A/N: Finally I am getting a chapter out in record time. Allen's the one, this time, to have a flashback from when he had been in prison, but don't fear the little bit of angst. Once again I hope everyone enjoys the story.

THE CAVE: CONTINUUM

Part Four

All this seems surreal at times, living in their own little paradise, feeding off each other's love, giving inconceivable pleasure of joy and passion to one another. They both are very content.

In their small corner of paradise, hidden from all eyes, they feel free to be themselves with each other at anytime and anywhere on the vessel. This is a rare occasion, for on this ship, out in the middle of the ocean, there is no one judging them, no one watching them.

A fresh, salty ocean breeze filters around the portal in Kanda's and Allen's quarters as they sleep the day away after a long exhilarating romp of love making. There seems to be no satisfying their healthy hunger for each other.

Their eyes still closed, Kanda's body hugs the curves along Allen's back, his arm drapes over him and his fingers listlessly skims Allen's chest. He breathes in his lover's familiar scent, and listens to his light breathing, absorbing the warmth radiating from his body.

Allen awakes sleepily from the aimless stroking of Kanda's fingers on his skin. The heat from Kanda's flesh touches his as he lays close and feels his lover becoming long and firm, wedging himself in the crack of his ass, moving ever so slightly, as he rubs himself against him. Feeling Kanda's hardness rouses his own to harden, as he pushes his ass firmer into Kanda.

Kanda's lips brush the back of Allen's neck with his forehead nuzzling and rubbing against him. Allen feels his long, silky strands of hair teasing his skin with the movements of his head. Kanda moves his hand down to caress Allen's stomach, but his hand slides through something wet and sticky. Then a smell he should have notice, first thing, wafts to his nostrils.

"Bean Sprout, are you feeling all right? There's something sticky and wet on your stomach. Did you bring something into bed to eat?" Kanda questions Allen, not putting it past Allen to do something like that, but the smell is all too familiar.

"No … I didn't bring anything to bed with me to eat … well … accept you," Allen smiles with a chuckle.

"Something isn't right," concern fills Kanda's voice.

"What is it, Kanda?" Allen asks, now wondering why his lover is worried.

Kanda lifts the covers and they both look to see what it is. "Fuck Bean Sprout, are you sure you're alright, there's enough …" before Kanda could finish his sentence, Allen's eyes, huge as silver dollars, glisten with pure fear. He springs up and rushes to the bathroom, slams the door, and locks himself inside.

"What the fuck happened here?" Kanda asks out loud, horrified by the sight he's looking at.

Scrambling out of bed, Kanda rushes to the bathroom after Allen to see how bad his wounded side is. He's sure the stitches have been torn out again and he needs to get Allen to the ship's doctor.

"Bean Sprout, come out of there. Open the damn door before you suffocate. There isn't any ventilation in the bathroom. Damnit, open the fuckin door," Kanda yells at Allen.

"No … I don't want to open it. I don't want to go, I'm fine. It's just a little blood," whines the younger teen still afraid to open the door.

A heavy sigh comes from Kanda. "Look idiot, you should had told me you were in pain to begin with … and it wasn't a 'little blood'. We woke up with blood all over us this evening. Now, open the fucking door," Kanda demands, losing patience with the brat.

There had been a lot more romping and rolling with their last coupling this afternoon. They were caught up in their own erotic rapture that neither had paid attention to how rough it had gotten. Evidently, it was during that time Allen had ignored the pain and the stitches must have torn.

"If you don't open this fucking door, I swear I'll bust it down … and since when have you been afraid to go to a doctor. I'll grant you, this would make the third time to stitch up that wound, but hell I don't even know if there's enough skin to stitch together" Kanda says raising his voice exasperated, then leans his head against the door.

Slowly the door cracks open and they glance at each other. Kanda stands up giving another sigh as he looks at Allen, "Che, you look like a cornered animal Bean Sprout. Come out here so we can talk about this," Kanda says, keeping calm, and stepping back to allow Allen room to walk out.

The fear in Allen's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Kanda. When they had awaked this evening, they had been enjoying lying together in each other's arms, feeling the warmth of their bodies together. Kanda had felt something wet and sticky when his hand started to caress Allen stomach.

When Kanda had lifted the covers, they both discovered a pool of blood on the sheets. Seeing the blood, Allen's eyes widened in fright, for something had spooked him, and he quickly fled to the bathroom. Kanda had thought Allen was sick at first, but it became evident that wasn't the case.

"Kanda … what happens if there isn't enough skin to stitch," Allen asks, nervously from his slight crack in the door, bringing Kanda back to the present.

"Hell, I don't know for sure … I think they have to graft skin from another area," Kanda says, sounding defeated.

"What's wrong Bean Sprout? What had spooked you when you woke up?" Kanda asks, with concern for his partner's well being. It dawns on Kanda, 'maybe all of this has something to do with his attack in prison. We had talked about his imprisonment just a few hours ago. Could the sight of the blood had triggered some trauma he holds inside of him?'

"Come out of there and let's talk about why you're afraid, than we can go up to the infirmary. Remember we made a promise to one another, no secrets, and I told you it went both ways," Kanda says in a serious tone of voice, watching Allen bow his head and lean into the creak of the door.

Allen knows he shouldn't be afraid to go see the doctor. All he's going to do is stitch the damn wound up again. It's just when he woke up and saw all the blood … well … panic had set in and fear. He had a horrible flashback to the night the guards had roughed him up and stabbed him.

He still remembers, even though he had been in an inert state, the guard mumbled curses under his breath as he unlocked his cell door. The door had a grinding squeaking noise, from decades of rust and lack of oil when the guard opened it. He had let in other Guards who positioned themselves around him. It had started with one guard who nudged his body with his boot to make sure he was awake. The guard called him a traitor to the Black Order and a fucking Noah, the hated enemy.

The others had joined in with their sneering voices taunting him with venomous words and hatred, over and over again, now echoing in his mind. "Traitor … you're a fucking Noah … you deserve to die Walker … I hope they execute you slowly, drawing it out so you feel the searing pain streak throughout your body … you bastard!" Allen has to close his eyes hoping to stop the loud screeching voices in his head.

But it didn't and his heart is palpitating remembering how weak he was from the binding spell. He couldn't defend himself when the first blow had hit him in the face. He had covered his face with his arms as they kicked him harder and harder. It didn't matter to them where their blows had landed their hatred had been in every kick to his fragile body. He thought he had heard a rib break and shortly thereafter he felt the stab of a cold steel blade penetrating his side, going deep into his tissues, before blacking out.

When he had come to, he was lying on the cold stone floor with deep-red crimson blood that had pooled around his body. Link was by his side trying to stop the bleeding oozing out of his side from where the knife had entered. Link also had blood soaked into the front of his shirt, and Allen feared Link had been stabbed too. But most of all, in his weakened state, he had remembered calling out for Kanda, over and over, wailing his sorrows, not over the bleeding in his side, but the bleeding in his heart wanting Kanda there with him.

Evidently, tears had been streaming down his cheeks, because Link was wiping away the wetness on his face. Oh yes, his heart had ached, as bad as the pain in his side wanting desperately to have Kanda there with him to keep him warm and brave. But he knew deep inside, Kanda couldn't be there with him, which had caused Allen overwhelming distress — he wanted Kanda, he needed Kanda, every fiber in his body had felt it.

Coming back to the present, Allen slowly opens the door wider, looking out the door frame. Kanda moves back. Not too far because he's afraid Allen's legs may give out due to blood lost. With his head hanging to his chest, tears are streaming down his face as he steps out into the light.

"For Christ sakes Allen, I have to take you to the doctor. That wound needs to be checked. I won't take no for an answer, if I have to, I'll carry you up there," Kanda says, worried as he looks at his precious husband. He doesn't approach him, afraid he'd go back into the bathroom to hide.

His bandage is soaked with bright red crimson blood and blood smears his torso and pants. On wobbly legs, he walks out further and glances over at their bed, yes, there's enough blood on the sheets to look like someone could have been murdered there.

He glances at Kanda, who also has blood smears on his torso, showing under his open shirt. Kanda walks closer to Allen and stretches his hand out for him to take. "Let's get cleaned up and dressed, Bean Sprout. I'll be with you at the doctors and then we'll get something to eat," he says, as Allen reaches out for Kanda's hand — his eyes wet with tears.

"I … I'll tell you Kanda … my fear," Allen whispers in a quivering voice, looking into his partner's eyes showing concern.

His hand tightens around Allen's and draws him in close, but lightly embraces him so not to cause more bleeding. Allen's eyes show it all – the fear, the pain, and the hopelessness that was in the past. Kanda shares that pain, the same deep rooted pain he had gone through.

Kanda's heart pounds hard against his chest and Allen trembles in his arms. His stomach feels like a hollow pit, imagining what horrors Allen had gone through while in prison. He knows Allen is a strong person, even under the circumstances he had to face with this experience. Their separation must had been too much for him, so overwhelming he too could have gone insane.

Kanda gently washes the blood off Allen and himself and they change into clean clothes. He helps him put on his Black Order coat to keep him warm when they leave their quarters. Holding a towel to Allen's side, he takes the time for Allen to tell him why he was spooked after they had awakened this evening.

His horrible ordeal in prison he poured out like a volcano overflowing with lava, his burning words had branded Kanda's heart. Taking deep breaths, Kanda keeps his anger a bay listening to what his lover went through while in prison. But he has to force himself to think of Allen at this particular time and help him get through this. Both of their wounds cut deep, but it will be them working together that will heal them.

Once Allen finishes telling Kanda everything, he hugs him tight and tears stream down Allen's face. It feels good to get it off his chest and tell someone else. But, the pain in his side is now getting intense and he knows he needs to see the doctor. When he stands, he realizes he's too weak to stand on his own, but being strong headed, he refuses to be carried.

"Damnit Bean Sprout, will you just let me piggyback you at least?" Kanda suggests.

Allen thinks about this. He knows he is too weak to walk up stairs, even with help he's not sure he could make it right now. Between the pain and the wound bleeding again … well … damnit he'll just have to resign himself to have Kanda carry him.

"Okay, I'll piggyback. I have to admit I can't get there with walking," Allen says, relinquishing his stubbornness.

"Well then, hop on," Kanda gives him a smirk.

"Wipe that damn smirk off your face Kanda. I know I'll never live this one down," Allen says, frustrated. But, deep down inside he loves Kanda's attention.

To be continued …