Edit: 2018.03.10.

Whoa, I'm amazed how many people followed, favourited or reviewed this! Thank you very much for your kind words everyone, I'm really happy that I could show you a side of Kanda people tend to forget. Also, thank you my lovely Guest for notifying me about DGM's return, cookies for you.

Now without further ado, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 3 - Angels of Revenge and Destruction

Cold.

He was choking.

Where was he?

He was in a dark place with a single source of blinding light from above.

But then, something blocked the light.

A smiling face.

I'm Alma.

First there was a woman.

Then came the flowers.

And finally blood.

It was everywhere. On the floor, on the walls, even on the ceiling. The blood of those who used them and betrayed them. In the middle of the massacre stood a blood-covered figure with feathers sprouting from his body. As if he was an angel of revenge and destruction.

Kanda didn't scream when his flesh was cut over and over again. For a while he just endured the pain. But then the flowers came again... and ever since then they never left him alone. They were a reminder of a long-forgotten promise.

He wanted to know who he was. He wanted to know who She was. He wanted to know what he loved about Her. Why did he love Her so much and so deeply that it transcended multiple lifetimes.

He won't be stopped. When he took Mugen, he already decided that no matter what, he'd survive and find her and then he could get the answers he longed to know.

No one could stop him from that.

XXX

Slowly the feeling returned in his battered body. He became aware of the pressure on his wound, he was most likely given first-aid. Also his head was lying on something soft. A pleasant scent entered his nostrils. Sure he felt the stench of his own blood, but he could feel a little scent of musk, rain and freshly cut grass. It was a very faint, but very pleasant and calming fragrance.

The voices around him grew clearer, he recognised the distressed voice of the girl. She was the doll. They betrayed him. And now they were begging to have their final moments together. If they told the truth then Kanda would consider it. If they didn't ditch him to play a fatal hide-and-seek, while having to evade the Akuma then he'd definitely would. But these guys left him to become a bait and ran. He offered them help and they turned on him. They used him without an ounce of regret to save themselves. Humans were all the same.

The stupid Beansprout even listened to their sob story and still wants to help them, even if they almost killed them all. But Kanda wouldn't forgive them. "No!" he said in a commanding voice, notifying the others that he was alive and conscious. "Wait until the old man dies? We can't grant that wish." He wasn't even sorry for them anymore. "We came here to protect the Innocence! Take that doll's heart now!" he panted heavily. Damn that would take forever to heal. Not only that, the Bean saw the tattoo on his pectoral if he was the one who bandaged him up.

Then he must have realised it already... that him, being still alive was not normal. That he himself, wasn't normal. That he wasn't human.

The Bean looked away from his eyes. Oh, great, he scared the boy away. It's only a matter of time until he points his finger at Kanda and accuse him of being a monster.

Only now, did Kanda notice that the Bean himself sported a rather large gash on his right shoulder. Wasn't he feeling a little light-headed? "I... I can't do it. I'm sorry... But I can't." Blue irises zeroed on the red spots on the pristine white shirt. Where was his coat? Was it folded under his head? He let his left hand slide back. Yep, it was. So that's where that wonderful scent came from. He grabbed the fabric and threw it in the infuriating teen's face. "This coat isn't pillow for the wounded! It's the uniform of an Exorcist!" He threatened to leave the kid behind, yet the idiot didn't hesitate to come and save him. Something was seriously wrong with his head. He even went out and applied bandaged him, meanwhile leaving himself unattended. Being taken care for seriously wounded Kanda's pride as a warrior. He wasn't an invalid, he was a soldier, a Second Exorcist.

The boy didn't bite back, he just gazed at the uniform with what seemed to be a weird mix of sorrow and resignation. He didn't want to separate them. But why?

... It didn't matter. They had a mission to complete and an Akuma lurking somewhere. They had to go. In the state they were they couldn't destroy it. Kanda took on his own coat and approached the pair. They betrayed him, they deserved no mercy or empathy. "There are sacrifices that must be made, Rookie."

"P-please don't!" the girl begged as he raised Mugen over her fragile chest. Damn, how he hated this, he hated how much this goddamn war was costing.

Before he could sink his blade in the doll a familiar black coat entered his vision. Kanda couldn't believe it, the Brit was still trying to protect them. "Then I'll be the one." He countered, unafraid of the blade that hovered over his chest. Kanda was taken aback by that gentle fire radiating from those eyes. "Will it be enough, if I'm the sacrifice for these too? They just want to stay together until the very end. Until then I cannot remove the Innocence from this doll! If I destroy the Akuma then there isn't a problem is there?! To make sacrifices all the time in order to win the war... it's futile!"

His fist swung before he even thought about it. The Brit stumbled back from the force and he too fell to his knees from dizziness.

Stupid brat, what the hell did he think he knew about sacrifices?! "How incredibly naive." He spat. "Selling yourself out for pitiful strangers!" Strangers who didn't hesitate to throw them to the wolves - or in this case, Akuma - in order to save themselves. The moron wanted to save the ones who almost got them killed! Is he trying to be a fucking saint and forgive everything and everyone?! He knew he could have died, right? Or is he that impassive about whether he lives or not? The thought enraged him, but he had no idea why. What the kid did was none of his business, they weren't even 'friends'. But still, he couldn't deny how the human within him opposed the notion. "Don't you have anything important to you?!" he snarled.

Pale fingers twitched in the soft sand, but his face remained schooled. The kid was impeccable at masking his real intentions. "There was something important... that I lost long ago..." he said in an eerily calm voice. "It's pitiful... I don't have a noble reason." His eyes were unfocused, looking in the distance. It was clear that he had some hazy memories play out in front of his eyes. "I just don't want to see something like this happen. That's all." Soft silver eyes peeked at him, gently penetrating Kanda's soul. The samurai couldn't tear his gaze away from those eyes that were caressing his very soul. He forgot how to breathe seeing those chrome orbs bathe in the moonlight. He was enchanted. "Because I am a small man, my heart is moved by what's in front of my eyes, not what the world needs. I just can't abandon what's in front of my eyes." Suddenly a flame of passion flared up behind those mercury orbs. "I want to protect everything I can!"

Protect everything he can? How. You cannot protect everything. No matter how powerful you become, you are not God. You cannot change fate.

Metal cut through flesh mercilessly.

You can't do anything about it.

"Guzol," The doll gasped softly, before it and the old man were yanked back in the swirling sand. In a failed attempt to save them, the white-haired brat reached his hand out to get them, however they were long out of reach. The sand kept swirling around them, then the familiar Level 2 broke out to the surface with the two stabbed bodies hanging on the claws he stole from the Bean, the claws that he meant to use to protect people. Kanda noticed with horror, that it took the doll's heart. "I GOT THE INNOCENCE!" it screamed in delight, its eyes eagerly watching the glowing cube. Fuck this all, in a minute the Akuma would be gone with the Innocence. With a body like this he couldn't even pursue the fucker.

The Akuma let the two bodies hit the ground carelessly. Guzol reached his hand out to the now lifeless doll. "La-, Lala... Lala..." Okay, now he felt bad again for those two. Maybe because they were so similar... He, too was a doll in a sense who was bound to break sooner or later. The ones on the other side of his strings loved to mercilessly pull him around after all. There was no escape. The chains of destiny bound him forever. And just like that old man, he was denied from his loved one and a peaceful death.

The hair stood up on Kanda's nape, alerting him of the change in the atmosphere. The Akuma noticed it too. It was a dark, murderous aura that sent cold chills down on the Exorcist's spine. The white-head walked past him, his posture tense. Kanda's eyes widened as he realised that the docile-looking brat just snapped. His face didn't display any emotion, but his icy voice and rapidly changing weapon did as it let an insane amount of energy flow out of its host. "Return it." He ordered in a deadly calm voice. How could someone be so frightening without raising their voice? "Return that Innocence." Kanda noticed that the Innocence looked as if it wanted to swallow its Accommodator. "Return it."

The Finder had the sense to keep his distance from the homicidal teen, who strangely enough wasn't Kanda this time. "Master Walker's Anti-Akuma Weapon is changing!"

"Parasitic-type Exorcist can manipulate their weapon to their emotions." He explained, watching the white-haired individual in unmasked awe. "His Innocence is reacting to his anger." Even so, why is he emitting such murderous rage? This wasn't just about those two, was it?

Suddenly the brat kicked off the ground, appearing above the Akuma so fast that even Kanda's sharp eyes failed to follow. "Idiot! Your weapon hasn't fully formed yet!" The arm formed a cannon and laser beams shot out from the weapon. The Akuma, startled from the abrupt change in character held its copied arm up to defend itself from the hundreds of missiles. The boy kept firing until the beams forged a pile, letting him land on top of it. It was clear as day that he had experience in acrobatics.

Did he get him?

... Probably not, since his wrath still not eased.

Even though the Akuma hid, the brat instantly noticed the machine behind him. "You can't hit me when I shift into sand~" A harpoon was aimed at his way, but he jumped over it. The murderous machine only laughed as it caught the boy and forced him in his sand-belly. "Gotcha!" it laughed. "It's over for you!" It taunted as it stabbed its own stomach repeatedly. "How many times do I have to stab you before you die~?" it wondered.

"Master Walker!" Toma cried out to him, but Kanda was quick to calm him.

"He's fine." He could still feel that murderous rage. It put Kanda on edge, the boy was acting as a completely different person.

- like an angel of revenge and destruction -

He shook his head. It wasn't time to get all zoned out. There was a chance that the Bean would get defeated, then it was his turn to fight. Damn, he wished he could heal faster.

As it raised it stabbed itself with the harpoon, he ended up pushing the cursed teenager out of itself, who used his new weapon to block the stabs. The harpoon 's sharp end broke on the weapon's surface. He let a beam emerge from his weapon, but he didn't fire it. Instead the edge of the weapon wrapped around it, and he swung it down, cutting the Akuma's disguise in two, revealing its true form.

"I'm not giving you a chance to change your appearance again." The Bean shifted his weapon back to cannon. "This is it for you." He promised as he pointed his gun at the Akuma and unleashed his attack.

"I still have your arm!" the Level 2 replied, holding the mirrored arm out to block. The killing machine was knocked back in the wall from the force of the shots, slowly getting ripped apart. "Unforgivenable!" the boy snarled as he continued to reduce his enemy to ashes.

"Shit!" the Akuma cursed, realising its upcoming demise. "I have your hand! Why did I lose?!"

Because that's your limit. The only ones who can use the true power of an Anti-Akuma weapon are Exorcist. As the Innocence synchronises with the Exorcist the more powerful they will become.

Kanda had to admit that the kid was capable. It was obvious that this wasn't his first fight. He was fearless (and in this case quite ruthless), had amazing destructive force and plenty of room to evolve his weapon further. Now that he thinks about it, the injuries of the Weapon disappeared, which means that with its evolution, the Innocence self-recovered. And of course, it would be great if he could cast aside his idealistic dreams and ripped everything apart the same way as he was doing it right now. Emotions and ideals only held you back in a war. They only caused hesitation and your heart to waver. A moment of hesitation can kill you. They couldn't afford that. He was too good to die like that.

But he was still a brat. The Bean coughed up a mouthful of blood and his invocation stopped. Undoubtedly the new weapon put great strain on his teenage body, the rebound made his heave like crazy. Yeah, right, not everyone had Kanda's advanced healing.

Seeing an opening, the Akuma lunged at him. Without thinking, Kanda shot out and blocked the attack with the side of his sword.

"Kanda?!" the boy's disbelieving voice asked. Wow, he really took it to heart that he was on his own. And yet, this stupid Beansprout made him act unlike himself. Kanda couldn't deny that he was interested in the boy, in more ways than one. But he'd be dead before saying that out loud. How did the brat manage to worm his way under his skin in a few days?

Was it because they were similar?

No, not only that.

I'm a small man.

The Beansprout got it. He knew how despite their power how insignificant they were on the grand scheme of things. And yet, he still pushed on with those ideals.

Protect all he can? That was plain impossible.

And yet… A part of Kanda wondered why despite knowing all this, the foolish boy kept pushing on.

Instead of answering that, he instinctively defended with attack. "You useless idiot!" he roared at him. "What do you think you're doing, running out of power in the last minute?! You were the bastard who babbled on around protecting those two! I hate the way naive people like you do things!" He hated the way how this brat managed to push his buttons without even trying. "And even more so, I hate people, who don't keep their promises!"

The boy chuckled. "Whichever it is... you still hate me..." Yes, he hated the Bean for making him feel this way and make him act uncharacteristically. "It's not that I ran out of power or anything like that." He reassured as he gulped down some fresh air. A cheeky grin stretched on his face, as if mocking Kanda for going back on his promise of I-will-leave-you-behind. "I'm just taking a break."

It seems the kid knew Kanda was watching him, but he probably let it off. He probably considered it curiosity or evaluating his battle ability. "...Everything you do is irritating." With a flick of his wrist, he slashed the weakened claw of the Akuma off and the cursed brat activated his Innocence again. Allen knew that he had to fight from distance (or else, he'd get copied again) so he shifted into cannon-form. "Scatter!" they shouted in union as they unleashed their attack. With a last scream the Akuma finally exploded and they collapsed from exhaustion. Kanda registered the sound of dull thud - the doll's heart hit the soft sand - before unconsciousness claimed him again.

XXX

"Ah, blue skies~ emerald green ocean~ por favor Italia~" Komui sang.

"So what?" Kanda asked as he tore of a band-aid on his cheek irritated. He despised hospitals.

"What?~ I'm jealous damn it! You defeated the Akuma 3 days ago, what are you doing?! Everyone is using me as a slave! They don't let me go outside. It's like I'm a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle!" the Supervisor exploded, making Kanda tear the receiver away from his ear. God, this guy was so annoying. It's not like he wanted to stay here, damn it, the stupid doctor just wouldn't let him go.

"Stop shouting and shut up." He waved him off. "If you've got a problem, then complain to that guy. Actually Komui, I don't get along with him!" Well, the brat wasn't so bad, but he did send his blood pressure through the roof.

"You don't get along with anyone." The Chinese huffed. "So... where is Allen?"

"He's in that town with the doll." Damn, why was this pissing him off? It's not like he wanted to see him here with that overly caring gaze in his eyes or have him look after him.

Komui's voice reverted to serious. "That doll, Lala. It'll be soon right?"

"Probably. It had been working for 500 years. It's not the same doll. It'll stop by itself." Just like he will one day.

XXX

He found the Beansprout hunched on top of the stairs, probably weeping for those two. They had a rather cruel end. He could still hear the doll sing. "What are you sleeping for? Stay on guard!" Really, how did this guy manage to stay alive if he falls asleep out in the open like that. As far as he knew that cursed eye wasn't an Akuma radar, more like if he looked at someone he'd see past their disguise.

"What is someone who's supposed to take 5 months to recover is doing here?" he countered.

"I'm healed." He admitted plopping down on the stairs.

The boy snorted, still not looking up. "No way."

"Shut up." A comfortable silence settled between them, but Kanda sadly had to break it. "I got a message from Komui. I'm going ahead with my next mission. You deliver the Innocence back to Headquarters." He'd be paired with Lavi who'd come from Luxemburg and they'd meet up at Bosnia.

The brat was silent for a while then muttered an 'understood'.

Kanda sighed. Damn this brat for making him act like this. Damn him for making him feel inclined to comfort him. Ugh, there goes his dignity. "If it's so hard to bear, then stop the doll. It isn't Lala anymore right?" How Kanda wished they never tampered with him. If only they just let him rest...

"But it's their promise." Came the reply. "The only one who can break Lala is Guzol."

This brat just never stops spewing nonsense. Yet somehow, it didn't annoy Kanda that much, the kid showed that he was ready to stand up and fight for his cause, he wasn't just talk. He meant it, he wasn't looking for an easy way out, he genuinely wanted to save people. He was different from other humans he encountered. "You're naive." He said without his usual bite. "We're destroyers, not saviours." They were soldiers. They weren't entitled to have emotions. Back then, he learned that quickly. Feelings were only obstacles, if you can't toss them aside when they become a burden and you end up dead.

The boy let out a bitter chuckle that defied his young years. "I know that. But I-" His voice was caught in his throat as the wind blew past them. The song stopped.

The boy sprung to his feet and dashed to the doll. Wasn't he too, injured? Then how come he had such vitality? Kanda shook his head and sighed as he got up much slower and followed the white-haired boy with Toma in tow.

Two figures were positioned in the middle of the small chamber. Guzol was lying on his back with fingers intertwined on his stomach, just like anyone would in a coffin. His head was cradled in the doll-girl's lap, who gazed at the sky, mouth opened for a mute requiem.

The Bean kneeled down next to them, ready to bury the two when the doll talked. "Thank you... for letting me sing until I broke. The promise has been fulfilled." With that, it collapsed in the white-head's arms. Crystal droplets landed on the doll's porcelain cheeks.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Kanda asked, seeing the crouching form.

"Kanda... " Kanda swore his heart skipped a beat at the way the boy called out to him so softly, with those gentle chrome eyes, like softly twinkling stars, looking at him. "Although what you said is true, I want to become a destroyer who can save." As the boy continued to cry with the light enveloping him like a cape, Kanda couldn't help but compare him to an angel.

XXX

Most fanfictions depict Kanda as a heartless asshole but I think does care about Allen. If he didn't he wouldn't have saved Allen or comforted him in Mater in his own Kanda way. Their relationship is disharmonic, but they have a mutual understanding and look out for each other.

So that's all for now. Don't hesitate to drop me a line. Have a nice day/night.