So... Saya's doing just about anything she can to keep her mind off her stomach at the moment... she's hungry but it'll be a while before her mum comes home with dinner.....T-T oh well, a better way to occupy Saya's time would be to thank you all of all of your reviews, ever. Or even just thinking of reviewing. But most of all, thank you for sticking with this fic, you are all loved with every fiber of Saya's being.

Saya owns the Pikachu on her desk, but that has nothing to do with DGM.

rated M over all for, molestation, violence, and the occasional swearing.

43. Because I Like You

Lavi was more worried than usual all the next day; he'd made Allen's situation worse, and he knew it. How Kanda planned to use the knowledge of Allen's feelings Lavi knew not, but it couldn't be good, this was Kanda he's suspicious of. Lavi thought back on every memory he had of Yuu and Allen, trying to find just what Allen did that had warranted whatever Kanda was planning. Because it was a shock in itself that Kanda was planning anything at all. In a sense, he was as reckless as Allen; for any random transgression against him, Kanda usually just tried to run the transgressor through with Mugen. But Kanda was thinking of something bad, and he was taking his time. Though the only thing that Lavi could see that marked Kanda accomplishing anything was how close Allen had gotten to Kanda.

Lavi would have to stop that; he'd have to make things harder for Kanda. He kind of felt as though he were betraying his friend a little bit by plotting against him. But then Lavi would be doing a lot worse than just betraying Allen if he let Yuu go about with whatever plan he had without fighting it. Besides, Lavi was already betraying Lenalee with his own feelings, as well as his heritage as a Bookman. Lenalee had trusted him with her secret, she hadn't wanted anyone to know of her feelings towards Allen, and told the one person who noticed them. Now he was feeling the same thing she did towards the boy; and love and liking are two very selfish emotions, they often over-power one's loyalty to their friends. And of course, a Bookman isn't supposed to have a heart, so what business did Lavi have caring about Allen's well-being? What right did he have to care about Allen? To want to hold him, and protect him, and make the boy smile? He had no right to feel those things, just the right to watch from afar as Kanda went about with his plotting.

But Lavi was more concerned about Allen's well being than he was about his loyalties at the time. Therefore, when he could not take his guilt and fretting any longer, he went into Allen's room to ask the boy to accompany him to the roof. Allen did, only slightly curious about the invitation.

The two seated themselves at the top of the roof, just below the peak. The roofs just barely sloped; the angle of inclination was just enough to let water run off.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Allen asked, tilting his head to the side a bit, looking over to Lavi who now sat beside him.

"I... Er… Well this is a kinda hard thing to explain really ... but it needs to be said!" Lavi said, his words gaining more power as he went on; at the moment he was talking more to himself than to Allen. Allen gave him an inquisitive yet encouraging look, hoping to gently prod an answer from him.

"Well I don't like the fact that I even have to warn ya about this but I want you to be more careful of Yuu."

"Er... Kanda? Why? I mean sure he's a frigid bastard but..."

Lavi hit his forehead, he was afraid of this. He didn't like the idea of pointing out every little incriminating thing Kanda had done, and he didn't like having to tell the younger boy that Yuu knew of his feelings and might use them against him. Feelings that Allen wasn't aware anyone knew of, and was in denial about himself. He would try to make things clear before he had to do either of those.

"But you don't think he'd actually do anything to you?"

"Well I mean I wouldn't be surprised if he just got so pissed at me that he started a fist-fight with me or something, but I don't think he'd try to seriously hurt me."

"Are you sayin' that you don't think you could get seriously injured in a fist-fight with Yuu?" Lavi asked, his tone flat; maybe he was underestimating Yuu's hand-to-hand skills or something?

"Hm.... good point. I just mean in comparison to how much he could hurt someone. Even he's sensible enough to realize that seriously injuring another exorcist is only going make things harder for him in the end."

'Well have you ever even considered that maybe Yuu-chan wouldn't pull his punches!? And what about the possibility of him wanting to do somethin' horrid to you!? GAH you're being so oblivious, I never thought that could be as infuriating as it is now (though it is kinda cute)!'

"Allen, have you never taken the time to think about why Yuu's letting you get so close to him?" Lavi asked, his voice hinting at how strange Lavi believed Yuu's behavior to be. At the question Allen pale face turned a delicate shade of pink. Why he didn't know, maybe it had to do with the fact that Lavi was thinking that he was actually getting close to Kanda, closer than he should be. After all, Kanda only let people come so close to him, so anything that would be considered even remotely close to being close to a normal person was like a huge invasion of privacy to the usually reserved swordsman.

"Well no... actually..."

Allen was a bit embarrassed at the fact that he hadn't really registered just how strange that was. In the back of his mind though, in that dark place that had less-than kind thoughts and tended to pick up on the darkness in others, he had known something was up.

"Allen, you have to have realized that Yuu doesn't let people near him, you have to have realized that it's bizarre that he'd suddenly allow you, who he's always shown an extra amount of dislike for, to suddenly be close to him. And I don't even know how close you two really are at all; I'm not around you guys all the time. But it's becoming obvious that you two have changed somewhat. And I really hate feeling any suspicion towards my best friend but I'm getting the distinct feeling that he's up to no good. So I'm begging you please, just be careful, ok?" Lavi asked pleadingly. Allen stared at Lavi for a moment, a bit stunned and not sure what to do. It was clear that the redhead was worried, and Allen couldn't help but want to calm his friend.

"Well I don't really see what danger you're seeing here, but if it will make you feel better, I will try to be cautious around Kanda, ok? So please don't worry about me, I can take anything he throws at me!" Allen finished confidently, giving Lavi a reassuring grin. That darker side of his mind would have liked to pout at the idea, but unfortunately little bits of peoples' minds cannot pout for they have no mouths in which to pout with. That part of him that had noticed the danger was the part of him that was thoroughly enjoying the thrill of freefalling into what was most definitely a trap of some sort. But the dominant part of Allen's brain that cared about self-preservation decided that if Lavi, who was much more observant than he could ever be, was warning him about Yuu's strange behavior when he had known Kanda far longer than Allen, that he should take the older boy's advice and watch his back.

The two of them looked forward into the sky, which had already grown dark with night, stars glittering like gem stones on the vast expanse of inky black. Allen looked towards Lavi from the corner of his eye, a question suddenly coming to mind.

"Hey Lavi..."

"Yeah?"

"You said that you needed to tell me this, but why did you need to warn me?" Allen asked sincere confusion on his face. It was one thing for Lavi to want to tell him, but to need to? "Want" and "Need" had always been two very different things in his mind; Allen wanted to know what could make Lavi need to warn him over anything.

At this a wide grin spread over Lavi's face, his eye had a teasing glint to it and at the same time somehow had a seriousness to it too.

"Because I like you, Allen-chan. And I don't think I could take it if Yuu did anything to you."

His expression was friendly enough, though it did hold a bit of his usual mischievousness, but the implication behind his words made Allen realize that Lavi acting out of something that most definitely was not friendship.

Well Saya has eaten now... and has watched Naruto... read Ruroken 21-22... and did other random stuff. She get's side tracked easily. And now it's an hour into the day after she started this, and she should probably sleep. Well... hope you enjoyed the chapter. And sorry all of you out there who don't like the idea of LaviAre. Everyone loves Allen though. Unless they're Tyki... then they just wanna rape him.... x3

And Saya's gotta thank Tuli-Susi, who in one particular review pointed out that it was indeed a rather un-Kanda-ish thing for him to plot anything, and that he was rather reckless, like Allen. This came into play at the very beginning of this chapter. So thanks :]