I hate school. So much. I was planning on getting this out earlier, but since I only got one review for last chapter and I've had a shit ton of school work, I've been a bit busy. But here it is! Hooray for OOC-ness. And many other things. I don't even remember writing this.

Summary: No one considered him a prisoner except for himself.

Rating: I dunno. K+, maybe T. -shrug-

Ficlet #8:

Prisoner of War

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In a way, it was almost funny how he had lost his family in the span of a day. He had lost his blood-relatives and the ones he truly considered family, even though they had no relation at all.

Allen had killed his real family, and in turn he also lost the ones he loved. That was what landed him in prison.

Allen often kept secrets, and he knew one day would cost him his life. Today was the day.

Of course, Allen technically was the one that killed the Noah family. He admitted it, because it was too complicated to explain the truth. Who would believe him if, at the last minute, he told them he had multiple personalities? Liar, they would say, and kill him anyway. So, no matter what, he was screwed. No matter what he told them, he was going to die today – May 29th, eight days before his birthday.

It hurt, sometimes, when he saw the other people going into the visiting area; picking up phones with friends and relatives only a few feet away. He wanted someone to visit him, because, believe it or not, jail got pretty lonely.

Whether it was coincidence or not, he got a visitor on his last day. And so, for the first time in a long time, he put on his fake smile, and then he picked up the phone.

"Hey, Kanda." I've missed you. "Long time no see, eh?" Get me out of here.

Kanda looked the same as always – wearing a scowl and looking disinterested no matter what he said. "Beansprout," he murmured. Allen couldn't help but laugh. God, he hadn't heard that in months.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've kind of missed that name." Allen paused for a moment to study the man sitting across from him through the glass. "Your hair's gotten longer." Kanda looked at him out of the corner of his eye and grunted. "I get it. You've never been one for small talk, and I guess we have to make this quick." Allen's silver eyes flickered to the guard standing behind him. "Why are you here?"

"To visit you, dumbass, why else?"

"You've never visited before. Why now?" Kanda was silent. "Today is the last day, you know that right? Is that why you're here?"

"Yeah," Kanda said slowly. Allen just gave him a sad smile. "I… wasn't able to visit before. They wouldn't let me."

"No need to apologize, Kanda."

"I'm not apologizing."

Allen raised an eyebrow and subtly shook his head. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, Kanda." He half-rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but look back at the man sitting across from him. Their eyes met – blue clashed with gray – and he did everything he could to not cry.

Allen's hand slowly touched the glass. "You're so close… closer than I would ever imagine they'd let you."

Kanda's eyebrows furrowed, and he also touched the glass. He felt the warmth of Allen's hand, faintly, and wished that he could be closer. "Why's that?"

"I'm a murderer."

"Shut up, beansprout."

Allen laughed lightly. "You're so close, and yet I still feel so far away from you. I've really missed you, Kanda."

"Why do you keep saying my name?" Kanda interjected curiously, eyeing Allen before looking away again.

"Because this is the last time I'll ever be able to."

"Quit being so melodramatic."

"I'm pretty sure I have a right to be if I'm going to die, you know. Do you expect me to be ecstatic? You never cease to surprise me." Allen laughed again, but he stopped abruptly. "I need to tell you something, and I'm not too sure you'll believe me."

"Just say it then, you idiot," Kanda said, and though his words were harsh, his eyes had softened.

"Technically, I wasn't the one who killed them," Allen whispered through the phone, and after a few moments of silence he wondered if it really had been smart to act on his instinct – which kept screaming at him to tell anyone what had been eating away at his conscience for months.

Allen jumped in surprise when Kanda slammed a fist on the table, and he looked up to find piercing blue eyes glaring at him. He could see many things in those eyes, but what he didn't expect were the beginnings of tears. There's no way that he would ever let them fall. He's got too much pride, Allen thought.

The glare flickered from Allen to the guard standing restlessly behind him. She noticed his stare, and with an irritable frown, tapped her watch.

"There isn't much time left," Kanda said quickly, and his voice was laced with obvious irritation. "They don't know that? Allen!" The use of his name caused Allen's eyebrows to furrow, and he jolted. It was weird to be called by his first name, too, because he had been so used to answering to Walker since he'd arrived. He stayed silent. "They are planning on killing you for something you didn't do. You're going to let that happen?" Kanda sounded absolutely furious, but there was an underlying sense of anxiousness. Allen wanted nothing more than to break down the wall of glass and hug him.

"If I told them at the last moment that I didn't do it, when I already admitted to murder in court, do you think they would believe me?" His answer was silence. Kanda was glaring at him and holding the phone so tightly in his hand that his knuckles were as white as paper.

"Exactly," Allen said slowly and nodded.

"Idiot," Kanda muttered, averting his eyes and trying to look anywhere but at Allen's face.

"Your time is up, kid." The guard grabbed Allen's shoulder, none too gently, and pulled him from the seat. The phone that was previously in his hand clattered noisily to the table.

He looked over his shoulder and his smile was almost nonexistent. "You're talking about my life, too, right?"

Again, there was silence, and he almost found it funny that she didn't respond to him when she had probably led many people to their deaths in her lifetime. Silence spoke volumes – much louder than words ever could. "Alright," Allen nodded once more, looking back to Kanda who was staring at him sharply from underneath his bangs.

Allen picked the discarded phone back up and brought it to his mouth, and his smile was suddenly brighter than Kanda had ever seen it before. "I don't know if I've ever told you this before, but I kind of love you, if you haven't noticed."

He set the phone gently down onto its receiver and allowed the guard to steer him away.

"Beansprout! Allen, wait! Tell them the truth, goddamnit! Tell them you're not a murderer!"

The guard snapped the handcuffs back on his wrists and looked down at Allen impassively. "What is he talking about?"

Silver eyes flickered to Kanda – the molten mercury pools glimmered gold, and Kanda hissed – and then Allen looked back up to the woman holding his shoulder in an iron-fist grip. "I have absolutely no idea."

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