Author's Note: Ohaaaai~ Wow. Time for the third chapter already--I really can't believe it. Considering we only update every two weeks--it really doesn't seem like it's been this long. -blinks rapidly-
Anyhoodles. This chapter focuses on Allen and Lenalee--though a few "new" characters are introduced, as well. Some minor--others who you'll be seeing a /lot/ more of, in the events to come.
As always--we hope you enjoy, and you can expect chapter four on January 22nd.
Disclaimer: We do not own D. Gray-man, as much as we'd like to. But we /do/ own our plot, our ideas, and the minds that spawned this chaos you people have somehow gotten suckered into reading.
Warnings for This Chapter: Off-duty prostitutes, skipping class, Anita being a discreet!pervert, Link being cynical, the needless destruction of an innocent ice-cream cone, DDR madness, Sokaro's and Kanda's foul language, and a trip to the Principal's office.
Chapter Three
"Changes"
For a while it was silent, and Allen wasn't particularly sure if he liked it or not, but Lenalee was smiling now, despite her eyes still being a little puffy. And she was smiling at him, with that look on her face like she knew something he didn't.
He wasn't quite sure he liked that either but--but--he was feeling a little too bare at the moment, despite being fully clothed, like he revealed too much and--he didn't like it. At all.
So he sighed, and tried to smile--tried to get back into 'This is friend time, not family time' mode, and well--it nearly worked. It nearly worked, so he asked, "What do you wanna do now? It's almost the end of third period."
He glanced down at his watch just to make sure. "Do you wanna go back, or do you want to go somewhere else?"
"Hrmm...you know, I think we might as well stay out. I mean, there's," Lenalee checked her own watch, "only twenty or so minutes left of class--there's really no sense in showing up now..." She smiled warmly at him, and her eyes were once again--finally!--filled with laughter.
She loved spending time with Allen--more than anything else--and was glad to finally be able to do so again. As 'herself' this time, no less.
Allen smiled back, glad that the somber mood had finally lifted. Maybe now he could actually cover himself a bit--yeah--hide that...part that shouldn't be shown to just anyone.
So he attempted a curious expression, because he could be curious around friends, and said, "Well...if we were going to go somewhere, um, how about we just skip class till lunch? All I had to really stay for was English--and that was my first period class, and I have math right after lunch. What about you?"
"Well, I've already missed Art and Chem., and I only have Drama next, so...we might as well just ditch till lunch rolls around. Got any ideas for where we could go? There's always that arcade, but I'm not sure if there's anything else you'd rather do..."
She looked up at Allen, waiting--expectantly--for his answer. In all truths, she didn't really care what they did. Just being with her best friend was fun enough.
"Apparently we have a substitute teacher in Creative Writing today, and Art's my next class, so...yeah I don't see why not?" Smiling came a bit easier this time around.
"The Arcade, right? It's a little far from here, but I know a short cut." He paused for a moment. "Um, though it's in the morning so I guess it should be fine--we have to go through a few alleyways to get there."
She didn't look deterred by that though, and it almost disturbed him. Almost.
"Alright!" she exclaimed, actually rather excited. "Let's go, then."
She linked her arm through Allen's, and allowed him to lead her--like the gentleman he'd always been--down the street, towards their destination. She'd only ever been to the arcade once - and it hadn't been during school hours - so the girl was more than happy to let her friend to take the lead. She enjoyed just being with him, after all--no matter what they were doing.
It was just like old times--the Chinese girl linking arms with him--with a too bright smile on her face (like what happened...hadn't just happened, which was just a little disturbing. Just a little). He ignored it though, and soon they found themselves back on the sidewalk, leading into the city. The farther they got in, the closer packed the buildings became, until there were only small dingy alleyways between them.
Alleyways where...things...happened. He suppressed the barely there shudder--hoping Lenalee didn't notice--and led her to the first one.
"See, we cut in through here, then another one, and we should be there in no time. Oh, there's also an ice cream shop along one of these routes--we can stop by it if you want." Because he, thankfully, actually had some extra cash--cash that...that guy hadn't filched from him to buy booze.
Lenalee nodded, and continued to follow Allen, keeping her eyes ahead, or on her friend's face. She'd already looked at the...more-than-filthy ground once, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.
"Alright...are we almost there, Allen?" She didn't like this place--this alley. It made her feel sick to her stomach, because--because--even if she couldn't see anything, she could still...smell...it...
They stepped out onto the street once more, and though Lenalee probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, he could. There had been a scuffle the night before (this part of town was known for being dangerous, after all) over drugs, or money, or heck--even ice cream, he didn't know.
"There's the shop~" He pointed to the very brightly colored walls, and the paint splattered windows.
And through the paint splattered windows he could see--wait...wait a second.
Was that...?
The person in the window turned--and immediately their eyes locked. It didn't even take a full minute for the door to be pushed open, and a tall woman in her 20's or 30's (she had never given him her exact age) waved towards them.
Lenalee looked between her friend, and the unknown woman staring at him from the door to the ice-cream shop. "Allen...?" She tugged his sleeve.
Receiving no gratifying response, she tugged and started pulling him towards the door. It was a cute shop--and Allen seemed to know this woman, so--it couldn't be bad, right? "Allen...who is she?" she asked him, just before they reached the entrance, where the strange woman waited.
Allen didn't resist Lenalee tugging on his arm; after all--this was Anita...she was a safe person. And when they reached the front of the shop--where Anita was both smiling and smirking (how she accomplished that, he'd never know), eyeing the both of them-
"So, you're playing hooky?" she asked, straight at him. "And you brought a girl with you." As always the eyes ran over the girl--each time she met someone new, those eyes always did a scan-check.
"And such a cutie too~!"
He could see Lenalee flush, ever so slightly. "Allen, this wouldn't happen to be your-"
"Friend, Lenalee," he cut her off. "I think I've mentioned her before."
Realization lit in the woman's eyes, and Lenalee shifted a bit. "Lenalee, this is Anita, I think I mentioned her once."
That earned a raised eyebrow. "You did?"
And he couldn't blame the surprise he heard in her voice.
Family life. School life. They never mixed--she knew that-
"Just mentioned you actually, we were going to get ice cream." He looked past her through the doors. "Who's working today?"
"Link is," Anita answered with a shrug. "He's in a bit of a bad mood right now, though." Her eyes fell on Lenalee again, this time to her face.
"But that's not important. Lenalee--is it? Lena is fine, right?" She didn't wait for a response. "Your make up is ruined, what happened?"
She pulled the girl into a comforting, familiar hug that she gave everyone. "Here, here, let's fix it up before you go in, okay?" She pulled out a tissue, and began dabbing at the eyeliner and mascara that was no doubt smeared.
And Lenalee let her.
Allen felt his lips twitch. "I guess I'll order us ice cream then? What flavor do you want?"
"U-Uhm...I..." Lenalee stuttered. She was quite obviously flustered--and just that fact was making her more so. But--damn--Anita was...really, really hot! And...she was...touching her face.
She had hugged her.
Lenalee felt as though her chest was going to burst! "Uhh...Rum-Raisin...please...? Allen?"
Allen almost wanted to laugh as his friend's face turned beat red--and Anita noticed (he could almost hear the next sentence forming in the woman's head)--and shrugged, then nodded. Only she would get what it was to, and Lenalee would be left thinking it was about ice cream.
"Okay then." He flashed her a smile as well, before opening the glass doors and walking in. He barely got ten feet when heard an all too familiar voice--connected to an all too familiar blond with a straight back ponytail, and narrow beady eyes. Not your average 'ice cream man', by any means.
"Oi, Walker," Link called out, snidely. "What are you doing, skipping school...oh? Who's the girl?" He leaned forward over the counter slightly--as if that would do him any good, really--and narrowed his eyes to get a better look through the window. "And why is...was she crying?"
His eyes had widened by then, in slight alarm. "What happened? You should know better than to make girl cry, brat."
Allen let out a sigh at the accusation. "It wasn't my fault. I brought her here to make her feel better." The man raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"And she just so happened to want some ice cream--so...Rum-Raisin, and Strawberry Cheesecake please~"
The man scowled, but backed away, grabbing his scooper, and not even asking what 'size'--he already knew. After all, Allen had been stuck working with him for a few hours--so of course he knew which ice cream tub he'd have to refill the fastest.
Before long, Allen had a small cone of Rum-Raisin, and a large cone of Strawberry Cheesecake in either hand, but before he could turn around and go, Link opened his mouth-
'Oh great'
"So...it seems like Anita's...taken a liking to her," the blonde observed, but not without lacing a hint of...well, a 'hint' into his voice. He shook his head. "You might wanna go out there and defend your girlfriend--assuming she is, which I doubt--before Anita tries to take her upstairs...you know what I mean?"
He grinned, watching Allen fume at him. Oh, how he loved tormenting this boy.
And how Link so thoroughly annoyed the ever living heck out of him, Allen would never know. But he ignored it, instead opting to open the glass doors and stop Anita from--was she licking the...make up...off...?
The door slammed, making Anita jump, turn, and glare. He sent an equal one right back, and immediately her hands fell to her sides and she stepped away from Lenalee-
Whose face was currently bright red.
"Here's your ice cream," he said with a smile, handing hers out, and resisting the urge to laugh when Lenalee could barely hold it from--oh, that wasn't good.
He shot another look at Anita, who simply shrugged, and mouthed, 'She's cute, what can I say?'
He licked a lone drip trailing down his cone.
'She isn't yours, is she?' Anita sent him another meaningful look as Lenalee nibbled on her own ice-cream, 'I mean Cr--'
He sent her a glare, and she shut up.
Good, well--at least Kanda was good for something.
Lenalee took her ice-cream with slightly shaking hands, and lightly licked at it, as she watched Allen and Anita interact through the corner of her eyes. Her blush increased with every sideways glance either of them sent her--especially Anita--and by now her hands were shaking so hard, she nearly dropped her ice-cream. But she caught it.
Even more flustered now--due to embarrassment that was entirely her own fault--the Chinese girl licked the small, stray dollop of ice-cream off the heel of her palm. Then, she remembered how Anita had...licked her makeup...off her face...and, blushing worse than ever now, this time she did drop her cone, letting out a surprised squeak as she did so. Thankfully, she'd already finished most of it by now.
Allen immediately looked back over when he heard a squeak, and saw the ice cream fall to the pavement. Most of it was gone, but he saw her deflate just a little--and before he could even ask why she dropped it (though her blushing face was enough for him to make a pretty accurate guess), Anita was already tsk'ing, and shaking her head.
"Oh dear, are you okay?"
He could tell she was teasing her, he could tell--but she cast him a pleading look, and, well--what could he do? Nothing...not really. It wasn't like it was bad, unless he wanted to go back on his own words (spoken or not) from earlier.
So he simply watched--as Anita placed a hand on the girl's face, and wondered out loud, "You're awfully warm...are you sure you're okay? Would you like some more ice cream? I can buy you some, if you want?"
"I-I...no, thank you..!" Lenalee's voice came out much higher than she would have liked it to, and she mentally kicked herself. Then she mumbled, "I'd...probably just drop it again, anyway..."
Lenalee cast a pleading look at Allen, begging with her eyes for some hint of what to do. She was making an idiot of herself, she knew, but--there was nothing to be done about that. Not when Anita was right there, looking at her like that, with her hand on her face.
Allen noted Lenalee's desperate look, and pretended to glance down at his watch. "Er, yeah, besides--we're going to the arcade and I don't think they'd let us in there with ice cream."
Anita shot him a dirty look, and he swallowed--but the look quickly turned friendly enough. "Really? I could've sworn Wisely was working today."
"He works at the pet-shop on Friday's." The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and Anita laughed.
"Oh, of course, yes, right. I forgot." She gave him a knowing look that--no, he wasn't blushing--"Cross must've told you that too."
Oh--Oh jeez.
"Ah, well, it doesn't matter. I'm thinking about hitting the hay anyway."--She yawned, and it actually looked realistic--"I suppose I'll see you around dinner time, ne?"
She cast a look back at Lenalee, and smiled, eyes just a little softer. "And I hope I'll see you again? Allen, you should invite her over for dinner at least once~"
Before Allen could even agree to that statement, Anita had leaned down and planted a very soft kiss to the girl's cheek...dangerously close to the mouth. Too close, and Lenalee looked just about read to pass out, but Anita was already halfway down the street at that time, leaving Allen to--well, snap Lenalee out of it.
Lenalee blinked. Then blinked again. And one more time, then-
"Kyaaaaahh~!!!" she exclaimed, her face very nearly the shade of a tomato. "A-A-Allen...w-w...was that...is that how she normally is with girls she doesn't know...?"
She almost dared to hope that it wasn't--that she was...different. But she didn't let herself, not wanting to be set up for disappointment. It was...more than obvious that the poor girl was crushing--and rather severely, too--on Anita, and she didn't even bother to hide that fact from Allen.
Allen blinked, and cringed. Yes, Lenalee was...crushing...on Anita. Or developing a crush--or--"Well it means she thinks you're cute."
He attempted to smile, but he highly doubted it was registering in Lenalee's mind. "Though she does say that...to a lot of people. It's her job." That seemed to get through a little bit, and as much as he hated the fact that it hurt her, he wouldn't take it back. He didn't want her to get hurt, after all, and-
Well.
"I could invite you over for Dinner when she's there. But I...don't want...so--I'll...talk to her about it? I'm sorry, it's just...it's her job. It's why she sleeps during the day and wakes up at like 6PM, makes us dinner, and then goes straight to work."
He was about to apologize again, but Lenalee cut him off.
"Ohh...I see," Lenalee said softly, sighing. She'd figured as much, or course. Then, the other thing Allen had said, finally registered in her mind, and she couldn't help but perk up a bit.
"You'll...invite me over for dinner? While Anita's there? Really?" Allen had never had her over to his house--not since they were small children, at least, and Lenalee could barely even remember those times. Her smile grew just a bit brighter. 'And Anita will be there...'
Allen let out a chuckle that sounded a little more strained than he'd like it.
"Um, well, I'll--have to ask her, because, um...my house is still kinda...off limits--y'know? Not that I don't want to invite you over..." He held up his hands in defense, glad that he had finished eating his ice cream some time ago.
"Just...yeah. I think it'd be nicer if we could all go out and eat, and then maybe you could...stop by. Just for a bit." He didn't want to say 'because that guy is there', because--well--he didn't want to talk about him anymore. Anita would surely understand.
"I'll ask her tonight, if that helps?"
"Sure~" Lenalee agreed immediately, her mood having pulled a full one-eighty. "And....I might have kinda figured, about your house--you don't want me to meet him, right? Cross. That's what Anita said his name was."
She felt bad about bringing it up--almost, but not really--when she how the mere name made Allen flinch. But, she'd put it together. Allen's stuttering, 'Cr-' - and all the other times he'd cut himself off after that certain sound. His face--or rather, the stricken look on it--when Anita had mentioned that name. It all made sense. And you can bet she'd be looking into it later.
Allen visibly cringed at that. He should have figured, even if she was happy, she'd pick up on something like that. He had known her since forever, after all.
"Er, y-yeah that's...his name, but you...really don't want to meet him, if you can help it." He tried to smile, but it looked so weak he had to drop it. And wonder what kind of face he had made when Anita had said that guys name--was it really that obvious?
He sighed instead, though, and shook his head. "Um, but, we'll worry about that later, okay? We can still go to the arcade and get some games in before lunch period--wouldn't you rather do that?"
As fake as it sounded--as fake as it sounded--it made him cringe, even, just a little bit. An action Lenalee was sure to pick up on, but he didn't want to turn and look, as he led her towards the one other alleyway they had to go through.
He just hoped Lenalee wouldn't look into it herself. He didn't think she'd like what she'd find.
Lenalee nodded, speed walking a bit to catch up to Allen, and linking their arms together once more. She would definitely look into this later...and if she couldn't find anything herself, she was more than certain that Lavi could. He had his connections, as a Bookman, after all. And if he refused...then fuck it all, she would go to Allen's house, and find out herself.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, after that, not mentioning any of the things that both knew were now running through the other's head. Finally, they arrived, and Lenalee stopped Allen in front of the door.
"I'm sorry. ...For bringing it up, I mean. Let's just...forget about it all, today, okay?" She smiled warmly up at him.
Allen attempted yet another smile, and was glad when the result was a little better than the last one. "Yeah--no point in worrying about it now, right?"
Because hadn't they skipped school to have fun? It was an arcade! Arcades were meant to be fun! Not serious-
Speaking of which, as he pushed open the door to said arcade--was that music? And--it was...a little too crowded for this time of day.
...'Don't tell me'...he glanced at the register--no one was standing behind it, and--people started clapping, and there was a ridiculously loud and catchy music coming from the back, near where he was sure the DDR machine was.
'Just great.'
He had two guesses as to who it would be, and, as he led Lenalee (who looked thoroughly confused, but interested all the same) towards the back--well, he hated being right, as he saw an all too familiar person--white hair, plastered to dark skin, moving fast with the beat of the music, like an erotic dance (he cringed), and--he felt sorry for the girl he was going up against.
She was losing. Badly.
And the crowd, as always, was cheering for Wisely.
Lenalee's eyes went wide with wonder--and a bit of confusion, as to why Allen looked so...so...exasperated--as she stared at the new stranger. Whoever he was...he kicked ass at DDR.
The Chinese girl felt the stirrings of competition in her gut--after all, she'd never been beaten, and she so loved a good challenge--and she-
"Allen." She tugged on his sleeve, eyes not leaving the other white-haired young-man. "I want to VS him. Like...really badly. Who is he?"
"My-"
But before Allen could even get a full sentence out, the music stopped, and while the girl keeled over in exhaustion (how many rounds did she do?), Wisely, on the other hand, whipped around--like he knew he was standing there--even though they were in the back of the crowd--and cried out the answer for him.
"COUSIN~!!"
And immediately, people bolted to make room, and soon--soon Allen...had a problem. A problem attached to his middle, crushing him in a painful hug.
Lenalee took a step back--unlinking hers and Allen's arms--just a mere second before she would have been knocked down by...Allen's...cousin??
Wait, what?
"Allen..." she started, her eyes going almost comically wide in her shock. "This is...your...cousin..? You never told me you had a cousin..."
Allen let out a slightly pained laugh, petting Wisely's hair, just, well--to give his hands something to do.
"Well...I didn't really figure it out till recently. Thought he was ly-" He gasped as the arms around him tightened. "T-Too--ti-ght-"
"How could ya not think I'm your cousin?" Wisely whined into his chest, clearly drawing way too much attention, and Allen didn't like it. "Jerk."
He cringed. "I'm not--um--I'm sorry?"
As always, that seemed to work, and immediately the white haired teen (copycat) looked up and smiled.
"You'd better mean it now~ But anyways, what'cha doin' here? Aren't ya supposed to be in tha' prison cell of intellectual knowledge?" He glanced at Lenalee in the same motion.
"Oh? And who's the pretty chick? She obviously isn't yours, or else some-one would get ver-y ma-ad~"
Then he let out a laugh that was all too loud, like it was his own personal joke (and he did say it a lot), before standing up and patting him on the head. "Cuz whoever you are, m'names Wisely~! An' lil' Allen here is my cousin, and I love 'im to death. Nice to meet you!"
And he smiled that stellar smile, and extended his hand towards Lenalee.
Who was obviously just a little more than stunned.
Lenalee could do no more than blink a few times, completely taken aback. Then, finally remembering her manners--as well as her resolve--she smiled back, and grasped his hand.
"No, Allen's...not my type," she denied, snickering. "He's my best friend. I'm Lenalee Lee. And--would you mind going against me? DDR, I mean. I've never lost once, and, well...you look like you know what the Hell you're doing. I like a good competition."
She stood there, beaming, as she waited for his answer.
Wisely raised an eyebrow at that, sizing her up in a way that was...actually appropriate. Allen sighed, mentally, but even if it was appropriate, it still meant, well--he was sizing her up to see if she was an adequate challenge or not.
"Really now? Hm, now that's my kind of challenge. Sure, let's give it go~" His smile turned a little sharp on the edges (some people whistling at that). "Though I will say, yes I do know what the Hell I'm doing."
Then he turned on his heels, and walked back to the machine--the girl he had gone up against stumbling off, and casting Lenalee a supportive smile-
These people might be prostitutes, but to Hell if they acted like them after hours.
Lenalee's own smile turned into a ferocious grin--one that Allen actually recognized, because she'd always adopted that look when it came to any sort of competition--and followed Wisely over to the DDR machine.
She returned the girl's smile, and stepped up, glancing at the boy beside her. "So. What song do you want to do? I've done them all, so it doesn't matter to me."
Wisely took a moment to glance at the screen. "Hmm...how about "IKE IKE" by HINOI Team? On Extreme mode?" He flashed her another dazzling smile, and earned a nod in return, as he selected the song, mode, and the music began to play--high pitched and peppy, and Allen, well--he chose not to look at the screen too much because of how fast the little arrows were moving.
And yet again, Wisely wasn't even looking, or, he would, but then he wouldn't. Lenalee, meanwhile, would glance at the screen, but--it was just like him. Fluid, and...well, he couldn't help but smile a little.
Lenalee cast an absent-minded glance at Wisely...then had to do a double-take. Was--he--he was...not even looking!! The girl's eyes narrowed in concentration, and she picked up her act, feeling the music flowing through her. She didn't look at her rival again, knowing it would only make her frustrated, and jeopardize her performance.
Finally, just over three minutes later, the song ended, and they both stepped down, neither one the least bit tired. Lenalee looked up--and couldn't stop the strangled cry of surprise that flew past her lips.
Wisely had...beat...her. By two bloody points, no less! But--he--he beat her! She spun around to face him, eyes wide in shock - and maybe a little bit of horror, too.
And Wisely could only smile, though not smugly (like he did often times), as he glanced at the screen, then cocked his head to the side when someone handed him a water bottle. "Wowie, you really are good."
He took a sip of the water, before extending his hand out to Lenalee. "How the Hell did you hide from me for so long? I love DDR~ Er, as a game of course, nothing more."
Lenalee nodded at him dumbly, and took a water-bottle that was given to her, absently opening it and taking a swig, smiling in thanks at the person, before turning back to Wisel--and Allen, who had finally joined them.
Wisely winked, then laughed, waving at various people in the crowd as they congratulated both him, and even Lenalee (looking at the girl with varying degrees of shock and awe), and soon, Allen was sure, the girl would notice, and that surprise at losing for once would die away and-
"So really, why're you two skippin' school anyway?"
And of course, Wisely would still want to talk. Allen sighed.
"We left school this morning to...take care of an issue with a friend," Lenalee sighed softly. "Then things got a bit out of hand, so we just...decided to stay away till lunch."
Wisely raised an eyebrow at that. "Skip till lunch? Sounds like what I used to do all the time--or, well, when the Fosters would let me." He let out a laugh, and took another long swig from the water bottle, before maneuvering back through the now dissipating crowd.
"Here, here, lemme get you some coins so you can play. Dun worry about paying--everyone else here insisted, so you guys get yours free~" A few of the girls giggled, and nodded their approval, before going off to the games they had been playing before (most, ironically, shoot 'em up games), while a few guys that had tagged along with them grumbled.
Allen didn't have to guess who had paid.
"Are you sure, though?"
Wisely simply grinned, and dumped out a bunch of coins, handing an equal amount to both, before leaning across the counter and saying, "Yessss, I'm sure. 'Sides...ya need it once in a while, y'know? I'll help you out any way I can."
He had said the last sentence lower, as if he didn't want anyone to hear, and, well...Allen had given up asking what his cousin meant by that. He had ever since he popped up on their doorstep, claiming to be his biological cousin. Something Cr--that guy--had tested, then doctors and, well--he learned to...just smile. Smile, and say, "Thank you."
Which he did, and dragged Lenalee away from the counter before she could ask, hoping she'd stay silent, though knowing even if she did, she'd still think it.
He pushed those thoughts away and instead asked, "Which games do you wanna play?"
Lenalee couldn't help but giggle, and shake her head. As Allen pulled her away, she sent a knowing look over her shoulder at Wisely, before turning back to her friend.
"Uhm...do they still have the machine with Final Fantasy VIII?" she asked hopefully. After all, she hadn't been here in a couple years, and--well, people aren't the only things that change over time, apparently. "That was always my favorite, so..."
Allen blinked and looked around. "I don't see why they wouldn't have it--that's Anita's favorite, too."
Finally, he spotted it in the back. Thankfully no one was playing it, so he led Lenalee over to it. "I still don't get why you like this game so much...I don't really get it." He laughed, and watched as Lenalee's face turned slightly horrified.
"Y-you...Allen!!" she scolded. "How...how...sheeeeesh!!!!"
She turned her back on him them, setting up the game. "Yeah, so the battling system is a bit irritating, but still. It's a classic!!! And--and--Rinoa is so hot~!!" she squealed in an overtly fangirlish manner, loud enough that everyone stopped to stare at her. She blinked, then, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"Uhh...I mean...oh, to Hell with it."
Allen let out a soft chuckle at her sudden blush, and he could say he was slightly glad that she just went on talking as the others turned back around (they were used to it, he knew they were. Maybe Lenalee needed to hang out down here more--NO. Just. No). He shuddered at the thought, but ignored it and watched Lenalee play, and explain the rules--sadly, most of them going in one ear and out the other, and before he realized it (it was only him shifting his arm to rub his eye that he really even saw his watch), that--oh, well, okay--so they had like twenty minutes left...
Oh crap.
With seemingly impeccable timing, Lenalee let out a soft curse, and put the controller away. Turning to Allen, she shrugged, smiling hopelessly, and said, "You know, that boss gets me almost every time. And--speaking of time--I assume we should probably start heading back now, right? I mean--it'll take a while to get back to the school..."
Allen swallowed, and nodded his head.
"Uh, yeah, a little while. We only have twenty minutes left." Almost--if not a little creepily--on cue, Wisely popped up right behind him.
"You guys leaving so soon? What, do you really have to go back to that prison cell for intellectual minds?"
Allen sighed, and shook his head. "Unfortunately, yeah, and it wouldn't kill you to call it 'school'." But he already knew the answer he'd get--in a dramatic gasp, and clawing at his neck and--"Okay, Wisely--stop it."
"School is where people learn. Not stupid places like those prison cells for intellectuals," Wisely snapped. "Which I would drive you back to, cuz I'm so nice, but as you can see--I'm working--filling in someone else's shift, who decided to get sick all over creation last night, and...I only have my Harley, an' that baby can't fit three people."
Unfortunately, Allen knew that. "Never said you had to."
Because he had been forced to ride on that thing once...and--he shuddered at the memory. "You really might die on that thing some day."
"But it's not some day yet, is it?"
And it almost nearly surprised him that Wisely could act the way he did most of the time, but then, well--they were cousins weren't they, and it...wasn't that hard...well--yeah sometimes, but-
"So yeah, you two get going." Wisely patted them both on the shoulder. "An' keep the coins--tha' way y'don't have to pay next time around~" Then he turned and sauntered back up to the cash register, smiling and talking to various other people, who were still stuck in front of game machines--even stopping to teach one of the slu--prostitutes how to shoot. He got a squeeze in the ass for that, and Lenalee saw--and Lenalee saw...
And grinned, mouth opening right when they stepped foot outside the store and--and-
"Well. He sure seems 'popular'," she commented, laughing. Then laughing even more, at Allen's slightly horrified face. "Though, I can see why. He's very nice, and...actually kinda cute, for a guy."
She paused, checking her watch quickly, and shrugging--then stepped forward, and they began their way back. "Though...what on Earth does he have against school? And what exactly is he referring to as 'school'...if it's not actual school?"
Allen paused for a moment, thinking that over. "Well...I don't really know much--I mean, I only met him a few months ago, and he doesn't even live with us." He glanced at Lenalee, who gave him a look that said 'continue', and, well--it wasn't like Wisely cared who knew. He would spout his lives story if given the chance and the proper setting.
So, he continued on. "All I know is that his, um--he lived with a foster family that was very strict on education, and sent him to this really harsh school that--though it was public, was known for...turning out a bunch of students that went to, y'know, Harvard, and Yale--or overseas some place. I think you can imagine with his personality, that he absolutely hated a school like that."
He smiled then, looking down at the ground, only to look immediately back up again, given that they were closing in on the alleyway. And he didn't want to look down then.
Once they passed through, he continued again. "As for what he considers an actual 'school'...I'd guess...well, he's never been clear on that. But he's very for self-learning--it's, um, part of the reason I think he said he left when he graduated. Like--he did his own research an' stuff, and found me, obviously--yes he's my actual biological cousin, not Mana's--so..." He trailed off.
"Um, yeah--that's about all I know about him." He gave her a quick smile, and watched as the gears turned--it was easy to see in her eyes that she wanted to ask something else. He just wasn't sure what.
"...Why did you seem so--I don't know, horrified? When you saw he was working, I mean."
She wondered if this Wisely was another person that he hadn't wanted her to meet. But...he seemed nice enough, so... "What are you trying to hide from me now?"
She unconsciously let out a sigh of relief when they exited the alley--though she knew there would be another one soon--and unconsciously looked in the window as they passed the ice-cream shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of Anita...but to no such luck.
Allen thought over her question carefully. "Ah, well, it's not that I wanted to hide him...from you--he is nice. An' we get along great, just...well, he can act...weird sometimes." He hoped that that was enough, even though he knew it wasn't.
"I didn't want him to scare you, y'know? I mean--well, he sorta did it when you were playing DDR...but..." He trailed off once more, and led her yet again through the next alleyway, grimacing as he noticed even more of that stuff on the other wall--and speeding up even more, until they reached the exit, and began walking back down the normal sidewalk (ignoring when a few passerby--dressed in nice fancy clothes--gave them weird looks. Since alleys usually meant promiscuous behavior--something that two teenagers would most likely take part in. He wanted to gag).
"Like...what?" Lenalee asked him, now extremely curious. When he didn't answer right away, she repeated asked again. "Well? What did he do?"
They continued to walk--Lenalee glancing up at Allen's face every few seconds, growing more and more impatient. If he didn't answer her soon... But then, finally-
"He can, well," he sighed. "It's hard to explain it, but...he's had this ability--first he said it and I didn't believe him, but--he's extremely good at predicting things. They're random things, though, and usually really, really small--so he has to be careful, but...well, it's things like playing DDR, I guess. He doesn't have to look at the screen to know what the next step will be."
He looked up at Lenalee, who was staring at him intently. "So...yeah...sometimes he can scare people with it--because he can sometimes see flashes of...bad things...like, um..." And then he paused. Because no. He wouldn't say that--sure most of the people there were prostitutes, and it happened a lot more than one cared to think--he didn't need to be relaying that information to Lenalee. Even if she wouldn't tell a soul, if Anita found out...
Lenalee's eyes had gradually widened bit-by-bit, just as her steps had slowed, with every word Allen spoke. If Wisely himself had told her this, she would never have believed him. But she believed Allen, and if he said it was true...
"Okay, so...bad things. Like...what? You started to say something, then stopped..." she trailed off, once again glancing up into her best friend's face. "Allen?"
Allen cringed mentally. Of course she'd ask. "I...mean, like--bad things like, y'know--he'd see me falling down the stairs because of Timcanpy lying on the top step, and me not seeing him. That sort of thing." He paused, noticing the small frown etched on her lips. "They...can be...worse though...like, seeing someone...get hurt...um..."
"Ohh..." Lenalee paused again, thinking all this new information over. "Well...what did he 'see' today, then? What did he tell you?"
She knew she was probably pushing it, but--she was a curious being by nature. And when something was obviously bothering someone she cared a great deal about, then of course she was going to ask. "Allen? ...You can tell me anything, you know..."
"Not...today..." He paused, and then swallowed. "Just, um...you know what Anita's job is, right?" She nodded her head. "Well nothing happened to her but...those who...also work...under her--at the same place she does--he sometimes sees them...getting hurt...and it usually goes unnoticed because...of who they are, and what their jobs are." And he hoped against hoped that that was all she needed to know to figure it out. Because he--didn't really--this wasn't something that needed to be discussed now, even though theoretically he had already...mentioned...it...
"Oh...ohhhhhh...oh." Suddenly, Lenalee's eyes widened, then she blinked. "That's...that's horrible... It shouldn't matter what kind of occupation someone has--a person is a person!"
She was absolutely horrified, now. Yes, she knew it happened, but--hearing about it, so close to home...and first-hand, no less. To people her best friend knew. Or, at least, knew of...
Allen cringed again. "Isn't it? I...look up to him for that, definitely--and he's only been here a few months. Not like he gets anything for it either, y'know." He smiled a bit sadly. "But then he says he doesn't need to, and I mean--I agree. Those guys don't come back again either--heck, sometimes he can catch it before it even...happens. I've seen him do it once."
And then, he caught himself and mentally cursed. He had just revealed he had been in said brothel when it--well, great. He just hoped Lenalee didn't notice--but who was he kidding?
"You...you were there?" she asked, but her voice only held curiosity. No hostility, no shame, no disgust...nothing but simple curiosity. "What for? And is...does Wisely do what Anita does...?"
She hoped Allen would answer her this time. He had been opening up more, throughout the day, but.... There were still some things, it seemed, that he just refused to tell her.
"I was visiting Anita."
It was obvious that was a lie, and it hurt that he had to but--"And...er, yes? He...won't tell me what he uses the money for but there are male...members..." He coughed lightly, feeling his face flush ever so slightly. But it was Wisely, not him, and Wisely didn't care.
"And, um, he also has his two day jobs which he apparently uses on rent." Focus on Wisely, because Wisely was Wisely, and didn't care. "He works at the arcade--like he was today--but he also works at a pet shop. The one over by the mall, y'know?"
"Ahh, okay. Well, that makes sense--I never assumed there were only females in the trade. And Allen, you're a terrible liar. But...fine. I won't make you tell me this, if you really don't want to..." She sighed, and shook her head.
"Well...we're almost at the school, so we should probably change the subject now, huh? Not to mention, be on the lookout for teachers..."
Allen cringed again. Yup, she caught it.
"Sorry..." But he couldn't bring himself to actually feel the emotion--and maybe she looked a bit worried about dropping the subject then. But she had been the one to change it, so--"I think we'll need to worry if we get a little closer."
They weren't yet in the neighborhood, but he could see it, and the trees. "We'd probably have to watch for the school police, though...since they patrol this area a lot."
He crossed the street easily, moving onto the sidewalk that led into the nicely rowed houses, with nicely tailored lawns, and they both heard, more than saw, two cars speeding past--obviously trying to skip out of school just like they had tried to.
Allen smiled--maybe the cars would be the focus, and not them. He could hope, right? Though he knew the chances were slim--his History teacher didn't like him much, and probably wrote him up as 'skipping'...and, well--no--remain positive! Remain-
But he could still feel Lenalee's eyes on the back of his head. And that wasn't positive at all.
"Allen...are you okay?" Lenalee piped up, having noticed the telltale tensing of his shoulders. He was probably just worried about getting caught, but...then again, Lenalee could understand that. If they called his home, then either Mana or that Cross guy would pick up...and she was now aware that neither of those options would work out too well. Mana would undoubtedly worry, which would jeopardize his health, and Cross--well--yeah.
They were almost at the school now, and Lenalee slowed down, grabbing onto Allen's sleeve when he didn't do so as well. "We...should probably think of an excuse--just in case we are caught, you know...?"
Allen snapped back to attention when he felt Lenalee's hand grab at his sleeve. "An...excuse?" She nodded her head.
"Well...um...I--Ma-Cro--...er...I did get a call about Mana, but, um, I'm--I'm not sure...how much good...and I don't really want to tell them, um..." He fidgeted--damnit he was making his own situation worse, and now Lenalee was giving him that look again. Probably for a different reason, so--"What...about...you?"
"Oh...well, uhm...I'll just say it was a family emergency... They know how my brother is--he's randomly pulled me out of class many times in the past, so..." she trailed off. It probably wouldn't work, but then...it was all she had to go on. She let go of Allen's sleeve, and they continued walking. Almost there…
They made it to the trees, and they walked along the river, mostly in silence, and they could see the gate--the park--the gate, and then the field, but--
He mentally cringed when he heard a teacher talking very loudly on a walky-talky.
Then they turned, and--crap.
"So this is where the two little f-tards went." The man grinned--widely, and--did it have to be that man? Did it? Really? Lenalee cringed next to him.
"Well, well--what'd you two do for the last f*ing two classes, eh?" The man came closer, grinning all the wider. "Have a nice lil' romp in the forest, or what?" He gave them both a scathing look--one that Allen had grown used to, but that Lenalee paled from, just a little bit.
"Well, who gives a fuck? Oh, wait, not s'posed to curse around the young 'uns." He eyed them both again, before laughing.
"Well, not that it matters much, 'cuz I--Winters Sokaro, have found ya--and do ya both know where you're headed?" Not that he'd let them answer that, either. "The Principal's office, tha's right. Where you'll f*ing wait, until-"
He was cut off, rather rudely, by the walky-talky.
/Have you found them yet, Winters?/ a bored voice asked over the end of the line.
"Fuck yeah, I did."
/Then why are you still out there?/
"Don't tell me what the f* to do, motherf*er," the dark man ground out, making Lenalee cringe again.
/My mother's dead. Too bad, try again./ Before Sokaro could say another word, the voice cut him off. /Now bring them back to the office, and do your job./
Then, just like that, the other end clicked off, leaving Allen wondering exactly who that was, and--how much trouble they had to be in, for the PE teacher to come looking for them.
Oh wait. He probably didn't want to know.
Lenalee grimaced, and visibly flinched back from the man. She hated Sokaro...with a flaming passion. But she was not afraid of him, damnit!! And no, that was not denial. Casting Allen a hopeless glance, she spoke up--rather meekly--"Well...let's go, then...?"
They turned, and silently followed Sokaro back to the office, both ignoring the man's tirade. At least the principal was a bit nicer than the overly asshole-ish PE teacher...but still, she had to keep her hopes up that they wouldn't be in too much trouble...
As they entered into the set of offices that he had never really visited before, Allen knew this wouldn't be good. If the churning in his stomach was of any indication, and--wait, was that...Kanda?--it was--and...he was talking with one of the secretaries (or she was talking to him).
He quickly turned his head away, but he had already seen them. Crap, crap, crap...Lenalee didn't seem to notice him, though--instead she was looking embarrassed with herself. He assumed she'd been here even less than he had been but--
Sokaro rather rudely kicked one of the doors open, and soon they were being herded onto a couch that smelled really bad, and was made by that kind of really cheap leather Cr--that guy kept complaining about.
There, sitting at the desk was Yeegar, looking slightly startled by the rude introduction.
"Here's the little f--" the man next to Yeegar (a man that didn't look much older than 25) shot him a glare--"Brats," Sokaro quickly corrected. "I'll be out in the f--hall...right..." And then he bowed out, quickly, like a stuffy little room was not on his list for fun places to be.
Allen was almost relieved, until the Principal spoke up.
"Do you know you missed three of your classes?" Yeegar wondered, eyeing both of them. "Now--I don't know what excuse you'll come up with, nor do I want to hear it--but I do want you to know you should know better."
Allen cringed at the message. Yeegar might be a good principal, but it was easy to see he wanted to know what they came up with. He shot Lenalee a look.
Lenalee--finally faced with the reality of it all--decided on...the actual truth.
"Well...we did come up with excuses, but...I think the truth would be best. One of our best friends has been acting really weird lately, and we've been worried. So, when I saw him leave the school without saying anything, I figured something was wrong with him. I told Allen, and then I dragged him off with me--it really wasn't his fault, Sir--and we called our friend. It took a while, but he finally answered the phone, and told us what was going on. Though, I'm still a bit worried... And, I guess...we just decided to stay out till lunch, because by the time we were off the phone, it was already near the end of 3rd period, and neither of us felt that our 4th period classes were very important... I'm sorry, Sir."
Yeegar raised an eyebrow at that, and looked over at Madarao, before looking back at them. "Really now? And...the reason you felt you needed to make this phone call off the campus is because?"
Lenalee opened her mouth to answer, but Allen cut her off--it was a trick question, he knew it.
"We did try, but we didn't get any signal, so we went outside, and to the park first, we had to move though because um, well, you can understand can't you? It was...personal. And we didn't want to get caught."
The man standing in the corner coughed lightly. "Really now?" Allen nodded his head. "And the reason you didn't come to the office to tell us of your friend is because...?"
Yeegar held up his hand before the man could answer.
"It's fine. You did what you thought was best--yes. But you still left three of your classes. We cannot just let this slip by unnoticed, even though we generally don't have any issues with either of you." His eyes traveled from Lenalee to Allen, and he let out another sigh. "It's almost lunch period for the both of you, isn't it? Why don't you go eat, and then come back?"
Allen's eyes widened, and so did Lenalee's.
"You'll let them do that, sir?" The policeman seemed shocked.
"But of course--they're just children, after all. They need food to grow, and you probably are hungry--so go. I will send an email to your homeroom teachers, telling them where you'll be."
Well, that wasn't good, but...at least they wouldn't be marked off for being late. Allen sighed. "Yes sir, and thank you."
With that, they both stood from the impossibly fake-leathered couch (wait, what?), and stepped through the door, out into the small office area. They walked through there, and soon found themselves in the lobby.
Before they could even take a step, a familiar voice made them stop.
"Care to fucking explain?"
Allen cringed, as the BaKanda stepped out from where he had been hiding.
Great. Just great.
Lenalee sighed, and gave Allen 'the Look', before making eye contact with Kanda. "Come on, we'll talk elsewhere."
Not waiting to give him a chance to respond, she turned on her heel, and made her way to the cafeteria, leaving the two boys to follow after her. Once they'd stood in line, gotten their food, and found their usual table--minus one rabbit--she began to talk.
"I saw Lavi leave earlier, through my classroom window. Some guy picked him up in this really rad car, and they sped off. I was worried--and, well, pissed off--because he never said anything to me about it. So as soon as class was out, I grabbed Allen, and we went out to the woods, and called Lavi. Then we figured we'd just stay out till lunch, because there were only a few minutes left of third period anyway."
Kanda knew some serious shit had happened, when he saw Lenalee (not the Moyashi) being led into the Principals office. Something had happen--and, well--he wanted in on it. Now. And from the looks on their faces, it was something he--well--he-
He sighed. "The fucking rabbit started this?" He looked between them, and they both looked at each other--a whole entire conversation in just one fucking look--before looking back.
"Yeah," Allen answered easily enough, but there was something in his voice that...sounded odd. Not that Kanda paid much attention to the guy's voice, but--it was in Lenalee's too, and--well--if they thought they could hide it then, hah.
"But that's not it," he said, matter-of-factly--making both of them cringe.
"No, i-it's not...but..." Lenalee hesitated, trying to get back into 'character'. "Wait...Kanda-kun, aren't you worried about Lavi? He was acting strange, and then he left with a guy none of us knows..."
She knew Kanda cared about Lavi. Even if it wasn't obvious--to her, anyways--Lavi still told her things. And you can bet he'd told her about 'The Hicky'.
Kanda che'd.
"What's there to worry about? You actually think he'd get himself into a situation he can't get out of?" He raised an eyebrow at Lenalee's slightly shocked expression. "Che, besides that--staying out of class 'just because'? Is that the best excuse you have?"
He took an indignant bite of his soba noodles, staring at them both incredulously--did they really think he didn't know a thing?
"W-well...I guess you have a point there, Kanda-kun... But, just the fact that he didn't tell me..." She cut herself off. Kanda didn't know that she and Lavi talked about...things. And he probably didn't know about the Bookman-thing, either. "But...well, we--Allen and myself, that is--got to talking, after...about some important stuff...and we just lost track of time. Then, since by then we only had one class left each--minor ones--we decided to go hang out at the arcade till lunch. That...was all..."
Kanda raised his eyebrow at that. "Really. About what?"
He could tell from her expression that she was trying not to...say something. Or many things. But then, he wasn't either, and Allen was staying collectively silent--something he was thankful for, for once. It's like he understood, but then...he did, didn't he? Kanda felt his lips twitch.
"About what?" he repeated, when the girl shifted in her seat. Like she thought she was hiding anything. Hah.
"I--just--stuff." She couldn't look at Kanda--not while she was lying, anyways. Then, after she realized he wasn't about to give in, she sighed heavily, dejectedly...and gave up.
Looking back into his eyes, she muttered, "About how we've changed, Kanda."
She left the suffix off of his name, because, well--she really didn't need it anymore. And also, maybe to make a bit of a point. "Neither of us...have really been open with each other. Not in a very long time. And me, I haven't been open to any of you, except Lavi, because--well, I can't give his secrets away, but I can say it's because he understands, and he knows what it's like. I needed to tell Allen; because he saw the way I was acting, when Lavi left. Lavi tells me everything, but I didn't even know this 'Tyki' guy's name when I saw him leave with Lavi. And I only know now, because-" She cut herself off again. Kanda did not need to know about that.
Kanda cocked his head ever so slightly to the side, carefully digesting the information. Well. Then. He didn't know anything. "Did this guy have curly hair, dark skin? Look very high class?"
"Ah-" Lenalee's eyes widened in shock. Kanda knew him? Kanda knew him, and she didn't??? "Ah...yes...he did. I think...he was Portuguese? Or maybe Spanish... I didn't get a close enough look, but--yes. That's him. Wait--how do you know him, Kanda?"
Kanda let out a sigh. "It's the same guy, then. Lavi doesn't just hang out with you, you know." His eyes narrowed. "And if he is the same guy, then I already assume you found out why he didn't tell you about...him...immediately."
His scowl deepened slightly as he glanced at Walker. "Don't act so fucking shocked," and he glanced between them, "we all keep secrets. It depends on how you deal with them. Fucking brilliant, isn't it?"
Not that either of them would get what he meant by that--Hell, even he didn't know.
"Uhm...well, yeah..." Lenalee admitted, shifting her gaze to Allen. Kanda liked Lavi...and if he didn't know what she did--if he was thinking of something else--then she was about to make a huge mistake. "Well...there's something going on between them. I don't know if they're dating, but...it's a physical relationship, at least. Very physical, apparently, if Tyki was even touching him while he was on the bloody phone..."
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that. Though it had been funny as Hell, it was still unfair--on Lavi's part, of course.
Kanda let out yet another sigh, grumbling, "At least you didn't see it," before standing up, and picking up his tray--but before he moved away from the table, not even caring that he had probably just given them both whiplash with how fast they turned to look at him.
Yes, Lavi had been afraid quite a few nights to go back to 'Gramps'. So yes, of course that man had dropped him off at his place instead. Which included the groping on the car. Outside the car.
And no, it hadn't hurt. Not one bit.
xoxox
Author's Note: And here's yet another chapter done and done (is it sad that I had to go back and re-read it cuz it's been so long since we typed it up?....Probably).
But regardless! Please drop us a review! Have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! We'd love to hear from you~ (that wasn't supposed to rhyme. I swear).
*goes back to eating Hershey's kisses*