A/N: Sorry for the delay, ;w; Got a little busy with a school production. 8DD Here it is! The next chapter! Wheeee~

Hope to get at least 85 reviews on this one! 8DD Love YULLEN forever!!

Warning: There is a profanity mantra in here that is not advisable for kids or for people who plan on living their lives without being defiled by profane words. 8DD

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man. But if Katsura is selling it, I'll be happy to purchase it. 8DD And make YULLEN official. OwO Hehehe.

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Chapter 5

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"What is this place?"

Kanda found himself standing in the middle of a forest he'd never heard of, with every towering presence of oaks, maples, evergreens, and cedars blocking out the bright rays of the burnished sun. Only tiny beams of light managed to penetrate the holes between the crowds of different leaves, giving a rather esoteric touch to the visage. The boy could hear the sound of birds flying and chirping in their nests. He could hear the sound of tiny animals scurrying about in the grass, with other small organisms disturbing the lowland landscape.

Though he disliked being in unfamiliar places such as that certain area, Kanda didn't feel the level of irritation and slight anxiety he always carried around with him. Strangely enough, the foreign forest soothed his nerves and forced him to relax, making him think that there was nothing in the world that could shatter his peace. Even the frown on his face disappeared, and only the slightest quirk on his brows was seen.

Then he started walking.

Kanda had no idea where he was going, but he continued walking anyway. The air in the forest was pleasant and sweet, filled with the intermingling scents of chrysanthemums, rhododendrons, jasmines, daisies, roses, and other sweet smelling flowers that emitted various intoxicating aromas. The exorcist started paying attention to the small supposedly "mundane" details of his surroundings, noticing the variety of textures he identified, and the nature-granted colors that were vibrantly exhibited around him. The simple white t-shirt that he was wearing was now lined with sweat, and only then did Kanda realize how humid the place was becoming.

The sound of rushing water caught his attention, and only then was he able to acknowledge his thirst. Moving towards the aforementioned direction, Kanda soon reached a small stream flowing with crystal clear water. Scooping up a handful, the young exorcist swallowed a mouthful of cool water and sighed in content. As he made his eyes look around the banks, Kanda caught sight of a person sleeping against a boulder.

A sense of familiarity came upon him, although it was so vague that he could not bring himself to recognize the other young boy, dressed in the same plain white shirt and tattered jeans that he wore, who asleep by the stream. Walking over to the sleeping person, Kanda was about to nudge him awake when his hands suddenly froze. Dark eyes widened as the studied the stunning features of the sleeping boy, something he didn't notice until he saw it up close.

Those silky silver strands of hair glimmered sophisticatedly under the bright sun, while some of his locks draped over his face in a way of acting like a small silver curtain to shield his skin from the heat. Kanda's eyes traced the perfect curve of his face, and the appealing softness of his nose; neither did he miss those think lashes on his closed lids and those fairly shaped brows. There was peculiar red line that trailed down from a reverted pentagram on his forehead, down to his left eyelid, and traveling all the way through his cheek. He didn't pay much attention to it though, giving that strange left arm the same ignorance.

What truly distracted him were those lips.

The boy's lips – whatever his name was – were plump, pink, and tempting, that Kanda couldn't stop staring at them. That small, sensible part of his mind said that this was wrong, but the reckless, more dominant side of him told it to shut the hell up. He didn't care. Nobody else was around. He could do whatever he wanted, and be free from any form of humiliation afterwards.

And so he did whatever he wanted.

In a way so casual that it was almost unbelievable, Kanda took hold of the anonymous boy's chin and pulled those luscious lips towards his.

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So, it happened yet again.

Allen found himself bending over Kanda's sleeping form, his supposedly immotile arms holding a firm but comfortable grasp on Allen's chin while their mouths carried out a small battle of their own, with their tongues being the only available weapons. It was just like that first time, when Kanda's arms had magically revived, active and strong, just like his mouth at the moment.

Unlike last time though, Allen knew better than to remain petrified.

His hands held on the bed as it supported his leaning torso, his mouth wide open and ready to take advantage of Kanda's sleeping "disorders."

All morning he'd been licking his lips over and over again, savoring the remnants of Kanda's taste. He had never been kissed before, and never had he imagined it to feel so… so good and delicious. It was an immoral form of lust, yes, but at least no one knew about it. Heck, not even his kissing partner knew about it. It was just between him and Kanda's unconsciousness.

Allen hungrily attacked Kanda's mouth, pushing his tongue through as he licked and tasted every single corner of the older boy's mouth. He could taste peppermint, some hint of soba and…and a touch of nature. No, that wasn't right. He couldn't taste trees in Kanda's mouth now, could he? No, it was something related to nature, like the freshness of a spring morning, or the pleasant warmth of a summer night. He couldn't fully describe it, but Allen decided not to waste his time thinking about it. He was going to let his senses reign over his mind, and let the intoxicating goodness of Kanda's mouth enslave him.

Then suddenly, everything stopped.

Allen felt Kanda's mouth freeze, and slowly, the samurai disconnected his lips from his and gently let go of his chin. His hands, which were passionately caressing the side of his neck and his hair only a few seconds ago, were now lifeless things. The silver-haired boy stared in shock as Kanda turned over to face the wall and started to silently snore.

It took a full minute for Allen to realize that heaven was over, and he was now thrown back to an improvised hell called reality. He stumbled backward with his face still feverishly red because of the sudden rush of blood due to the excitement as well as the slight embarrassment caused by the previous scenario. Taking a deep breath, Allen unlocked the door and twisted the knob, giving Kanda one last longing look before he departed from the room.

Why do good things have to end?

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Kanda woke up, feeling slightly disoriented and confused. One of the things that confused him was why his mouth was wet. And not the damp kind of wet, but the really wet kind of wet. He never drooled in his sleep. Ever. So now, why was his lips seemingly coated with saliva. And when he licked his lips, it tasted different…but familiar. Different in a sense that it was foreign; surely not from his own mouth. Familiar because…he'd tasted it before. Yesterday morning, when he had just woken up. Although this time, there was more on his lips and even inside his mouth.

What the hell is going on? He wondered, thinking at how strange things were going. He also had a weird dream that night. It was vague and barely vivid now that he was awake, and all he could remember was a kiss. He couldn't even remember the face of the person he kissed. All he could really recall was the feeling of his lips clashing against those luscious pink lips of the other person, and falling into an alternate heaven as both of them shared a very passionate exchange of mouth fluids. There was nothing else that he could remember. Well, at least I'm sure that there wasn't any sex in it, his mind mused. Or else, there'd really be something wrong with me.

He sat up from his bed and gazed blankly around the room for a moment, before averting his eyes towards his limp arms. Kanda momentarily wondered what he had been unconsciously using them for last night. He hopped he might have slapped that beansprout again, or better, actually punched him. Not that he had a grudge against that twerp; he just somehow liked the thought of his handprint on the boy's annoyingly smug face.

Oh how he would just love to punch someone once he gets his arms back. And that Noah son of a bitch would just be the perfect punching bag.

He stamped on that large red button that had been attached to a corner of his room's floor, another one of Komui's stupid ideas. Since Allen couldn't really afford to spend the rest of his life in the room, that darn supervisor had installed an idiotic contraption that, once activated, would alert a small beeper in the form of an earring that was on Allen's ear. This would immediately tell the boy that Kanda was in need of his help in some various matters.

As Kanda waited for Allen's arrival, he silently stared at his walls made up of cobblestone bricks, wondering about the details of his previous dream. It wasn't just a normal dream, he was sure of that. How could it be normal if he had kissed somebody in it? That was just plain weird and bullshit.

The frown deepened and almost carved themselves into his facial features as he continued pondering on the abnormal events that occurred every time he slept. First, there were those unusual dreams that he knew were important but he just couldn't remember. The first dream was totally blank; the second dream left the memory of a kiss. If that wasn't strange, then someone could hang him right now for being a paranoid freak.

Second, there was that foreign taste in his mouth. Surely, after living for eighteen years with his own saliva pooling inside his mouth, his tongue would have recognized the taste. It was obvious that it was another person's saliva. The question was obvious: How the fuck did it get there?

More perplexity appeared on Kanda's face as he realized that there was only one possible – and most likely the most sane – answer to that question: He kissed somebody.

For real.

Not in some motherfucking dream.

For real. For goddamn real.

Kanda could feel his eyes widening in shock as his pupils drastically constricted, making them almost nonexistent. His whole body was shaking – except for his arms, of course – and he could almost see his head steaming and swelling because of absurdity of the information that was aggregating in his brain. Had he just been given the chance to have motile arms, he would have committed seppuku (samurai suicide) by now.

Shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit, fuck, damn, shit –

Before he could carry on with his inner mantra of profanities, however, a sharp knocking sound broke him off his reverie, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning. "Hey Kanda, you awake? Got a call from the beeper and –"

"Of course I'm awake, you idiot!" Kanda snapped. "How the fuck would I be able to kick that goddamn stupid button in the first place? Use your brain for once if you have one, beansprout!"

That "greeting" caught Allen off guard, and for a couple of seconds he wasn't able to formulate a witty retort of some sort. When he recovered, however, it wasn't a witty retort that was ravaging inside his mind at that moment. It was annoyance. Annoyance that was so pure, it could almost be mistaken for anger or loathing. "What the hell is wrong with you, you jerk?" Allen yelled back, his own face distorting into a scowl as his eyes transfixed a fiery glare onto the hot-tempered samurai. "I came in here because you called me for some help, goddamn it," he hissed, gnashing his teeth in the process. "And now you're being a jackass with stupid morning mood swings again, as if we've never had that no-arguing agreement in the first place. If you want to go and eat soba with a straw, fine with me! Good morning and good riddance to you, ba-Kanda!"

And with that, the door slammed shut, leaving only the longhaired boy inside, who was still gaping at the empty space where Allen was standing. He didn't really expect such a reaction from the younger boy, more so did he not expect to see that wounded expression on his face. They had always been bickering like that – sometimes even worse – for the past many months they've spent, living and fighting together, and never did Allen have such a hurt expression on his face. Until today, that is.

Long ago Kanda would have ignored such a "trivial" thing and carried on grumbling to himself how much of an idiot the people in the Order were. But now, the boy could not deny the fact that he was actually affected by the other boy's reaction to his morning outburst. Actually, concerned was a more appropriate and honest term, though Kanda would rather hide his actually sentiment behind the façade of "curiosity." He couldn't help but wonder what had caused that sudden change in Allen's reactions. In reality, Kanda was really expecting the boy to reply with one of those irritating, yet amusing remarks of his, and they'll go bickering until their stomachs remind them that it's time to shut up and eat. Those moments were a waste of time, yes, but they were also strangely fun in it's own way.

Now, there were none of those moments.

Kanda stood up from the bed and made his way to the door, kicking it open with firm but now docile force. That look on Allen's face somewhat forced his body to calm down and think about the other boy's feelings for once.

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His surroundings merged into a blur of grayscale visage, nothing really much distinct in detail due to the lack of proper vision caused by the accumulating tears in the boy's eyes. Allen ran away from Kanda's room, running towards a random direction as he bit his lips to restrain those small salty drops that dared to stream out of his eyes. He couldn't understand that heavy feeling in his chest, as if something hard had just struck his heart.

Allen knew that he shouldn't be acting like this. He should have stayed in that room, absorb all of Kanda's insults, paste that shrewd look on his face, and shoot Kanda with all his clever retorts until the samurai's ego disintegrated into unrecognizable ash. He should have done that instead of yelling uncannily at the older boy and running out of the room in the brink of tears. No, he should have been manlier than that.

But why did he feel so hurt?

It was strange, the way his heart was reacting to all of this. Allen had thought that he was already immune to Kanda's mood swings and foul mouth. Was he wrong about it? Was being accused to be "brainless" really a big deal? It wasn't that he and Kanda shared a deeper relationship other than mere camaraderie and rivalry. Even if he did enjoy those late night kisses, he was only there for the sake of pleasure and nothing else. Should he find a prostitute who was just a good a kisser as Kanda was, then he'd happily dump those clandestine moments of passion with the boy and go sleep with the aforementioned harlot. As simple as that, no complications like gay love to throw in.

…Right?

Allen found himself walking into a deserted corridor, and in there he decided to rest. Small gasps escaped his lips as he restocked his depraved lungs with some proper oxygen, while small droplets of perspiration fell from his forehead. His eyes were still clouded with the sheen of restrained tears, and small sniffs came out of his nose every now and then, while the back of his palm was always ready to wipe away any stubborn tear drop that found its way out of his eyes.

What's wrong? He asked himself, shadows covering his gray eyes as he stared distressingly at the ground. This…this feeling…I just couldn't understand it…why am I so hurt? What's wrong with me?

Was it because of Kanda acting much like a jackass again, when just the other day they'd been so diplomatic towards each other? No, no, that would be too shallow, Allen thought, hugging his knees as he buried his face in his thighs. Then what was it? What was that thing that kept him from acting normal under those circumstances? What kept him from putting up his infamous poker face; that face, which had concealed his emotions ever since Mana died? What made him snap?

Maybe it had something to do with those night kisses after all, a small voice from the back of his mind whispered.

Nope, Allen's logical mind contradicted. No way.

Why not?

Because that's just too shallow too. And immorally disgusting.

Then why are you doing it?

Because it feels good. That's it.

That's it? Really?

Yeah. That's it. No emotions or any of that mushy stuff attached.

If so…then why are you feeling so hurt?

That's what I've been asking about, idiot!

"Hey, beansprout."

Allen's talking-to-a-small-voice-in-my-mind moment shattered as an all-too-familiar voice broke his train of thoughts. His head immediately shot up, his gray eyes widening as they processed the reality of Kanda's presence right in front of his crumpled form. The other male was sweating hard, with strands of his dark, royal blue hair adhering to his cheeks and neck. The sound of deep exhales was an obvious sign that Kanda had been running, and he had been running fast. His arms were as limp as before though, and even if they showed signs of perspiration too, they were as immotile as ever.

What was different was that look in the samurai's eyes. That bend on his eyebrows were retained, as well as that upturned smile on his lips, but his dark eyes held a much…gentler appearance. Kanda didn't have his intimidating aura turned on at that moment.

"Kanda?" Allen croaked, his voice broken by the release of emotional fluids that both streamed out of his eyes and nostrils. He was so surprised that he didn't even notice that he was already crying. "W-What are you doing here?" he tentatively asked, wondering if the other boy was really there, or if he was just hallucinating. The sound of Kanda's exasperated sigh, as well as the rolling motion of his eyes stated that he was very much real.

"I don't think you're that much of a retard to start hallucinating, beansprout, but for your sake I'll say it. Yes, I am here, in front of you while you're crying your heart out like some depressingly bullied victim," he replied, giving the boy a small kick just to knock him back to his senses. "Get up."

"My name is not 'beansprout'," Allen sniffed indignantly, and buried his face into his thighs once again, keeping his eyes averted from Kanda. "Go away."

"I didn't chase and look for you just to get shooed away like a dumb dog," Kanda impatiently stated, something that Allen replied to with a snort and a mutter that sounded like "yeah, you're a dumb dog," but Kanda was wise enough to ignore it just this once. He had run all this way to apologize, and he didn't want any outbursts to ruin the opportunity again. "Listen beansprout," he started, squatting in front of Allen's form. "I'm not here to yell at you again, okay? I'm here to…" he paused for a moment and swallowed, making that mouthful of sticky saliva seem to represent his pride. "I'm here to apologize, okay? I know I shouldn't have yelled at you like that when you were there to help. Though it was just really stupid of you to ask whether I was awake or not. I don't think I'd bother sleepwalking in the morning, beansprout."

"Wow, what an apology, Kanda," Allen drawled, rolling his eyes, yet deep inside he felt some sort of bubbling warmth. He was happy about Kanda stepping down from his "almight-ness" and actually apologizing for something he admitted to have done wrong. "You apologize to a person and then you insult that person. Very effective. Really. You'll have less enemies at this rate," he added, adding a healthy amount of sarcasm and teasing in his words, his own way of saying that Kanda was forgiven and there was no need to hold on to the tension between them.

"Che, whatever beansprout," Kanda replied, a small, small smile pulling at the ends of his lips. He could feel the atmosphere lighten between them and he felt somewhat relieved. "Now get off your butt and let's go get something to eat. You run so fast for such a small guy," he playfully sneered, smirking.

"Don't be mean just because you're taller," Allen whined, jumping up and sticking out his tongue. Kanda merely rolled his eyes. "Let's hurry up with the food beansprout. After the bath you'll have to start those footwork lessons that idiot Komui says that I need. I'm tired of idling around all day. I want to move."

That's not actually true, Allen thought, hiding a smile. You move quite a lot when you're asleep. "Well, fine Kanda. You don't need to be so demanding. A 'please' would have been really nice," Allen lightly grumbled as he started to walk towards the direction of the cafeteria. Kanda just snorted, that teensy-weensy smile still on his face as he followed the white-haired boy. "You do remember our no-massage-while-naked agreement right?" He asked the other boy, waiting for that response he'd always been amused of.

And surely enough, Allen grew rigid, his whole face becoming a bad but pretty convincing image of a ripe tomato. If Kanda had no form of self-control, he would have laughed out loud at that moment. Instead, a smug smirk just appeared on his face to express his amusement. "Oho, I'll take that for a 'no'," he remarked, his smirk growing as Allen grew more embarrassed. "I can't believe that you forgot such a thing, beansprout. You were planning something lewd again, weren't you?"

"Don't go and accuse me of perverse crimes Kanda," Allen hissed, really abashed now. In truth he really had forgotten about it. They made that agreement just yesterday afternoon, when they were having another one of their baths. Kanda had promised not to whine too much if Allen just scrubbed him and soaped him, without any spa treatments thrown into the package. Massages came before he slept, and not when they both had barely anything on. "I didn't forget; I was just too preoccupied to remember," he added as an excuse, a reply that made Kanda snort in ridicule. "As if," he muttered and started walking towards another direction. "Routine as always. I'll be waiting in my room, beansprout. Don't take too long."

Allen stuck out his tongue and Kanda once again rolled his eyes. This was going to be another one of those days.

As they both parted Kanda once again licked his lips, still detecting that foreign yet addicting taste that was lingering in his mouth. I will seriously find out who is the person who was kissing me, he promised himself. And then…when I do, I'll give her a piece of my mind. Good kisser or not, no one should kiss a sleeping, unknowing person. That's plain sexual harassment. Kanda knew that any one of the women in the Order could have taken advantage of his current weakness.

Tonight I'll catch that person for sure. Tonight.

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A/N: I dunno if this fits the cliffhanger category or not, but if it does, then I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to be that way. 8DD

Read, review and ENJOY!

But most of all, review my dahrlings! 8DD