Cleopatra: If it be love indeed, tell me how much.
Antony: There's beggary in the love that can be reckoned.
Cleopatra: I'll set a bourn how far to be beloved.
Antony: Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.
Antony and Cleopatra; Act I; Scene I
When The Black Order Acknowledges Theater
Disclaimer: I do not own D.Gray-man…
CHAPTER FIVE: Antony and Cleopatra (part one) (Affection in a Multitude)
The silence of the room broke when a prominent clattering sound emanated. Knowing what he'd see, Allen slowly peered over his copy of the play 'Antony and Cleopatra', cautiously taking a look the one who sat in front of him. Kanda's copy of 'Antony and Cleopatra' laid there on the table, but his hands were positioned in such a way that you'd think he was still holding it. His lips were pursed, his nose scrunched, his eyebrows knitting together furiously, he looked absolutely aghast. Which to Allen was no surprise, because Kanda expected a lot from Mark Antony, and the second line Antony utters was something Kanda was sure to regard as horrifying.
"I'm not reading this anymore…" and with that, Kanda slides the book away from him, crosses his arm, and reclines onto his chair.
"…Antony is rarely ever like that in the play." Allen closes his copy, sets it down, "I should know, I've read the whole thing. He still lives up to what you expected him to be."
"Who said it was because of Antony?" Kanda raised an eyebrow, face stoic
"You're Kanda…" Allen almost chuckled "…OF COURSE it's because of Antony."
"There's no logic in that statement" t'was said flatly
"Mark Antony is the greatest general and army man in all of Shakespeare's plays…. Or so Lavi says…. But I've heard that even in real life he was quite the warrior."
"Tsch… Octavius kicked his ass…" Kanda muttered
"But from what I've learned from Lavi, Octavius became Augustus, and as Augustus Caesar, he was an exceptional emperor…" Allen says "Great men fall only to the greatest men."
"Augustus was not all that great." Kanda asserts "Which makes Mark Antony lame."
"You're just disappointed, I'm sure you don't mean any of that… If you don't like that side of Antony, then you should be picking on Cleopatra…"
Kanda was silent, eyes narrowing, gaze slowly shifting towards the set aside copy of the play. "I might have only read the first page, but Antony seems to be submissive to that woman, which is why my sentiments of him are so bad…"
"Because he gives his woman favor?" Allen raises an eyebrow
"No. Because he lets someone make him say such pathetic things. Even if she was a man I'd feel the same. I don't even think Antony meant any of those as much as he should have. It was pathetic."
"All that from page one?" and this time Allen did chuckle "Don't judge the play just yet. I think you'll like it even" and Allen added a maybe in his thoughts. "Come on, you read 'Romeo and Juliet'."
"That was different."
"Because you had no expectations and there was not potentially good character like Mark Antony."
"No, because…" a stand still
"Ha! There's no excuse! Mark Antony is not a valid reason." Allen grabs Kanda's copy and sets it in front of him. "READ"
DOT.DOT.DOT.
…………………………..
"They used to say Mark Antony descended from Hercules." Lavi was scanning through his copy of Antony and Cleopatra "Must be why it's like this…"
"They also used to say Cleopatra was the daughter of Isis…" Lenalee replied "… they seemed to like thinking their rulers were only so great because they were born to clans of gods and goddesses."
"Hnh. Maybe, or it was the rulers who instilled those beliefs. Superiority complex?"
Lenalee laughs "Might have been something like that. I wouldn't know, I'm not such an expert with History. Shouldn't you know?"
"History is never exact, the earliest records are often most questionable." Lavi sighs "What REALLY conspired in the months before Antony and Cleopatra's deaths are unclear."
"It's better like that. 'Antony and Cleopatra' is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays with some of the most unforgettable characters. If we all knew what really happened, this play would have not come to be."
"And we all just love their ever glorious deaths…" Lavi says with laugh
Lenalee laughs too. "Oh, right. Lavi, how goes the Yuullen log?"
"Horribly detailed, as you said, I wrote everything. AS YOU SAID."
Lenalee chuckles "Traumatized?"
"Yes" says Lavi "And you're to blame"
"Thank me if you will then" she continues to laugh "I can't believe we've finally succeeded. What did you do exactly?"
Lavi hesitates. "Well you know, this…and… uhm… that…"
"This and that?" Lenalee tilts her head to the side slightly, looking at Lavi quizzically
"Yeah… That and this… This and that…" and the bookman apprentice laughs awkwardly.
"You mean what by that exactly?" all Lenalee gets in reply is a shrug "…Lavi… just what did you do?"
Silence
"You didn't threaten them or anything did you?" Lenalee almost looks angry
"No" Lavi says
"Than what?" and she almost sounds frustrated
Lavi murmurs something.
"What was that?"
He murmurs it again.
"Oh speak up Lavi, I can't hear you."
Lavi sighs. "I said I kissed Allen"
Blink one. Blink Twice. "Eh?" Lenalee's eyes couldn't get any wider "You… what?"
"Kissed, flirted with, the like. Of course I kept annoying Kanda with questions about Allen too, but you get the picture. This and that." Lavi's gaze is at the door of the cafeteria "Speaking of which… here they come…"
……………………………
So they're walking into the Cafeteria, copies of the play in hand, and Kanda decides to pass in the center aisle. Allen then realizes that no one cares that they are for some reason suddenly such close "friends". Maybe they were assuming things because of the constant mission pair ups. Should he clear things up? Would Kanda mind? These things should need a lot of pondering. But it's definitely troublesome, when it's something so simple. To be nonchalant and open about it, or to be secretive and awkward, the choice was supposed to be simple. What would people think though? Well it didn't matter anyway. Allen would do what he wanted. So he grabs Kanda's arm and cuddles as they walk. The room is silent, le gasp.
"Tsch" is all Kanda says, and he sounds rather smug
"Flirting in the middle of the cafeteria…" says someone up front "…I didn't expect that from you uncle…" it's Akagi
"A-Akagi… m-maybe…" Miranda is with him "We should get a table…"
"How was the trip?" and Akagi is addressing them both, Allen and Kanda
"Fine" Kanda says flatly "Did you wet the bed while I was gone?"
Akagi snorts "Lavi's bed particularly"
"Props to you" Allen says with a laugh
"Tsch" but Kanda smirks as he says it
"You know what…" Allen looks at Miranda "…let's all sit over there… See… Where Lenalee and Lavi are…"
"No" Akagi says "We should leave them alone, let's go get a table Miranda" he begins to walk away
"Oh… right… yes…" and Miranda follows him the tray of their food in her hands
Allen blinks once, twice. "Wait for us! We'll be there soon!" he shouts
"Ha!" Akagi shouts "No you won't!" and he laughs, as he sits down with Miranda
"What? Yes we will!" Allen looks bewildered, but then he sees Kanda, who is looking at him with eyebrows raised. "Or you know… we WON'T." Allen thinks he should have known "You're more like Mark Antony than you'd think."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
…………………………………
Lavi gives out a low whistle "I didn't expect such a public display of their relationship. You can just FEEL the shock of this room."
"Shock, is a very appropriate word for this moment…" Lenalee says "…you actually had to go so far as to kiss him?"
"Sometimes you need a nudge, other times, you need a push." He says with a shrug "Things were getting bad, and I told you I'd take care of it."
Lenalee puts on a grim smile "That was taking care of it? What if it hadn't worked?"
Lavi shrugs "I'd have sex with him."
"WHAT?" she almost falls of her seat
"Kidding of course" Lavi says, suppressing a laugh "There is now what if anymore Lenalee, because it DID work, end of story."
"You make it sound like your plan was fool proof…" Lenalee's eyes are narrowing
"It was fool proof. Kanda's territorial by nature. He has an alpha male personality. He's DOMINANT."
"That isn't an assurance Lavi… How you know someone is not a measure, you could not know Kanda well enough. He might be more unpredictable than you think."
"Lenalee it's Kanda… you should know he's anything but unpredictable… Well… outside of the battlefield of course…"
Lenalee bites her lip.
"I didn't make it seem like I was SO serious about it, I just made it seem like something was there. Not enough t make an issue, but enough to give Kanda that push. It was totally fine. If that's what you were worried about it was totally fine."
"That's not it" Lenalee is still biting her lip "The ends still don't justify the means"
"Lenalee…" Lavi sighs "…I need to go… But I'll say this, I didn't do anything to make them think they were hurting me by getting together." He stands up, and beams at her "Don't worry about it… " he waves and begins to walk "See ya!"
Lenalee smiles weakly, and thinks, 'That's not it…'
…………………………….
"Five lunches says you're going to grow to favor Cleopatra." Allen says with a grin, Kanda slurps his soba, narrows his eyes and raises an eyebrow
"What?"
"Ok, ok, so you read 'Antony and Cleopatra', and if after finishing it you think, 'Oh wow, Cleopatra was brilliant', you buy me lunch in the town for five days, if you don't, I'm buying." Allen grins "Simple as that."
Kanda snorts "I'd never use that kinda phrasing… You've already lost."
"If you think anything like that it still counts." Allen says with an annoyed huff "If you even as much a lean a little bit to Cleopatra's favor, you lose."
"There's nothing in it for me… The free lunches don't tempt me… I can eat here…" Kanda snorts "It' still FREE."
"Oh come on…" Allen insists
"NO WAY"
Allen grunts in frustration "Just read the damn play!"
"He knows he'll lose the bet. That's why he isn't accepting." Kanda flinches, Akagi is behind him. Allen ends up smiling.
"Oh he does, does he?" Allen grins sheepishly "I guess that makes him a coward right, Akagi?"
"Right" the boy says flatly "He's afraid losing the bet will hurt his pride." Akagi snorts "Like it's that valuable to begin with."
A low whistle "Wow Akagi that's a pretty daring thing to say" he looks around "Where's Miranda?"
"I told her that I was going to stay with you guys, and that could she go her merry way" and Akagi takes a seat beside Kanda
"You did really?"
"Yes, but with much effort of course"
Allen laughs "Is that so."
"Would you both just SHUT UP" Kanda says through gritted teeth
"Oh" the two speak in unison, and they grin "The coward speaks."
"Fine" Kanda says "FINE, I'll take the damn bet. I'll read the damn play. Just shut up."
"Now that's more like it dear…" Allen smiles
"Oh, pet names?" asks Akagi
"Thought of it just now…" Allen's look is sheepish "Ain't that right darling?"
Kanda rolls his eyes, and Akagi laughs hysterically.
"Tsch, do what you want" and Kanda goes back to his beloved soba
"Oh I get it, in the day Allen gets to do what HE wants, and uncle gets to do what HE wants a night."
Kanda chokes on his soba and Allen turns beet red "AKAGI!"
"What?"
………………………………
(a/n: haha! So lol. It's still not so long, but it's just the start of the Antony and Cleopatra part of the story anyway. So basically this gives you an idea of how the last part of this fic's going to be like. It's sort of like a settling down part, because as I've said in the previous a/n, this fanfic will come to a close at chapter 30. Anyway I hope you guys still enjoy this story. Just had our finals last week, and I have to take another major college entrance exam this Sunday. Lol. Ok in other words this update was now or never (not really never, but you get me). Hahaha! Ok so that's all, down with my incessant babbling.)
Typos will be fixed on the day when I turn out to you know, NOT be lazy