A/N: Allen and Kanda talk to each other in Japanese in this chapter. It got tedious saying every single time that they were talking in Japanese, so I made up formatting for it. Dialogue in parentheses, like this: "(Hello!)" is the character talking in Japanese.

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Seven am on Tuesday came much too early. It felt like I had gotten no sleep at all. The blaring alarm startled me so badly that I literally fell out of bed. I collected myself and stumbled to the bathroom. Splashing water on my face helped me wake up. I wanted to shower, but that seemed like a waste of effort since I was going to go workout.

Making my way back to the bedroom, I dressed in the clothes I had picked out the night before. The tank top and capris weren't exactly workout clothes, but they would do until I knew what exactly I was supposed to wear. I could move in them, and they wouldn't be too revealing. The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of one of my boyfriend's best friends.

Once I was dressed, I went out to the kitchen and whipped up a light breakfast of yogurt and granola. I knew I needed to eat something, but I didn't want to eat too much and make myself sick. The butterflies in my stomach weren't helping with that.

With breakfast eaten, all I had left to do was wait for Allen. I tried to sit patiently, but I was too full of nervous energy. I had been told nothing beyond, "it's a private self-defense lesson", and that lack of knowledge was really stressing me out. I double and triple checked my bag, and dumped out and refilled my water bottle. I wanted to be prepared for any possibility.

Allen knocked on my door promptly at 7:35, exactly like he said he would. I had tried to convince him that he didn't need to pick me up, but he was insistent. Apparently, since it was his friend's idea and I was roped into it partially against my will, he felt responsible for me.

He kissed me and told me I looked great, and then we were on our way.

.x.x.

Kanda's dojo was very simple. White walls, tatami mats, equipment in the corners, but nothing in the way of decorations. There was a trophy case in the reception area, full to the brim with the trophies and ribbons the Japanese man had won at the various competitions he'd participated in. They were there more for publicity than because he actually cared about them. Winning was enough satisfaction for him, the awards held no value other than to keep people coming for classes.

It fascinated Lenalee though. She peered into the case, trying to read every inscription. "Wow. So you weren't exaggerating when you said this guy is good."

Allen merely shrugged. "Kanda really is the best."

There was a snicker from the door to the back rooms. "Is that a compliment, Moyashi?"

"Of course not, Bakanda." The white haired vampire made a face.

Kanda rolled his eyes, and then stared critically at Lenalee. Her long hair was tied up out of her face, but she wasn't exactly dressed properly. "Is that what you're wearing?"

She nodded warily at his gruff tone. "This was the best outfit I had in my closet. I didn't want to go buy anything until I knew what I needed."

"Alright then." Kanda nodded once. This girl was too smart to be dating the Moyashi. "The locker room is to the right. Pick any empty bin for your bag and shoes."

As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Kanda started speaking to Allen in Japanese. "(I know you're on the fence about this, Moyashi, but Alma told Cross and Teidoll, and they think it's a great idea.)"

Allen rolled his eyes. "(Of course they do. They probably want you to use the time to keep an eye on me.)"

"Che." The brat wasn't that far off. "(Teidoll said to consider it part of my job as your handler. I'm supposed to watch your girlfriend for signs that you're getting in too deep.)"

"(Teidoll worries too much.)"

Kanda scoffed. "(At least you'll be free of him someday. I moved out of his house almost a decade ago, and he still treats me like a child.)"

When Lenalee returned, uncomfortable and barefoot, she was taken aback to hear the two talking in a language she didn't recognize. She wasn't sure if she should interrupt or wait for them to finish, it seemed important. But standing there was awkward, so she settled for clearing her throat.

The conversation immediately stopped. Kanda tilted his head at her. "If you're ready, let's get started."

Lenalee nodded shakily and followed him out onto the dojo floor. Kanda had her sit across from him. He went through the things he was planning to instruct her in and what he expected from her. Allen interrupted frequently to reword things he thought Lenalee wouldn't understand.

Eventually, Kanda had enough of his 'help'. "Moyashi. Shut up or leave."

Lenalee smiled at the pouting glare Allen gave the Japanese man. But he did what he was told.

When the talking was done, Kanda guided Lenalee through a basic warm up routine. He watched her with the eye of a professional, gauging how strong and flexible she was so that he could know how much she could handle. All his planning would go out the window if she wasn't in decent shape. Allen's thoughts were a little less pure; he was watching his girlfriend while thinking of nothing but how gorgeous she was.

The rest of the lesson passed quickly. Lenalee took to everything she was taught much faster than Kanda had anticipated. And he had the bruises to prove it. She'd gotten more than one lucky shot in.

Afterwards, they ran through a basic meditation exercise. Kanda told her it was a cool-down technique, but he had an ulterior motive. The mediation techniques would help Lenalee strengthen her mind and guard her thoughts around Wisley and his mind-reading abilities.

Allen gave Lenalee a brief hug when the lesson was done. "So, how was it?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't quite what I expected. It seemed really ... simple."

He laughed. "That's because you're a girl. Kanda always goes easy on girls."

"That's not true, Moyashi."

Allen laughed more. "Fine. He always goes easy on human girls. If you were a vampire he'd have worked you till you dropped."

"Baka." Kanda rolled his eyes. He turned to Lenalee. "He thinks he's funny. The truth is that it was your first lesson. It'll get harder now that I have a better idea of what you're capable of."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that." She frowned slightly. "Will we be getting to the vampire stuff soon? We didn't get to that today."

"Eventually." Her frowned deepened at the noncommittal response.

Allen smiled at her reaction. "Kanda wants to make sure you know the basics before you get into that. It's pretty advanced."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." She frowned again. "But that's going to be a lot of lessons isn't it?"

This time it was Kanda's turn to laugh. "Don't worry about it, the Moyashi's footing the bill, so the only thing it costs you is time."

Allen smirked. "Technically, it's the Noah that are paying for this. I'm using the account they gave me. It's kind of poetic."

While Lenalee laughed, Kanda hissed at Allen in Japanese. "(Are you insane?! Don't they watch that account?!)"

"(That's why I did it! She was going to end up telling them about it, and then they'd want to know how I was paying for it! It was much less of a hassle for it be their money in the first place!)"

"(What happens when the two of you break up?)"

Allen shrugged. "(Sherril thought this whole thing was a great idea. They'll probably continue to pay for the lessons themselves.)" He noticed Lenalee was watching, so he quickly switched back to English. "Mind your own business, Bakanda."

Lenalee smiled nervously. She may not have understood their actual words, but she was smart enough to know that they were talking like that for her benefit; it was more of that 'she was safer if she didn't know' stuff.

"Back on subject," Kanda paused to glare at Allen, "it takes six to eight weeks to get through the basics. With how today went, it will probably be closer to six for you. But the brat wasn't lying when he said that the vampire techniques are hard."

She nodded in understanding. "Do they work?"

"Of course." Kanda was tempted to roll his eyes at the stupidity of the question. "I have never lost a fight with a vampire."

"Hey!" Allen was very offended by the assertion. "I beat you."

Kanda shrugged. "You don't count, you cheated."

Allen blinked at him. "'Cheated'? How exactly did I cheat?"

"Che." It was almost laughter. "You're psychic. It's not exactly a fair fight when you know what I'm going to do before I do it."

Allen was unimpressed. "That just means you didn't try hard enough."

The pen the Japanese man threw was easily dodged. Allen grinned cheekily at him. Lenalee merely rolled her eyes. Boys.

.x.x.

~Three Years Earlier~

Kanda stood in the gym, staring impassively at the two dozen FBI agents that he was teaching. It hadn't escaped the Japanese man's notice that his adoptive father and the man's redheaded partner were standing in the back, observing the class.

The students were all sitting cross-legged on the floor, waiting for him to start the day's lesson. All except one anyway. The white haired kid was leaning back on his hands and staring lazily out the window.

Allen Walker had been pushing his buttons since day one. And the feeling was mutual. Whenever Kanda picked on his scrawny appearance, the kid talked back, and in Japanese no less, which was made all the more frustrating for Kanda by the fact that the brat was more fluent than he was, and he was the native speaker. Add in the Japanese man's dislike of vampires, and the pair seemed destined to never get along. And it was no secret; the whole office knew that the two hated each other.

When Kanda finished sizing the group up, he immediately picked on Allen. "Moyashi! Since you clearly feel like I'm wasting your time, why don't you get your butt up here and show everyone what you've learned."

Allen complied warily. He was certain that whatever the Japanese man had planned would end up embarrassing him. And if it didn't, then Cross would make sure it did. Why did he have to choose today of all days to observe me?

The Japanese man smirked when the obnoxious teenager stood in front of him. He was finally going to silence the brat, and he was going to do it with his own two hands.

Allen was curious when Kanda proposed a sparring match, but that died when he learned who he'd be fighting. Sure, he was well versed in the ways of self-defense, but that didn't mean that he felt like he could take on a martial arts master. On the other hand, the opportunity to potentially take that idiot Kanda down a peg was too good to pass up.

The other students scooted back to give them some room. Allen and Kanda faced each other, bowed, and then took up ready stances. They threw a few exploratory punches, before moving on to the more intense moves. Kanda's technique far outshone Allen's, but the kid blocked or dodged every hit he tried. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

But then Kanda was on the ground, pinned in place by Allen. Cross and Teidoll started the applause to end the fight, otherwise it probably would have kept going. The class joined in, but neither of the two fighters moved. Cross almost laughed. "Walker! Let him up."

At Cross's voice, Allen was startled back to the present. He backed away carefully, still glaring at Kanda. The Japanese man grumbled and hissed a couple insults under his breath. Teidoll smiled knowingly. "Now, now, Yuu. Behave yourself. There's no need to be rude."

Kanda made a face at him and got to his feet, attempting to regain his professional image. "I can't believe I lost to the damn Moyashi."

"Hey! My name's Allen, Bakanda! Get it right!"

Cross and Teidoll both laughed at the interaction between the pair. The frizzy haired man spoke through laughter-induced tears. "What is it you always tell your classes, Yuu? 'Vampires are tricky, so be careful to not let your guard down around them'? Well, you lost to Allen because you let your guard down."

"What does that have to do with anything? Crazy old man." Kanda turned his glare from Allen to Teidoll and back, only to make a face when the white haired vampire stuck his tongue out at him.

"It means that you were always going to lose." Teidoll ignored the insult; he believed it to be a term of endearment.

"What do me losing and that brat being a vampire have to do with each other?" Kanda growled. This was one of the things he hated most about Teidoll, the frizzy haired man always tried to turn everything into a teachable moment instead of just saying things straight out.

Cross snickered at the way Allen smirked at Kanda with his fangs bared. "'That brat' is psychic."

Allen's smirk fell. "Don't use that word."

He was ignored. Kanda turned his glare on Cross, who spoke over whatever the Japanese man was about to say. "If you had paid better attention to him you might have known that."

Kanda gave Allen a disgusted look. "(If you're psychic, what the hell are you doing in a self-defense class?)"

Allen glared at him. "(First of all: I didn't know until just now that my ability would work like that. And second: attendance for your class was mandatory. We were all ordered to be here.)"

The thinly veiled insult was caught and understood. And Kanda was pissed. "(Take that back, Moyashi!)"

"(Never! And for the millionth time, my name is Allen! Bakanda!)"

Cross and Teidoll shared a look before turning back to the pair who were still bickering in Japanese. One of the braver students found their voice. "Umm, Agent Cross, sir? They always do that. If you just wait a few minutes, they'll get bored and stop."

The senior agents didn't want to wait. Cross glared at the pair once more and bellowed, "Walker! My office! Now!"

Allen froze mid-sentence. He forced himself to turn and face the redhead. "Sir?"

"You heard me! Get your butt over there this instant!"

The white haired vampire bolted from the room in his hurry to not piss Cross off further. Kanda snickered slightly but was silenced by a sound that made his blood run cold. "Oh, Yuu~."

Teidoll's tone was sickly sweet. It meant he wanted something and wouldn't take no for an answer. "We need you to come with us too."

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Edited February 2017