A/N: High school is (in the words of Shikamaru of Naruto) a drag.

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray - Man and all that jazz.

Of Black Cats and Demons

Chapter 4

Lavi shook his head, trying to shake the bloodthirsty feeling beginning to bubble in his stomach. He could feel his inner demon begin to claw its way through his self-control as he layed on his stomach on the carpeted floor of his bedroom.

He mentally groaned, hoping that the feeling will pass, but as time wore on, he realized it wouldn't.

Maybe just a few won't hurt, he thought to himself as he quietly got up.

Lavi glanced over at Kanda. The latter was lying on his side, and the redhead could see the black cat's chest slowly rise and fall. The demon tiptoed to the bathroom, careful not to make any noise. He dived into the closet and grabbed the nearest pair of pants he saw. He left the wife beater he wore alone and took the plaid pajama pants he was wearing off and replaced it with the white jeans he grabbed.

He silently jolted out the door and rapidly walked to the shoe rack, slipping on some socks he grabbed earlier and a pair of brown boots. Lavi grabbed the familiar switchblade sitting on the counter and slipped it into the holster that he strapped onto his thigh. He wrapped a black and white long coat that stretched down to mid-thigh around himself as he fumbled with the lock, opened the door, locked it once more from the outside, and near-silently closed the door.

The demon inside him began to feel excitement, making his body instinctively let the adreneline rush through his veins. It unnerved him. Lavi strolled through the darker and more invisible alleys, waiting to stumble upon a human.

Luck was with his thirst tonight, because there was a hobo sitting in the corner as Lavi skipped into the alleyway. He reached for the switchblade, letting it flick open. It caught the moonlight's midnight rays, flashing it at the poor man. It caught his attention, and Lavi's eye flushed ruby red. When the knife revealed itself, it knicked his finger, and he licked the blood off as a menacing smirk played on his lips. The man stared in shock as his face contorted into fear and disturbance. His body shook as Lavi drew closer. The redhead let the demon inside him and his instincts take over as his eye darkened into a burgundy.

Metal slashed through flesh. Blood sprayed across the grimy brick walls and everything else but Lavi, save a drop of blood that landed on his cheek. The redhead wiped it away, and he flicked the thick blood off the blade. He wiped whatever blood that remained on the blade on the victim's clothes and waited a bit for the familiar whispy orb that was going to rise from the man's chest at any moment.

Finally, Lavi thought to himself as he grabbed the soul. He held it in his hand, watching it slowly swirl as it grew smaller. The web-like strings of his soul unreeled and drew into Lavi's hand. His inner demon chuckled, starting to feel his bloodthirst quenched.

Kanda's eye fluttered open as he heard a second scream that night. He was half-asleep when the first one rang out in the night; he thought it was just a dream. But by the time he heard the head-splitting scream that made his sensative feline ears ring, he was sure something was happening. Kanda swiftly sat up. Immediately, he fell back down. Black surrounded his vision as his head felt somewhat nausous.

He groaned, waiting for the blood in his head to distribute throughout his body. While lying down, he looked over at the floor, somewhat expecting the familar redhead sprawled in a tangle of blankets and pillows.

But he didn't.

Kanda sighed, knowing exactly where the demon went, especially after hearing what he did.

Lavi felt like he was watching his body from the outside. He mentally sighed, knowing he shouldn't have done this. The demon inside him was going to get carried away, and he knew it. Sighing once more, he continued to list the reasons as to why he should never do this again.

As the thought about the Headband drifted across his mind, Lavi realized nothing hurt.

At all.

Does the Headband only work when the demon takes over? Or is his body just getting used to it? Both, possibly?

Lavi assumed it was the first, because the Headband was made for a demon.

His body continued to do the demon's bidding, killing the hobos and getting none or a drop of blood on him.

He was walking toward another hobo, preparing to step out of the shadows, when suddenly, the hobo in question disappeared.

Lavi's body narrowed his eyes, frustrated. The hobo suddenly appeared behind him, a long and thin black sword pressing against the tan column of his neck.

"Lavi, what are you doing?"

Lavi's pupils dilated, returning to their normal size. He groaned, bringing a hand up to his head. He pictured himself as a giant in his mind, stepping on the little red devil into the ground.

He felt himself pulling back into his body, regaining control.

Lavi felt dizzy. His head hurt. His hand ached. His stomach felt weird because of the adrenaline. In conclusion, Lavi was not a happy camper.

Kanda put the sword back in its sheathe strapped on his hip. He eyed Lavi, making sure the redhead was himself.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked.

Lavi shrugged, "More or less." Lavi dusted off imaginary stuff off his shoulders. "I'm leaning toward less, though." Lavi smirked, "Why? Were you worried?"

A blush spread like wildfire across Kanda's cheeks; he was glad it was dark. He mumbled a, "Maybe," which didn't go unheard.

"Oh, really?" Lavi asked, genuinely curious. The red was completely flushed out of his eye, leaving only the emerald green.

"Well, yeah..." Kanda mumbled as he put his hands behind his back and twiddled his fingers. He looked at the ground, which was a lot less interesting than he let on.

Lavi tilted Kanda's chin, so the latter would look at him. The next thing Kanda knew, the redhead captured his lips, making his eyes widen to the size of tea plates. He stared back at Lavi's eyepatch and closed eye, but soon enough, his own eyes slid closed.

Wait a minute.

Lavi. He's kissing Kanda. Oh, that's going to be awkward.

Kanda, not knowing how to deal with what's going to happen afterwards, summoned himself back to the underworld, leaving Lavi alone.

The redhead opened his eyes, a bit of him dying inside.

It was all his fault, Lavi knew. He didn't even know why he did that. Maybe because the moonlight hit Kanda's pale face at just the right angle, making his face radiate, his hair seem like a midnight blue. Or maybe Lavi just felt like it.

Nah, it was definitely the first one.

What now? Lavi thought.

He sighed.

He began walking back to his house, hands laced behind his head. He let his mind drift, thinking about how old he was or why water was water.

Suddenly, the mass of swirls of purples and reds appeared before him, and Kanda stepped out. The black cat swiftly kissed him and jumped back through the portal.

Lavi touched his lips with his fingers, smiling a bit.

Maybe it wasn't all his fault?