was sure that Allen would never let the favour pass. He would be ridiculed forever more. That said, he had no more energy to even make a token resistance and he let the monotonous lope carry him away.

"Not so fast!" The Queen's voice must have startled Allen for the shoulder underneath Kanda's body jarred violently. Kanda grunted.

"You didn't think you could escape like that, did you?"

Kanda couldn't see what was happening but he didn't need to. He heard Lenalee cry out. Allen moved faster but Kanda soon heard the Beansprout's scream too. Allen's body disappeared from beneath Kanda and he felt himself falling. The floor hit him hard. Kanda didn't even bother to resist the darkness.