CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was snowing great, fat flakes down on the city. We made our way to the train station, me slipping and sliding on the wet cobblestones. I almost face planted into a vendor selling jewelry. Luckily, Kanda kept me from knocking over the whole display. He let go of my waist after helping me stand upright. My skin burned where his hand had been.

I followed along after Kanda and Mari. We soon reached the station, and boarded the train. A finder was there, waiting for us. He led us to a compartment and we entered. I thanked him as he closed the door behind us.

"Look at it outside!" I said, as the snow began to fall down even harder.

"It's disgusting."

"Kanda! It's beautiful," I said.

"I hate snow."

"It reminds me of that time we had the snowball fight!"

"Che."

"What happened?" Mari asked.

"It was so much fun. I'll tell you."

I looked out the window of my room to see that the grounds of the Order were blanketed in snow. The trees looked like they were bending under the weight of the snow, and the waterfall was frozen. I changed quickly and dashed out of my room, ready to run outside in the fluffy snow.

"Kanda!" I called, knocking on his door. I heard grumbling from the other side of the door, and it was opened by an irritated looking Kanda.

"What?" he snapped, hopping on his toes.

"It's snowing!"

"I realize, idiot. The floor is freezing!"

"Put on some socks, then."

He rolled his eyes at me, holding up the pair that he held loosely in his hand. "I was about to when you interrupted me to state the obvious."

"We need to go outside," I said, ignoring his comment.

"I hate the snow."

"Please?"

"Absolutely not. Let's go to the cafeteria. I need hot soba and tea." He pulled a black sweater over his head and zipped up his boots. I followed him down the hall.

"It's really pretty outside," I said.

"Che."

"How can you disagree?"

"Because snow is cold, wet, and disgusting. And I hate it."

I sighed and slowed down as we came to the cafeteria. Kanda opened the door and stepped into line. I followed after him. Lavi entered soon after us and waltzed right up to us in line.

"Hey guys!" he said, throwing his arms around us. Kanda looked like he was about to threaten violence, but instead just ducked underneath Lavi's arm to escape.

"So I'm staging a snowball fight on the lawn. It's going to be epic! You guys in?"

"Yeah! I love snowball fights!"

"Awesome. Kanda?"

"Hell no."

"Aw. Please? For me?" Lavi made a pouting face. Kanda swung a punch to his stomach, making the pout disappear.

"Oof!" Lavi clutched his stomach.

"Serves you right, baka usagi."

"Who else is coming?" I asked.

"You, me, Allen, Lenalee, Krorykins, and Miranda. We asked Reever to ward off Komui."

"Why?"

"I don't want to get my arms chopped off for throwing a snowball at Lenalee."

"Oh. That's a good idea."

"Yeah. Are you sure you don't want to play, Kanda?"

"Che."

"Fine. I guess I should find Allen then," Lavi said, defeated.

"Why?" I asked.

"To tell him that he was right. He bet me that Kanda wouldn't play. I think his words were, and I quote, 'Kanda won't play, because he knows that I'll crush him. He's just a scared little girl.'"

I was surprised that Lavi kept a straight face through his lie. It was impressive. I should take lessons from him on how to be deceitful.

Kanda glared at Lavi and walked away.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Lavi called after him.

"To find a snowball to bash into that Moyashi's face."

"Yes!" Lavi cried, punching the air. "Success!"

I shook my head at him as he walked away, happy at tricking Kanda into joining the fight.

Later that day we made our way to the grounds of the Order. Lavi was already outside, building a fort to protect himself from snowballs. Lenalee was making a snowman with Allen and Miranda. Krory was standing behind them, looking positively frightened, though at what I was unsure.

Kanda looked at Lavi, who was busy building up one side of his uneven fort, and grabbed a handful of snow, molding it into a perfect ball. He tossed it in his hand. I watched him curiously.

"Let's get this over with," he said to me. I smiled. He pulled his arm back and pitched his entire weight forward, letting go of the snowball. It hit Lavi hard, knocking him off balance and plunging him head first into his snow fort. It collapsed under his weight.

"Yu!"he whined, "That took me forever to build. You're going down!" He grabbed a snowball and launched attack, aiming at Kanda, who ducked out of the way. The snowball hit Lenalee.

"Lavi!" she cried, entering the fray. Soon all of us had been hit by snowballs and war was being waged, every man for himself.

I ran around, throwing snowballs blindly, and getting hit by as many as I threw. Kanda ran out toward me, an evil grin on his face, snowball in hand. I dropped to the ground.

"I surrender!" I yelled. He slowed and walked up to me.

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

"I didn't think you'd give in so easily." He looked at me and I found myself entranced by his beauty. I stood up, holding a snowball hidden in my hand.

"What can I say?" I said. "I don't like fighting." Then I smashed the snowball in his face. He made a strangled cry, grabbing a snowball.

"You better run for your life." And I did. I sprinted away. But I knew it was to no avail. Kanda was much faster than I, and soon he had tackled me into the snow. I fought as hard as I could, but it didn't save me from receiving a snowball to the face.

"Truce!" I cried, laughing in the snow. I lay on my back, breathing hard. Kanda was laying next to me, his chest rising with each breath. I felt the world melt away as he turned his head to smile at me. There was nothing but me and him.

"Val?" he said, his face turning red.

"Yeah?"

"Um. I..." He paused, trying to form the right words. "I think that I-"

Snow fell down on both of us. I struggled upright. Lavi had launched a giant snowball at us, using his Innocence.

"Better run, Val! I'm after you next!"

I ran away, seeing snowballs pass me as I dodged through the trees. Soon I was at the edge of the grounds, the cliff behind me. Lavi was advancing on me. He launched a giant snowball at me.

I stepped back, and felt the edge of the cliff. There was nothing I could do as the snowball came at me, likely to push me off the edge. I cringed and covered my face. And then I heard yelling.

"Baka usagi! You could have killed her!" Kanda was standing in front of me, Mugen in his hand. It became apparent that he had sliced the snowball into pieces before it hit me. He was breathing hard, the vein in his forehead bulging. I could tell that he was furious.

Lavi could tell too. "Kanda, it was an accident. I wasn't thinking."

"You won't be able to think again, once I'm through with you."

Lavi bolted away, Kanda chasing after him with his invoked Innocence.

"Lavi managed to make it to safety with the science department before Kanda did any real damage though," I said. I left out the part about the world melting away when I told Mari the story. It felt too personal, and I wanted to keep that moment between Kanda and myself.

"Kanda, you really should learn to control your temper," Mari said.

"Che." Kanda folded his arms and glared out the window for the rest of the ride.

The train jerked to a stop in the Barcelona station. I lurched forward in my seat, falling to the floor, and smacked my hands on the ground. Kanda, who barely even flinched at the abrupt stop, smirked down at me. I felt a blush creep on to my face.

"How is it," Kanda said, "that you are deadly on the battlefield, but in danger of killing yourself off of it?"

"I don't know!" I said angrily, accepting his outstretched hand and allowing him to pull me up. We stood, inches apart and eyes locked, for a moment. My breath got shallow.

"Val, are you all right?" Mari asked from the platform as Kanda and I stepped off the train.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're breathing changed. I wondered if something was wrong." If my face wasn't red before, that comment certainly made me feel like my cheeks were on fire. Kanda smirked at me.

"Let's go," I said, eager to escape the embarrassing situation. We walked off the platform and began our stroll through the station. My ears were assaulted by the Spanish language and I kept looking everywhere. I tried to absorb as much as I could. I hoped that it looked like I was searching for the general, rather than at the sights. I didn't think that I could bear anymore taunting from Kanda.

Kanda hailed a cab and we piled into the carriage. The driver cracked his whip and the horses, great big Andalucians, started to pull us forward.

"Can you hear him, Mari?" Kanda asked.

"No. There's too much noise interfering in this city. I need to be somewhere quieter." He turned his head away, as if to stare at the city passing by. I looked down at my hands.

"Daisya should be here too," I said. Kanda glared at me, and I immediately regretted my statement.

"Val, stop," he said.

"I'm sorry." I looked down at my knees.

We drove in silence, the quiet only punctured by our breaths and grunts from the horses. The noise of the city surrounded us.

All of the sudden, it was silent. The air was stagnant around us, seemingly tangible. All of the people had gone, disappeared from the streets.

"What's going on?" I asked. The cab driver turned around, a gun protruding from his face. I screamed, not having enough time to retrieve my bow or dagger and attack.

An explosion knocked us from the carriage. I tumbled to the cobblestones, landing hard on my side. My hands scraped against the stones and I felt blood trickle down my forehead. Ignoring the pain, I quickly readied my bow with an arrow.

"Damn it!" Kanda snarled, spitting blood from his mouth. He was drenched in blood from the akuma cab driver. "It's a trap. They know we're here."

"Keep alert!" Mari ordered. "I'm listening."

We walked down the street in silence, our boots clicking on the stone. Nothing attacked, but instead of easing my nerves, it only heightened them. The streets were deserted still, but I felt like there would be an attack at any second. I could feel my blood rushing in my veins.

We continued our trek about the city, but half an hour later there was still no attack. Kanda was getting visibly irritated, his mouth pressed into a hard line and his eyes were straight slits. His grip on Mugen was tight, and his knuckles were white from the pressure of his grip on the hilt of the katana.

"Maybe the Earl only sent one akuma?" I ventured to say. Kanda whipped around and glared at me. The look in his eyes looked like he wanted to kill me.

"What! It's possible," I said, defending myself.

"Why would the Earl send only one? That makes no freaking sense. This is bull. The Earl is a damn fool then!" Kanda seethed.

"I don't know! Don't yell at me. This isn't my fault!"

"Are you implying that it's my fault?" He folded his arms across my chest. I was aghast.

"What! Of course not. Don't be so-"

"So what? Don't be so what?"

"Naive."

"Naive! I'm naive! Look at you! You're worse than Moyashi!"

"Kanda! Allen is not…I'm not…"

"Don't act like you think you're better than me, then." He turned his back on me. My cheeks flamed and hot tears burned my eyes.

"Of course I don't think that," I said in a small voice. Kanda turned around and dropped his arms from his chest.

"I'm sorry, Val," he said. He reached over and brushed a tear from my cheek. Then he wrapped me in his arms. "I didn't mean any of that."

"I know," I said. I relished the feeling of his arms around me, protecting me.

An explosion knocked me back into reality. Just like that, Kanda was on the other side of the street, Mugen invoked in his hand. He sliced into the level one and it exploded in a mess of metal and blood. I looked up the street and saw the swarm. This was going to be a wicked battle. I nocked an arrow and shot.

"There are more coming!" Mari yelled. Sure enough, in the sky a huge hoard of at least fifty akuma was flying toward us. I surveyed our already dim situation. Mari had cuts all over his arms, and Kanda was a mess of cuts and injuries. It was impossible to decipher whether or not the blood coating his clothing and body was mostly of his own or mostly from the akuma. I felt a cold panic creeping into my chest, worry attacking my mind.

It seemed irrational for me to be so worried about Kanda over myself, even though I knew that he was able to heal from even the most dangerous and life threatening lacerations and injuries. For some reason, I couldn't help but put his safety in front of my own. With Kanda, what worried me most was that he never stopped for a moment, no matter what. It was like he didn't even notice the blood that was trailing from his head until after the attack was over.

The swarm was upon us now. It was like a great black cloud, blocking the sun and keeping the town in a constant shade. I could see mostly Level Ones, some Level Twos. Kanda was already on the attack, sending Hell's Insects to kill numerous akuma at a time.

I shot arrow after arrow at the demons, not even pausing to watch as their shells exploded and blood spattered the cobblestones. I was killing mostly Level One akuma, while the Level Two's seemed to be targeting Kanda. He was surrounded by a group of four of the demons, each one dancing about, taunting him. I longed to go help him, but every time I thought I had a chance, more Level One demons would attack me. I could only focus on what was before me.

After what felt like two days of fighting, the battle finally ended. Kanda was lying on the ground, being tended to by Mari. He had sustained multiple injuries from the Level Two akuma, but already the deep cuts on his chest and arms were beginning to heal. His face was beginning to get back its still pale color.

I was sitting on the sidewalk, my knees pulled into my chest, resting my chin on my knees. My stomach was in knots, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Even though I knew Kanda would heal quickly, every time he was injured I was filled with an incessant worry. It was as if my mind rejected the thought that Kanda was going to heal, even though I knew that his healing was more likely than anyone else's.

A few moments later, I saw a shadow fall on the ground near me. I looked to my left as Kanda sat down on the ground next to me. His arm was in a makeshift sling, and blood matted his hair, which had fallen out of its ponytail. He looked exhausted.

"You look terrible," he said to me.

"Thanks," I replied. I leaned back and rested my hands behind me.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Che."

"What's up with your arm?"

"Broken. It should heal in a day or two. Hopefully we don't have another surprise attack."

I nodded. It made me nervous that Kanda was injured in such a way. It would be difficult for him to wield Mugen with a broken arm, though I knew that he would ignore all pain to make the kill. I didn't want him to make his injury any worse.

"Where's Mari?" I asked, after glancing around and not finding the other member of our team.

"He's out scouting the area, listening for more akuma. The General must be near if the Earl is that insistent on sending akuma to attack. We must be getting close."

"I hope so."

I looked away from Kanda, tears blurring my vision. I wished the fighting would end. I was tired of losing friends and family. I felt an arm circle my shoulders and I rested my head on Kanda's shoulder. It felt wonderful to have a reassuring arm around me. In all my worst times, I knew he would always be there to protect me.

Mari returned shortly after, and, having not discovered any more akuma, suggested that we go to our hotel and get cleaned up. The city was becoming alive with life again, and we were garnering curious and hostile stares. Kanda and I stood up, and we followed Mari as he led us to our hotel.

When we arrived, the manager at the desk looked terrified at the sight of three armed people covered in blood entering his hotel.

"We would like two rooms. We come in the name of the Black Order," Mari said.

"I-I-I….um…well we only have one room available," the man stammered. Kanda smirked at the man's discomfort.

"That will be perfectly acceptable."

"Oh. Um. Well, yes. I'll get you a key right away." I laughed to myself at his obvious wishing that we would go to some other hotel. He walked into a side room and returned with a brass key, with a number painted on it. Then he pointed us to the elevator and we made our way to our room.

Mari cleaned himself up and then headed off to get food. I was sitting on the couch in our room, brushing my hair, while Kanda was cleaning up.

"Val, can you help me?" Kanda had left the bathroom. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white button down shirt, left casually untucked. His left arm was in its sling and in his right hand was a length of red cord. His hair was hanging loosely down his back.

"The ever independent Yu Kanda is asking for help?" I said with mock shock. "This is a moment we need to document. Who has a camera?"

His face flushed red angrily as he whipped the cord at me. It hit me on my neck.

"Just help me put my hair up, idiot," he snapped. I smiled and helped him pull his hair back into the ponytail, leaving out two long strands on both sides of his face, as was custom for him.

"There you go," I said.

"Thanks."

"You are very welcome."

"Che."

He strode across the room and sat down on the couch, putting his bare feet up on the coffee table. He contented himself with looking out the window. To keep from staring at how beautiful he was, I busied myself with making tea in the kitchen. When I was done, I cam e over with two hot cups of tea. I held out one to Kanda.

He took the cup and sipped at the tea.

"You make good tea," he said, after taking the first sip. I smiled as he continued to drink.

"Thanks," I replied. We sat in silence for a while as we drank. Kanda leaned forward and set his empty cup on the coffee table.

"Val?" he said after a while.

"Hmm?"

"I…um…never mind."

"What is it?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"It's nothing. Forget it."

I couldn't say it. No matter how many times I tried, the words never came out. It was like my mind was playing tricks on me. I wanted to tell her, but every time I tried, my mind suddenly second guessed itself.

"It's nothing. Forget it."

"Oh," she said, staring down into her cup of tea. I stood up, suddenly wanting an escape. I went into the kitchen with my cup, and poured myself more tea. I gulped it down, scalding my tongue and throat on the hot liquid. I gasped in pain and I heard her ask what was wrong. I ignored her, though, and chased the tea down with cold water, loving the feel of it sooth my burning throat.

I went back to the couch, and sat down next to her. She looked at me, concerned, but I brushed her fear away, pretending that everything was perfectly fine.

I wondered to myself how everything could be perfectly fine if I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I really felt about her.

Sorry it's taken me so long to post. I've been busy and have had writer's block. Please review this chapter for me. I'll try my best to post the next chapter soon.