Prompt: Birthday

Author: Lotus

Summary: In which Kanda runs away from his past and succeeds.

Disclaimer: We do not own Saiyuki or DGM

Kanda woke up on the morning of the sixth of June and stared at the ceiling for a moment before groaning and pushing himself up. He hated this day above all others, even Valentine's Day and Halloween. Those days were annoying, with their love confessions, sweets, and bad pranks. But this day? His birthday? It brought memories and thoughts to the forefront of his mind like a violent whirlpool and they would chase each other there the entire day.

Kanda slipped from his room, hoping to get to the training room before anyone could stop him, and lock himself in there for the day. Most people would respect his vie for privacy but he knew that Lavi wouldn't and would try to throw him a party, which would occur with or without his attendance anyway. As he warmed up, quickly and easily sliding through the familiar stances of kata after kata, his mind drifted to his earlier years. Gods, he was only what? Eleven years old? With a twenty-one year old's body? Beyond being fucked up in more ways than one, it was disgusting. With a growl he slipped from his katas to actual training, pushing himself as hard as he could without an actual opponent.

As he fought off his invisible opponent he found himself retracing the movements of his fight with Alma the first time, when Alma had killed everyone. He gritted his teeth and shattered the memory by abruptly changing direction and slicing through yet another invisible opponent. If he'd never woken up from that incubation pool, would Alma still have gone mad? If he'd never pulled himself from that warm water would he have had to kill the woman he loved in another body? Twice. And thinking of how he'd loved Alma brought forward the new warmth he'd felt for Gojyo. He hated that warmth. Hated himself for thinking he was allowed to love and be loved in return. With each new racing thought his actions grew more violent.

By noon Kanda had worked himself dizzy. He no longer had the curse to sustain him as it had before and he'd skipped breakfast. The dizzier he got the more the thoughts raced through his mind and it made him feel sick. He needed to get out. Not just out of the order, but out of this time, this world. Kanda stopped suddenly before turning on his heel and walking over to his coat. He sheathed Mugen before pulling on his coat and strapping the sword to his hip. He had a creepy shrimp to hunt down.

He found Road in the lounge, playing with a doll before the fireplace while Tyki read in a chair nearby. She looked up when she caught sight of him and smiled that creepily happy smile of hers.

"Kanda, why didn't you tell us today was your birthday?" Road whined, smile still firmly in place. "We could have gotten you something."

"If you want to get me something, make me a door to the time where we fought the final battle," Kanda said coolly. Road's grin grew until he thought her head would crack in half.

"Okay," she said. She summoned up one of her doors and let said doors swing open to reveal a swirling black abyss beyond. Kanda stepped forward, stepping into the abyss.

"Thank you," he said before the doors closed behind him. Road and Tyki exchanged a shocked glance.

Kanda found himself in Chang-an when he pushed the other set of doors open. He looked around, shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand. He hadn't expected Road to drop him in the last place they'd all been. It had taken them until Chang-an to realize that with Neah gone, so would the Ark gates in Shanghai and Edo. Kanda had almost killed Allen that day. He smirked to remember it.

He meandered through town, finding the market with relative ease. He purchased an apple, just for something to sate his hunger, before setting off to find some secluded place to meditate the rest of the day away. He ate the apple as he walked, not really paying attention to where he was going. Before he realized it he was standing on Gojyo's front step.

Kanda blinked and was about to walk away when the door opened. He and Gojyo blinked at each other for a moment in shock. "What're you doing here?" Gojyo asked.

"Dunno," Kanda said. "I was just wandering."

"And you just so happened to wander onto my front step?" Gojyo said skeptically.

"So it would seem," Kanda said. He turned to leave.

"Wait," Gojyo said. "What are you doing here? In this world? In this time?"

"I needed to get away," Kanda said.

"Away from what?" Gojyo asked. Kanda shot him a withering glare before sighing.

"It's my birthday. Lavi was being annoying about it," Kanda said. "I figured if I asked Road to make a door to here instead of the present she didn't know she'd be needing, then she wouldn't easily let him follow."

Gojyo gave him a speculative look. "That's not all is it." Kanda frowned but shook his head to affirm that Gojyo was indeed correct. "Why don't you come in. I was just going to get stuff for dinner but everyone else is here. Maybe we can try teaching you poker again."

"That worked ever so well last time," Kanda grumbled but accepted with a nod, stepping past Gojyo into the house.

Kanda removed his boots at the door out of habit and walked further into the house as Gojyo left to get the aforementioned food for dinner. "Oh, hello Kanda. What're you doing here?" Hakkai asked with that weird polite smile of his.

"Running away," Kanda said. It wasn't exactly a lie after all. He had run. From the party he didn't want to attend and the memories of his past along with the damning thoughts that came with them.

"From what?" Goku asked, being the thick little monkey he was. Kanda shot him a glare.

"Rabid Rabbits," Kanda said. Hakkai politely stifled a chuckle behind his hand while Sanzo smirked and Goku stared blankly.

"I don't get it," Goku said.

"Too bad," Kanda said, smirking despite himself.

"So Gojyo invited you to join us for dinner I take it?" Hakkai said. Kanda nodded. "Pull up a chair then."

"Thanks," Kanda said quietly, finding an extra chair pushed up against the wall for reasons unknown.

Gojyo returned half an hour later with enough food to, theoretically, feed an army. Hakkai set about cooking it and Goku started whining about how hungry he was only to get whacked with both the paper fan (Sanzo) and a sheathed sword (Kanda).

Dinner was served roughly an hour after Hakkai started cooking it. Goku was appeased and finally shut up and the rest of them ate. Amiable conversation happened sporadically throughout the meal, Sanzo even adding a somewhat decent comment every now and again. Beer and cards were broken out once the meal was over and they set about trying to teach Kanda poker. They failed. Or Kanda failed to learn. Cards weren't his forte. There were too many things that could be hidden or distorted. He could probably kick all their asses at shogi though.

Around ten Sanzo and Goku left for the temple. Hakkai also left, going to the apartment he now rented closer to town. Gojyo offered Kanda his couch as it would seem that the Japanese man had no way of contacting Road to ask for a door back. "Happy birthday," Gojyo said as he went to his room for the night. Kanda lay on the couch for a while after that. It had been a good birthday. Maybe, just maybe, next year wouldn't be so bad either.

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