THE CAVE: CONTINUUM
Part Thirteen
After their little romp on the grass, both satisfied, Kanda and Allen are ready to start out again. Holding hands they walk up the path leading into the forest.
It seems like any other forest they have been in before, though there is some sort of malevolent aura that surrounds them like a fine mist. Kanda senses something evil at the same time Allen does. They squeeze each other's hands.
"Kanda are you seeing glowing eyes in the darkness of the brush? Some red, some yellow?" He asks in a light whisper. Kanda tightens his grip on Allen's hand, nervously.
"Yes, I have. I noticed them earlier, but now there seems to be more," Kanda whispers back.
They tread lightly, careful where they step, looking for any signs of a trap, or snare. This is what Kanda had feared taking the shorter route through this mysterious forest which no one seems to have previously been through.
They might have encountered something that is unknown to either of them. Now that he has seen the red and yellow glowing eyes in the brush, his apprehension he had felt earlier, before coming here, has more substance.
Kanda doesn't want to take any chances that something might happen to Allen, so he pulls on his hand bringing him closer to him. He wraps his arm around his waist and leans in to whisper to him.
"Bean Sprout, stay close to me. Don't, under any circumstances pull away from me, or charge into any battle with something we may not know what it is. We'll stay hidden until we come up with a plan on how to attack it. Do you understand me? You are not fully healed and I won't risk losing you," Kanda says sternly, but lovingly as he looks intently into his lover's silvery eyes.
When they reach the clearing in the forest, whoever is hiding in the brush will not be able to follow them any further without being seen. Unexpectedly, in the far distance, they hear talking and the sound of laughter.
"What do you think that could be?" Allen asks, quietly.
"I'm not sure, but for some reason an Akuma comes to mind. But who is it talking to?" Kanda quietly asks, more to himself then to Allen.
"Bean Sprout, don't do anything stupid. You stick beside me until we know what it is and how to fight it," Kanda insists, whispering.
They receive their answer when they creep to the end of the brush and look around it. Indeed, it is an Akuma, and a Level 3 at that.
Its face is a light-pink, porcelain mask with beady black eyes, bright red lips, and rosy cheeks – like a china doll. There's the illusion of having no neck to connect to its short and oval torso which has grotesque gangling limbs protruding out of its body flailing about, like the living venomous snakes on Medusa's head.
It hovers in mid-air looking down with disgust at the cowering Japanese natives in front of it, afraid to look at the creature as they tremble in fear.
Its laugher is a high-pitch shrill, hurting your eardrums with the reverberation of its loudness. Allen and Kanda crouch down and cover their ears from the sound as the Level 3 commences to attack the Japanese natives. Allen could not sit still to watch this abomination kill these people.
Before Kanda could say anything, Allen yells, "Synchronization Transcendence! Crown Clown Invocation!" And he rushes at the hellion, his razor sharp claws ready to annihilate the Level 3 beast.
"Shit, the damn idiot! We just talked about this. He never thinks, just charges in there. Well, I'll have to help him with this, he's not fully healed. Damn him," Kanda growls, and removes Mugen from his sheath.
"Double Illusion Sword!" Kanda shouts out, racing after Allen, and the evildoer attacking the natives.
Allen charges the monster, flying through the air when suddenly it shoots straight up making Allen miss it. As quickly as it shot up, it comes back down just as fast, behind Allen, and it kicks him hard, flinging him against a tree.
This isn't going to stop the younger Exorcist, and he stands up from the ground, rushing the hideous creature again, but just before he gets there Kanda swipes Mugen at the monster, slicing some of its arms off.
Kanda stands next to Allen, "What did we just discuss about attacking before planning, idiot? Not to charge in without thinking, remember?" Kanda growls at Allen, angry at what could have happened to his partner.
"Here he comes …" Allen yells out.
They rush at the gruesome being as it gets within a short distant from them, the beast inhales, blowing out a strong gale wind at the two Exorcists pushing them backwards.
"I know we had just discussed this Kanda, but what was I suppose to do? Wait until we came up with a plan? By then that abomination would have killed all of them," Allen quips back, struggling to walk forward in the strong, forceful wind.
"Damn you Allen, we could have …" Kanda's cut off by Allen racing back to attack again, now that the gale wind is gone.
"Bean Sprout, to your left!" Kanda shouts, warning his partner.
Before he had time to register what had just happened, the wretched creature is so fast that it strikes Allen again sending him back to the ground. 'Shit! If only I could get close enough to that damn monstrosity, I could crucify it with one etch of the cross from my talon. It's just so damn fast!' Allen's thinking, trying to figure a way pass its quickness.
"We're not done talking about this, Bean Sprout," Kanda shouts at Allen as he rushes by the white-hair brat on the ground to attack the repulsive anomaly. Angry, Kanda slashes at it over and over managing to slice off more of its many arms. Allen takes advantage of Kanda keeping it busy and comes up behind it, etching the cross on its body.
The explosion, from annihilating the pugnacious thing, sends Allen and Kanda flying backwards against a tree, striking their heads hard, as they sit there dizzy from the blow. The natives come out of hiding and creep up to the two Exorcists. Allen and Kanda's visions are blurry as they try to focus on the faces in front of them.
"Kanda … I can't see straight … my eyes are blurry, who are these people?" he whispers to his partner who has his head leaning against his shoulder.
"I can't see straight … either … and I don't know … who they are. Allen, are you injured?" Kanda asks.
"No, I don't think so …" he whispers back. Slowly, their eyes close as darkness envelops them.
To be continued …
A/N: I hope you have enjoyed my 4th of July specials with getting out more chapters than I normally do. Of course, this is still a work in progress and I need to start writing another chapter very soon. It is my intent to submit just as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you who have hung in there with me! I just love the way Kanda cares for Allen, they are such an adorable couple! Also I didn't have this beta read, so please let me know of any huge errors you may find that I missed.