AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This is going to be another slightly depressing chapter. Sorry :/

It's not just because I am in an angsty mood (Which I am) but because I have pretty much planned this whole fic out so the following events were already sketched out. Since this is a sad chapter, I decided to write this when I'm depressed (Probably not the best idea)

***WARNINGS: Death, Self Harming, Language.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. All belong to Yana Toboso

CHAPTER 4

Eric woke to the sun in his eyes and the sheets kicked off of the bed, it got rather hot for both of them so they decided to take the sheets off which wasn't the best plan considering the winter morning air was freezing even with the window down. He turned and looked at the time on his phone.

8:45am

He let out a groan wanting to sleep in more but he was more set on seeing Alan's sin. Speaking of Alan, he wasn't in bed. "Alan?" Eric got up and looked in the bathroom; there was no sign of him. This was strange; Alan was never much of a morning person. He usually got up around 10 or 11 in the morning, and if someone woke him up then he would be very cranky.

Eric saw that Alan had taken his bag. Did Alan ditch him? No, Eric knew what he was doing.

"God damn it Alan!"

Eric put his shoes on and ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the bar. He then looked both ways of where the sidewalk went to try to determine what direction Alan went in. Eric's hunch told him Alan was selling alcohol illegally to minors like he said. He went right, hoping he was going the right way towards Alan. He was right.

Up ahead was Alan holding his bag with a cigarette in his mouth. He was switching 3 bottles of beer with what looked like a 14 year old boy and his friend who was also 14. The boys were counting their money when Eric arrived, now they were walking away with the alcohol, Alan put the money in his pocket, and walked off.

Eric missed his Alan. He missed his sweet shinigami. The one that would always give him hugs and kisses and occasionally hit him in the arm for saying a perverted remark that always made the little brunette blush. He especially missed his Alan. The Alan that would eat the weirdest foods in front of Eric just to creep him out.

Live Octopus tentacles. The thought made Eric shiver. Alan encouraged him to try it, which he did, and it was just plain weird. The tentacle was moving around in Eric's mouth. Alan told him to chew it up real good so the suction cups wouldn't stick to Eric's throat. He doesn't know how Alan pulls that stuff off.

Shit. He got lost in his imagination and forgot to keep an eye on this Alan. Where did he go? Eric saw him walk off but he didn't see where he went.

"Alan?" He walked the way he saw Alan walk and sure enough, he found him ducking into an alley, keeping his head down "Al-"

Then Eric realized why Alan was ducking. 3 teen boys were chasing after him, they went in the alley were Alan ran in.

Alan realized quickly that he wouldn't be able to escape. This alley ended with a wall. Alan looked back at the boys who were getting closer and closer. He backed up against the wall, attempting to get away from them.

"You know why we're here Humpries." One of them said.

Alan quickly shook his head. "I-I haven't the slightest-" he was hit across the face by one of the boys.

"Relax." The one that seemed like the leader said "We know how much of a gay pussy ya are. Especially without 'Sis'"

"What do you mean?" Alan was more concentrated on how much his face hurt more than whether or not Alice was with him.

"Tch." The leader threw a camera at Alan "She's dead. Died last night."

Alan's eyes widened as he caught the camera "You're lying!" he yelled.

"See for yourself." The leader bowed and backed away, as did the other 2.

Alan turned the camera on and looked through the pictures. Every picture in there was of the same thing. Alice lying in her room, head bashed open, her brown eyes black and sunken into the back of her head. She was covered in bruises, her limbs busted and bent in different angles, cigarette burns on his neck. He knew who did this. It was his father. It had to be. No other person could give another human being as much damage as his father.

"NO!" Alan screamed "NO! Sis! Please, no!" he began crying. The camera fell from his hands and onto the ground. His hands, which were empty and shaking, punched the brick wall. There was a loud crack and Alan screamed in pain and agony as his knuckles shattered. "Why is this happening!?" he cried.

"God doesn't like fags."

"Hey."

Alan knew that voice. The boys turned around to see who the voice belonged to.

Eric stood there, cracking his knuckles. "I ain't one for pickin' on kids smaller than me, but ya three better scurry if ya wanna live. Actually…" he grabbed the leader by the hair and held him up "You don't get the choice."

"Ohh shiiiiit!" the other 2 screamed and ran off.

"Hey! Guys wait! Not cool! Get the cops! Get the cops!" the leader was screaming.

Eric would never hurt anyone smaller than him, but nobody messed with Alan and got away with it. Alan, still in tears, ran passed Eric and ran down the street. Eric looked at the boy, dropped him in a dumpster, shut and locked the lid, leaving the boy banging on the inside of the dumpster yelling for help.

Eric looked around. Alan moved fast.

"Alan!" he yelled "Where are ya! Where'd ya go!?" he ran around, looking for the little brunette. Then remembered where he would go.

The bar.

Eric made a dash for the bar, never stopping once. He ran up to the bartender "Hey! Excuse me!" he was rushed.

The bartender looked at Eric "What can I do ya for?"

"Did Alan run in here? Did he!?"

"Yeah," the bartender seemed confused "He ran upstairs, why do you-"

"Thanks." Eric ran up the stairs, taking two at a time and ran to Alan's room, only to find that it was locked. "Alan!" he backed up and rammed his shoulder into the door. The door flew open, breaking off it's hinges.

Eric had a flashback. To when he came home…

Eric backed up and rammed right into the door, putting all the impact on his shoulder. The door broke off the top 2 hinges and flung open, it hung on the bottom hinge, pieces of the door broke into pieces on the floor. Eric was greeted by a big strong whiff of blood.

Eric tried to shake the flashback away. "Alan!"

There was a large puddle of blood that took up a good bit of the cramped bathroom, a few little razors floating in the puddle.

"Alan!" he picked up Alan who was unresponsive.

The room spun, Eric yelled Alan's name again and kicked open the bathroom door.

He couldn't miss the skinny little brunette hanging over the side of the bathtub with an empty pill bottle in his hands and wrists slashed.

Alan spun around, his black and white sweater on the floor. Pools of tears flowing from his eyes. His wrists were bleeding; the blood was dripping and forming a small puddle on the floor. Alan gasped when Eric grabbed his wrists and used the sweater to apply pressure to the wounds. His body pressed against Alan's, pinning him against the wall so he couldn't run off.

"Let go of me!" Alan yelled.

"No! I can't bear to see that image ever again, ya hear!?"

"What are you talking about, you freak!?"

Eric stared at Alan for what seemed like forever before he eased up and flashed a gentle smile "I'm the freak?" He laughed "Yer the one who eats octopus tentacles, and yer callin' me a freak?"

Alan blushed with embarrassment then he relaxed and sobbed quietly. "Alice...sis…she's…"

"Shh…" Eric held Alan close, never letting go of his wrists. "It's ok. You'll make it through."

Alan continued to cry. Eric held Alan's head close to his heart in attempt to calm him down. When Alan had a breakdown, and he listened to Eric's heartbeat, he immediately became calm. After all, he couldn't hear Eric's heartbeat if he was crying now could he?

"Shh. Ya hear that?"

Alan sniffled and took a deep breath "W-what?" he stuttered.

"That sound."

"What sound?" he whimpered.

"You'll hear it eventually." He rubbed Alan's back "Just gotta stay quiet."

Alan was quiet. He wanted to know what Eric was hearing. His eyes darted around the room, looking for the mysterious sound but his head stayed put on Eric's chest. His breathing was shallow and his shoulders were shaking. Then he heard it.

BA-DUM…BA-DUM…BA-DUM…

"I-I hear it!" Alan kept his ear over Eric's heart, being extremely quiet so he didn't miss a beat. "It's your heart."

Eric smiled "Yeah. That's my heart."

Alan's eyes blinked. There were no more tears coming out of them. His cheeks were dark pink from all that crying, he was making little hiccups but tried to keep them in so he could here Eric's heartbeat.

"You know," Alan began. "We kissed, and you saved me twice in the past 10 minutes, you know my name but I don't know yours." He looked up at Eric who gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Slingby. Eric Slingby."

"So your name is Eric?" Alan asked, balancing himself on the curb on the sidewalk as he walked on it. His sweater had a big ugly blood spot on the front of it from when Eric was pressing it against Alan's wrists.

Eric nodded. "Yeah. I dunno, sounds kinda princey. I never really liked it that much."

"I like it." Alan replied with a sweet smile right before his foot slipped and he almost fell on the street if Eric had not have caught him. "Thanks..." Alan muttered.

"Yer Welcome." Eric pulled Alan to a standing position and held his hand as Alan went to balance himself on the curb that's when they heard a very angry "Hey!" behind them.

They turned around to see a very angry teenager maybe around the age of 19 stomping towards them. He had black hair that went to his jawline and over half of his face. He was dressed in worn out blue jeans and a black T-shirt with the weed symbol on it. He had bags under his eyes and he just didn't look healthy at all. Alan quickly pushed Eric away and stood on the sidewalk away from the street. Eric was confused, Alan saw his confusion out of the corner of his eye, never taking his full sight off of the stranger.

"Go away."Alan whispered.

"Why would I do that?" Eric asked. Before he got an answer, the tall male was standing right in front of them, eyeing Alan.

"What are you doing baby?" the male asked Alan who looked away. The male was also sporting a bunch of facial piercings, some of which were getting infected.

"I'm just talking to a friend Pal. Leave me alone."

Pal? Why did that name seem so familiar to Eric? He knew that name, he remembers Alan mentioning that name but he didn't know where or when.

And 'friend'? Just a friend? They kissed, Eric thought that meant something more. He guessed not.

Pal eyed Eric up and down and then gave him a glare "Who's this chump?"

Alan felt his heart skip a beat. "N-no one." he tugged on Pal's arm "Let's just go to your house, Pal. Please?" he begged.

Eric understood now. This was Alan's ex-boyfriend, the one that had serious behavioral and anger problems. He was a delinquent that Alan couldn't get away from. He remembers Alan mentioning the fact that Pal wasn't bi or homosexual in any way. He just used Alan because he knew Alan would be too scared to leave him.

Pal gave Eric a glare and roughly grabbed Alan by the arm and dragged him off like an angry mother. Alan tried to pick up hi feet as he looked back at Eric and waved goodbye, a scared but sad look on his face.

Eric suddenly got that protective feeling over Alan again. He wasn't going to let a dirty man like that put their hands on his beloved Alan. He went after them.

Pal was in for a rude awakening.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

What did you think?

Updating might take longer than usual because something happened so I get limited time on MY laptop.

I really didn't put much effort in the last part of this one. Sorry. And I didn't read over it to fix any errors. I'm just so depressed right now.

***REVIEWS HELP!

EDIT: Since people keep asking this, I will say this once:

Q: 1) Is he back the actual past, or a world made by Alan's memories?
2) If he's in the actual past, isn't he changing it a lot?
3) If he's in the memory world, is he changing Alan's memories, or is it just a world created by Alan's memory?
4) Or is there another explaination (or is it just one of those go-with-it things?)

5) do you know your time traveler rules? I can agree that without Eric there it would change the future. How ever one must not give information that would alter the course of history...

A: I am a whovian so yes, I do know my time traveler rules. It is neither of these things and it is not a "go with it" thing. I will not spoil the story so you will just have to continue reading until the last chapter. These questions will be answered in the final chapter. You are going to have to hold on for a bit, ok? Thank you. Enjoy :)