"I wish I wasn't fucking here." Kanda said, crossing his arms as he sat back in his chair, eyes closed in frustration.

"Now, Yuu, it's not that bad." Tiedoll said from his seat next to him.

"Yes it is." Socalo butt in. All Klaud did was roll her eyes in response.

Pressing his middle and ring fingers to his temple, Kanda attempted to rub away the forming headache. He could only pray that this shit show ended soon and he could get to his Moyashi as soon as possible.

"Generals, if you would." The representative from Central said, clearing her throat as she tapped a stack of papers on the table.

As Kanda thought, the meeting was agonizingly boring and slow. He could barely pay attention, only being able to think about Allen and their current situation. He thought about the incident in the cafeteria, only snapping out of his thoughts when his Master put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yuu, did you pay attention to the meeting at all?" Tiedoll asked, only to get his hand shrugged off the younger General's shoulder.

"Stop fucking calling me Yuu, and I don't give a shit about this meeting."

"Damn, kid, tell us how you really feel." Socalo said sarcastically, Kanda rolling his eyes. The representative got a call on her golem, speaking nearly silent as the Generals began to pack up, still having to wait for her to hand them some final bits of paperwork.

"If you start a fight with him, I'm not helping you." Klaud warned Socalo, beginning to gather his things.

"A fight between us two would be interesting, no?" The former convict thought, holding his chin. "What about it, kid? Wanna go a round?"

Kanda sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes, resting his head against his hand. He tried to block out the annoying General's voice, as Tiedoll and Klaud's voices joined in, closing his eyes. He started focusing in on the hushed voice of the woman standing in the far corner of the room, only picking up bits and pieces of her conversation.

"This is exactly what you used to do with Cross. It's annoying!" Klaud said, going back and forth with Socalo.

"Now, now, let's not fight. We can act like mature adults here." Tiedoll butt in.

"Are you sure?" Socalo chimed back in.

Kanda began to scowl despite his eyes being closed. Wanting nothing more than to just get up and go.

"I'm almost at Chief Komui's office now."

Kanda opened his eyes at those words, recognizing the voice. The woman seemed to realize that he had heard what the Director had said on the other line, but it was too late. Kanda was already out of his chair, running to the door.

"Yuu! We haven't been dismissed yet!" Tiedoll tried to call after him, but he was already gone.

That bastard! He wasn't supposed to be here!

Kanda cursed as he ran as fast as his legs would allow. The meeting room was almost on the other side of the Order from where the Chief's office was located.


"Let's go, Walker." Rouvelier ordered, walking further into the room.

It took everything in Allen to find his words, swallowing. "... No."

"... No?" Rouvelier repeated. "Are you refusing an examination, Mr. Walker?"

"With all due respect, I think I have the right to wait until General Kanda arrives to begin any examination." Allen said, keeping his head up as he spoke.

"I agree." Komui said, standing next to his seat at his desk. He looked at the young man who still faced him on the couch. Even though he wore a brave face, he knew how anxious he felt right now.

"There shouldn't be an issue here with going forward without him, of course, unless there's something to hide." Rouvelier said, smiling as Allen turned back to look at him.

Allen's heart was pounding in his ears, his blood chilling. What if they noticed? What if they found something and found out about the baby? He could feel his head start ringing again as he pressed a finger to his temple, shutting his eyes tightly, hoping that this would all stop if he just opened them again. He almost felt like he heard footsteps approaching from outside.

Wait, those sounded real.

Opening his eyes just as the door was thrown open, Allen whipped his body around to see Kanda, absolutely furious, storming into the office with his hand placed firmly on Mugen's hilt. The Crow next to Rouvelier moved quickly, grabbing Kanda's wrist just as he unsheathed his sword, fully intending on pressing the cold metal to the Director's throat. Even with his arm being restrained, Kanda glared daggers at the older man in front of him, seething with anger. "How fucking dare you." He growled, trying once to pull his wrist free.

"Watch yourself, General." Rouvelier warned glaring back at the disobedient Exorcist, angered from the outburst. "Stand down at once."

"Allen Walker is under my watch. You don't talk to, walk with, even breathe near him without running it by me first." Kanda snarled, momentarily turning his gaze to the Crow holding his wrist. "Get off me, rat."

Komui was the next to grab Kanda by the wrist, albeit more gently than the Crow was holding him. "Kanda, you need to calm down." Komui tried to tell him, even though he knew Kanda was going to be absolutely furious with him later.

Composing himself, Rouvelier looked back at Allen. "Well, Mr. Walker, you've gotten your wish. General Kanda is here, now you have no reason to deny the exam."

"You got your exam less than a month ago!" Kanda yelled, trying to pull his hand free from the now two grips keeping him contained. "You haven't been doing them in consecutive months. What do you need another so soon for?"

"We thought it wise to conduct one now, since Mr. Walker lied during his last one." The Director stated casually, stunning the swordsman into silence.

Checkmate.

"What could I have possibly lied about, Director? My height?" Allen questioned, sarcastically. It was defensive sarcasm. In all honesty, he was terrified because he was unsure of what lie they were possibly accusing him of.

The Crow let go of Kanda hesitantly, reaching into their robe to pull a folder out. Kanda withdrew his hand once Komui also let go, sheathing Mugen. The Crow handed the folder to the Director, who opened it and began reading from a paper. "December Exam: Last attempt made by the Fourteenth, December sixteenth." Bending the paper forward a bit, he read from the paper behind it. "July Exam, Last attempt made by the Fourteenth," Rouvelier paused to look Allen in the eyes, "November twenty fourth."

"I didn't-" Allen started, mind racing back to the last exam he had. He never said November-

"You need to start trying to stay one step ahead of them."

With that thought, the words slipped right off his tongue. "November of last year."

Allen turned and looked up at him innocently. "You told me to stay one step ahead, didn't you?"

Kanda opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. "... I didn't mean like this, Allen."

"Mr. Walker?"

"I didn't lie, I got the dates confused." Allen insisted, heart pounding in his chest. He had forgotten all about that lie from a month ago, before all of this confusion about the baby came up. His left hand twitched slightly as the dread filled him that he was about to be punished. "I apologize, Director. I didn't mean to cause such confusion."

Allen didn't expect to be pulled up out of his seat by his arm, the Director's patience running out. Trying to pull his arm away, Allen glared. "To the infirmary, boy." Rouvelier heard shuffling behind him, Allen looking past him to see the Crow preventing Kanda from charging at the older man.

"I'll be going too, if you don't mind." Komui said sternly. No one objected, the group of them leaving the office and heading toward the infirmary. They walked in a straight line, starting with Komui. He could feel Kanda glaring at the back of his head, wondering if maybe the swordsman was trying to make him drop dead from a look alone.

Allen was sandwiched between Rouvelier and the Crow, walking with his hands in front of him. Part of him was anxious that the Crow would suddenly spring a binding spell on him, wondering if that's why they weren't letting him and Kanda walk together. Letting out a shuddered breath, he lowered his head and kept walking, people turning their heads to look at him. He could feel them stare at him, wishing they wouldn't. He could only imagine the things running through their heads.

There goes the traitor. The Fourteenth's host.

The Noah.

Upon stepping into the infirmary, many of the nurses turned to look at the crew that had walked in. One of the nurses that had been there the longest, Vivienne, stepped forward, knowing what they were probably there for. "If you're looking for Head Nurse, she should be back in a few minutes. She's tending to someone who just got back on the ark." She explained.

"That won't be necessary." Rouvelier insisted, much to Komui's confusion.

"My condition for you to be able to conduct these exams was that Head Nurse would be the medical expert present during them." Komui stated, frustrated that the Director was once again trying to undermine his authority.

"Don't be so uptight, Komui. It's just one exam, right?" Rouvelier asked, scanning over the room of nurses. "You, come with us, please." He said, gesturing to a certain brunette nurse.

"Me?" Adelina asked.

"Yes, ma'am. If you don't mind, we'd appreciate your assistance." Rouvelier explained. "What's your name?"

The nurse stared at him skeptically. "Adelina Borgia." She told him, almost hesitating at first. Seeming to accept her response, he began walking to one of the back rooms. Adelina cast a quick glance to Allen, the confusion evident in her eyes. He looked back at her, his gaze softening. She almost detected a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Once everyone was crammed into the room, Adelina shut the door behind them. She knew that her aunt had to partake in these exams occasionally, but she never knew what they were for, or who, really. There were always rumors circulating about the young Exorcist, but she didn't know why or what they had to do with this. She tried not to pay attention to the gossip, only wanting to focus on the wellbeing of the soldiers putting their lives on the line for the Holy War. "What am I examining?"

Rouvelier handed her the file from before, the woman taking it into her hands and opening it. "Check against these records and make sure everything is lining up. Chief Komui will ask questions." He told her. "There should be a closed wound on his abdomen. Make sure it's still closed and nothing suspicious is going on with it."

Allen fought every urge in him to not protectively curl his arms around his stomach, his heart racing out of his chest. He wanted Kanda to hold him and tell him it was okay. He wanted Rouvelier and the Crow to leave him alone. He wanted Adelina to be left out of this, unable to escape the sinking feeling that he was close to losing one of the only allies he had left.

Komui stepped forward in front of Rouvelier and the Crow, trying to mask his own anxiousness. He swallowed slightly. "Right, then…" He said, watching as Adelina got some of the equipment ready. Allen noticed the stethoscope around her neck. "Allen, when was the last time the Fourteenth tried to take over?"

Allen closed his eyes and took a quiet breath in once before opening his eyes. Looking right at Rouvelier as he spoke. "December sixteenth of last year." He spoke slowly and articulately, scowling at the Director. Kanda couldn't help but smirk from where he was standing, leaning against the wall in the back of the room, feeling a bit of pride.

Komui nodded, hearing light scratching of pen to paper as the Crow recorded the information.

As Adelina put the earpieces of the stethoscope on, Allen knew this is where he would begin to run into trouble. His heart wouldn't seem to stop racing. Rouvelier would either know that something was going on with his health, or that he was lying. Neither was good. Looking to Komui, he saw the Chief give a small nod. Allen removed his shirt carefully, doing his best to remain calm and normal. He remained still as she pressed the piece to his chest, knowing how she could hear how his heart was beating so fast it was like it was trying to escape his chest. Taking a deep breath as she moved it around, he was ready to hear her response to the change in his heart rate and blood pressure.

Removing the metal piece, Adelina kept her head facing Allen. "Blood pressure is normal."

Allen kept his surprise and confusion hidden as the Crow wrote it down on their clipboard, Adelina moving on to check his wound. She confirmed what everyone already knew. "This wound is healed."

Adelina couldn't help but notice how Allen tensed when she touched his scar. Maybe her hands were too cold. She shot him an apologetic glance before asking Allen to get up so she could check his height and weight. She ignored the glare that Kanda sent in her direction, not taking it personally. His height was the same, much to his annoyance. When she checked his weight, she noticed that he had gained an extra two pounds. While that wasn't that unusual, she still fudged a bit of the truth, only reporting that he gained one.

Once they went over everything they had to, Kanda spoke up. "There. You got your fucking exam. Can you leave now and stop wasting our time?" Kanda spat, arms crossed.

"Yes, we'll be taking our leave, but before that," Rouvelier said, turning to face Kanda, more or less getting in his face, "I advise you to watch your mouth from now on, General. You'll get a pass for now, but I won't continue to let you speak to me in such a disrespectful manner. And if punishing you won't change your tone, then perhaps I'll have to start punishing Mr. Walker as well. After all, you're his General now, aren't you?"

Kanda's glare hardened, refusing to back down to such an arrogant lunatic. He barely budged as Komui wedged himself between them, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Kanda, stand down." He murmured into his ear, trying not to set him off. "They're done now. Just stand down." As much as he didn't want to do that, and as much as it would bruise his ego, Kanda backed off. He stepped away from the door, letting the Crow leave first, Rouvelier leaving seconds after.

And then Komui prepared for the shit storm that he was waiting for from the second that Rouvelier walked into his office unannounced. Kanda redirected his rage toward his poor supervisor, grabbing his collar as he pulled him in, seething. "You said he wouldn't be here!"

"Kanda, I had no idea." Komui said sincerely. "He told me he wouldn't be attending the meeting. He had no reason to be here!"

"Obviously he did! Because of Moyashi's little flub!" He shouted.

"I flubbed because you told me to stay one step ahead, Bakanda!" Allen exclaimed in his defense. He was finally losing his cool. Gripping his hair, he let out a frustrated shout. 'I can't catch a break, can I?' Allen thought to himself, letting out a laugh as his nerves got to him.

Adelina was busy writing something down on a piece of paper. When she was done, she handed it to Komui. "Here. These were his actual vitals and weight. Put them somewhere safe." She told him, trying to keep her voice low.

Allen blinked for a moment, remembering that she had lied about those things. He slowly untangled his fingers from his hair. "Adelina?"

"Yes, Allen?" She acknowledged, turning around.

"Why did you lie for me?" He asked, moving his hands to rest on his lap. "You could get in trouble."

He almost missed her snort. "We'll deal with that when the time comes." She said in response to her getting in trouble. "I can tell that something is going on. There's something you don't want them to know. I won't ask you what it is, but I trust you. If you need to keep your business secret from Central, then I'll take it to my grave, no matter what it is."

Allen stared at the young nurse with wide eyes, speechless. He didn't get a chance to ask her why she would do that for him before she was out the door, going back to her duties.

Komui was the first to speak up again. "Well… As for the check up…" He said, clearing his throat a bit. "I think we can wait on that. Head Nurse told me that the heartbeat is stronger than it was two weeks ago, so… I think we can officially confirm that you are pregnant, Allen. Congratulations."

Something about having it officially confirmed really hammered it in for Allen. He didn't know about Kanda, but for him, he felt the weight of anxiety drop back down on his shoulders. Sighing heavily, Allen raised his right hand to slowly rub his forehead, shutting his eyes.

"You're probably tired, so just go back to your room and rest. Try to decompress as much as possible. I can only imagine the amount of stress you're under right now." Komui told him, tucking away the paper from Adelina into his coat pocket. "Kanda, when you're available, I have something I need to discuss with you."

Kanda only grunted in response, opening the door to leave, waiting for Allen.

The walk back to Kanda's room was quiet, even a few minutes after arriving. Allen was just sitting cross legged on the bed, staring at nothing in particular. He was trying his best not to panic over his returning cramps and an occasional, light spasm he was feeling in his abdomen, but combined with everything else, he could tell he was about to break.

"You're awfully calm." Kanda said, stripping from his uniform, tossing it on the bed.

"I'm going to have a meltdown." Allen warned Kanda, holding his head in his hands as he propped his elbows on his knees.

"What?"

Allen's shoulders started to tremble first before the tears started pouring out. "God, what have I gotten into?" He asked through his crying. He felt that Kanda had sat down on the bed in front of him. He felt as his arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. His head came to rest against the muscular chest. "Kanda, I-I… I feel like my head is going to explode…"

Kanda bit back any snappy comments, knowing that's not what the other needed right now. He tilted his head down to rest his lips on the back of Allen's head, letting him get out what he needed to, only listening.

"Where do I even start? The cafeteria? I had a meltdown over falling on my ass and hitting my head. How am I going to be able to go on missions without worrying with every move that I killed our baby?" Allen sobbed, finally picking his head up, trying to breathe. Kanda pressed his lips to a tear stained cheek, letting him continue. "And the exams! The fucking exams!" He yelled out, clutching Kanda's shirt as he clung to him. "They're definitely going to find out about the baby! I'm just gonna get bigger and bigger and they're going to question why!"

"They're not." Kanda disagreed. "I won't let that happen."

"How, Kanda? How are you going to stop them? You're on thin ice with Rouvelier as it is."

"I'm not afraid of that sniveling little cockroach, Allen."

"I am, Kanda." Allen said, pulling away to look at Kanda with wide eyes. "It's not just me and you that I'm worried for anymore. It's our child, and I don't think you understand that."

"What's there not to understand?" Kanda questioned, slightly annoyed and minorly insulted.

Allen stood from the bed. "I don't think you understand what having a baby means. It doesn't just pop out and that's the end of it." Allen started off, starting to pace. "It's not just having a baby. We're becoming parents. We're going to be responsible for another little human being that can't take care of itself. And it might not even get to that point if Central finds out!"

Kanda's mind was overwhelmed with what his boyfriend was telling him. He realized that he was right. Up until this point, it really hadn't sunk in that once the child arrived, he'd have to care for and nurture it.

Kanda Yuu, care for and nurture a child.

Letting out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding, Kanda leaned his head down and held it in his hands. "Fuck…"

"And Central's not the only thing I'm worried about. Something can happen to me on a mission. Or maybe this stress that's eating away at me can kill her. Or if Nea-" His words cut off suddenly, all the color rushing from his face in an instant. What would the Fourteenth do if he found out his host was pregnant? He moved to hold his head in his hand. "Oh God, Nea…" Kanda's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at Allen. "What will he do to her if he finds out?"

"STOP!" Kanda yelled, making Allen jump in alarm. "Stop that! I don't want to hear it anymore!"

"You think I want to think about it?!" Allen yelled.

Kanda didn't answer, pressing both hands to his face, curling in a bit. His hands were beginning to tremble from how hard he was clenching them. He didn't want to think about that. He never wanted to think about that bastard Noah who was on the verge of taking away everything he loved.

"... I'm sorry." Allen said softly. When he didn't hear a response from the older boy, he walked over slowly, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, pulling him in. Kanda let his head rest against Allen's chest, feeling thin fingers massage his scalp carefully. "I'm sorry… I'm just scared." Allen muttered.

"I know…" Kanda mumbled, opening his eyes the smallest bit to stare at the floor. "If there was something I could do to ease your fears, I would."

Allen smiled softly. "I know you would. You're my protector." He said with a chuckle. "Just having you here by my side makes me feel safe."

Allen's gentle heartbeat was doing it's own wonders to help Kanda calm down. Closing his eyes, he furrowed his brows. "Your sappiness is absolutely vile."

"Don't make me pinch you." Allen said, leaning down to kiss Kanda's head. He soon let himself fall down onto the bed, laying on his back. "Komui's right. I just need to relax." He said.

Kanda sighed heavily. "I guess I should see what he needs to talk to me about, huh?"

"You don't need to go right away." Allen protested, laying on his side toward Kanda as the swordsman stood up.

"I'd rather get it over with so he doesn't hound me the rest of the day." Kanda said, rubbing his head a bit. He fixed his hair and got ready. "I'll be back soon. Just take a nap or something." He said, leaning down to kiss Allen on the temple.

After he was gone, Allen tried to settle down and relax. He sighed, lowering his hands to rest on his stomach, moving his head slightly to gaze at it. "... I'm sorry for getting so stressed out…" He muttered, slowly moving his hand to stroke his clothed skin. "I don't even know if you can hear me yet. Maybe I'm going crazy." Chuckling lightly, he kept his hand going. "I just want to keep you safe. Me and your dad… Well, your other dad, are trying to get everything sorted out so you'll be okay when you get here…" He said, leaving it at that. He fell asleep soon after that.


Kanda sat in Komui's office, his head in his hands as he processed the information his supervisor just relayed to him. "... How long is it supposed to last?"

"A week, at least. It depends on how quickly you get it done." Komui told him calmly. "I would have tried to send someone else, but you're the best fit."

Kanda let the information sink in, rubbing his temple as he exhaled deeply through his nose. "I usually don't have a problem with these extended missions. It's just…"

"I know, Kanda. I'm sorry." Komui told him, arms folded on his desk. "At least you'll have your golem for communication and the Ark to help you travel faster."

"Yeah, what a comfort." Kanda replied, heavy with sarcasm. "When do I leave?"

"Any time before tomorrow afternoon." Komui told him. "And… I'll probably have a mission for Allen by that time as well."

Breathing out in frustration, Kanda tilted his head back as he stared at the raised ceiling. "... Is Lenalee going?"

Komui sat up in his seat a bit, keeping his hands folded. "Mhm." He hummed.

"Fine… That's fine…" Kanda said as he stood up. "Is that it?"

"For now. Go get some rest, it's been a long day."

Kanda snorted as he turned his back, heading for the door. "You sound like a broken record."

"I feel like one." Komui responded, whining a bit. "Have a good night, Kanda." He said before the door clicked shut.


I am sorry once again for uploading so late in the day. I've really been struggling with how to move the story along. Thank you for continuing to bear with me. The reviews are really helping me keep confidence about uploading. I appreciate them so much. I may add to this description a little later. I'm feeling a bit light headed and I just wanted to get this chapter out in a timely fashion. Thank you again for your patience!

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino