Chapter 3
Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I know last chapter was short, but this one is pretty good sized. It took me so long to get it done because...wait for it...I was at Comic-Con in San Diego! It was freaking awesome, and totally inspired me to get my nerd on! So here's chapter 3!
Allen was still angry with Kanda when the train started to slow down on its approach of Canyon's Edge. He had managed to get a few more hours of sleep but the day had not looked any different after some rest. Sure Kanda had been a jerk for punching him, but exorcists were a pretty rowdy bunch, and a punch could hardly compare to the damage they had all taken in their quest to find innocence and set the souls of Akuma free. Did Kanda really not understand what he had done wrong? Allen was pretty sure he had let him know in more ways than one. Maybe he hadn't come right out and said it, but -
"Allen! It's time to get off the train!" Toma said, sounding slightly exasperated. Allen winced and looked up to his right. He had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Toma and Kanda had come up beside him, and had probably been speaking to him.
"Are your ears cursed, too? I said your name three times," Kanda snapped, obviously still angry about the idiot comment.
Ire flashed through Allen, cold in its intensity. Deciding he had already blown the whole nonchalance cover with his earlier outburst, Allen did not hold back his anger any longer. "No, I just didn't have anything important to listen to." He said as he stood up and moved towards the door, thanking a wary looking Toma as he handed Allen the bag he had left behind in the cabin after leaving in a huff. Allen allowed his shoulder to barely push Kanda's as he passed him, feeling a thrill as the man let out an annoyed "Che." Kanda wanted to play the jerk game? Allen could totally do that.
The doors to the train were open, and there weren't a lot of people trying to get on or off the train. The town really was very small, with just a tiny platform and a one room hut serving as the station. Two benches sat empty beneath the extended awning of the little building, and beyond that Allen could see what looked like the main street of the town disappearing through a copse of trees on the other side. Small shops and houses lined the throughway, and he couldn't help but think the little village was nice with its whitewashed walls and rolling green hills as a backdrop. He couldn't see a canyon, though. Maybe it was beyond the trees? And weren't canyons supposed to be in desert regions?
The platform was empty save one Finder standing impatiently on the worn wooden planks. His hair was long and greasy looking, matching the blonde goatee he was sporting on his chin. He was short and squat, and the white bandage wrapped around the upper part of his head was a stark contrast against his tan skin. He was short and thin, looking as though he would prefer a library to the field.
Toma had spotted him and was moving forward with crinkled eyes and a hand stretched out. "Jean! I heard someone from your branch was here, but I didn't realize it would be you!"
"Toma!" Allen couldn't help the small jump as a booming voice came from the small man. He ignored the huff of amusement from Kanda at his jumpiness and moved forward to stand next to Toma, his usual cheerful smile easily coming to his face as the two finders enthusiastically pumped hands.
"And who is this?" The booming voice asked. Toma introduced Allen and Kanda. Jean gave them both animated greetings that were returned by Allen. Kanda just grunted.
"That means hello in jerk," Allen said cheerfully, ignoring Kanda's glare. "What happened to your head?"
Jean touched the bandage on his head with a rueful expression on his face. "Oh, I got a little exuberant in testing the phenomenon. Ended up falling asleep on my feet, and I hit my head when I fell."
Toma frowned. "If you fell asleep, how did you get out?"
Jean chuckled. "I know I'm a bit of an idiot when I get into my research, but I'm not that much of one!" Anyone who goes into the sleep zone goes with a rope around his waist and a team of finders on the edge to pull us free of danger if we fall asleep."
Allen nodded. He had been wondering that himself on the train ride over. "So no progress on discovering the source?"
Jean started to walk towards the stairs leading down the platform, motioning for them to follow. "Well, yes and no. We haven't been able to get close to the source. We aren't fast enough to make it there and back before we fall asleep. We are hoping that an exorcist," he motioned towards Allen and Kanda, "will either be less easily affected due to being Accommodators, or that you will be fast enough to make it to the source and remove the innocence before succumbing to sleep. We have, however, pinpointed the likely cause."
"Oh?" Toma asked, and Kanda straightened beside Allen, obviously interested.
"Mmm," Jean said as they began walking on the dirt road and into the village. "After interviewing members of the village we discovered an old legend concerning a small mound of daisies that grow at the bottom of the ravine."
"Of course," Kanda mumbled, "another legend come true."
Allen took a moment to glare at him and adjust his stride so that he switched to Jean's other side and was no longer walking next to Kanda. Jean continued talking as if the whole encounter hadn't happened. Allen figured he was probably used to cranky exorcists by now. He was pretty sure he heard Toma sigh, though, and winced at how childish he and Kanda must seem.
"According to local myth, the daisies were planted by a mother who was awaiting her son to come home from war. When the war ended and he did not come, she lay in the daisies and slept. No one could wake her despite the efforts of the town doctor, and so she remained sleeping for two years, until one day her son returned. Apparently he had been taken a prisoner of war, and was only released after the two countries became allies in a later skirmish. When he found his mother lying asleep in a hospital, he sat beside her and took her hand. Only when he touched her did she finally wake. Apparently the daisies have bloomed every year since, and it is said that those who await the return of a loved one can find peace by sleeping with the daisies. I believe innocence somehow found its way into the daisies and is now causing this situation through the power of the villager's combined belief in the legend."
There was silence for a moment as the three pondered the story they had just heard. "But, everyone who is falling asleep isn't awaiting a loved one, are they?" Allen asked.
Jean shook his head. "No, but I don't believe it is that specific. Probably a side effect of being a group mental effort. Ah, here we are at the inn. Sorry but I could only get one room. It is tourist season. I'll share my room with Toma, and I figured that Kanda and Allen could share the other."
Allen just shrugged and looked away, determined not to embarrass himself further. It wasn't like they would be there very long. Knowing Kanda he wouldn't stop until they had the stupid innocence, anyway.
"Fine," Kanda said, reaching out to take the key Jean was offering him.
"Thank you," Allen said as he accepted his room key. "Have there been any signs of Akuma yet?" He asked.
Jean shook his head thoughtfully. "No. We spread a rumor that there is a natural gas leak, and that we are scientists here to investigate. I think we've hidden its presence fairly well so far."
Kanda grunted his approval, and Allen grinned at the cleverness of the Finders. Maybe he could have a break for just one mission. "Well, give us twenty minutes to get cleaned up, and then you can take us to the site."
He stepped into the well kept but small Inn, stopping to appreciate the clean white walls and antique furniture in the sitting room before following Kanda to a set of stairs. They were silent as they walked towards their room. Allen wasn't sure how he was going to make it through this mission if it lasted more than a day or two. He solidified his resolve to get to the innocence that very day - even if he had to sleep walk to get there.
***
As he stood at the top of the Canyon looking down, Allen couldn't help but lose a bit of his confidence. The walk to the trail leading down to the bottom had been long, dusty, hot, and frustrating as he had been forced in the company of the person who was making him feel so sour in the first place. The shocking greenery of the town had dropped off after about half a mile of walking through the tree line. Jean had explained that the town was on a sort of oasis, the plants and village getting their water from a spring that fed out of the ground and into a small pond at the edge of the village. When they had left there were children swimming to escape the heat, and Allen wished he could join them. He had spent too much time with General Cross traipsing across places with all sorts of different weather to be truly bothered by the heat, but that didn't stop the water from looking nice and cool.
Right now Kanda was drilling Jean on 'the perimeter.' The finders had been able to make it about a quarter mile from where the villagers had told them the daisies were located. Jean led them down a steep but easily navigable trail as he talked. "We can make it about a half mile down the trail before we hit the perimeter. We have rope and a Finder on duty at all times to turn civilians away with the natural gas leak story."
Timcampy fluttered around Allen's head, clearly interested in the sheer limestone rock on the left of the trail, darting in and out of dips and crevasses. Small stones and dry, haggard looking plants and bushes were scattered about the dusty landscape, and Allen was careful to watch his step lest he lose his footing and fall into the canyon. That was why he didn't notice Timcampy's frantic flying next to a big boulder with a large, wise looking sage brush nestled next to it. The gollum was flicking in and out from between the the two, obviously excited about something. Allen paused and glanced at his three companions who were walking about five feet in front of him. With a shrug - he obviously wasn't going to get lost - he leaned his weight onto the hand he had resting on the boulder and instead of walking past it continued to follow its curve towards the bush.
"Timcampy wha-" Allen's speech was cut off by his air coming out in a small squeak as the ground dropped out from under him and he found himself sliding into a steep tunnel hidden between the bush and boulder. His surprise was short lived as he shot into darkness. There was barely a moment of suspension in thin air before he landed with a painful thump on dirt packed ground. His lungs worked frantically for a moment to regain the air that had been pushed from him as he heard Toma's worried voice calling down to him.
"I-I'm fine," Allen wheezed, struggling to his feet only to hit his head hard enough on the ceiling of his enclosure to see stars. He moaned out a small huff of pain as he grabbed his head. "Ow," he whispered.
"Bean sprout, what are you doing down there?" A sardonic voice called, and Allen scowled.
"Well, I saw this hole in the ground and thought 'what a perfect chance to get away from that jerk!" Bending low at the waist Allen stuck his hands out to feel the walls around him, praying that whatever had made this its home was long gone.
"We've got a job to do, so could you stop screwing around and come up here?"
Allen sighed when he realized the space was barely a three by three space and began feeling for the hole he had popped in from. His questing fingers felt a give in the dimly lit space and he scrambled at the edge. Hoisting himself up into the hole, Allen was able to work his way up into the full sunlight, blinking until his eyes adjusted and waving a fluttering Timcampy out of his face.
Toma offered him a hand which Allen gratefully took, looking down to take in his dirt covered appearance. With a sigh he began slapping at his coat, ignoring the annoyed face of Kanda and the amused one of Jean.
"Is he always like this?" Jean asked.
"Yes. I'm going to get to the perimeter before daylight is gone," Kanda said, and turned to stomp his way down the path.
"He is such a jerk," Allen mumbled, hitting at the dirt on his person with more force than was necessary.
Toma's eyes crinkled as he tried to help Allen get the dirt from his hair. "Well, yes, but I think you just scared him. I don't see him move as fast as he did to the edge of that hole very often."
Allen rolled his eyes. "He was probably just worried about losing the innocence in my arm." He muttered. Jean guffawed and Toma shrugged, replying with only an ominous "maybe."
Allen wrinkled his brow in confusion, but didn't have a chance to ask for elaboration before Jean's booming voice cut in. "Well Kanda is right - we need to get to the perimeter before nightfall. This trail is hell to navigate in the dark." Allen followed the two Finders as they fell back into conversation in front of him, trying to ignore the new aches from his most recent attack of clumsiness.
"How's your resident genius?" An excited Jean asked Toma. "Is his latest Komlin as brilliant as he claimed it was in his last letter?"
"It was." Toma said. "Until he let it loose on the second floor and Lenalee broke it into four pieces."
Jean shook his head sadly. "Poor Komui. Nobody ever seems to understand the true amazing thought that goes into his inventions."
Toma made a noncommittal sound, and Allen felt his eyebrow twitch. Seriously? Komui had a fan? Allen liked him and all, but the man was crazy when it came to his sister and his inventions.
In about fifteen minutes they rounded a bend to find Kanda in deep conversation with a young female Finder with long black hair and a petite, pretty face. Her coat hugged her curves in a way that screamed feminine, but her stance - crossed arms, cocked hip, and a smirk - said attitude. Kanda was smirking back at her, and Allen felt an odd twinge of annoyance that he decided to ignore. Why should he care who the jerk talked to?
And then Kanda was shrugging, and reaching down to pick up a rope and tie it around his waist. Jean's pace picked up and he raised his voice to even louder levels. "Wait a moment, Kanda -"
But it was too late. Kanda had taken off at top speed down the trail, disappearing over a small incline. Allen swore and broke into a light trot to follow after, but was stopped by a small feminine hand on his chest. "Uh-uh, exorcist boy. I told your boyfriend, and I'm telling you, no one passes without a rope."
Allen scowled and turned on the pretty girl. "And who are you?" He said rudely, feeling an immediate dislike for the girl in front of him. He watched the rope next to her as it unwound at a ridiculously fast pace from its spool impatiently.
The girl's smirk grew, and she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by an irritated Jean. "Yin, I asked you not to let anyone past until we had tested their tolerance to the phenomenon!"
Crossing her arms and looking away with a 'hmph,' she merely shrugged. "And I'm supposed to stop an exorcist?" She asked.
Allen sighed and went to move past her to follow Kanda, worry knotting at his gut, but Yin's hand shot out to stop him again. "I said wait here! If he gets into trouble, we'll pull him back to safety!
"What happened to and I'm supposed to stop an exorcist?" Allen asked, raising his voice an active, cocking his hip out and flopping his hand forward in mockery.
"Now Allen," Jean said, disapproval obvious. "I know you are worried about Kanda, but he'll be fine. No danger, really."
Allen blushed as he realized how he must sound. He was never this rude to anybody. He bowed his head slightly and mumbled an apology at Yin, getting only a raised eyebrow in response. Puffing air out of his lungs, he turned his attention to the rope, which seemed to be slowing significantly.
After 30 excruciatingly long seconds, the rope stopped moving all together. Biting his lip worriedly, he watched for Kanda to appear. Three tense minutes passed before Jean sighed and moved towards a handle sticking out of the rope spool. "Well, he made it further than anyone else, but he still didn't make it."
"Didn't make it? Like he fell asleep? Will he be okay?" Allen asked as Yin shouldered past him and rolled her eyes, kneeling next to the rope to tie a small yellow bit of yarn where it stopped feeding from the spool.
"I told you your boyfriend would be fine, cookie."
Allen glared at her. "It's Allen. And Kanda is not my boyfriend."
She simply responded with a smirk that Allen was really beginning to hate as she stood and dusted her hands off on her pants.
"What is the string for?" Toma asked in an obvious attempt to change the conversation as Jean began to wind the rope back up.
"Marks how far he got. You know, for data - the doc loves his data," Yin said as she pointed her thumb at Jean.
Allen scowled. An exorcist was lying out in the middle of god-knows-what situation, defenseless, and they were collecting data? His foot tapping impatiently, Allen crossed his arms over his chest as the rope was slowly recoiled. Yin raised a dark eyebrow at Allen's foot, but he silenced her with a glare, something he had already figured out was a difficult undertaking.
After ten painfully long minutes a soft dragging noise could be heard from around the bend Kanda had disappeared behind. Allen took an anxious step forward as a dusty exorcist-colored lump came into view, its form scraping against the canyon wall as the rope drug it forward. Yin clucked at him for getting too close, obviously enjoying his distress as she put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
Kanda's prone form hit a rock, pausing a moment before the rope pulled him free. Unable to handle watching the body in front of him be battered any longer, Allen shrugged Yin's hand from his shoulder and leaped past the perimeter, marked with yellow flags, and ran towards Kanda's body. Immediately he felt a strange pull at his consciousness, but he was able to ignore it as he jumped and sprinted the 100 remaining feet to Kanda, who was still slowly being pulled by the rope.
Without missing a beat he swooped down and picked him up, barely staggering at the weight, and ran back to the finders waiting past the little yellow flags, ignoring Timcampy's fluttering next to his shoulder.
He could feel the pull of power at his legs and eyelids, but he made it to Toma without danger of falling asleep, letting out a relieved sigh as he carefully laid Kanda's body down and the drowsiness lifted from his body as quickly as it had come.
He anxiously sat on his heels next to Kanda, ignoring when his three companions did the same. Kanda's face had a few small scrapes and bumps and was covered in streaks of dust. Allen reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead to get a closer look at a cut that was bleeding profusely, giving a sigh of relief that it wasn't deep. The breath of air turned into a squeak as Kanda's hand wrapped around his wrist and his eyes popped open.
"Bean Sprout. Why are you petting me?"
"I'm not petting you! I'm looking at the blood that you have all over you! And what the hell were you thinking, running into the zone without consulting me first!" Allen yelled, cheeks red, as Kanda struggled to sit up and turned to glare at him.
"I don't need your permission to fulfill my mission."
"Fulfill your mission? I'm sorry, but I don't see any evidence of you fulfilling your mission! Unless your mission was to collect a bunch of dirt and blood, and then, well, wow! Good job! Mission complete!" Allen said, anger now coloring his cheeks instead of embarrassment and arms waving with every word.
Kanda returned his glare. "I haven't yet, but I'm close. I was probably ten feet from the innocence when I fell asleep."
Allen's anger dropped as excitement took over. "Really? Ten feet? So you had a visual?"
"Mmm," Kanda replied, looking down at the dirt on his jacket with distaste.
A rustle of paper drew Allen's attention to Jean, who had flipped open his notebook and was furiously scribbling. "And what did you see?" He asked before looking up at Kanda eagerly.
Luckily Kanda didn't see his face, or Jean never would have gotten an answer. It would have made him too happy, Allen thought grumpily. "The field of daisies, just like you thought," he said, and the finder made a pleased nose in the back of his throat as he scribbled away. "In the middle was a daisy that was much larger than the others, emitting a glowing yellow dust. Pollen, I'd assume, and the cause of our problem."
Jean stopped writing, brow creased. "If it's emitting something, why are our tests not picking anything up?"
Kanda shrugged and gracefully stood, the others scrambling in his wake to get up. "Don't know and don't care. That's your job." He crossed his arms and frowned at the perimeter. "I think this time, if I use Mugen maybe I can -"
"No." Allen said flatly.
Kanda spun around and glared at Allen. "Excuse me?" His voice was deadly, and anyone else would have cringed away.
"It's my turn. Anyway, I have a plan. If I can get within ten feet -"
"You can't. You're slower than me."
Allen let out a frustrated puff of air. "Well, yes, if we're talking agility, you're much faster. But I can keep up with you if we're sprinting in a straight line."
"Oh my heavens!" A voice said next to them, and both men were pulled from their glaring contest to look questioningly at Yin. "An exorcist who will admit someone is better than them at something? Shocking!" The girl had her hand to her chest and was looking at the sky with an amazed expression. "Though I guess it makes sense..." Her expression turned sly. "After all, he is your boyfriend."
Allen scowled at her. He really did not like that girl. Before he could reply, however, Kanda jumped in. "You told her I'm your boyfriend?"
"Wha? No!" He held his hands in front of them, waving them frantically. "Nonononono. She's just being a jerk! Why do you keep saying that, anyway?"
Yin shrugged. "Because you don't like it, I suppose." She then turned away as Allen started sputtering and Kanda scoffed and walked towards the perimeter.
"Uh oh." Toma's worried voice had Allen turning towards him in question. "They figured out our bluff." Allen followed his gaze to the sky, and his face lost all its color. Akuma. A lot of them, heading towards them at an alarming rate. And it looked like there were some level twos.
"Shit," Yin said, and Jean wholeheartedly agreed with her sentiments if the swear words coming out of his mouth were anything to judge by.
"The three of you get to safety!" Allen yelled, and was relieved when they picked up their bags and scrambled up the slope to obey. He hated it when they stayed behind to help, they just ended up being a liability. His thoughts jumped to Juan for a moment, but he ignored the flash of guilt. He had innocence to collect.
Ignoring Kanda's protests, he took off full tilt past the perimeter, swearing as sleepiness immediately began dragging at him, tempting him to slow his pace. Allen ignored it as best he could, maintaining the full sprint he had started out with. They had run out of time. His footing didn't falter and he slid through the bend and continued running, barely taking in the scenery passing him as he pulled air into his lungs.
Drowsiness was clawing at him, demanding he give in, and Allen knew he couldn't resist for long. He prayed in his head that he would see the daisy field soon, and relief was heavy in his heart as he crested a hill and saw the waving flowers below him. Standing proudly in the middle was the large daisy Kanda had described. Fifty feet. his pace had slowed, and sleep beckoned. He struggled to keep his eyes open. Thirty feet. Twenty five. He wasn't going to make it to ten feet, he knew. Luckily, he didn't need to.
15 feet. "Innocence, activate!" He meant to yell, but it came out a whisper. His arm activated anyway, reaching as his pace faltered and he stumbled. His fingers were five yards away. Now two. His vision began to blacken around the edges, and his hand brushed the flower - grabbed it. Squeezed, pulled back. He had it. His eyes closed all the way and sleep took him.
A shout and the sounds of explosions woke him with a start, and he sat up, wide eyed at the scene before him. He must have only slept for a minute or two, but that was all it took. The Akuma had caught up, and the only thing between them and him was Mugen and its wielder. Kanda must have been who shouted, and now he was simply a flash in the sky as he cut akuma down in two almost as fast as they were coming...but not quite. Some were getting through and they were headed for Allen, guns already shooting their deadly bullets from round forms.
He looked down at his right arm, now its usual size, and sighed with relief at the small glowing ball of innocence in his palm before jumping out of the way of oncoming missiles and tucking it into a coat pocket. His movements were still sluggish, though, and he was barely able to avoid an attack by a second Akuma. Once again his innocence activated, and he cut down the two offenders easily. A third descended upon him, and he rolled to the right as it shot at him, easily turning his arm into a cannon and firing back a destructive blow, barely able to appreciate the freed soul as it sped up into heaven.
Many more were headed their way. Too many, he knew, especially when he noticed from the corner of his eye that Kanda had been distracted by a couple of level twos. With a curse he jumped wholeheartedly into the fray, leaping from boulders to rock faces as he cut down four more Akuma and found himself face to face with a level two. It's grizzled face was set into what looked like the body of a giant lizard on two legs. It was sporting long claws, razor sharp teeth and a tortured soul that only Allen could see within it.
It swiped at Allen where he crouched on a ledge on the rock face, and he felt the wind from its swing pass him when he leaped out of the way and heard the crash of rock breaking as its fist connected. His feet had barely touched the ground before he was changing course and propelling his body towards the Akuma, landing a solid hit to the things midsection. It screamed and flipped its body away from him, but Allen could already tell it was over. The Akuma would disintegrate in moments. He turned to jump back into the main fighting, and was stopped by intense pain in his left side. He barely had time to be shocked before his body was smashed into the rock wall with enough force to bring boulders crashing down around him.
Gasping for air, he fought to keep conscious and cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have waited until the thing was fully gone. Allen fought against the rocks that had fallen on him when he landed, gritting his teeth against the pain. If he didn't get out, he was dead. An explosion next to him and a curse from Kanda had him struggling with more determination, but the damned rocks barely shifted.
A hulking figure shifted into view, and he blinked the dust from his eyes as best he could. It was a grinning level 2, red face set into a rounded black body. "I will have that innocence," it hissed. Allen scowled and jerked at his right arm, relieved with the rock holding it down shifted.
The Akuma raised its claw, and Allen gave another big pull as it descended towards him. There - he was free - but he wasn't going to quite make it in time to block...the Akuma's arm hit him, useless, as it had been separated from its body.
Allen blinked, confused until he saw the flash of Mugen the and Akuma was suddenly two halves. Kanda knelt beside him. "Damn it, Bean Sprout, come on! We can't take them all, we've got to go!"
"Go where?" Allen asked, panting as Kanda quickly lifted him from the rubble and jumped them to the right to avoid bullets. "They'll just follow." He gritted his teeth as Kanda jumped to a ledge and crouched behind an outcropping rock for cover.
"Here." Allen reached into his pocket to grab out the innocence. "Take this and go. I'll cover you, give you time."
Kanda slapped the hand away, obviously angry. "Don't be an idiot. I won't leave you here."
Allen frowned. "I can't run, I hurt my leg when that Akuma got me. I'm sure I can fight, though. Don't worry, I won't let them get the innocence in my arm. I'll hide it if things go south. I'll hide in..." his eyes lit up. "In that small cave I found! So don't worry about that -"
His speech was cut off as Kanda picked him up and leaped from behind the rock before it exploded into a shower of dust. Allen coughed and sputtered on the dust, but Kanda barely missed a beat before he was sprinting up the path towards the village at top speed.
"K-Kanda! What are you doing? Put me down! They'll catch us, you idiot!" The man didn't even pay attention to his struggles as he ran full tilt, dozens of Akuma behind them. They passed the bend and came to the perimeter, losing sight of the Akuma for just a moment before they reappeared.
Kanda's breath was coming in harsh pants and Allen stopped his struggles as he realized he was making it harder for the man. He did not stop his yelling, however. "Kanda, I told you, we can't both make it out of here -"
"Shut up." Kanda gritted out.
Allen just glared, but did as he was told. Fine. Let them both die, for all he cared. Of course, he did care, and he was already reviewing scenarios that ended with Kanda somehow making it out of there. They rounded another familiar bend, bullets ricocheting around them. The Akuma disappeared from view again, and Allen saw the rock and bush from earlier that day. Instead of going past it, however, Kanda ran straight for it.
"Um - Kanda? You're going to..." But it was too late. With a yelp, they were sliding down a familiar passage and landing with an even more familiar thump on the packed dirt floor. Timcampy shot from his coat and fluttered madly about their heads, ignoring Kanda's annoyed hiss.
Allen held his breath as explosions neared them, hoping that no Akuma had rounded the bend before they had a chance to disappear. Apparently they hadn't, as the explosions kept going until they were barely vibrating the earth.
Kanda groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position against the dirt wall, and for the first time Allen realized their position. He was on Kanda's lap. And his head was resting in the crook of Kanda's neck. With a yelp and much flailing of arms, Allen struggled to push himself off of the other man, only to hit a wall and hiss in pain as his injures flared. Oh, and accidently hit Kanda in the face. His arms were crushed to his side by two very strong hands, and he was pulled forward so his face was buried in soft hair and a clammy neck.
"Bean sprout." A voice whispered in his ear, and he couldn't suppress his shiver. "What are you doing? Stop your squirming, or we will be found, and I will kill you."
Allen stilled for a moment before whispering furiously. "But I'm on your lap!"
To his surprise, Kanda's chest vibrated with a chuckle, and he stilled, surprised and pleased at the sound. "Well, we don't seem to have a lot of choice. Until help arrives we're stuck here."
"When - when do you suppose that will happen?"
"Whenever your gollum gets a message to them, I suppose." he said rather dryly.
Allen felt his cheeks redden again. Right. He could send Timcampy with a message. "Timcampy," he whispered, and held out a hand for the gollum to land on. When the fluttering device settled in his palm he gave it instructions to tell Toma where they had gone, and that they were going to need back up if they were going to make it out. As Timcampy fluttered once around his head in farewell and then darted out into the darkness, Allen sighed softly, feeling uncomfortable. He had sat up to talk to his gollum so his face was no longer buried in Kanda's hair - which apparently had lost its tie in the fall - and holding himself upright was becoming painful, especially on his injury.
He was able to hold still for all of about five seconds before he started squirming, trying to relieve some of the pressure on his hip. Kanda allowed it for all of about five seconds before Allen found himself pulled forward, the familiar floral scent filling his nose and making him wonder what shampoo Kanda used.
"Stop squirming. You're hurting my leg."
Allen held himself stiffly, glad it was dark so that Kanda could not see his blush. Kanda slowly loosened his grip and dropped his hands to his side, shifting into a more comfortable position. Allen took it as an invite to adjust how he was sitting, and turned his body a little more to the side, trying to avoid thinking about how ridiculous it was that he was sitting bridal style in Kanda's lap, and relaxed his body so that his cheek was resting on Kanda's shoulder and his nose was about half an inch from his neck.
"How long do you think it will be before back up arrives?" He whispered in case any Akuma were near.
Kanda shrugged. "Hopefully not too long. I'm guessing no one will come until morning, though."
Allen nodded. The path would be treacherous at night just to walk on, let alone fight multiple Akuma on. They sat in silence for what seemed a long time, Allen forcing himself to stay relaxed, since they probably had a good long time before help arrived. Plus Kanda was actually a pretty comfortable bed, and his body heat felt nice against the cooling night air.
Allen woke with a start a few hours later, surprised he had fallen asleep. His injured leg was stiff and throbbing, but he had been hurt so many times that he barely noticed it. Kanda's breathing was soft and deep, and Allen realized he was asleep. His internal clock was telling him it was around 3 am. Three more hours of dark. It was silent outside but for the occasional far off explosion, and Allen couldn't help but wince as he realized that the Akuma were probably destroying the canyon. So much for tourism.
Kanda's breathing changed to a rhythm that told Allen he was waking up. Good, because now that Allen was awake, he had a few questions for the other exorcist.
"Why did you save me?" He asked. Silence met his question, and he cringed at his outburst.
"Why wouldn't I have?" Kanda asked in a cool voice.
Annoyance and something else that was not hurt made Allen sit up straighter and turn his head towards the other boy. "Oh, right. I suppose it was just convenient for you to save me. There wouldn't be any other reason, right? Especially since we most definitely are not friends."
Silence met his outburst, and then "so that's what you've been angry about." Kanda's voice said thoughtfully.
Allen glared. "What else would I be angry about?"
"That I allowed Juan to die."
The answer came so quickly that Allen knew Kanda had spoken without thinking, especially when the man stiffened in shock at what he had said. Allen held stock still for a moment, eyes widening in realization.
"You - you thought that was why I was angry?" He whispered, and Kanda shrugged.
"I say stuff like that all the time and you don't let it bother you. Well, not a lot anyway. This time the only thing that was different was Juan."
Allen felt lightheaded. Was Kanda actually having a real conversation with him? Like, about their relationship? "Well, yeah, but this time, you seemed so serious. And you had never said...that before to me. Of course I don't blame you for Juan. It was my decision, after all. My fault." Allen said, voice giving away the anguish he had been feeling since it had happened.
Kanda shifted and Allen was surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't." Kanda said. "I was the one who was healthy. I should have tried...I should have tried to carry both of you."
"No." Allen shook his head, feeling sick. "Then you would have died, too. That's why...that's why I didn't push it," Allen whispered, shocked at himself for saying it aloud. The truth was, Allen had felt genuinely terrified when he realized Kanda would die if he tried to save them both.
Silence met his confession, and Allen squeezed his eyes shut. Why in the world had he just said that?
"I wouldn't have left you." Kanda whispered, and Allen's eyes flew open.
"What?"
"I said I wouldn't have left you. Because you are my friend." Kanda snapped, and Allen couldn't help a giggle from escaping at the tone he used.
"What's so funny?" Kanda's annoyed voice said.
"Well...usually you don't yell at someone while confessing your feelings," Allen said in a teasing tone, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. Kanda did care for him!
"Che." Was the only response, and Allen relaxed back into his original position, feeling less embarrassed about pressing his nose against Kanda's neck and inhaling. To his surprise, after a moment Kanda's arms came around him. Allen forgot to breath as warmth spread through his body.
What was Kanda doing? Friends didn't...cuddle. He did nothing to stop it, however, and blood began to pump faster throughout his body and a tingling sensation made its way from his stomach to spread to the rest of his body, making him shiver as it left goosebumps in its wake.
"Cold, bean sprout?" Kanda whispered, turning his head so that breath ghosted against Allen's ear. Gulping, Allen settled for a nod, feeling silky strands of hair move against his cheek as he did so.
Kanda's arms tightened around him, and his heart leapt in his chest. He wanted to pull himself closer and push away from the man all at the same time. Confusion won out, and he found himself pushing away from Kanda, though he immediately felt cold from the separation.
"Bean Sprout?" He turned his head slightly towards the voice in the dark. Not realizing he was still so close, his nose brushed Kanda's cheek, and he froze.
They sat still for a moment, Allen feeling Kanda's heartbeat against his arm. Finally Allen spoke, voice laced with question. "Kanda, what -"
He was cut off as Kanda's lips met his own. For a moment his eyes widened in surprise, but then Kanda's lips moved against his and Allen allowed his lids to flutter shut, sensations bursting in his chest as Kanda placed small, chaste kisses on his lips. After a moment Allen leaned forward, desperate for more contact, and placed their lips firmly together.
Kanda's arms tightened against him, and Allen wound his arms around the Japanese man's neck, burying his hands in the long silky hair that he had always wanted to touch. A very small part of him was screaming a question that sounded a lot like what are you doing? It wasn't hard to ignore it, however, with his lips on Kanda's and his fingers in that enticing hair.
A small moan left his mouth at the texture, and Kanda took that as an invitation, flicking his tongue out in a quick motion, barely entering Allen's mouth before retreating and licking a path on his lower lip.
Allen's body felt like it had burst into flame, and he felt pressure begin to build in his groin as he opened his mouth, giving Kanda access. Their tongues entwined together, and all rational thought left Allen's head as Kanda's hands began roaming up and down his back, fingers kneading into flesh almost painfully as he pulled Allen closer.
With a groan Allen found himself placing his hands on the wall behind Kanda's head for leverage, and without removing his lips from the other man's somehow managed to turn so he was straddling Kanda, who moaned his approval when they were able to deepen their kiss further. Allen had never heard anything like Kanda's moan before in his life. Sure, he had seen plenty of things on his travels with General Cross, but never before had something sounded so incredibly erotic before.
With an answering moan he pushed himself closer, burying his hands into the silky hair again, turning his head so that Kanda could have better access. Kanda's hands made their way to his hips and pulled. The bulge that had developed in Allen's crotch brushed deliciously against an answering hardness beneath Kanda's coat, and they both broke off the kiss to groan appreciatively. Allen panted against Kanda's mouth as he pressed his hips forward, desperate to feel the pleasure that the pressure brought again.
"Allen." Kanda's tortured voice said, and the white haired exorcist lost the last semblance of his sanity at the sound of his name coming from that voice. With a growl he resumed their kiss, pushing his tongue into Kanda's mouth, groaning as Kanda fought back for control. He pushed his hips forward again, the pleasure making stars burst behind his tightly closed eyelids. Desperate for more friction, he pulled at the hem of his coat so that it was above his hips, moaning in pleasure as Kanda's long fingers found their way beneath it and under the hem of his shirt to brush against his skin.
Pushing his thighs further apart, Allen was able thrust his hips more firmly against Kanda's, humming at the pleasure that ran up and down his spine. Kanda broke off their kiss. "More." He whispered, and moved his hands to Allen's hips to assist him in thrusting back against him. Kanda's hips rose to meet his, and Allen cried out. They fell into a rhythm, both ignoring aches and pains in an attempt to reach their peak. Allen buried his face in Kanda's neck, gripping his shoulders for leverage as he pushed his hips forward and up, over and over, pleasure tightening his gut.
Suddenly Kanda stiffened beneath him, and he felt a pulse from beneath the other man's clothes. "Allen," he said in a choked voice, and that was all it took. Allen Walker fell over the edge, distantly hearing himself call out something that sounded suspiciously like "Yuu" as a wet spot spread beneath his pants.
Panting, Allen flopped against Kanda, dizzy from his exertions and the pain that was making itself known. Slowly his heartbeat slowed, and a small voice inside of him began to grow in strength. What in the world had he just done? And with Kanda Yuu?
Before Allen could fully panic, however, he felt something feather light brush against his cheek. He frowned, confused. Both of Kanda's hands were still holding tightly to his hips - apparently Kanda had not yet recovered - so it wasn't him.
With a start Allen realized it was Timcampy. Just as he was lifting his head to warn his companion, a voice called down to them.
"Oi! Yuu! Bean Sprout! You guys down there?"