First, let me apologize! I'm really sorry! I meant to get this out a lot earlier than today, but better late than never I guess. And hey, summer is almost here I can smell it. Summer= faster updates. Hehehehehe…
I would also like to give a shout-out to Hanashi o suru, Mettlei, LOVEROFYUKANDAANDLAVIFOREVER, and HerShadow! Your reviews made me want to update this story ASAP! (But I guess that didn't really happen XD) Thank you so much!
IMPORTANT(ish) STUFF RIGHT HERE PLEASE READ!
this story is set in the year of 2027 which is 15 years from now (im a math genius!) this will help for some stuff mentioned down below
I have decided to put in little blurbs that describe stuff that might be confusing to people who don't live in my brain. They are called FYI STATEMENTS. I couldn't think of anything else :P so if you have any suggestions… (if you don't get what im saying right now, read the chappie and then come back: it will make more sense, I promise)
And now, on with the story!
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After a quick good-bye, Kanda closed the door on his last few guests. He sighed in relief and turned around, sliding down the wall. He landed on the ground with a soft thud and buried his face in his hands.
He was finally alone.
"Kanda! Where does this bowl go?" He groaned. That's right; the moyashi and Tim were still there. He opened his eyes to find Allen standing in front of him holding a large silver container. Tim lurked just behind him, peering at Kanda over the silver-haired man's shoulder.
"It goes in the cabinet to the right of the one above the sink." He said, rubbing his temples to try to relieve the headache growing there. "I'm guessing you're going to help clean up."
"Obviously. I mean, I am your VP. Isn't my job supposed to be helping you out?" Allen said as he walked back into the kitchen. Tim remained in the room with Kanda and sat down in front of him. He placed his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand and just watched the other man. Kanda crossed his arms, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.
"What the hell do you want?" Tim smiled and shrugged. All weariness faded as Kanda growled and stood up. "Well, don't sit there like a sack of fucking potatoes. Go help Allen. I'll clean up in here." Tim rose to Kanda's level and mock saluted before darting into the kitchen.
"Tch." He muttered, walking over to the table covered in glasses. As he busied himself with collecting the glasses and putting them on a tray, his ears tuned in on the two idiots in the kitchen. Apparently, their conversation (one-sided conversation, mind you) was very top secret because Allen was trying, and failing, to whisper.
"I told you it would work." A slapping noise followed that must have been a high five. "Your ability to scare the shit out of people is really helpful; even with Bakanda. Now we don't have to do all the work by ourselves!" Allen and Tim broke out into girlish giggles.
"I heard that." He called out as he placed a half empty glass on the tray. A loud crash came from the kitchen as if something had been dropped. He winced and desperately hoped they hadn't broken the porcelain bowl his mother had given him as a house-warming gift. It was his favorite.
"I don't think he heard everything. He's too stupid for that." Allen's voice was lower but not low enough. Kanda sighed and picked up the last glass, placing it on the tray before picking that up too. He carried it into the kitchen where he found Allen and Tim crouched under the sink, watching him apprehensively.
"I heard that, too. I'm not deaf, you idiots. I'm also not stupid." He glared at them as he brought the tray to the counter and set it down. "Now wash these dishes. I'll go see if any of the other rooms need cleaning." He turned on his heel and strode out, head held high. Allen scoffed.
"Since when is he so touchy?" He asked Tim who shrugged in response.
"You should really just stop talking." Kanda said. Allen flinched and jumped up, grabbing the nearest dish and beginning to scrub hard. Tim laughed his closed-mouth laugh and stood to help him.
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It took a little longer than expected, but they managed to get the place looking brand new. Kanda picked up all of the drinking glasses and cleaned the rooms. Tim dried the dishes. Allen washed them. Well, that was until he decided to finish the alcohol in every single lightly filled cup. As you can imagine, he became unfathomably drunk and was leaning on Tim by the end of the night.
"Is he going to be all right?" Kanda asked, glancing at Allen out of the corner of his eye. He was currently lying sprawled out on the couch, holding a pillow close to his heart and murmuring things to it. Then, he cried out and clutched it closer to his chest. "I never knew he was such a horrible drunk. You've got your hands full, Canpy." Tim rolled his eyes and nodded.
"I hope he realizes we have a huge meeting tomorrow about the next topic for the VAP Challenge. The theme for the upcoming years is going to be released at 9'oclock sharp, so you better get the moyashi there by 8. Got it?" Tim stood up straighter and nodded again. He stalked over to where Allen was petting the pillow affectionately. He yanked it out of Allen's grasp and put it on the nearby chair.
"No! Don't take Steve away from me!" He cried indignantly. Actually, it sounded a lot more like, "Naoh! Doon'te tafe Steef ewah froom meh!"
Tim ignored his plea and bent over, wrapping Allen's arm around his shoulder. He stood up carefully with the other's weight pressed against him. He snaked his arm around Allen's waist to better support him.
Kanda looked on, amused, as Tim half led half dragged Allen to the door. Kanda opened it and gestured for him to go through.
"Good luck with that one." He said. Tim chuckled as he hauled the floundering mess that was Allen Walker out of the apartment. He closed the door after them.
"Finally some peace and quiet." Kanda sighed. He felt weariness seeping into his bones so he trudged up the stairs to his bedroom.
Yes, he had a two-story apartment. Big whoop.
When he reached his room, he entered quickly so he wouldn't pass out. He didn't bother changing clothes; he didn't have the energy to. He collapsed onto the bed and curled up like a cat before drifting off to sleep.
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FYI STATEMENT
Name: VAP (Vehicle Assessment Program)
Head: Malcolm C. Leverrier (also referred to by certain people as Douchebag and/or Professor Douchebag)
Description: This program (and others like it) was founded in the year 2013 due to the drastic climate change. As the name states, it tests the cars and motorized vehicles that companies spew out to make sure they are qualified for driving in areas with civilization. Of course, this is not the main reason it was created because if it was, it would be just like every other inspection agency in the world.
Specialized Component: As mentioned earlier, VAP was formed to help reduce the CO2 gas emissions so that our planet does not become uninhabitable for humans. If it was up to Leverrier, he would have removed all the vehicles and voila: problem solved. Unfortunately for him, it was impossible to just up and get rid of the number one source of transportation in the world. This is where the VAP Challenge comes in.
Every five years a topic or 'theme' is given to all the car companies in the world. This 'theme' is what said company must base their new model of car on. For example, the first topic introduced was Electricity. The description was as follows:
"Marking this as the Vehicle Assessment Program's first year, the 'Challenge' has been introduced. Not only will it help us on our mission to save our Earth, but it will also be a friendly competition for the various car manufacturing companies. The topic for this five year period is 'Electricity.' Basically what this means is that the next model of car that a company comes out with must run wholly on electricity without any gasoline whatsoever. It also must be inexpensive so that it can be purchased by middle-class citizens as well.
The rules and further description of this 'Challenge' will be explained by CEO Malcolm C. Leverrier on October 7, 2013 by means of VB. Any and all questions will also be answered on this day."
And so, every five years it was repeated and now it is on its fourth run. The topic is soon to be revealed…
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Kanda wasn't excited. He never got excited. It wasn't happiness either… It also wasn't satisfaction or anticipation or anything for that matter. Actually, if words were to describe him, he would be an emotionless zombie.
This was his first time doing the VAP Challenge and he didn't know what to think. His parents were always the ones to take care of this sort of stuff, so he never really paid attention. It didn't even matter for him seeing as the last time the Challenge happened he was far from qualified, being a teenager and all. But now, the big day had arrived.
He checked the clock on the dashboard. 7:22 am. No need to worry; he would get there in time.
Kanda turned his eyes back to the road and took a deep breath. Not like he had the capability of worrying.
Like I said: emotionless zombie.
He took a left at the light and continued down the street. Now it was just a seven minute drive until he reached First Illusion. And 37 minutes until all his employees started filing into the conference room. And 97 minutes until that dick Leverrier began to fill them all in on the topic. Kanda's eyes darted to the clock.
Make that 96 minutes.
A weird feeling was starting to creep into his gut. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he just gritted his teeth and forced it away. It wouldn't do him any good to think about it. He didn't need any distractions today.
Speaking of distractions, the car in the lane next to him was starting to inch in front of his own car.
He let out a curse and swerved into the opposite lane, tires squealing. Once he was sure his car wouldn't stray into another lane, he allowed himself three seconds to shoot a glare over to the idiot who had almost killed him. It was an old man hunched over the steering wheel, chatting amiably with whoever was sitting in the passenger seat. Kanda growled unintelligible things under his breath.
It was times like these that his mind flashed back to that day three months ago when he had been walking downtown. He had passed this one shop that sold guns. Real blast-your-fucking-head-off hand guns. He had come so close to buying one until an emergency call for work had interrupted him. Damn that moyashi and his inability to use a printer.
Anyways, he was really regretting not buying that gun right about now.
Kanda shook his head of those thoughts as he finally reached First Illusion. He pulled into the parking lot and parked in his designated space, conveniently located by the front door. Oh, the perks of being President.
He jumped out of the vehicle, suitcase in hand, and turned to look at it for a second. This car was one of a kind. Night Runner was its name and aptly so. A dark black paint job gave it a sleek shine with a black leather interior to match. Two white lines led horizontally across each side and met at the back, forming the shape of a cross. When the ignition was started, the engine purred like a kitten but roared like a lion while speeding down the highway. Essentially, it was perfection at its finest and Kanda's first design to boot.
A self-satisfied smirk graced his features as he entered the building. Actually, skyscraper would be a more appropriate term for the massive structure. It rose next to many others in the downtown area, but was the tallest of them all.
Well, maybe only in Kanda's mind.
He nodded to the security guard stationed at the desk and continued towards the elevator. His destination lay on the topmost floor, number 35. Why the conference room had to be put in the highest part of the building, he would never know. Thank god he overcame his fear of heights three years ago.
Yes only three, don't judge.
He tapped his foot impatiently against the floor of the elevator as it slowly rose. The music playing softly in the background was beginning to get on his nerves. It was probably some overplayed pop song put into piano music. He would have to talk to someone about that.
Finally, the elevator stopped with a ding and opened up to reveal a long hallway. He strode forward with the footsteps of one who had walked the same path many times before. It didn't take him long to reach the end, turn right into an open doorway, and enter the spacious conference room.
Spacious was an understatement. The conference room basically took up the whole floor. A large marble gray harkness-style table with thirty black leather seats surrounding it occupied the center of the room. Not all of the seats were always used, but it was better to be prepared rather than not. Two wooden steps led down into the circular area where the table rested. A thin light gray carpet extended from the outside of this area, reaching out to the corners of the room. The only solid wall was painted a darker gray color, while the other three sides of the room were devoted to a long lining of windows that let in natural light. All around, it was a simple yet elegant design perfect for Kanda's tastes.
He purposefully strode to the one chair on the thinner end of the table (his chair was comfier than the rest of them, lucky bastard.) He set his briefcase on the table and sank into the chair gratefully.
Oh, how he loved his boss chair.
His eyes wandered to the VB stationed straight across from him. In about an hour and a half, he would know the topic. These next five years would be based wholly on what was about to go down; the fate of the company rested on his shoulders.
No pressure.
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FYI STATEMENT
Name: VB (Video Broadcast)
Description: Invented in 2014 by German scientist, Albrecht Engelbert, this revolutionary technology has helped many teachers and businessmen alike. It is fundamentally what the name says, a video broadcasting tool. This version is just a lot more advanced.
The VB is a small platform that rests horizontally on the ground. It doesn't look like much at first, but when you turn it on, an image appears. A 3D image that hovers just above the base platform. The image is a recreation of the sender: either full body, face, or even an eyebrow, if the person wants it. It is an excellent means of communication for meetings, seeing as it is also two-way.
Another feature of the VB is that it can be connected to a computer so that diagrams, maps, pictures, videos, and the like may be presented.
Warning: This platform is not to be stood upon or the VB will break. It is also very harmful to humans and has the potential to main or kill. There is a reason why Albrecht Engelbert only lived to the age of 37.
Word to the wise; watch your step or regret it.
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"You nervous?"
"No."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I am not."
"Then why are you gripping the table so hard?" Kanda looked down, surprised. His knuckles were turning white.
He immediately released the edge of the table and cleared his throat awkwardly. He chastised himself for being so weak. Allen patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it."
Kanda shook off the hand and stared pointedly straight down the row of employees in front of him. About fifteen other people were there, all of importance to the Challenge "I'm not worried and I'm definitely not nervous." He hissed. That was a complete lie. He was extremely nervous. Disgustingly so. But he wasn't about to tell Allen that.
He didn't see the smirk plastered to Allen's face as he leaned back. He did, however, notice how Tim Canpy wasn't in his usual spot.
Instead of standing on Kanda's left side, he was standing on his right. It was… strange. And completely unexpected. Wasn't the whole reason he always stood on his left because of-.
Kanda froze. His eyes narrowed as he looked- really looked- at Tim. He was standing with his hands crossed behind his back. His gaze was trained on the opposite wall. Nothing new there. Only people who knew him really well would be able to see the stiffness in his shoulders, the twitching of his pointer finger, the unrelenting tapping of his foot, the slight quiver of his blue eye that meant he was barely containing a horrible rage…
Good thing Kanda knew Tim really well.
Then, he considered Allen. It wasn't hard to tell there was something wrong with him, too. He was as easy to read as an open book.
Pathetic, really.
His eyebrows were knitted in confusion and he kept stealing glances at Tim. As Kanda watched, their eyes met briefly. Tim looked away almost instantly, leaving Allen staring after him with hurt written all over his face until he too looked away. Kanda blinked.
What the hell? Was the world ending? Allen Walker and Tim Canpy never fight. Italics, bold, and underline on never. Complete and total emphasis. That word means business.
It was just one of those things. Almost like Brad and Angelina. Positive and negative magnets. Yin and yang. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. Communists and China.
Aka, they were close. A lot closer than most friends. In fact, they were nearly inseparable. It was impossible to see one without the other. Sometimes, it even seemed as if they were of the same mind. Well, as the great Aristotle once said, "Friendship is a single soul dwelling within two bodies."
Something must have happened. Something really bad. Kanda pondered the dilemma in his head. The question was what exactly transpired that made them like this.
No matter how hard he thought, he just couldn't come up with anything. Actually, he did have this one theory… but it was so farfetched it couldn't be possible. That happening to them-
"Kanda!" He was interrupted out of his reverie by Allen's insistent voice. He crossed his arms and glared at him. "Look, it's starting." Kanda gulped and turned his attention to the VB. An image of Leverrier sitting at a desk appeared. After a pause, he began to speak, all business.
"Good morning, my friends and fellow employees." He said in an almost sarcastic tone. Kanda growled inwardly. He really hated this guy. "I would like to give a special welcome to Alfred Langton, Patricia Stills…" He drawled on, listing the names of all of the presidents in no particular order. As each name was called off, an image of their conference room with them around their respective tables flashed past. He zoned out for this part. It didn't matter because only one of these people was actually any competition.
"…Lavi Bookman…" Speak of the devil. A feed of Lavi in all his eye-patched glory came up. In the brief second Kanda saw him, he noted that the other was resting his chin in his hand and examining his nails, looking for all the world bored. And on the most important day for every single one of the presidents, too!
That's Bookman for you. Can't take anything seriously.
"I would also like to give a congratulations to Lavi Bookman for winning the previous Challenge." Kanda grimaced. Leverrier leaned forward. "Let's not beat around the bush, here. I know you all are excited to get started." Kanda was far from excited. He glared at the image of the man. "Ah, Kanda, smiles as usual. Always the enthusiastic kid, I see." Kanda's look became mutinous.
"And you're getting distracted as usual. Haven't you grown out of that yet?" He snarled, taking pleasure in the fact that the CEO's countenance darkened. "Besides, I'm not a child anymore, Leverrier." Much to Kanda's disdain, he chuckled.
"Right you are, Kanda. Right you are. Now let us proceed." Leverrier sobered. "As you all know, these Challenges are to help save the environment, so as to prevent our earth from becoming uninhabitable, yada yada yada. You get the picture." He brought his hands up to rest on the desk in front of him, twining his fingers together before continuing. "This year's theme is sunlight. As in the car has to be able to run solely on solar power; no gasoline or anything else. Here are the criteria:
One. The panels must be hidden from the naked eye. Nobody wants to buy a car with huge ugly plates on top.
Two. As in past years, it must be cheap enough for a middle-class American to purchase. Do you hear me Forchestor? No million dollar cars, got it? We will not have a repeat of last year.
Three. The car must be able to run for a week without any sunlight. I'll give you all a hint; you're going to need large storage tanks." He began snickering to himself.
"I assume we're finished." A woman said. Her conference room area popped up on the VB while she talked. As soon as she finished speaking, Leverrier's beautiful face came to greet Kanda.
"Hold up everyone. I'm not finished just yet." A sly smile spread its way across his face. "This year, there's a catch." Kanda's stomach flipped.
A catch? Since when was there a catch?
"Well, that got everyone's attention." Leverrier said. "I am glad to see you are so eager to begin." Kanda gritted his teeth, fed up with his attitude.
"Cut the crap, Leverrier. What's the catch?" He snapped. The CEO glared into the camera.
"You're insolence is not welcome, Kanda Yuu. You should learn to respect your elders." Kanda held his tongue. As much as he wanted to say some biting comment, he knew it would just land him more trouble than it was worth.
Leverrier accepted his silence with a nod. "Good. Now that that's over, here's the catch." He edged closer to the camera, as if it wasn't already easy to see his three-dimensional face in detail. "This is not a solo project. Every company must partner up with another to design this vehicle."
Dead silence. Then it seemed as if everyone began yelling at the same time, like they were having some sort of shouting contest. Kanda included.
"What? You mean-"
"No! I refuse!"
"You can't seriously expect-"
"What kind of game are you-"
"How are we supposed to-"
The VB flashed by so many faces so fast, Kanda's head began to hurt. But he was protesting just as loud as the next guy. That was, until Leverrier decided to shut them all up.
"ENOUGH!" All the voices stopped. "There is no arguing with this decision. Anyone who has any complaints can take it up with the head of VAP." He said calmly. "Oh wait; that's me. And I don't want to hear it." He slammed his hands on the desk in finality. "You're in the real world now, not kindergarten."
"I think it will be a good experience for all of us." Lavi's face replaced Leverrier's on the VB. He seemed to be deep in thought. "It's not like we have a choice, anyways. You might as well look on the bright side."
"You should all follow Mr. Bookman's example. He sets a good one." The CEO said, smirking. "By the way, you must send me the name of your partner and their company by midnight tonight. Good luck." With that, the VB shut off, leaving no time for anyone to protest. In place of Leverrier's face, an empty chart appeared with the title 'Partnerships' typed across the top.
Kanda leaned back into his chair and breathed out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding in. He looked up to see that all eyes were on him.
"Well?" Allen prompted. Kanda considered this. As much as he didn't want to, he knew exactly who he should be paired with.
And he had to get him before anyone else did.
Kanda stood up. "I think we all know who the obvious choice is." He paused before reluctantly saying. "Lavi Bookman, the winner of the Competition. Many will be targeting him for this as well."
"Then we should get him on the phone immediately." George Ward, Chief Mechanic, called out. Kanda shook his head.
"No need for that. I already know he wants to partner up with First Illusion. Our company did win the Challenge before he won his, anyways." He watched as two names appeared on the screen.
One partnership down, thirteen to go.
"I want to see if he will make the first move. If he doesn't; at least it will show that we aren't desperate to partner up with Akuma. That's the name of the game; playing hard to get." He waved a hand dismissively. "You may all leave." His employees got up and began to file out the door. Allen and Tim remained with him. As soon as everyone was gone, Allen threw his hands up in the air and faced him.
"Are you shitting me Kanda? Playing hard to get? Really?" He asked incredulously. Kanda chuckled darkly.
"Like I said, I want him to make the first move. It's like playing chess. You want to see what your opponent will do before you move your own pawn." A knowing smile began to grow on Allen's face.
"I see. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, huh?" Kanda nodded.
"You can go now. Oh, and if you would tell everyone they have the day off, that would be great. We can't do anything without our partner, so what's the point." He noted that Tim walked out as fast as he could, leaving a confused Allen trailing behind.
So, maybe it was just Tim that was angry? That meant Allen was the guilty party. But guilty of what exactly?
Kanda shook his head free of those thoughts. He had better things to do than wonder why Tim was pissed off at Allen.
He placed his iPhone on the table before sliding into his seat. Crossing his legs, he shifted to get more comfortable and watched the VB. Now there were three partnerships. He smirked at the glowing image.
He would give Lavi thirty minutes. If he didn't try to contact Kanda by then, he himself would call the man.
Speaking of calls, his phone was ringing. He grabbed at it and saw an unknown number on the screen. He pressed 'reject' and leaned back, cell gripped tightly in his fist. He knew it was one of the other companies trying to partner up with him. He just didn't have the patience to talk to them right now.
Five unanswered calls and two newly announced partnerships later, his phone rang once again. Only, this time, a picture of a carrot showed up on the screen. The carrot being Lavi.
Get it? Because he's a ginger? Never mind.
Kanda pressed the send button before placing the phone against his ear. "Lavi Bookman, I was wondering when you were going to call. My heart has been aching to hear your lovely voice."
"Spare me." Came the annoyed reply. "Let's get to the chase, shall we?"
"I'm guessing you want to partner up for the Challenge."
"Isn't that obvious? So, you in?"
"Hmmm… let me think…" He heard Lavi click his tongue impatiently and smirked. "Yes."
"Great. I'm on my way over to First Illusion so we can discuss this design we have to make." That caught Kanda by surprise.
"What? You can't wait till tomorrow?"
"Nope. Besides, it's not for my sake; it's for yours." He could practically hear the grin in Lavi's voice. "I know you can't bear to be without my presence for one moment longer. Don't worry, I'll be right there, baby." With that, Lavi hung up.
Kanda scoffed and ended the call so he could start another one. He typed in the required numbers and put it on speaker. After two rings, someone picked up.
"This is Leverrier of VAP; how may I help you?"
"It's Kanda. I'd like to let you know Lavi Bookman and I will be working together."
"Bookman? That's a surprise. I thought you hated each other."
"We do. But we're going to win this Challenge." Kanda said shortly. He really didn't want to have a conversation with this guy.
"Cocky, aren't we? This will be interesting to watch. I'm wondering how this is going to play out…"
"You and me both." He said and hung up. With a sigh, he put his phone back on the table and observed the VB. It took about a minute before Lavi's and Kanda's names showed up, side by side. Seeing this, Kanda had to agree with Leverrier on one thing.
This was going to be interesting.
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Sooooo, second chapter finished. Tell me what you thought, please!
Also, I have exams next week, so don't expect a fast update, but ill try!
RandR!