AN: Saved from the ignominious fate of zero demand, the story continues. Special thanks to Lazy Gaga and Koda!

Darkest Before the Dawn

Not for the first time, Allen thought about how keeping watch was more difficult than it seemed. It wasn't really a single task, but more like the same, repetitive task that must be completed to perfection every single second. And even if he managed to complete it correctly forty thousand times, it would all be for nothing if he slipped up in the next second. Even so, he hadn't fallen asleep, and he was still on guard when the sun began to crawl past the horizon.

There was something about the dawn that signified safety, and rebirth. Something about it that made Allen's eyes start to feel incredibly heavy, as he suppressed a yawn and continued rolling a coin across his knuckles in a sort of pointless action in order to avoid lapsing into stillness.

All night, Kanda had slept like the dead, as people who haven't slept properly for 48 hours are wont to do. As the clock crept past his typical waking hour, Allen noticed an increase in twitching as the blue-haired exorcist refused to relinquish the night, trapped in his dreams.

Kanda stood in tall fields of wheat, strong winds causing his hair to lash about as he gazed down at the lake. The next gust brought with it a dark presence, materializing behind his right shoulder, a breath against his ear. He spun around, Mugen unsheathed, to face the same person that followed him through every new scenario.

Tyki raised his hands slightly in mock alarm, stepping back.

He growled, rejecting this dream-reality, which obligingly blurred.

Kanda was on a train to his next mission. No, he was doing his morning exercises, form silhouetted against the rising sun as he moved like silk from one position to the next. He could even be in the infirmary, after growling at Tiedoll so that he would leave.

It didn't matter; the Noah came anyway. An arm would wrap around Kanda's and chest from behind, or an elusive enemy would appear that would constantly try to get around his guard, or suddenly, there would be a presence pressed against him, so hard it was crushing. It was all the same: Tyki, as he turned, tipping his hat, golden eyes amused. Tyki, frowning in displeasure, hand trailing gently down his skin. All of it led to the one memory he wanted to escape.

Tyki, on that night, as he gripped Kanda's jaw tightly, forcibly sticking two fingers in his mouth and swiping them across his tongue in a rapid intrusion, practically scooping out saliva as if out of a receptacle. Tyki, moving in Kanda's blurred vision as he shifted faster than Kanda's blood loss would allow him to comprehend, moving behind him and stroking those fingers against the back of his balls, flicking them across his perineum before hooking strongly into his anus, gripping from within against his tailbone and adjusting his position.

The alien pressure almost triggered a scream, along with the imperative to run like hell or split his head open against the ground to escape it. But, after delving in for a couple of strokes, the Noah placed both hands on Kanda's waist, and relentlessly shoved the blunt head of his cock in, drinking in the long shudder that ran along the exorcists' entire body as he began driving himself in and out.

It felt like a rod was being pounded against his insides, striking against him as his body absorbed the shock and he caught his breath raggedly, emitting sounds too close to sobs for Kanda's pride. Every time Tyki drew back before ramming in as far as possible, it seemed to get worse, as the pressure simply built until he was dimly aware that there was spit was trailing out of his open mouth and he couldn't stop shaking from the sheer effort of containing the force of each thrust.

His cheek pressed into the dirt as he attempted to lift his hips higher; anything to make it slightly better, to ease it so that he wouldn't scream, he wouldn't give the damned Noah the pleasure. Please, his mind begged, but he kept the thoughts locked behind his lips.

A cracked whimper escaped as he miscalculated, and the Noah's cock penetrated even deeper than before, due to the slight adjustment. He could hear Tyki's expression of satisfaction as he tightened in reaction, attempting to reject the invasion. His entire body was tense, each muscle rigid as he attempted to still his body and ride it out, but it didn't seem likely to stop anytime soon.

He moaned weakly into the ground, turning his face away, only to have Tyki reach around and tangle those long fingers in his hair, pulling him roughly so that his back arched painfully and his contorted face was exposed to Tyki's gaze. Attempting to tear himself forward from the entirely vulnerable position, he strained forward, almost breaking his torso free before he was stopped by the Noah's palm on his abdomen, which swiftly slid under his skin to caress his organs, freezing him in position as golden eyes watched his shuttered lids and fingers caressed the channels between his ventricles, slipping between his lungs to stroke his breastbone.

He was spasming endlessly, and it felt like Tyki had invaded every fucking cubic inch of him, and he was helpless, helpless, helpless. His limbs trembled from keeping relatively still, and his head spun as the strain on his body increased. Lotus petals, the flash of metal, blood against snow all flashed before him as Tyki leaned in and licked the mixture of dirt and saliva off his cheek, murmuring his approval before continuing his unrelenting battering below the waist.

"Look at me." Fingers caressed his face. Black and gold flickered in his vision, along with glimpses of dark skin against the moon's glow.

"Look at me, and I'll stop." He promised softly, breathing in Kanda's scent and sucking slowly at his neck before drawing away expectantly.

The moment Kanda's desperate, defiant eyes found his, an aching groan left Tyki's lips, his hips grinding to a stop as he tensed, releasing hard and deep within Kanda without ever disengaging from that fierce blue gaze. Trapped within the light of those gilded eyes, Kanda watched until they finally flickered, after the tremors that shook the body confining him had ceased and he could finally look away, disgusted at being forced to witness his captor's pleasure.

He felt something raw and unbearable, as Tyki slowly eased out, but with no way to remedy it, he simply gritted his teeth against the feeling. He longed for release. It was a desire so fierce it felt like it was clawing its way out of his skin. He wanted to stop re-living this night, and he wanted to bash Tyki's face in. The edges of reality fuzzed.

Kanda was standing in the snow, the dual edges of Mugen against the sides of a certain golden-eyed bastard's throat. In the next moment, he would open up a pair of gills, pouring red blood over that tan skin, and he would watch as the light in those eyes faded into darkness. He tightened his grip, pressing in until trickles of red appeared under his blade. And he pulled, inward and to both sides, practically severing the Noah's spine in his zealousness. Tyki gurgled, eyes dimming as he slid slowly off the slick metal, falling with a wet thud at his feet.

Shame licked at the edges of Kanda's consciousness, as his memory wouldn't allow him the fantasy without reminding him of the truth. Reminding him of how Kanda had knelt in the grass, relieved at Tyki's approval of the night's events, which had led the Noah to place the edge of his Innocence between his teeth as a reward, balancing it on its center and forcing Kanda to bite down in order to retain possession of it. And how he had remained in the position out of exhaustion, swaying, and holding onto consciousness until Tyki had faded from view, before thankfully passing out until some unfortunate Finder found him and presumably brought him back to the Order.

Kanda wandered in his dream haze, seeking a refuge as his body recuperated. Even here, with Tyki's body dead at his feet, he felt unsettled. He nudged the corpse with his boot, turning it over so he could see the face. Lowering onto one knee, he examined it.

The dark hair curled unnaturally in the wind, lightening under the moon's glow. Straightening. He jumped as an arm flopped against his chest, and a voice called his name.

The hair was white. He looked down at the gloved hand on his clavicle. Allen?

"-yashi." Kanda mumbled, barely stirring.

"Yeah, it's me. Allen." His hand shook Kanda's shoulder gently, despite his remonstrative tone. "Wake up, Kanda. It's been hours and hours, and I could really use a bathroom break. Really, it's been a whole night and then some, so come on."

Blue eyes opened to mere slits, already glaring through semi-wakefulness. His head was pounding. Even though he'd finally gotten more than the average number of hours of sleep, it hadn't been the most rejuvenating. Or particularly pleasant. And waking to the white-haired exorcist wasn't really the best way to alleviate his vexation, but there really wasn't much he could do about it. He made some sort of noise muzzily and nodded, hoping the beansprout would get the message.

"Ah, great," Allen beamed at him, which irritated him irrationally. "Then I'll take my leave now, so be sure to look after yourself, Kanda." His tone skirted the line between genuine concern and mockery, as he yawned and shuffled out of the room, leaving Kanda blissfully alone.

Really, this was the best thing to happen to him in days. Months. He sighed, closing his eyes briefly and listened to the rare silence, taking a long moment to indulge before peeling himself up to pay a visit to Hevlaska.