As was so helpfully pointed out by someone who shall remain nameless *glare at sister* I am no longer young and stupid. I'm just stupid. I resent that. Just because my general scowly-ness has produced premature lines on my forehead and my left knee creaks ominously when I sit in one position for too long, it does not make me OLD.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, it made me more motivated to continue as I am not all that thrilled with this fic quite yet. Dammit, bring on the action!

Chapter Three

Lavi realised that he'd dozed off cuddling up to Allen only when he woke some time later to find that night had fallen.

Allen was still fast asleep, flat on his back and by all appearances dead to the world. The expression on his face was so different from the one he wore in his waking hours that Lavi paused to contemplate this riddle disguised as an exorcist.

Lavi was usually an expert at reading people, or so he liked to think, but this boy had made him doubt his own abilities, which was something he'd never done before. No Bookman worth his salt would ever allow himself to have misgivings regarding his mission. Maybe he was out of practice. It had certainly been years since any mission had challenged him in the way his current one did. Even Kanda hadn't been that hard to figure out once you understood his reasoning. It had barely taken a few short months to learn everything about the Japanese exorcist, and by the end of the mission Lavi had been frankly bored to tears and eager to get things doe and dusted.

This time it was completely different.

Lavi caught himself about to brush aside Allen's hair in an unconscious, almost tender way. He scowled at his actions- sure, if Allen was awake, he wouldn't have hesitated, but the fact remained that he wasn't.

Lavi wrinkled his nose in consideration. Definitely out of practice. It shouldn't take too long to get back into the swing of things, he thought, still critically studying the sleeping exorcist's face.

It was still a delicate face, he decided- puberty was unquestionably overdue- but if it ever got a chance to alter Allen's features, something that wasn't all that likely, prophesy or not, given that the survival rates for exorcists were not that great, then the boy would end up stunning. The potential was there, in the still gentle slope of his jaw and the hidden angles of his cheekbones.

Though he was certainly not destined to be the most rugged of men by any stretch of the imagination, given the chance to mature, it was quite possible for Allen Walker to become one of the most beautiful creatures he'd ever laid eye on.

He hoped he'd have a chance to witness it, if only from a purely disinterested, observatory standpoint, he assured himself.

This was all getting out of hand.

It was his mission- get friendly with Allen- no, with Walker, he corrected himself, and convince himself to divulge all of his secrets to be recorded without getting found out, and, more importantly, not getting attached.

He'd not had a problem with this before.

He wondered if he'd been careless along the way and fallen for the mask that Allen presented to everyone else in the Order- cheerful, bright, polite and slightly naïve (very naïve in certain long-haired sword wielding exorcists opinion)- but Lavi had to admit that theory didn't sit well with him. It was more the side that Allen allowed him to see when they were alone that held his interest and made him forget that he had a job to do. The fact that in the short time that Allen had known him he'd some to trust the redhead enough to lower his guard around him made the Bookman apprentice feel rather smug and a little guilty. He denied that latter emotion ruthlessly.

Hmmm… Lavi's thoughts became entangled with each other as his sharp mind tried to work on the problems he presented to it. To wit: He was obviously failing at his mission and had no way of getting advice. If he even hinted to Bookman that he was getting a little too attached to his mission subject, well, he wouldn't have a mission to finish anymore. The old man would drag him away from the Order so fast he's get motion sickness. And he'd never be able to solve the problem that went by the name of Allen Walker.

Beside him Allen's stomach rumbled, and something that sounded like "Steak… dumplings… bacon" fell from parted lips. Lavi allowed himself an indulgent chuckle.

As long as he kept such incriminating thoughts to himself, he'd survive. They'd leave eventually, he'd make sure of it.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen woke a little later, blinking his eyes blearily and frowning sleepily as his vision remained white and unchanging. He lifted his hands to his face and his face crackled under his fingertips. He removed the sheet of paper that was lying across his eyes and flipped it over; revealing a short note written in a surprisingly neat flowing script, considering who it was from, and below the words, a detailed map.

Dear Moyashi;

Glad you finally woke up! I tried to wake you before I left but you just called me 'dango' and tried to eat me. Figured you'd be hungry, so I drew you this map to the dining hall.

Had to go and do some work for the Panda, but I'll see you later! Lavi. X.

Allen laughed a little, only to be interrupted by his protesting stomach and decided to put the map to good use immediately. Without bothering to straighten his sleep-rumpled appearance, he left his room, following the directions drawn onto the paper clutched in his hands.

He was so intent on the map that he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his surroundings and as a consequence, walked right into something that, according to Lavi's map, had no business being in that corridor at all.

Unfortunately for Allen, that something just happened to be a long haired, short-tempered samurai.

"What where you're going Moyashi!" Kanda snapped when he realised what had crashed into him. Not that he particularly felt it since Allen was not the sturdiest of battering rams. In fact, if it hadn't been for Allen's down-turned (and surprisingly hard) head that made contact first, Kanda didn't think he'd have noticed the incident at all.

With Lavi, Allen made a conscious decision to lower his shield and be more open, but when it came to Kanda, he found that he had no control over his temper whatsoever. "It's Allen, BaKanda. And I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting you to be lurking in the middle of the corridor!" he returned, his expression part-sneer, part-scowl and completely ineffective. Kanda was obviously of the same opinion and raised an eyebrow mockingly. "If you weren't such a worthless brat who couldn't find their way ou-" here he paused as though he'd just seen the paper clasped in Allen's mismatched hands for the first time and his raised eyebrows immediately drew down into a frown.

Kanda knew full well who the note was from- he'd recognise that handwriting anywhere… he raised his dark eyes to Allen's slightly annoyed and increasingly confused expression.

"Kanda, is something wr-?"

Kanda snorted inelegantly. "Che." He made to move brusquely past Allen, who looked more baffled by the second. He only went five steps before his (rarely used) conscience raised its head and forced his to say something. He sighed and his shoulders slumped the barest of fractions before he straightened them again. "Just watch yourself Moyashi. If you carry on with this you'll only end up hurt." Though his tone was no different from usual, cold and dismissive, the words were oddly caring, and any retort Allen had been ready to respond with died on his lips. By the time he'd blinked himself from his stupor to question Kanda, the older exorcist was long gone.

Allen didn't see Kanda again that day, but his words were still fixed firmly in his mind. Just what had he been getting at? If it had been anyone but Kanda who said those words, he would have immediately dismissed them as a joke, but Kanda just didn't make jokes. Allen suspected that Kanda wouldn't know a joke if it dances naked in front of him wearing Komui's beret. But knowing that is wasn't a joke didn't get him any closer to knowing what it was and therefore decided that the only thing for it was to ask the unpleasant exorcist's self-proclaimed best friend.

"Hey Lavi?"

The redheaded exorcist looked up at Allen's words and raised an eyebrow at the thoughtful look on the white haired boy's face.

"Have you noticed anything… strange… about Kanda lately?"

Lavi frowned. Something strange about Kanda? Well, he could think of several things., but he doubted any of the things he was thinking of were things that Allen Walker, king of oblivious had noticed, but having said that, what had Kanda done that Allen had observed but he hadn't?

Allen must have seen Lavi's expression because he wrinkled his nose. "Guess not then."

"What are you talking about?" Lavi asked, giving a wide grin. "Yuu-chan's always acting strange!"

Allen laughed, "Ok, a little stranger than normal then."

"No, why? What's he done?"

"Apart from actually having a conversation with me?" Allen asked with a perfectly straight face, as though he didn't find the fact that he'd spoken to Kanda without involving insults or innocence, though the amused shine in his eyes told a different story. He relayed the conversation he had had with Kanda earlier.

Although he didn't let it show on his face, inside Lavi was fuming. How dare Kanda say something like that? It was a good job that Allen was so oblivious, or the whole mission could've been over before he'd actually got anywhere.

He sneered mentally. He'd not thought that Kanda would be so spiteful and vindictive. Maybe he was more bitter than he let on. Eventually he came out of his musings and grinned at Allen. "I have no idea what he'd talking about, but maybe you should headbutt him more often if it makes him talk!"

0o0o0o0o0

PERS: #49

SUB: Walker, A.

ENT: #6

The mission is progressing as planned, if not better. The difficulties envisaged when earning the subject's confidence were not encountered. On the contrary, the subject did not seem opposed to 'Lavi's' advances.

In order to maintain and expand upon the current level of trust, the relationship must be pursued at a slow rate.

Previous subject, Kanda, Y. has attempted to warn current subject about the mission, but fortunately, the level of animosity between Kanda and Walker led to these claims being dismissed by the latter.

Kanda has been advised not to pursue this matter.

The Bookman apprentice paused for a moment, reading over what he had written so far, smirking a little when he reached the last sentence, remembering the 'friendly chat' he'd had with Kanda less than an hour earlier.

"What the fuck d'you think you're playing at?" the apprentice Bookman snapped as soon as he'd forced his way into the room he'd been very intimate with at one point.

Kanda folded his arms over his chest and sneered. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about Junior, but get the fuck out of my room."

The redhead laughed harshly. "Oh, sure you don't Yuu" and he stressed the name like th foulest of insults. "Little Walker tells me everything, you know, I don't know how you didn't expect it to reach me eventually."

Kanda scowled. "I might hate the brat, but he doesn't deserve to be treated the way-" he broke off, flushing, angry with himself, but more so with the taller man standing in his room.

The other teen laughed mockingly. "The way I treated you? Come on Kanda, of course I wont treat him the same as you!" he continued laughing, but it wasn't a happy sound, it was dark, derisive and anyone who had only seen Lavi would have ever thought that that face could wear such an expression. "Even you must have seen the kid's special. And he's nothing like you" the redhead said with a shake of his head and a sly smile, the room still ringing with his scornful laughter. "He's got some integrity- after all, it's been two weeks since I first kissed him and I still haven't got into his pants yet." He snorted as Kanda's flush deepened with embarrassment and anger.

"All the more reason to warn him then! Before you go too far!"

"Now, now, ya see if you say it so bluntly, you'll just seem jealous, Yuu-chan" the slightly younger man grinned innocently and for a moment Lavi peeked through the impassive mask of Bookman Junior. The moment was gone as soon as it arrived. "I'm sure there are some things you'd rather not get out, hm?" The eye-patched teen took a threatening step towards the other. "Say one more word to the kid about this and I'll make sure you regret every last secret you ever made the mistake of telling me."

The pen fell once more to the page, scribing a neat flowing script in black ink.

Unlikely to encounter further problems from Kanda.

On another note, subject Walker has shown no extraordinary prowess as an exorcist that would substantiate the prophesy. In the contrary, he appears reckless and impulsive, which borders on carelessness.

I have observed a single minded desire to destroy Akuma, though he would call it 'saving' them. Perhaps this stems from the incident with his foster father.

Allen has yet to reveal any other secrets pertaining to his past. No more on the matter has been discussed.

He frowned at the paper, hoping that Bookman wouldn't notice the slip up. If he changed 'Allen' to 'Walker' now, Bookman would undoubtedly realise that something was wrong.

He closed the ledger and sighed, resting his head against the table. He couldn't say for certain, but he doubted he'd be able to stay unbiased in the study of one Allen Walker much longer.

Actual plot and associated angst begins next chapter. YAY!