Mwahahaha, super yummy Kanda cookies go to Eleannor and Nyushie for correctly guessing that Allen finished off his order with blueberry fruit dumplings (also yummy) and an extra special little cookie to Kiracookies…you ish close…but not close enough for a full sized one!! (More evil laughter)I'm feeing slightly guilty cos when I was typing my housemate was cleaning the bathroom, and I didn't move to help her… (carried on eating ice cream) oh well…

I do not have ownership over DGM. Pffft. Life is unfair.

Chapter 25- Countdown

10.23pm, 17th May

There were no Akuma. There was no sign of Noah.

Team Walker found them selves half-forgetting what they had come to the city for in the first place and that they were thoroughly enjoying the break in their usually hectic lifestyles.

Of course, Kanda still managed to find things to complain about. The food, which he found to heavy for his tastes and Lavi, who routinely involved himself with the locals and their favourite pastime- downing large amounts of alcohol and singing loudly were both high on his newest list of things he hated.

Currently, Lavi was sitting with a pretty dark haired young girl draped over him, while he apparently regaled her with some interesting story. At any rate, her wide pale eyes were fixed upon him with great interest while he rattled away as though talking was going out of fashion.

Allen and Jim were also reaching the level of annoyance which threatened to earn them a permanent seating on the 'Ultimate List of Things I Hate' list. Kanda watched the pair darkly.

Alone, either one of them would easily be a match for the group of men huddled with their cards in the corner of the bar that the exorcists had taken to haunting of an evening, but the master and pupil had discovered that their potential was limitless if they combined their…talents. The locals never stood a chance.

"You must be cheating! There's no way you could beat us!"

"Don't be a sore loser." Jim swept the winnings together, forming a mini mountain in front of him, a huge grin plastered to his face.

"If you aren't cheating, then he is!" The angered man pointed at Allen, who was currently hiding some cards up his sleeve under the pretence of adjusting his cuff.

"I don't cheat." He sounded outraged at the very suggestion.

The air of violence cranked up a notch. Kanda unconsciously gripped Mugen as he stood, sensing it was going to take a turn for the worst any second now. His instincts were never wrong…

"Pull up your sleeves!" One of the locals demanded.

A panicked look crossed Allen's face. It was not the concealed cards he was worried about revealing, but the angry players interpreted it as such.

The man stretched out his arm, wrapping his hand around Allen's left wrist. "Why are you wearing a glove anyway? A new cheating method?" His hand slackened its grip suddenly and Allen looked up in surprise.

"Release him, or be run through. It's your choice." Kanda glowered at the man, Mugen held steadily at his throat.

"Get away from me, pretty boy. Unless you want that perfect face of yours ruined." Kanda didn't move, but his frown deepened.

"Or perhaps you want it like that? Like it rough do you, pretty boy? Maybe I should be asking him?" He jerked his head towards Allen, directing his next words at him instead. "Does your pretty boy take it like a good girl?"

Allen, released from the grip of the man, moved away hurriedly, placing his hand on Kanda's shoulder. "He's not worth it. Let's go."

Kanda sheathed the sword, turning away as though it was suddenly too much effort.

"That's right, pretty boy, Let him defend your weak feminine behind."

Alright, enough with the feminine comments Kanda tensed, his hand flying towards the hilt again, but found his reaction had been too slow.

Allen pointed a razor-sharp talon at the man who was now lying on the floor, fear on his face. The entire bar was silent now, drinks that had been raised towards open mouths forgotten.

Allen gave a small, chilling smile, leaning very close to the man that he had cornered on the floor beside an upturned table.

"He's more of a man than you are. And if you really want to know, I take it like a good girl." He stalked his way to the door.

"We're leaving" Kanda grabbed Lavi's coat as he passed.

"But Yuu-chaaaaan…."

"I don't know why the Earl is bothering with them. They are all a bunch of idiots!" Perdita ran her hands over her bare arms. "They make my skin crawl. If I have to sit listening to that ridiculous Bookman for another night, Francesca and Road wont be the only ones in the Earl's bad books." Her light brown eyes flashed maliciously before darkening to the amber hue of the Noah clan.

Gregory laughed, sitting in darkness. He was no longer able to maintain his white form, but he detested his current Noah form intensely, so he hid in the shadows. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

"You didn't have to defend my honour."

Allen looked a little embarrassed. "I couldn't help it. He was saying those things about you…"

"You may be surprised that it's not the first time I have been insulted."

Allen frowned. Was Kanda laughing at him?

He turned his head, confirming his thoughts. A light amused grin danced across Kanda's face. "Don't laugh at me."

Kanda's grin widened. "I wouldn't dream of it. I was merely remembering the look on that man's face."

Allen flushed. "It just slipped out."

There was a slight pause, the silence lengthening, not awkwardly, but it hung between them all the same.

"That's the first time I've seen you so adamant to hide your arm in a long time. You don't worry too much usually."

"That's not true. I always have it hidden, just not from you."

Kanda thought this over. "Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you aren't afraid to touch it. Jim's the same."

"Why would anybody be afraid to touch it? It's your arm, it's part of you." As though to prove his point Kanda pulled the glove off, revealing the black skin and the red cross embedded in the back of the hand. He didn't like to admit it, and although it looked a lot better than it had before Allen has reformed his innocence, when the skin had looked red and diseased, it still didn't look normal, by any stretch of the imagination. He ran his lips over the hand.

Allen looked at him gratefully. "Thank you."

Kanda was confused. It was one of the things that he still didn't understand about the younger man, how he could be so outwardly cheerful, yet still be unhappy on the inside. "Why are you thanking me?"

"I…"

Jim burst into the room, a furious expression on his young face. "I cannot stay in that room any longer. He snored badly before, but it's ten times louder when he's drunk! We need to…ah…um, am I interrupting?"

The glare on Kanda's face clearly told him he was, but Allen shook his head. "No, you're not."

Kanda scowled, first at Allen, then at Jim. "Yes, you are. Leave."

Poor Jim looked between Allen and Kanda and took the safer option, turning away. "Oh…ok…"

"Just put a pillow over his face" Kanda told his retreating back.

"What?"

"Lavi. Put a pillow over his face."

"Won't he suffocate?"

"You want to listen to him snoring all night?"

"Good point."

Allen laughed as soon as the door was closed. "You're horrible to Lavi, you know that?"

"Tch. I'm horrible to everybody."

6.34am, 18th May

Stupid sunlight. He had hardly slept at all, and now the sun was focussed on refusing to let him drift off. It had been growing in intensity for a while now, determinedly pressing against his eyelids, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, no matter which direction he turned his head, the sunlight was still there. In a last ditch effort, he yanked the pillow from under him and pressed the soothing cold side to his face.

"Do you mind? I was using that."

Allen moved the pillow, finding himself face to face with a not-very-happy looking Kanda, who had just been subjected to a rather rude awakening as his head met the mattress with alarming speed.

Giving Kanda a winning smile, he apologised, handing back the pillow sheepishly.

Kanda however, was not won over by the huge grin, and his usual early morning grouchiness was cranked to an all new level thanks to his unexpected wake up call. He groaned when he saw the time. "Why are you awake?"

"I'm always awake early, and the sun was annoying me."

"Tch. Don't lie to me Moyashi. You've been like this for hours. I know because you kept waking me up."

"I'm sorry. I guess I just couldn't sleep."

"Are you worried about today?"

"Of course! It's a trap, we know it, but we have no choice but to blindly fall into it."

"You could not go."

"And risk not hearing whatever the Earl has to say?"

"But he could have told anyone. Why you?"

Allen gave a dry laugh that verged on hysteria. It was not a good sound. "If you manage to work out what goes through that twisted mind of his, let me know!"

Kanda sat up, propping himself up with his arms either side of Allen's head, looking down at him with serious eyes. "Whatever happens, remember that you're not alone out there. You have team mates, let them help you."

Allen stared at him for almost a whole minute, before bursting out into genuine laughter. Kanda only caught a few of the words that Allen gasped out in between sniggers, things like practice and preach caught his attention, and he gathered that Allen was amused by such advice leaving Kanda's mouth.

"I'm glad you find something funny." Lavi's voice made them both jump; they hadn't even heard the door open. "I woke up with a pillow clamped to my face. I think your student's a bit unstable Allen."

This forced Allen into renewed gales of laughter.

Jim walked in, clearly confused as to what the reason for all the noise was. He tried not to feel awkward when greeted by the sight of a half-naked Kanda leaning over a half naked Allen, but couldn't control the slight blush that crept over his face. Lavi seemed to have no such issues and bounded across the room, with no signs of a hangover at all, plonking himself on the end of the bed.

Kanda sat up, stretching lazily. He was far too used to Lavi's presence to feel uncomfortable about the situation. "キーウィ, close the curtains would you? Moyashi forgot to do it last night and is now complaining because the sun dared to rise this morning."

Lavi was making some funny noises behind his hand, which Jim took to be laughter, and realised Kanda was speaking to him. He pulled the curtains closed, casting the room into semi-darkness. "Do I want to know what you called me?"

"Probably not." It had gone over Allen's head too. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's go and eat!"

9.00am

Allen twiddled with the spoon until Kanda took it off him. So he contented himself shredding a napkin. Kanda took that off him too. He started tapping his cup. Kanda's eye twitched.

"Must you?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Allen put his restless hands on his lap, weaving his fingers together to keep them still.

"Why did he have to say the evening? Today's gonna kill me." Lavi leaned back in his chair. He didn't look like he was that bothered, until you noticed the repeated jiggling of his foot where it crossed over the other. Such a nervous display looked out of place on the usually relaxed body.

Of course Kanda didn't show anything whatsoever, which was his way of dealing with the growing anxiety that was growing within him. Jim was a wreck. He'd already spilt two cups of tea during breakfast and was having trouble drinking his third attempt. The minutes crawled.

11.13am

They sat outside a small café watching the people walk by. Allen was half expecting his eye to react at any moment, he wanted something to happen. The lack of action was making the waiting game seem ten times worse. Kanda was cleaning Mugen. Again. It was the fifth time that morning, and he was oblivious to the wary looks the act was drawing from the people walking past. Not that he would have cared if he had noticed. Lavi twirled his hammer, watching the passers-by without really seeing any of them, relying on Allen to alert him to any danger. Jim was still a wreck. The barely-disguised tensions of the other three were slowly pushing his own stress levels up. Another minute ticked by, and nothing changed.

15.59pm

Jim felt sick. Earlier his stomach had been complaining noisily, but he couldn't make himself eat anything. This worried him because he knew if he didn't eat something, he wouldn't have enough energy to fight, but when he pointed this out to the others, Allen had just smiled and told him he wasn't going to fight anyway. Allen hadn't eaten since breakfast. The hands of the clock shifted, very slightly.

18.47pm

The muted glow of the sun made the city look beautiful. Kanda stood with his back to the amazing view as though it bored him, while the others leant as far out of the tall town hall tower, relishing the last of the day's light and admiring the way it made the City of a Hundred Spires glow. Actually he didn't want to be distracted by the way the dying light caught Allen's face. Now was not the time. The sun sank lower, casting an orange glow across the landscape. Kanda was morbidly reminded of a guttering candle, the last vain attempts to remain alight before being snuffed out completely.

19.04pm

Allen stood at the foot of the clock, his cursed eye roaming the gathering Akuma. He had known it was too good to be true. They weren't low level Akuma either. Whatever the Earl had planned was not going to be pretty. Kanda raised Mugen. "Do we attack them?"

Allen dissented. "We wait."

Jim watched from his view point in the tower. He had never seen so many Akuma before. Lavi placed his hand on his shoulder, startling him. "It'll be alright."

19.15pm

"Allen Walker."

He knew that voice.

"I'm glad you came to our little gathering."

"I could hardly refuse, Earl."

"No, I suppose not." The fat little man's grin widened, if that were possible. "Such a small force you bring with you. Do you think that the four of you can beat me?"

"I didn't come for a battle." Allen watched as the Akuma moved closer, surrounding Kanda. The tower was likewise surrounded, trapping Jim and Lavi inside.

"No, you came to hear what I want to say. But I do want a battle, Allen Walker."

"Why is it you sent for me?" With a twinge of fear, Allen noticed the three Noah standing behind the Earl. He recognised Road and with a sickening twist saw Francesca was there also. He didn't know the third girl.

"Because you are interesting. The power of the musician. The Destroyer of Time, a General at 16, your unique little weapon. Also, because I can't refuse my girls anything. They want to play with your little friends."

"Leave them out of this." Anger made the words cold.

"I suppose I can stop them. If you agree to come with me for a little chat."

Allen glanced around.

"Don't go, we can take them" Kanda said through gritted teeth, but he couldn't see the shear number of gathered Akuma, he hadn't seen the lurking Noah.

Allen shook his head. "BaKanda, not even you're that good." He turned to the Earl. "Alright, but nothing happens to them, you hear me?"

The Earl laughed as though genuinely happy. He wiped a tear from behind his bespectacled eye. "You aren't in the position to make bargains, Allen Walker, but I like you, I'll agree. The Akuma will stay here until we return."

Road opened a doorway and the Earl stepped up to it, inviting Allen forwards.

He stepped through the doorway, followed by the Earl and the three female Noahs. The door squealed shut, plunging them into complete darkness.

"What's going on?"

"I told you, we're going to have a little chat." Allen could hear the Earl, but the voice sounded far away. This didn't look good.

"Hello Allen Walker."

This voice was different, male and had had an odd familiar feeling about it. Two greyish eyes lit up in the darkness, surprisingly close.

"Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is you. You're going to tell me everything you know. And you'll do it or those Akuma out there will put a few pretty holes in all your friends…"

Allen cursed himself for falling into the expected trap so easily.

A hand clasped his head and the pressure was unbearable. Then the pain was gone, the voice was silent and he knew no more.

A/N dun- dun- dun!!

Behold me in all my wonderful, crappy glory!!! MWAHAHAHA!!