Ah, jealousy blooms so swiftly in the hearts of the eternal! Or sommat. Like Saya would know. Oh, Lavi does have himself quite the problem now. He loves Yuu, but he's got a jealous shinigami after him who wants more than his soul. And of course, he doesn't really not-like Allen anyway, you know? How difficult…
4. Out of Our Hands
"You're out here, aren't you Allen? Come on out and tell me what this is all about!" Lavi demanded loudly; he knew Allen was close, he could feel it. A moment after he called the snowy boy came out of hiding. His expression was cold and hard, it surprised Lavi because he'd never seen Allen make such a face.
"It's simple, I hate Kanda," Allen said as though that justified everything. But how could it? That was so wrong; did shinigami have some kind of special right to just kill off people they don't like? That just seemed too wrong, there had to be some higher power in the universe with a sense of right and wrong who wouldn't give any one kind of being that sort of right.
When Allen saw the upset expression on Lavi's face, he sat down on the roof and sighed, "I was only kidding. Sort of. That guy does tick me off some though."
That didn't make Lavi feel any better. He felt just a bit too angry to not do anything about it either. Stomping up to Allen, the redhead pulled him up by the front of his shirt and decked him hard across the face. Lavi wasn't normally a violent person and usually he wouldn't even think about hurting Allen, but this was just too much.
"You don't like him so you try to kill him?! That's just going too far! What'd he ever do to you Allen? I really thought you were a good guy you know, but I guess I was just being stupid after all."
"It's because…" Allen's face lost its coldness, but instead it was replaced by a strange unreadable expression, "You only think about him."
'I only think about him? What does that have to do with anything…?'
An odd hot and cold chill went through Lavi as Allen suddenly hugged him, his face hidden in the redhead's chest, his hands fisting around the material of Lavi's shirt.
"I don't….I don't want to give you to him!"
Lavi's eyes widened as comprehension dawned on him. Oh goodness…
"I want you for myself."
Death was in love with him.
000
Lavi couldn't look Kanda in the eye the rest of the day. He'd really messed up now; how the hell had he managed to make Allen fall for him? The last half of his meeting with Allen was still so fresh in his mind.
"It's not just something I hope for; it's something I really want!" Allen said, looking up at him with determination in his summer storm eyes. "I've never wanted anything so much and I don't know why but it really annoys me when I see you with him! I won't give you away."
Lavi could do nothing as this information sunk in, he couldn't even blink. He'd made a shinigami fall in love with him. This shinigami wanted him and was really far too jealous for anyone's good. He was going to attack Kanda over Lavi.
No, he didn't want that, he never wanted to cause so much strife for Yuu.
"I definitely want you to be mine alone, I'll do anything for that!"
Lavi didn't like the sound of that one bit. He was a bit touched by the boy's strong feelings for him, of course, but Lavi definitely didn't want Allen hurting Yuu over him. There had to be a way to protect Kanda from this, just because Lavi was destined to fall didn't mean that he had to drag Yuu down with him.
"Whhhhhyyyyyyy….?" Lavi groaned out, pulling at his hair in frustration. Daisya and Lenalee each gave him mixed looks of pity and confusion.
"Kanda-kun, fix Lavi before it's too late!" Daisya pleaded, worried for his friend. Kanda wasn't quite sure what he could do, it wasn't like he had any idea what was going on here.
'If he really meant that, then how is he going to keep me with him? I mean, it's not like he can turn me into a death god…' For a moment Lavi pictured himself in the head-to-toe white get-up, and immediately decided it definitely wouldn't suit him.
"I don't wanna wear white for eternity…!"
"Lavi." Suddenly his hands were being held in a warm gentle grip. Coming out of his revelry, Lavi looked down to where the voice had come from. Kanda was sitting on his haunches in front of the redhead's desk, looking up at him curiously. A small part of Lavi's mind knew that Kanda wouldn't usually look so sweet and cute on his own, and that someone must've told him that looking up at Lavi would produce that sort of effect.
"Are you alright?"
"I…"
'I can't drag Yuu into this. I've got to make sure that Allen doesn't really get angry enough to actually kill Yuu. I can't let Yuu know…'
"I'm just worrying about exams again, I haven't been studying nearly enough, ya know?" Lavi lied quickly, and pulled his hands away from Kanda's. The motion was quick and very obvious; it felt unnatural for Lavi to pull away from Yuu so he had to do it quickly or he'd come undone and tell the truth. Kanda narrowed his eyes at the motion.
"Really now?" Kanda stood up and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Immediately the effect of the position changed; he'd gone from looking cute and concerned to looming over Lavi in an almost intimidating way. "Seems more like you're just trying to hide something, if you ask me. What happened on the roof when I left?"
Shit, Yuu was quick. He caught on to everything so fast, he knew Lavi was lying and he knew that something had happened on the roof. How was it that Yuu always knew what he was thinking? Well, no matter, Lavi was still determined not to involve Kanda in this any more than he was already.
"Don't worry Yuu-chan, if it were somethin' ya needed to know about, I'd tell ya," Lavi said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. Standing up, Lavi quickly left the classroom, saying he should get home to study. 'This is no time to get upset over this; you're just doing this for him…'
"Wow, he's doing better already," Lenalee said, feeling much less worried now that she's seen Lavi leave seemingly happy.
"The power of love….grah, makes me wanna hurl," the much less mature Daisya said, sticking his tongue out as though he still thought love was an illness.
"Che, you two are so oblivious," Kanda said, knowing that something was wrong.
000
Kanda didn't like the answer he'd been given when he'd asked Lavi if he was hiding something. The redhead had basically told him that yes, he was hiding something, but that it was none of Yuu's business. Who'd Lavi think he was to talk to Kanda like that? They were supposed to be together, right? So if something was troubling Lavi then it was definitely Yuu's business.
Besides, Kanda got the feeling that whatever it was, it had to do with the shinigami. If it had to do with the shinigami then it definitely had to do with Kanda. That thing was trying to kill Lavi and now it was trying to kill him, too! Anything that specter did was his business.
If Lavi had talked to that shinigami when he'd left, then he'd probably asked about why it was targeting Kanda. If it answered truthfully, it would probably end up confessing to Lavi. Maybe Kanda was just being overly paranoid about this, but from the sounds of it that shinigami-Allen, or whatever- had a thing for Lavi. Lavi also seemed to find the thing cute to some extent and liked it in what Kanda hoped was a platonic way. Kanda wasn't quite sure if he could compete with a rival he couldn't see and who could kill him whenever it suited the brat's fancy. That had to be cheating.
"Che, that shinigami better not even think about trying anything…"
000
Lavi groaned quietly as he entered his apartment, today was definitely not his day. He still couldn't completely wrap his head around the idea of Allen being in love with him, why the hell would the shinigami care about him? Wasn't Allen supposed to off him? What had Lavi done that was so special, anyway?
'Well, I did name him, and it seems like I'm the first person who's ever been able to see him… But that doesn't make for that kind of love…Does it?'
"Welcome home, Lavi." The redhead jumped out of his skins when he heard Allen's voice coming from his kitchen. It took a few moments of heavy breathing to remember that Allen could come and go as he pleased. Lavi was really hoping for some time to himself to continue wallowing in confusion and depression, but getting that didn't seem likely now.
"Ah…hey Allen, gave me a start," Lavi said trying to keep the awkwardness out of his voice. He was a bit afraid that if he did anything wrong Allen would take it out on Kanda. Of course, it was also extremely awkward to come home to the person who had just confessed to him, and toward whom he had uncertain feelings.
"You're home early, I didn't expect that," Allen said, his question carefully casual. He seemed to realize that Lavi was feeling emotionally off-balance.
"Well, sometimes I've gotta buckle down and study, ya know?" The redhead sat at the table and pulled out his history textbook, goodness it weighed a ton. Allen sat across from him in the seat that Yuu usually sat it. To Lavi it almost seemed like an attempt to replace him. He tried hard to concentrate on his studies instead of on that.
"It must be hard working for a scholarship," Allen said as he leaned over the table just slightly, "why didn't you try for a school that was easier to pay for?"
"Ah…" Lavi didn't really know what to say to that. In all honesty he'd just decided to go there because that was where Yuu was going. He couldn't tell Allen that though, who knew what would happen if he did?
"Well, I guess I just wanted the challenge, or something..." Lavi scratched the back of his head nervously and looked to the ceiling. "It was a real stupid idea when I think it over." And logically it had been; between all the part-time jobs he kept in order to pay off bills, studying, and then maintaining himself and his apartment, he had all the stress he could handle and hardly any time to relax. If he'd chosen an easier or cheaper school to go to he wouldn't have to work or study so much. But still, seeing his friends everyday was well worth it.
"Lavi" -the redhead wondered when Allen had dropped the honorific he usually used- "You're acting really tense, you know. I know it's my fault though… I'm sorry for saying those strange things before. I pomise I won't hurt that stupid ponytail jerk, so you can stop being so tense now…" Allen looked down in what seemed to be shame; sure he wanted Lavi for himself, but what good was that if Lavi wasn't himself? He didn't like making Lavi upset.
Lavi really had no idea what was up with this kid. First he was all cool and aloof, then he's crying, then he's being a tricky bastard, then absolutely ecstatic, then murderous, and finally, finally, depressed and remorseful. Well, this shinigami certainly had a full emotional spectrum. It would be much easier to deal with Allen if he would just decide on how he felt and stick with it. Lavi wasn't sure whether he should hate Allen or not. He wanted to be angry at Allen for that stunt he pulled at school, but then again the boy had just apologized and promised not to do it again. He'd have to see if Allen could be trusted to keep his word, but he was pretty sure the boy would.
"Hey Allen, are you allowed to visit people in the afterlife?" Lavi asked suddenly. Allen tilted his head at the question.
"Um, depends. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to visit people in Heaven but…I'm not too sure about Hell. I don't think I'd want to visit anyone there anyway... Might not be able to get out, you know."
"Aha…" Lavi certainly hoped he didn't end up there. "Well, when I die, assuming I go to the good place, why don't you visit me there? That way you don't have to feel so jealous. I mean, if you've got something to look forward to, then it should be easier to ignore what I do here, right?" He felt embarrassed saying things like that, but in the end he really didn't want Allen to feel too upset, that'd be sad.
Once again the death god's eyes lit up like lights on Christmas. "You mean I can?" Allen asked excitedly, looking so much like a puppy that Lavi couldn't help but pat him on the head.
"'Course you can. We can sit around there and hang out just like we do here," Lavi said, a kind smile on his face. It wouldn't be so bad having this cute lil' guy visiting him in Heaven; it might just make his stay worthwhile.
000
The world seemed like a pretty nice place that day. The weather was mild, the breeze was light, the scenery was nice, and Lavi didn't have to worry about his best friend-gone-boyfriend getting killed any time soon. Yeah, planet Earth wasn't so bad at all.
"Oi, Lavi." The aforementioned redhead turned away from the window he was staring out of wistfully to look at Yuu. The older boy held out the book Lavi had lent him a while back and he took it gratefully; Kanda wasn't really one for reading so it took him forever to sit down and read something.
"Did you like it?" Kanda shrugged and nodded to the side.
"It was alright." Lavi knew that was Kanda's way of saying it was wonderful and that he'd read it more than once.
"Hm….looks better today."
"Huh?" Lavi gave his friend a questioning look. What looked better today?
"You look better today," Kanda explained, "Yesterday you were nearly pulling your hair out over something or other. You're much more relaxed now."
"Ah…" Yuu was so wonderful, noticing things like that! (Granted, Lavi hadn't exactly bothered to hide the fact that he was having a mental fit the day before and he wasn't hiding his content mood now either.) Feeling super loved and not caring that they were in a busy hall, Lavi hugged Yuu tightly around the waist, bringing the older boy very close.
"H-hey! We're in the hall…! People are staring…" Kanda muttered awkwardly, he really wasn't one for public displays of affection. Lavi grinned and touched his forehead to Kanda's.
"Let 'em stare Yuu, I don't want anyone thinking they can have you." He did so love the way that flush crept up Kanda's face.
"B-Baka…" Lavi had half a mind to kiss Kanda then and there, but a shrill whistle made them both jump. Their homeroom teacher stood with her arms folded across her chest, foot tapping away on the linoleum floor, a whistle between her lips and an amused expression on her face. Kanda wasn't the only one who was beat red when he entered the classroom a moment later.
000
Kanda was cold, shivering cold. It was pretty unusual for Kanda to actually show it when he was cold, but he had been for so long now that it was impossible not to shiver at least a bit. Why the hell was Lavi's apartment so cold? This was ridiculous, he had a space heater, didn't he? If he didn't want to turn the heat up for the sake of saving money, he could at least use that…
"Allen, stop picking on Yuu, it's not nice." Kanda twitched; he should've known. It was really strange to listen to Lavi talk with something he couldn't see, but the proof that something was indeed there was the way the cold mysteriously left him.
Apparently the thing with the shinigami had been resolved a few days prior, and the thing had calmed down enough that Lavi felt it wasn't risky to bring Kanda home again. That brat of a death god didn't want to kill him anymore, but it still didn't like him.
As Kanda pondered ways to skwewer something that he couldn't see, Allen pouted and moved away from him. Just because he'd agreed to put up with the ponytail-wearing jerk didn't mean he liked having him over. Lavi really didn't like it when Kanda was put in danger, so Allen was controling himself and not doing anything too bad. Still….couldn't he at least pick on the guy a little?
Lavi felt like he was stuck between insanity and bliss. He knew he looked like a lunatic, talking to something Kanda couldn't see like this, but at the same time Kanda understood what was going on and didn't seem to mind it. The redhead was really happy that Kanda was accepting this all so quickly, he was thankful that he didn't have to fear for Yuu's life anymore, and he was glad to know that he wouldn't be too alone when he died.
"Can't I just pick on him a little? I mean it's not like making him a bit cold is really gonna hurt him….it'll just annoy him, if nothing else. I'm perfectly content with that." Allen looked like such a kid, pouting and glaring halfheartedly at Kanda as he said that. He even stuck his tongue out, it was so cute!
"Yeah, but if he gets too cold then I'll have to get out the quilt, ya know? And I'm sure you can guess what that means." Lavi knew that nothing would happen if he and Kanda shared that old quilt again. Yuu was too much of a prude to do anything when someone (even someone he couldn't see) was watching, and he wasn't a snuggling type either. But Allen didn't need to know that, he just needed to have enough of an imagination to think up those sorts of scenarios.
And boy, did he. Allen's face went a bit red as he thought up situation after situation that could happen if those two were hidden under a thick blanket together. His pout turned into a scowl, and he sat down on the kitchen counter.
"Oi, what are you making that brat think?" Kanda huffed indignantly. He would not do anything that Lavi was insinuating!
"That's foul play, Lavi…" Allen mumbled, but did his best to stay out of the way. This was fine, it really was. Even if Allen did nothing, Lavi was eventually going to die; shinigami didn't actually do the killing most of the time, they just brought the soul to where it had to go. When that happened he'd be the one closest to Lavi, so if he was just patient and didn't make the redhead too mad at him…
'I'm a horrible person for thinking like that…' Allen sighed and hung his head, he really was horrible. Besides, as much as he was looking forward to an eterinity with this person he didn't really want Lavi to die, either. Lavi was enjoying life, and Allen didn't want to take that away. He had goals, things he wanted to do, it wasn't fair to take that away from him. As someone who loved Lavi, shouldn't he want him to be as happy as possible, regardless of who he was with? That was why he wasn't interfering with his relationship anymore, because he wanted Lavi to be happy. It was selfish to only want his own happiness, and he could wait an extra few decades, or however long it would take… He didn't need to do it himself, right?
Far away in a distant dimension, those feelings set off an alarm that wouldn't be ignored.
000
Before Allen had met someone who could see him, just watching people scurry around doing their business was entertaining enough for him. He'd pet dogs that noticed he was there, idelly comment on human folly, float around and think to himself that his relaxing life was probably a lot better than a human being's. After all, he didn't have to worry about things like pain, anger, sadness, not having a home or enough to eat; he didn't have to worry about being heartbroken either, or being betrayed. And he was never, ever bored.
But now his eyes had been opened. He knew what all of those bad things felt like, and he knew that it would be impossible for him to go back to being the way he was. He knew boredom and real emotion, real living now, he couldn't go back to his empty existence.
All of that was well and good, but at the moment Allen was more or less concentrated on the boredom part. It was always boring when Lavi was in school, because Allen couldn't talk to him while he was studying. All he could do was watch, and while that had once been enough it wasn't anymore. He needed someone with him, it was lonely without someone around to talk to. Not even the animals that could see him were much of a help anymore.
Through the window Allen could see Lavi laughing with those two friends of his, Daisya and Lenalee. Kanda had his head down on the desk as per usual. Allen thought that the stupid ponytail was a bit too ungrateful for his own good. If Allen was the one in that class he'd be sure to pay full attention to Lavi. Honestly, what did the redhead see in that ponytail-sporting girly-man jerk?
"Jealousy only scares lovers away kid." Allen was surprised to hear the deep voice that came from behind him. It was very close to his ear, and the slight breath he could feel on his skin proved that the source of the voice was close, too. Startled, the boy turned around to see a tall man in dark clothing standing up straight. He had a strange mask and long vermilion hair. Allen glared at the man.
The man paid no mind to Allen's rigid posture or his hostile stare, and instead looked into the window.
"It's the redhead, right? Lavi. Gotta say I don't know what you see in guys, they're ugly and they smell."
"Who the hell are you?" Allen said, disregarding this man's assessment of his current love-interest.
"Calm down kid, I'm one of your kind." Allen's eyes widened when he heard this; was this man another shinigami? Allen had never met another of his kind. He knew that others existed, he got orders on his cell phone from them. Still, he'd never come face-to-face with another death god; it was in their nature to work alone.
"One of my kind? I've never seen another death god." If this person really was a death god, then that meant his mask was covering up his seal; the enchanted seal that shinigami were born with stopped human beings from seeing them. Allen's was on the left side of his face.
"Yeah, and that's the way it's supposed to be. You do realize that my being here means you're in hot water, don't you?" The man asked, his grin saying that he didn't really care either way.
"You see, our boss, the one who issues orders, he knows how you're feeling right now. Once every century or so someone is born randomly in the world who can see the death god assigned to them. These gods either get attached or kill their target immediately once they realize that someone can see them."
"What happens to the shinigami who don't kill their charges?" Allen asked, curious as to how this was handled. Clearly Allen had made a mistake in letting Lavi live beyond the moment they had first spoken, at least according to his boss he had. Who the hell was his boss, anyway?
"Well…Those death gods fall to ruin, of course. They have thoughts like "I don't want to kill this person, they're my friend" or "It's okay if I don't kill them, what difference will one person make?" Those thoughts aren't allowed kid, and it would appear you've had them."
"My name is Allen! Don't call me kid." Allen didn't like knowing that something in the universe was monitoring his thoughts, so instead he thought on something else.
"Name…?" The redhead's visible eyebrow rose, as a look of understanding settled onto his face. "I see, you've become particularly attached because you were named, hm? That's happened once or twice before, too. Damn humans can't keep their names to themselves…" The death god rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Look kid-"
"-My name is-"
"-Yeah, yeah, Aaron or whatever… Look, the only reason I'm here is to tell you this: Lavi cannot be allowed anymore time. He's to be dead by the end of the week."
Allen's eyes widened. That couldn't happen, Lavi still had 20 days to live. Why did he have to die so quickly…? It wasn't right. Allen couldn't do this, not now, not ever. He didn't want to kill Lavi, he didn't want to see Lavi die. Sure, the sooner Lavi died the sooner Allen would have him for himself, but Allen didn't want to take Lavi's happiness from him so soon.
"But…Why…?"
"The kid's gotten too involved with you, he's affected you too much. It's getting too hard to predict what is going to happen now, so he's got to go."
"What? That's it? Why should he have to die sooner just over that? I still plan to do my job, so why?"
"Because you don't want to do it anymore. If this is too hard for you, I'll take over this hit."
"No!" Allen didn't want to see Lavi die, but he definitely didn't want Lavi to be taken up by another shinigami, either. He couldn't just hand Lavi off like that…
"Look kid, it's time to wake up. Falling in love, trying to do things like sleep and eat, no matter what you do you'll never be human. Just get out before you're thrown into ruin, too."
Allen knew that. He knew he could never be human, that loving a human being was pointless. Even when Lavi died, they'd still be different beings, wouldn't they be? Lavi would be a soul and Allen would be alive-it was a different kind of living, but he was alive. Even so, he couldn't stop.
"I can't do that…! Don't tell me what I should do when you don't know how I'm feeling!" Allen yelled back, anger clear in his eyes. So what if everything he did was pointless, he could still protect Lavi while the redhead was alive. He wasn't going to let Lavi die, he wasn't going to give into these feelings of depression, and he wasn't going to let this death god get the better of him with his cyinical words.
"Oh but I do Allen," the man said, a strange grin on his face.
"How could you?" Allen asked, his glare becoming a bit watery despite himself. This man couldn't possibly know, Allen felt like he was being belittled.
"Because, my name is Cross." Allen's eyes widened as he realized what that name meant for this person, Cross. The older shinigami sighed and turned away from Allen's suddenly sympathetic expression; if Cross was still here then that must've meant he was forced to kill the person who had named him, didn't it? Allen couldn't imagine anyone facing that decision and being unaffected.
"Yeah, I was named. Pretty thing she was, but fiery. Said I made 'er feel cross so she named me that. It's just a stupid name but it's hard to let go of."
"I'm…"
"Don't pity me yet kid, 'cause I'm just doing to you what they did to me. I'm going to take this operation over since you can't seem to do the job." The dark death god didn't give Allen a chance to respond to that before he disappeared from sight.
000
Allen thought over the things the dark god Cross had told him, and knew instinctually, the same way he knew what he was and what he had to do, that it was true. Shinigami could die, too. No, death gods who disregarded orders got worse than death. If Lavi wasn't dead by the end of the week then they'd both be. But could Allen really do that, could he take Lavi' life to save his own? Granted that for Lavi death wasn't the end whereas for Allen it was but… He didn't think he could do it. Was he prepared to give up his own existence for someone else? Once again, Allen wasn't sure.
As it was, Allen was just concentrating on making sure both he and Lavi lived more than a week. If he could at least make sure Lavi was protected, then it would be easier to think of a way to fix this.
Below him Lavi and Kanda talked over plans to go to an amusement park over the weekend. Goodness, of all the places to go, an amusement park? Those things were filled to the brim with screaming metal death traps! Did they want Lavi dead? Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?
But wait, that was it! As long as Lavi was with Kanda, he'd be safe, right? But Kanda didn't know that Lavi was in danger, did he? Both the redhead and the raven-haired thought that Allen was the only threat and even then he was hardly a threat at all. Allen really didn't want Lavi to panic, knowing that his time had been cut in half, he had to enjoy what could possibly be the last week of his life.
So Allen just had to tell Kanda that there was danger, right? Right. Now the question was, how the hell was he supposed to talk to someone who couldn't see him?
000
The room was dark, which was to be expected as its occupant was sleeping. Allen nearly glowed white in the moonlight that streamed through the window as he moved closer to the boy sleeping on the bed. He wondered if this would work or if he was just being foolish, but either way he definitely had to try.
His hand hovered over Kanda's head for a moment before he disappeared from the room.
000
Woosh, woosh… the sound of a blade cutting through air. Kanda repeated the basic stances that he had practiced since he was a child, working up to the more difficult ones. He knew this was a dream because the sword in his hand was just that—a sword. When practicing he'd usually use a shinai or a bakuto, there was no need to use a real blade for stances. Besides, the blade he was holding was a precious family heirloom, his dreams were the only place he could use it for anything.
"Wow, what a dull dream."
Kanda straightened his back at once, and slowly he brought down his sword as he turned to look at the intruder. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw; a scrawny-looking teenager who was pale from the tip of his silver-haired head to his bare toes. Kanda knew without being told who this kind was; Lavi had given quite a detailed description of the death god before.
"Huh, so you are real." Well, maybe he wasn't. Kanda had been thinking about the shinigami that plagued Lavi for quite some time, it only made sense that the thing showed up in his dreams eventually. Even so, something told Kanda it was real.
"Yep… stupid, ponytail, baKanda, jerk, ingrate, girly…"
Kanda scowled at the childish names the shinigami muttered one after the other; granted, he was most of those things (though he'd argue against that girly point to the end of time) but he didn't see why the shinigami would come here just to call him a few names.
"Is there a reason you're here, Moyashi?"
"M-Moyashi…? Why I'll have you know that I'm tens of lifetimes older than you, so shut up and respect your elders!"
"Heh, short and old?"
"Ugh… Look, I didn't come here for this!" Allen sighed in exasperation; there would be plenty of time to exchange blows later but for now there were more important things. "Lavi is in danger and-"
Kanda's eyes immediately formed a glare as he raised his katana and charged the shinigami. The mention of Lavi being in harm's way had triggered a worse response than Allen had anticipated.
"No shit he's in danger! You're the cause of it all!" He slashed forward with every intent to do harm, but Kanda knew something was up when the shinigami didn't even flinch away from the impending attack. He almost expected it when his blade went right through Allen without cutting him. He changed his footing before he fell off-balance and straightened his posture, glaring at the death god before him.
Allen was staring back at him with a rather flat look, his shoulders squared; Kanda couldn't imagine how Lavi could think this kid was cute. "I'm a death god, not even in one's dreams could a human kill me." For just a moment there was a flash of color in the boy's eyes, it felt as though his entire being was say he was something higher than Kanda.
A moment later though his posture was not so stiff and intimidating. He sighed and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Will you just listen to what I have to say now? Listen carefully, too, I don't like having to ask this of you but it's for Lavi's sake."
Kanda let the tip of his blade fall to the floor slowly, allowing his glare to decrease. "Then speak, Moyashi. I haven't got all night."
"There is another shinigami in the area. He intends to kill Lavi because I haven't. Apparently the proper way to deal with people who can see us is to end their lives right away, but because I didn't someone else has come to do it."
Damn, another one? Howe many death gods could one redheaded idiot attract? Kanda had no idea how to get rid of one of them, never mind two. Why did Lavi have to be able to see these things? What was it about him that gave him this troublesome ability? And why on earth did he have to die so soon? Kanda's troubled eyes were downcast.
"So I need your help, Kanda." Yuu's eyes shot up again; so that's why he was here. "I have power, but I don't know if I can fight against a senior shinigami successfully. You have to help me protect him so that he doesn't die."
Kanda raised an eyebrow at this; he was under the impression that Allen wanted Lavi dead. When Lavi died, Allen would be able to monopolize him, right? So why did this death god, who had gone so far as to try and kill Kanda just to get his competition out of the way, want Lavi to live?
"I thought that you were looking forward to his death?" Kanda asked. It wasn't like he had any problem with the death god wanting Lavi alive, of course he didn't, but it was odd.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm counting down the days," Allen said bluntly; his honesty wasn't appreciated, "but… He's happy here… he doesn't want to die right now… I can't just selfishly do what I want and disregard that, can I?"
As Allen looked to the floor with a bittersweet expression on his face, Kanda started to see him as something more than the antagonist in this strange situation. Allen was… sort of like him, wasn't he? He just wanted Lavi happy, happy and alive. There wasn't anything wrong with that. Kanda sighed and made a sour expression; he didn't want to work with a shinigami but if it was to help Lavi, then…
"Alright. I will do my utmost to protect him as I am, but you better do your part, too," Kanda said with a determined stare. Allen's expression lit up with gratefulness and for a moment Kanda could almost understand why Lavi thought this thing was so cute. Almost. Kanda did so hate cute things.
"Che, you've done what you came here to do, so get the hell outta my head, ya damn trespasser," Kanda said with a halfhearted attempt at irritation. Allen rolled his eyes before turning around and stepping out of the dojo.
000
Lavi fidgeted with the hem of his long pull-over sweater as he waited in front of his apartment complex for Kanda to pick him up. This was his first date with Yuu-chan, it was an honest-to-goodness date! He was so excited but at the same time he was so nervous. Had he dressed too casually? Maybe he should've worn slacks instead of jeans? The white button-up he had on was pretty casual, but it would've looked a bit more formal if he hadn't worn the loose-fitting knit sweater over it. Maybe he should've worn something less… baggy? More elegant? He had no idea.
'Ah…! We're just going to the amusement park, people do that all the time and they never get dressed up. Besides, what's the point of trying to impress Yuu-chan at this point in the game? He's seen me in everything from mourning attire to my birthday suit, there's no need to get dressed up…' Of course even as Lavi tried to reassure himself, he still panicked over his appearance when he saw Kanda coming toward him, looking as impeccable as always. Yuu always had to look so good, didn't he? It was almost unfair. Did he even try?
Kanda came to a stop in front of him, a bit winded from the jog over. "Sorry for the wait," he said with as much of a smile as Lavi had ever seen on his face. Oh goodness, this scenario… so shojo. Lavi melted a little.
"N-no problem Yuu-chan. So we're goin' to the amusement park, right? What ride do you wanna start with?" Lavi asked nervously. Kanda seemed to be thinking about something else at the moment though, his eyes were far away.
"You have to help me protect him so that he doesn't die."
Suddenly Kanda grabbed Lavi's hand and looked him straight in the eye. "You…absolutely cannot let go of my hand. All day. Got it?" He asked seriously. Lavi's face heated up a bit at the command and he nodded quickly.
"Got it." His heart was going to burst from happiness at this rate.
"Good."
The two continued down the street hand in hand, Lavi chattering on about where he wanted to go that afternoon.
Ah… Next chapter will probably be the last one. This story just slipped right on by. It's pretty fun… Definitely gonna be some more Laven in the next chapter. Definitely. Kanda can't just hog Lavi after all.