Chapter 5: A New Situation

He just stayed there, not moving from his current position, as the door closed quietly behind him. The bed was empty, and the white sheets were put aside. The thin curtains flew together with the breeze coming through the open window in his room. The clock in his room ticked softly, like a lullaby lulling people to sleep.

He still remained there, not intending to move. Slowly, he opened his tired eyes, sighing. He was still holding the hourglass in his hands tightly, and he checked to see whether there was any damage inflicted on it. He sighed again, this time in relief, when there was none. He put it back on the table as he turned to the mirror behind him.

He stared at his appearance, his eyes cold and empty. He pulled on his vest a little, revealing his whole left arm.

He did not expect it to speed up this fast, noticing that it had claimed his whole left shoulder and his left upper arm. It had not stopped, and it would not stop. Having a life of its own, it would continue to seek its way through his body till it died.

Kanda touched his straight fringe as he brushed them aside, seeing his eyes very clearly. Those markings were getting obvious, getting darker as the process entered a certain stage. There would soon be a time when he could not hide his condition from everyone anymore.

He put his hand at the side of his neck where he could notice slight marks appearing. His hand gradually travelled down to his left chest, feeling the light thumping of the source that kept him alive, kept him moving, kept him awake.

His eyes were becoming dead. His feelings were starting to harden, and he could no longer feel the pain, like it had been numbed. He could feel it. He could feel himself gradually changing, before he was finally erased by his fate.

He let out a soft snort as he went to tidy up his bed. He then noticed the wet clothes that Allen had worn. Damn, he had forgotten to tell him to take his dirty clothes before he left! Anyway, he was not a maid to begin with, tending to him and helping him to clear the mess that he had left.

His heart almost stopped beating as he froze, remembering that moment when he was so close to Allen, or rather, too close to him. He had not been so close with anyone before, and this was the first time he was, with Allen. He did not know why, but that sweet-smelling boy had something that always attracted his attention, and he wanted to find out what it was. He was easy to approach, and if Kanda wanted to find out more, he could just walk up to him and ask, but he knew that he could not do that. He did not have the ability to do that. He had lost it a long time ago.

Was it the pleasure of making Allen angry that attracted Kanda to him? He agreed that mocking Allen and provoking him made him happy, even if only for a little while, but he wasn't sure whether it was the main reason.

He looked out of the window and realised that the sun was setting. He turned to look at the clock and saw that it was six o'clock in the evening. He did not know that time had passed so fast. The time spent tending to Allen for the whole afternoon just went by in a flash, and the day was coming to an end. In a few hours' time, this day would be counted as history, and the next day would arrive. He frowned, wondering whether this was worth celebrating. It was indeed good that time keeps moving, but this would also mean that everything would come to an end soon.

Soon. He had a feeling about that. Just, very soon.

Suddenly, there was a scream outside as a loud thud was heard. Kanda turned to the door, wondering what that was. It sounded familiar. As he thought, his eyes slowly widened.

"Shit! How did I forget that?" He muttered under his breath as he slammed open the door and rushed out.

-

Allen was on the floor, his eyes shut, wincing from the stinging pain coming from his left ankle. He did not know what had happened, but something inside his mind just snapped and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, clutching his left leg in pain. He whimpered softly. It was so excruciating that he could not scream in pain. Everything just choked up in his throat, suffocating him. He gritted his teeth, telling himself that this was not painful at all, compared to the injuries that he had when he was still fighting as an Exorcist.

Yes, he did not feel much pain when he was fighting, because when he fought, the feeling of pain was slowly numbed as his body absorbed the injuries, allowing him to slowly get used to it. But it was different now. He had not fought for six months. The numbness was slowly fading, and he could feel the pain once more, but the difference was that he felt twice the pain, the injuries accumulated from the war. It was beyond 'pain'. This feeling was even worse than that. It was like suffering in the dungeons of hell, burning in those rages of fire that tore up his raw flesh.

His vision blackened for a moment, but his consciousness was still there. He bit his lips so hard that it started to bleed. The crimson liquid slowly travelled down his lips to his chin and fell to the ground. He would not let himself slip out of consciousness again. He coughed as he moved his arms, trying his hardest to get up to his feet, but the pain of his left ankle was so great that it immobilised the lower part of his body completely. He gave up, staring at the floor, wondering who would save him this time. He hated to admit it, but he wished that Kanda would find him there. He closed his eyes, hoping.

"Walker?" He opened his eyes, expecting him, but realised that person was addressing him as 'Walker instead of 'moyashi'. He then saw that it was Link instead.

Somehow, he felt disappointed.

"Link..." He said in breathless voice. He did not know what to say as his voice trailed off. The man just stared at him before he noticed that it was his left ankle that caused his fall.

"What happened to your left ankle, Walker?"

"I...don't know. I think I must have hurt it somewhere," Allen replied softly. Link closed his eyes and sighed before he kneeled down in front of him, his back facing him. Allen just blinked, puzzled.

"Put your hands on my shoulders. Do you still have the energy to do that?" Allen slowly nodded and reached for the broad shoulders, gripping tightly. He felt something clutching onto both of his thighs as he was being hoisted up on Link's back. Allen leaned his face on the back as he wrapped his hands around his neck, feeling sleepy. Link just stared sideways at him before he walked to the infirmary to get his left ankle treated. He then realised that he was holding onto Allen's bare legs and saw that he was not wearing any pants.

"I shall ask Kanda Yuu about this," he muttered to himself, frowning.

-

Kanda ran along the empty and quiet corridors, searching for Allen. He had completely forgotten about the injury Allen had on his left ankle and the scream was probably from him. From how swollen it was, it should be quite serious. He looked everywhere, but there was no sign of him.

"Where could that moyashi be? He should not be able to go that far when his left ankle is injured," Kanda thought as he scanned the area, but no one was there.

"Yuu..."

He stopped abruptly, shocked. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. His vision distorted as there were visions in black and white flashing in front of him, making him dizzy. He blinked, holding his spinning head as he held onto the railings for support.

"Yuu, you have no family. Your existence, your sole purpose, is to serve the one standing in front of you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother."

He stared at the memory that was shown in his mind. He just stared at the person whom he had answered, before looking down. Though he could not see the person clearly, he knew that she was smiling, as she patted his head gently with her warm hand.

Wait. Warm? Did he...just said 'warm'?

"Yuu."

His movement were shaky as he leaned against the wall, clutching his head. Was that...his past?

His past...wasn't like that.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to get stronger?"

"Yes."

"Very well. You will get stronger, by my teachings, your instincts, and this blade that I am going to bestow on you."

The child slowly looked up at the darkness in front of him, as he held a shining sword.

"Its name is 'Mugen', which means 'illusion'. Do not underestimate the power locked in this blade. Its power is so strong that it can delude people, that is why it is called 'Mugen'. Use this well, and let it be stained with the blood of the people that you kill. Do you understand, Yuu?"

"Mugen..." He said this word slowly, feeling it burn his tongue. It was his beloved sword. Beloved sword, given by his father.

Was that person...his father?

"Yes."

Even if he was his father, why did he feel nothing but endless pain stabbing in his chest? He did not feel the warmth most parents would give to their children. Those unfeeling words filled his empty heart with more loneliness, his emotions as hard as a stone.

Tears slowly filled his eyes, wetting his face. He felt those tears, shocked.

It was the first time he cried.

"Yuu, he has high expectations of you. As you know, he holds you dear. He loves you very much, so don't disappoint him, okay?"

"Yes."

His chest hurt. His heart hurt. His whole body, hurt. Everything shattered in front of him instantly.

He hated this.

"Remember, you are a samurai, and you can only serve me."

He just stood there, his eyes closed, as the sound of his heart could only be heard.

"Yes, Father."

-

Allen was in the infirmary having his ankle treated. He had changed into a new set of clothes and now he lay there, looking at the doctor tending to him. Link sat beside him, reading a book as usual. He peered around the hospital wing, bored.

And he noticed that the light scent of the lotus was gone. His nose was filled with the heavy stench of medicine and anything that was related to the infirmary. Allen sighed as he stared outside the window. The sky was getting darker, the sun barely visible behind the mountains.

"Okay, I have bandaged your ankle. It looks like your left ankle is not badly injured. But as it is quite swollen, you have to rest here for a few days till it is better."

"Thank you," Allen said, smiling. The doctor nodded as he and the nurse turned to leave. He blinked before he turned to face Link, who was still engrossed in his book. He then wondered what he was doing when Kanda had been taking care of him. It was surprising that he did not look for him when he was missing. Normally he would stalk him, even when he was in the baths, to his embarrassment, but these days he hardly saw him around, even when he was eating in the cafeteria.

"What?" Link had noticed his stare and was looking at him.

"Nothing," Allen replied, wondering how this older teen noticed that he was looking at him even though he did not make any sound. Link just looked at him for a moment before he returned to his reading, letting Allen continue staring at him, not seeming to be distracted by his gaze. Allen then looked at the table beside the bed and saw the shirt that he previously wore there, folded nicely. He slowly reached out and put his hand gently on the soft material. He took it with great care and buried his face in the shirt.

It...smelt of lotus. Sweet and light.

"I noticed just now that you were wearing only a long shirt and nothing else. Why didn't he get a pair of pants for you?" Allen looked up and stared at Link before he felt his face burning up. He diverted his gaze back to the shirt, trying to hide his embarrassment. Why must Link bring up this matter again? Thinking of Kanda helping him to change his clothes just made him...

"What am I thinking?" Allen moaned softly. Something must be wrong if he kept thinking about Kanda! He felt his forehead. Maybe the fever had caused him to become like this. He groaned and ran his hand through his hair, lying flat with the shirt on his face, his eyes staring at the white space in front of him.

He just could not understand everything, everything about him and Kanda. The relationship between the two of them was always that complicated. Were they friends? Were they comrades, or were they just strangers, bumping into each other because they had the same goal in life, as an Exorcist?

No, maybe both of their goals were different. Though they were both Exorcists, Allen could not guess at why Kanda wanted to become an Exorcist. Most of the time, people wanted to become one because they had Innocence, or because they had a deep hatred of the Millennium Earl, which was one of the reasons he became an Exorcist. Maybe Kanda became an Exorcist because of the same reasons, but deep in his eyes, he could somehow tell a slight difference. The look in his blue eyes was mostly empty, but there were something lingering there, in the shadows. He wondered whether it was hatred, but he could not tell.

"Link?" He turned to face an empty chair. The secretary was gone, and he did not even sense it! Allen blinked, trying to register this in his mind. He then looked at the shirt that he was holding, and sat up, folding the shirt nicely. He saw a pair of crutches at the side of the bed and took one, holding it in under his arm. He got out of bed slowly and looked at the exit. He slowly walked towards it and out of the infirmary.

"Walker-san! Walker-san, you are not well enough to get out of bed yet!" A nurse called out to him.

"It's okay. I will come back immediately when I'm done," Allen said.

"Do you need me to help you there?"

"It's not necessary!" He walked out before the nurse could say anything else. As he walked with his crutches, he wondered why he was doing this.

"Because I have to return Kanda his shirt! And, and, I have to thank him for taking care of him when I'm sick! Yes, yes!" He nodded vigorously, agreeing with his thoughts. Allen smiled as he approached the section where the Exorcists' bunks were. He wondered why his actions and reactions were so stiff. Was he that tense whenever he was seeing Kanda? It was as if he was meeting him for the first time.

He turned around a corner, proceeding to the next corridor which showed identical rooms on that floor. He blinked, trying to remember which room it was. He pointed to random rooms, thinking that it might be this one, or maybe that one, but no matter how much he reasoned, every room looked the same! He moved on, trailing to every room that he had passed by till he stopped, looking at the last room. There were bloody words on the door. If he did not remember wrongly, Lavi did say that Kanda's room had some kind of warning on his door to scare people away.

There was silence when he knocked, and Allen wondered whether Kanda was not in at the time. When no one answered, he decided to return to the infirmary, but the door slowly creaked and opened. There stood Kanda, staring at him.

"What, moyashi?" Allen was glad that he got the room right. Kanda just stood there, a puzzled look on his face.

"Here." Allen handed him the shirt. Kanda just looked at it before he took it.

"Allen..." He winced as he touched his left eye.

"What happened?" Kanda asked, noticing.

"No, nothing," Allen replied, smiling. He tapped his chin, unsure whether there was someone calling him just now.

"I see. So you came here just to give this back?" Allen could not help but flush slightly at this remark.

"Yeah."

"I see. You should go back and rest now," Kanda said, and was about to close the door when the door was stopped abruptly. He turned back, astonished. Allen was holding on the doorknob, pulling it slightly to prevent it from closing.

"What?" Actually, Allen too did not know why he had reacted that way. He must have something to say to the samurai, but his mind could not think of anything.

"I uh...uh...I..." Kanda just looked at him and sighed.

"Come in." Allen looked up, astonished. He then nodded and entered the room. The smell of the lotus filled his nose once more as he inhaled the sweet scent deeply. Kanda closed the door behind him quietly. The sky was gradually darkening, but the samurai did not bother to switch on the lights in the room. Allen walked slowly with the help of the crutches and found himself staring at the bed.

"You can sit on the bed if you want." Allen turned to look at the taller figure standing in a corner, startled. He did not expect Kanda to let him touch anything in this room, especially his bed. He then looked at the bed once more, hesitant. He saw a chair beside the bed and decided to sit on the chair instead.

Both of them did not say a word as silence filled the room. A light breeze entered through the open window, and Allen closed his eyes, feeling the light touch on his face. He slowly relaxed as he put the crutches aside and looked around. It was just a normal room, but somehow, he felt that this room was different from the other rooms that he and the other Exorcists used to live in. He assumed that it was the scent of the lotus that attracted him to it.

Come to think of it, he realised that Kanda always had a light scent around him. Even when he had just finished his training, that scent would always be there, lingering around him. It represented Kanda Yuu, and whenever the scent could be smelt, he knew that Kanda would be around somewhere. This scent was different from the fragrances of soaps or shampoos. Somehow it gave him security, and he wondered whether he had been dependent on Kanda for all this time.

"How is your ankle?" Allen turned to Kanda who spoke first.

"Hmm, it's alright now. The doctor says that I have to stay in the infirmary for a few days till I am better," he replied.

Kanda merely nodded and said nothing.

The sun was almost behind the mountains as the room got darker. He could only see the faint shadow of Kanda standing, but he could see the beautiful sapphire eyes glinting. When he met him for the first time, he had thought that Kanda's eyes were black, but when he looked closer, it was actually crystal blue, like the colour of the sea.

Kanda had raven hair, and had blue cobalt eyes, and his Innocence was also blue in colour when activated. Allen could not help but realise that Kanda was flawless. Everything about him was perfect. He had a fitting body, and he had beautiful facial features along with his long hair, which made people mistake him for a lady sometimes. But if Kanda was really a girl, maybe...just maybe he would fall in love with him...

"Moyashi." His thoughts were interrupted as Allen looked up, puzzled. Though he could not see Kanda quite clearly in the darkness, he knew that he was staring at him.

"Yes?" He said, his voice softer and gentler than before. Even though his heart thumped softly he could hear the sound echoing in the silence. He felt his chest, wondering whether his heart was beating faster than usual.

"No, nothing."

"What's wrong, Kanda?" He asked. He noticed that Kanda was acting weird these days. That breathless voice gripped him, making him worry. Was he sick because he had been tending to him for the whole day?

There was no answer. It was so quiet that he could hear his breathing very clearly. It was slow, calm, yet a little husky. ("Husky" does not seem to be the right word. What is the mood you're trying to convey?) He looked outside.

The moon was slowly rising up through the night sky. The clock ticked faintly in the room. He started to recall the times that they had together.

He and Lenalee...

He and Lavi...

He and Krory...

He and Miranda...

He and Bookman...

He and Marie...

He and Master...

He and...Kanda. He stopped.

"I think you should go back now," Kanda said in his usual cold voice. Allen did not answer as he was staring at the hourglass across from him, resting on the table. It was glowing a little brighter than usual. His eyes gradually widened.

A petal slowly detached from the flower and fell onto the bottom of the hourglass.

"What...what is that, Kanda?" He pointed to the hourglass, realising that his voice was shaky. What was he afraid of? Why was fear gripping him tightly?

"It's none of your business."

"Why? What is it that makes it so secretive?" Allen asked, raising his voice slightly. He wanted to know. It was obvious that Kanda had been hiding something from him and the others.

"What does that flower mean to you, Kanda? Why is it so important to you? Why do you need to hold it so gently and carefully? Such a delicate thing...what does it mean to you?" He sounded like he was pleading with Kanda to tell him the reasons. Why was he so anxious about him?

"Like I said, it's none of your business. You should go back."

"You do not need to chase me away," Allen said curtly, glaring at him. He slowly stood up, holding onto his crutches for support. He gripped onto his shirt tightly, finding himself gasping.

He felt hurt. Why must Kanda chase away the people who just wanted to get close to him and understand more of him? Why was he...straying further and further away from them?

"Why...why do you have to do this, Kanda? What are we to you? What...am I to you?" He murmured softly, tears filling his eyes. His heart wrenched, and his chest was so tight that he was getting breathless. He just wanted to help him, because no matter how Kanda treated him all these years, he was his friend, fighting with him and the others side by side. His friends were dear to him, and he did not want to lose them.

He had lost Lavi and Lenalee. He did not want to lose him too.

Kanda did not answer. Allen stared at the lotus in the hourglass, seeing the water bubbling up to the surface of the flower. He made his way to the door and opened it, stepping out, not turning back.

The door closed. Kanda just stood there, silent.

"I'm sorry...Allen."

-

Komui was inside his office looking through his files and documents. As he finished reading and put the file on the other side, something caught his eye – there was a photo in one of the files. He blinked as he took it out, looking at it. It was a photo of the samurai taken together with General Tiedoll, when he was younger. He smiled. In the picture, Kanda was giving a piercing look as the general put his arm around his shoulders and gave a goofy grin. It looked like nothing had changed after all. Today, Kanda still did not like anyone clinging to him, and this made him remember the times Kanda spent with Lavi. The bookman junior kept teasing and clinging onto him, making him angry all the time, but somehow, only Lavi had the guts to call Kanda by his first name 'Yuu'.

Thinking about that, he had not seen Lavi and Bookman after the war with the Millennium Earl was over. They just disappeared mysteriously, and no one had seen them since then. Though the Vatican did not pursue this matter, he could not help but wonder where they were.

The Bookman Clan was rumoured to roam around the world, collecting histories to add to their collections for further study. No one knew where they lived, and no one saw them on the streets. When their presence was needed, they appeared, and when they were done, they simply vanished without a trace.

'Lavi' was only an alias, the 49th name that he used when he entered the Order with Bookman as an Exorcist. The time as 'Lavi' had halted, the last memories of this presence lingering in the Order. Now, 'Lavi' ceased to exist. This person was not around anymore. What were left were those memories that everyone shared with him. The person continued to move on, having a different identity, a different personality, and a different life.

Who was he? What was he exactly? What was his real self, when he had so many different identities? What he could not understand were Lavi's emotions. That redhead always had a grin on his face wherever he went.

But, that smile. Was it even real in the first place?

He sighed as he returned to looking at the photo. It would be great if they could return to the past. As he sipped his coffee, his eyes widened gradually, and he sat up, looking closely at the photo once more. He gasped as the cup slipped from his hand and fell onto the table.

"What...why...what happened?" He could not believe what he saw.

The photo remained, but Kanda was not there anymore.

-

"Ne, Rebecca."

"..."

An irritated snort was heard. "NE, Rebecca!"

"..."

The person could not stand this anymore and roared. "REBECCA!" She screamed at the one sitting in a small couch across from her. The candle flame flickered lightly as the person stirred from her reading and paused before she snapped her book shut lightly, looking at the little girl who was squirming and making a tantrum. She just sighed and shook her head.

"Can you behave yourself for once, Momo?" The girl whined even more as everyone's gaze was fixed on her.

"No, no, no, no, no! When are we setting off? I can't wait forever!" She gave a puppy dog-eyed look and pouted. They were in a hotel, on the first floor. People could be seen walking around, some sitting with them, reading either a newspaper or a magazine.

"Be patient, will you. Geez, do you want ice-cream?" She asked. The girl glared at her.

"Don't think that stuffing me with sweets will shut me up, sister!" The woman chuckled instead, giving her a smile.

"And I thought you love sweets, little girl," she said in an amused tone, mocking her. Her brown locks bounced as the little girl stood up abruptly, attracting all the attention.

"Stop it. I'm not a little girl!"

"Ah, what's happening over here?" A young man about the age of the golden-haired lady was walking towards them. The little girl just snorted slightly and looked away, showing displeasure. The man just blinked at this situation, puzzled.

"What?" He asked.

"Throwing her tantrums, as usual," Rebecca said, shrugging. The man laughed before he found a place to sit beside them.

"What are you laughing at, Yamamoto?" Momo asked sarcastically. Yamamoto just grinned in reply.

"Don't be angry anymore. You know that Rebecca is just kidding, right?" He patted her small shoulders like an older brother. Momo hissed even more, angry.

"Stop it. We are just here for business, aren't we?" Rebecca's tone was serious all of a sudden. The woman stood up, showing off her elegant and slim body. She removed her sunglasses and ran her hand through her golden hair, grinning. Yamamoto just crossed his legs, looking at them, amused.

"Yes, we are here to meet him. Our boss."

"I wonder what that fat man is going to tell us this time. Oh man, this will be intriguing," he said.

"I agree." The little girl licked the tip of her thumb, smiling.

The story is progressing further as there are new characters coming out. As I have said, there is a reason for the progression. Though the names are different, but I'm sure that all of you would know who they are originally :]

And sorry for the late publish once again everyone! I have been busy lately, but I am posting this chapter now! :DD Hope you all like it! (:

SingingBlues