**UPDATE** March 9 2013:
I've put a poll up on my profile page. I'm hoping you'll please tell me how YOU decide on what stories to read. Results will be viewable (except for any PMs I receive) once I close it. I will also make a special announcement about future plans on my profile at that time.
A/N: OK so that 'humorous' scene I mentioned before? Fits better at the start of next chapter. Not a big deal but I thought I'd say something in case anyone was wondering. I'm sure most of you have no idea what I'm talking about though, and that's totally fine.
A little heads up for this chapter: The pattern I've settled into for this story is that if there's a jump in time/location, I separate sections with "oOo" but if there's a change of POV it's "oOoOo." Normally I don't believe in mentioning these things at all, because I trust readers to figure it out for themselves, but I suspect some people might get a bit confused by one particular transition here. While "oOoOo" can include time passing or location changes, it does not necessarily mean either has happened!
Hope this preemptive explanation helps, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! ^_^
"Be good now, boys!" Lavi called out to Kanda, Marie, and Allen, as they got up to board their target's ship; "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"What wouldn't you do, Lavi?" Allen sighed in faux-exasperation.
"Nothing I can think of," Kanda observed in a rare public show of agreement.
"That hurts, guys!" He wore a ridiculous bubbly grin despite dramatically throwing both hands over his poor 'hurt' heart.
"Actually, let me just clarify a couple more things before we go, Lavi…" Marie approached to place a hand on Lavi's shoulder. It seemed he was a little… nervous? Nervous about the party splitting up, all of a sudden.
Strange for him, Allen thought.
Marie had checked up with every one of the four that were staying behind this morning, mainly at breakfast. After that he let himself relax for a while, yet now he had some additional last-minute words for their redheaded colleague. "Go on ahead, you two, I'll be there in just a minute."
Allen shrugged at everyone else, and hastily leapt into step next to Kanda …only to fall directly behind him again as all passengers queued up single-file to present tickets and tote their bags up the narrow gangplank. Yet truthfully speaking, Allen was ecstatic just to be able to stay near Kanda for the entirety of this mission… "Bye everyone! See you after the rest of this is all over!"
"Bye Allen!" Lenalee yelled immediately from a short distance to Lavi's right, where she was waving energetically, before slinging her other arm around the red-faced Raphael's waist. "Bye Kanda!"
"See you, Allen, Kanda." Imelda chimed in from Raphael's other side, extending a very casual half-salute, half-wave that somehow set Allen more at ease.
Things will be okay here, right Imelda?
"See you, guys," Raphael echoed, waving in a slow-oscillating manner apparently somewhat hypnotic to Imelda? Allen caught her staring. It was unexpected, yet vaguely amusing for him to notice, considering her usual polite yet care-free manner.
Lavi, meanwhile, nodded gravely as he listened to Marie. The topic must have been rather heavy for them to both miss out on the frivolous mood.
Allen dug his ticket out now, as Kanda's turn to board was coming and he would be next. Lifting his head from a rapid check over their brief itinerary, he put a foot forward only to crunch his nose into the taller Exorcist's back.
"Ow!" Allen pouted, touching fingers to the reddening point of his nose. "What the—"
A hyperactive little boy had cut ahead of them, forcing the momentarily irritated, yet ultimately indifferent Kanda to stop and turn aside, a displeased scowl decorating his handsome visage. Short temper or not, battling a small child for his place in line was not quite Kanda's thing.
(Instead, Allen noted, he snarled out a particularly unimpressed "Tch.")
"Menina!" Allen heard the straw-haired boy calling as he scrambled onto the ship, empty-handed. "Menina!"
That the name of someone he's with? Maybe she's holding his ticket and bags…
Allen figured he had to be imagining it, but the kid's voice sounded familiar…
oOoOo
They'd been on the boat for maybe five minutes tops, yet Kanda was already annoyed with the arrangement. Depending on whether that little blond brat was nearby. Something about that kid just pissed Kanda right off.
The little shit had been running back and forth along the ship while Kanda attempted to sit and wait (in silence!) for Marie to board the ship and join them. However, as quiet and solitude weren't easy to find on a wide-open, two-deck boat like this one, even Kanda knew that was a losing proposition from the start. So instead, he settled for standing by the railing and watching Marie intently. He'd give the man a minute or two to finish up with the Usagi before dragging him aboard, himself.
That decision lasted until Allen Walkerarrived to stand next to him. Now, instead of carrying out that plan, Kanda turned to walk away.
During the card tricks a little while ago, Kanda realized he'd been unsettled around Walker for some time now. The two had been spending more time around each other than ever lately— racing, sparring, eating meals, reviewing mission details— and he allowed himself that it… wasn't bad. Even when they did nothing but fight, there was a certain pleasure he took from their confrontations, challenges, and banter— and that energy build up was expended well enough in bed. Problem was, Kanda increasingly found himself wanting and looking forward to times like these even without the implied promise of a good rollicking fuck, later on. Just as long as he was the one with Moyashi's full attention…?
The fuck is that all about?
Kanda was bewildered by this new development, and really didn't want to ponder further on its implications. Understanding this much was already much more than he needed. He didn't want to give these unnamable feelings a chance to return… or grow stronger.
The bean sprout caught his wrist with a slap! before he could complete a second step. "Going somewhere, Kanda?"
Now his stomach was flopping all over itself just because of a hand on his arm?
God, it pissed him off.
oOoOo
"What?" Kanda snapped irritably, looking back over his shoulder into Allen's peripheral vision.
Allen's gloved left hand squeezed the railing as he resisted the urge to look away from their friends and toward Kanda's face. Depending what expression resided there, he wasn't confident he could keep his own neutral.
Did I do something to upset him?
"Everyone… still wants to see us off, you know," Allen answered quietly, attempting to quell the pounding of his heart by sheer force of will. He felt Kanda glare at him in silence for a moment before he continued, mumbling, "I… don't expect you'd want to wave back, or say goodbye, but… um… would you just stay here?"
What if—
Has he figured out that I've fallen in love with him? Is that why he's so…?
Kanda froze but did not resist, so Allen went for broke, tugging him up by his side, where they could both look out and see the Sète Party smiling at them from the docks below. The pair still did not look at each other, however.
As their hands were not visible to people not on the ship, Allen was loath to let go of Kanda's wrist. Somewhat absently, he let his hand slide down and grasp Kanda's fist. His gloved fingers stroked from Kanda's wrist down to his bare palm; opening and massaging his fingers until they loosed all tension. Allen's tight facial muscles relaxed as well. He could feel lines disappearing from his forehead.
This contact between them was obscured by the ferry's wall in front of them, and their own bodies behind, angled slightly away so they blocked most of the view unless one of them were to back away. Fortunately, Kanda was now too… distracted… to do so. As Marie was still finishing up his chat with Lavi below, and they'd seen neither hide nor hair of their new Finder, there was no one else they knew on the ship, or who would notice, Allen figured. Just strangers claiming seats, or harmlessly milling about.
If anyone catches this, they'll just see what they want to see anyway, right?
Feeling stupidly elated now, Allen still couldn't look to Kanda. His nonchalance would definitely crumble in view of friends under ten metres away. If it did, his eyes, red cheeks, probably even the curve of his smile would hint at how his thoughts kept straying to last night in the bath with Kanda… and in the shower before that…
Oh my god I need to get my mind off of this!
Allen had been gazing out at his friends without actually seeing them, so he took a moment to do just that. Raphael stood aside with hands in his pockets, looking bored as an animated Lenalee gossiped into Imelda's ear. If it weren't for the hand cupped over her mouth Allen might have tried to read her lips. As she listened, Imelda nodded along until her eyes suddenly widened and she covered her own mouth in apparent surprise. Allen caught the vaguest hint of a smirk before she hid the bottom half of her face, the set of her honey brown eyes indicating a positive emotion of some sort.
Now the two of them were looking cautiously to Allen, so he waved at them again, as innocently as he could manage. The two waved back, giggling. Odd. It was nice to see how close the two of them were getting, considering how Lenalee had always endured without female companions. However, it almost looked like the two of them might be talking about him! Impossible, Allen thought. There's no way they could have figured out him and Kanda… or even that they were holding hands right now.
Damn. All of a sudden, Allen could feel himself blushing— but only just a little. Come to think of it, although it had only been a minute or so, it was a miracle Kanda hadn't protested this subtle yet public touching. Maybe he was also—
"Wait, what was that 'femme maudite' description supposed to be again?"
"Aww Kanda, you remembered your French!" Allen cooed, hiding his mild disappointment Kanda's train of thought was so far away from his. "Our so-called 'cursed lady' is short, with auburn hair, typically wearing a deep green coat and black boots. Are you—"
"Fuck, that was her!"
Oh. Of course, that… was why Kanda was still just now.
His mind is on the mission.
oOoOo
Trusting that Marie would make it onto the boat in time for departure, the pair followed the direction Kanda saw the woman heading. She had gone below, where less people would converge than on the upper deck with its unrestricted panoramic views.
The lower deck was smaller, and shadier— in more ways than one. There should have been at least a few people gathered here. Since it was cooler and the air was still fresh as above deck, it was a good place to nap or get out of the sun for a while before reaching one's port. However, the long benches lining the place and rows of chairs in between somehow appeared totally empty…
She disappeared? Kanda wondered, knitting his brows, unsettled again.
"You're sure you saw her come in here, right Kanda?"
Kanda curtly nodded back, but it wasn't even really a question he was answering, Walker's voice was so bright and trusting. Innocuous. Like conversation. He may as well have been confirming the weather, or that his uniform fit right.
I cut his uniform, Kanda remembered, smiling to himself at the ridiculous memory. Oh yeah, he got mine too…
Walker, jumping in feet first as always, immediately began wandering the oblong room, his fingers skimming its every cranny. Kanda remained in place, scanning from the foot of the steps for the most likely place to hide. If she was hiding behind a pillar, bean sprout would be happening upon her shortly. Otherwise he'd check the most suspicious crevices or even crawl spaces on his own… but for an old lady?
"You, Exorcists. I am pleased. You… have potential."
Kanda jumped a metre to his right, drawing Mugen at the sudden voice just by his left side. As if out of thin air, there she was. Black leather heeled ankle boots, fine emerald green coat, auburn hair in a neat bun, squinting in appraisal— eyes an almost unnaturally light greyish green; accented with soft crow's feet. She was too calm— expressionless— and entirely undisturbed by Kanda's fighting stance.
He and Walker glanced at each other from across the room. Potential? Bean sprout looked dumbfounded; mouth agape, frozen in a kneeling position on the floor, where he had evidently found something. Kanda returned his gaze to the woman now, backing away from her instinctively.
"Uh, g-ood morning, ma'am!" Walker began unevenly. He picked a dark green item of some sort up off the floor and approached the stairway entrance near which the other two stood. "Is this your hat, by any chance?"
Not an akuma, or bean sprout would have reacted by now…
What was it about this person that was causing every hair on his body to stand on end?
"Kanda, put away your sword!" Walker hissed, scandalized. Next he laughed awkwardly, and flashed the lady that infuriatingly charming smile of his. "Please don't mind him."
"Tch." Though still bothered, Kanda found himself comfortable enough now to at least sheath Mugen, muttering under his breath; "Baka Moyashi."
Walker held the hat out as Kanda turned three quarters away from them, crossing his arms in protest while continuing to watch out of the corner of his eye. (Bean sprout had told him once that he looked 'petulant' at these times, but what did he know!)
"Thank you," the eerie woman reached to take the frilly, fuzzy garment from Walker's outstretched hand. "This is indeed my own."
Something was falling slowly to the ground now. He craned his neck to see better.
Feathers from that hat, huh.
Walker appeared to have frozen a moment with his arm out, but came back to himself. "Excuse me ma'am. May I ask: What was it you mentioned moment ago? About us having 'potential' or something?"
"Carry on as you have been, and you will see."
"Huh?" The blank-faced Moyashi sagely inquired as she slowly replaced her cloche.
"Menina!" A child not yet visible to Kanda, yet easily recognizable by his 'shriek-y' little kid voice, called down from the top of the stairs, then bounded downward, sounding off diminutive creaks and thumps as he descended the wooden steps. In moments, he emerged from the door and latched onto the woman's arm. "You met them!"
"Oh!" Walker started, pointing at the kid in apparent recognition; "I remember you! We met yesterday by the canals. Wait, did you just use English?"
"Ah, yes! Isn't it envious?" The middle-aged woman interjected, at once warm and doting and offering an indulgent smile. She wrapped her arms around the child's slim frame from behind, crossing wrists over his tiny chest in a protective embrace. "It's amazing how much one can accomplish at his age."
Kanda smirked to himself as the boy— by Kanda's estimation all of eight or nine years old— blushed in embarrassment.
"Thank you, Sir Exorcists! Yet we must go!"
"Yes, you must continue your lessons, dear!" The woman agreed eagerly.
Kanda turned to face the other three head on as Walker came out of the daze he'd just entered— and shot Kanda a quick alarmed look. "Wait, there's more we'd like to—"
As if they were dealing with robust track athletes rather than a scrawny little boy and a wrinkly old woman, the two vanished up the steps in record time. It was only two long strides for Kanda to reach the stairway door, but when he looked up, he saw a whole other face looking down at him from the top.
"Guys! Here you are. For some reason I couldn't hear you anywhere until just now."
"Marie!" Walker answered; surprised and relieved.
Kanda nodded to acknowledge Marie, knowing he'd pick up on the movement easily enough. Their other team member was on the ship with them now, as well as the 'cursed' woman. There was still plenty of time to proceed with their investigation. The ship rocked indignantly as its engine was coaxed to life. They were about to get moving.