Finally got it updated ^^
I will be getting my wisdom teeth taken out in three days so I might not be able to update that week... or if I do, I'll be kinda loopy...
anyways, enjoy ^^
Light feet flitted about on the tile flooring as hands were careful with the fluffy scrambled eggs that sizzled and cooked in the cast iron pan, the spatula flipping and turning the food so as not to let it burn, the other two sitting on their barstools watching him, Lavi with anticipation while Kanda watched with glowering eyes and crossed arms as the young vampire seemed to flit around the kitchen, a bright smile on his pale lips as he stirred and cooked.
"Who wants some more eggs?"
"ME!"
The Japanese felt the nerve beneath his eye twitch violently at the happiness Lavi seemed to respond with, the rabbit seeming to enjoy Allen's new-found freedom almost as much as the vampire did, particularly when the creature of death volunteered to do their chores during his stay.
"Have mine," Kanda grumbled as he passed his untouched breakfast to the other, his body turning to slip off his chair to leave the kitchen, ignoring the protests of the others as he slipped to his own room.
His first thought when Lavi walked up the stairs supporting Allen was that the vampire had managed to do something to the idiot, a thought only furthered when Lavi informed him that the creature would now be living with them as a guest rather than a prisoner. Kanda's position that the entire idea was ludicrous fell on deaf ears as he watched the young vampire regain use of his legs and even the weight he had lost in the month of his captivity within three weeks.
"Right, so Allen," Lavi started, his voice carrying down the hall, "I'll need about three more tubes of you blood, okay?"
"Sure," Allen mumbled through a mouthful of egg and toast, "sounds good."
"This is insane," the Japanese announced, "I'm living in a mad house!"
"You the mom or the dad?" the vampire yelled back, his grin wide as the hunter returned to the room, his sword drawn and pointed at the younger.
"Kanda-"
"Move," the other ordered, "I'm gonna skewer him."
"We need him-"
"Okay fine, I won't killhim," Kanda simpered, his partner moving to hold the other back, the two struggling against each other, "just let me cut out his tongue, won't affect the results, I promise."
"Yuu~"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"
"When you two are done," Allen interrupted their spat, "I'll be in the living room, I think I left my book in there…"
"If you're interested in an educational read, I'm sure the rabbit's got Dracula," Kanda mocked as the younger walked with his breakfast to the couch, his silver eyes turning to him with an unamused face.
"Ha ha, you're so damn witty," the creature muttered sarcastically, "perhaps I should read something about King Arthur. Perhaps I can study the Sword in the Stone to figure out how to get that stick out of your ass."
"Let me know what you find!" Lavi teased as he kept hold on the other, Kanda looking as though he might suddenly explode from anger.
"Lavi!" Kanda growled, "let go of me!"
"Now Kanda-"
Allen chuckled as he listened to the ranting Japanese, his own body folding to the couch as he ate his scrambled eggs and toast, his hands reaching for his novel, the spine barely cracked before the door to Kanda's room slammed loudly and Lavi reappeared around the corner.
"Alright," he sighed, "time for the tests, if you're ready."
The vampire sighed as he stood up, his boots moving swiftly across the floor as he complied with the request. As part of his deal, he was kept under tight surveillance by either Kanda or Lavi, his days filled with chores and tests, neither one of which he minded as he was also given leisure time which was slowly becoming less and less observed.
"How are you feeling these days?" Lavi interrupted his thoughts, the green eye turning to look back at the younger as they descended the stairs.
"Better," Allen admitted, "much better."
"Good," the other nodded as they entered the lab, "any sign of… him?"
White locks shook as the younger answered no.
"He's… kept his mouth shut," the vampire murmured, "thankfully."
"Looks like the blood we're feeding you is working," Lavi smiled, "alright, arm out."
"How's Kanda?" Allen asked as the needle dug into his arm, the other overseeing the test with care.
"Ah, you should know him by now," the elder told him, "he's not happy unless he's pissed at something."
"But he seems pissier than usual," the vampire pointed out, "you sure-"
"He's just a little angry that you're out and about after… everything…"
"After all the effort he put into catching me?"
Lavi chuckled for a moment before he filled another tube, Allen feeling his curiosity nip at his mind.
"Say, Lavi?" the younger started softly.
"Hm?"
"Why… Why does Kanda hate vampires so much?"
A green eye looked towards him before back at the filling blood, his throat swallowing as he wondered what harm could come of Allen knowing.
"What do you know about the Black Order?" Lavi started as he capped the vials.
"It's an organization created by the Catholic Church as an attempt to rid the world of demons, werewolves, vampires, witches, you name it, they oppose it."
"Right," the other murmured as he handed the gauze to the vampire in an attempt to stop the bleeding elbow, "a bunch of hypocritical bastards that'd rather kill than cure," he swallowed, "well, as you might have figured, we both work for the Order… to an extent that is. See, I used to be a hunter, just like Kanda, went on a good couple of missions with him too."
"Used to be?" Allen asked, "what happened?"
"Thought you wanted Kanda's story," Lavi teased with a smirk before he turned to the blood in the vial, "but as for me… I got caught by the Noah... barely made it out alive."
The young vampire swallowed thickly at the words, Lavi choosing to keep out the pain and torture he underwent, his only salvation the Vampire of Pleasure, the creature proving his title as he acted as the redhead's salvation nightly.
"Long story short, after I got free, the Order ordered me not to go on anymore assignments. So, to keep me from going stir-crazy, I decided that maybe I could try and find a cure to end the war with the Noah…"
"And… Kanda?"
"Kanda was assigned to keep me safe, much to his distain," Lavi smirked, "but to answer your original question, Kanda isn't exactly… human," his green eye met the wide silver eyes, "oh, I don't mean he's a vampire or anything, he's genetically human, but he was… created, so to speak, from fragments of vampire genetics mixed in with human."
"But, wait, if you know how their-my- genetics work-"
"They know how normal vampires work," the other corrected, "they just don't know how the Noah work," Lavi informed him before he pressed on, "anyway, Kanda's not a vampire, he doesn't need blood constantly, he doesn't have fangs, he can heal his wounds quickly and move faster and stronger than any other human I've met, but aside from that… just a typical guy… save for the temper tantrums…"
"That still doesn't explain-"
"He wasn't the only one created," Lavi pressed on as he slipped some of the tubes into the centrifuge, "he was the second; the first was a little boy named Alma. Unlike Kanda… he wasn't perfected."
"Per… fected?"
The red head paused as he peeked up the stairs, his shoulders sagging in a sigh.
"See, the normal vampire virus essentially mutates the blood cells of the human, traveling to the brain where it devours it, destroying the consciousness and turning the person into a mindless monster, seeking blood to replenish what the virus destroys," he swallowed thickly, "I don't know how they modified the virus, Yuu won't let me test him, but he was the perfected version, Alma wasn't so lucky. In Alma's case, the modifications weren't as carefully selected as Kanda's, meaning the virus was still present in some sense."
"So, what happened?"
"The virus ate his brain."
Allen felt a chill enter his body, his silver eyes widening further before Lavi pressed on.
"Kanda watched as the only person he befriended lose his sanity to the virus, day by day until it all crumbled, the boy just snapping and slaughtering half the researchers before he went for Kanda, his instincts kicking in and he accidentally killed his friend. Since then, he's blamed both the Order and the vampires for killing his friend, though it doesn't lessen any of the guilt he feels."
The vampire remained silent as the other flitted around, the tests and tubes taken before he was dismissed, Lavi shooting him a warning glare to keep quiet about their conversation before Kanda was called to the ground floor, all the while grumbling at the idea of being a babysitter.
Kanda and Lavi lived in a tall, three-story house on the outskirts of London, the walls made of stone thick enough to hide the sound of the experiments occurring the house, machines often whirling and buzzing while vials bubbled and steamed away on the bottom floor. The top two floors consisted of their living rooms, kitchen, and dining room and bed rooms, Allen's still being the one in the cellar.
His favorite place by far in the whole house was their balcony on the rooftop, the young vampire allowed to stare out over the city as it slept on, the lights dotting the dark streets like the stars that were suspended high in the black sky above him.
"Oi! Moyashi!"
Allen turned to the sound of his nickname, a package of blood still between his lips as he sucked it dry.
"Hmm?"
"It's ten o'clock, bedtime!" Kanda ordered curtly, "chop chop!"
"Aw," the younger pouted, "five more minutes mommy!"
"Call me 'mommy' one more time and I'll make you the darling doting daughter," the Japanese threatened as he stepped to the rooftop, the door shutting behind him softly, "why are you up here?"
"Wasn't gonna run away," Allen defended, "why would I, I've got it good here."
"You're a pin cushion used in a futile attempt to find a cure that will be utterly pointless," Kanda muttered as he stepped closer to the lounging vampire.
"You know," the vampire confessed, "even if Lavi doesn't find a cure for me, I'd be fine with that."
"Oh yeah?" Kanda snorted in disbelief, "why?"
"I feel… safe here," the younger sighed softly, "I mean, I can't kill anyone because you guys keep feeding me and keep me on watch all the time; plus, I get all the blood I can drink! Pretty sweet deal huh?"
"Yeah," the Japanese murmured sarcastically, "let's just ignore the demon living in you and the fact that you are a vampire. That's like feeding a vicious dog that you know is gonna bite you."
"Well aren't you sweet," Allen muttered, "it's no surprise you have to beat people off you with a stick."
"I do what I can," Kanda shrugged, his cobalt eyes watching the silver turn upwards to the sky once more, "what are you looking at?"
"Stars," the younger murmured, "haven't seen them in what feels like forever," he sucked in a deep breath, "they're so beautiful."
"They're just stars," the Japanese explained, "what's so special about them?"
"Dunno," Allen stated, the breeze ruffling through his downy locks, "they just are." A slow smile spread across his face, "you know… I used to think that whenever someone died, they became a star. So every night, before I went to be when I was a kid, I'd count the number of stars, just to make sure everyone was still here."
"That's stupid," Kanda muttered, the silver eyes suddenly glaring at the other.
"What do you want from me? I was like, eight!" the younger retorted, the Japanese taking a seat beside him, his own eyes looking at the other.
"People only see patterns in stars because they want too," the Japanese told him, "humans are predisposed to see patterns."
"Humans?" Allen asked quietly, his silver eyes glancing towards Kanda, "you're calling me a human now?"
"You were one once," Kanda shrugged in an attempt to cover his slip-up, his eyes turning to look up at the dotted lights, "that's Sagittarius, see?"
"Hmm…"
Kanda turned his head at the shuffling sound, his eyes curious at the sight of Allen's head tilting to its side to get a better look at the stars.
"Nope," the vampire proclaimed after a moment, "don't see it."
"How can you not see it?"
"Cause from here it just looks like a bunny rabbit!" Allen giggled slightly, the dark cobalt eyes narrowing at the words. "No, seriously, tilt your head this way and look," the younger tried to convince Kanda, his actions succeeding as the Japanese reluctantly lay his body on the rooftop and adjusted his head to look up next to Allen's.
"I still don't see it," Kanda stated bluntly after a minute, the younger giggling slightly before his arm raised to point out the stars.
"No, see, there's his fluffy cotton tail," the vampire traced the stars, "and there's his big ears… and there's his eye patch."
Kanda couldn't stop the snort that slipped from his lips at the words, the younger beside him looking up at him in triumph.
"Good one," the Japanese murmured softly, his lips pulled into a small smile though he tried to repress it, "do you do that often? Look at stars and make up things?"
"We humans are predisposed to find patters," Allen repeated, his tone mimicking Kanda's, his lips releasing a giggle at the sight of the Japanese's face, "haven't done it for a long time to be honest, not since my father died… he was the one who did this with me…"
"Thought you said you didn't know who your parents were," Kanda asked, his brow furrowed in confusion as he looked to the younger lying beside him, the silver eyes staring at the stars.
"I meant my adoptive father," the younger shrugged, "like I told you, my parents dumped me on the streets when I was an infant… a garbage can, I think," he bleated out a small laugh, "imagine that… my own mother and father thought I was garbage from day one…"
"What they did was on them, not you."
Surprised silver eyes turned to look at the other's, the cobalt the set now to the sky.
"People aren't inherently born bad," the Japanese murmured, a snort of laughter slipping from the other.
"I'm born with an evil immortal soul," Allen pointed out, "doesn't that defy your rule."
Kanda said nothing as he straightened up, his body standing above the younger.
"The soul might be evil," Kanda told him, his hand extended for the other to take, "but you were not."
"How kind," the vampire smirked as he slipped his hand into the other's, "so who are you and where's Kanda?"
"Ha ha," the Japanese mocked as he pulled the slim creature to his feet, Allen dusting off his pants before following Kanda down the stairs and towards the second floor, a soft snoring reaching their ears.
"What is-"
"Lavi's just passed out from all his work," Kanda brushed off, "happens all the time."
"Seriously?" Allen asked, "seemed pretty lively this afternoon."
"That's generally how it happens," the Japanese murmured as he moved past the living room to the second flight of stairs, Allen catching a glimpse of red hair peeking out from the armrest of the couch before descending after Kanda, "oh, and there's no point in hiding what he told you about me, I already figured it out."
"How?" the vampire asked, a slight blush on his cheeks as his curiosity was sought out.
"I sneezed," the Japanese muttered sarcastically, the confused face he saw in his peripheral pushing him to explain, "it's an old wives tale; if you sneeze, it means someone's talking about you. Besides, you're stuck in a room with him all day, my past is bound to come up."
"Little egotistic isn't it?" Allen murmured with his eyebrow raised as he stepped to the first floor, his body maneuvering around the lab tables and stools.
"You telling me I'm wrong?"
The vampire said nothing as they made their way to the trap door, the rug thrown open while Kanda dug around in his pockets for the large key.
"No," the younger finally admitted, "I got… curious…"
"Fine," Kanda growled, his cobalt eyes turning to glare at the other, "but if you dare bring it up around me, regardless of how close Lavi is to a cure, I will give you a stump where your head once was."
Allen did nothing as he nodded slowly, the normal threats replaced with one of much greater danger, the shiver sent down his spine only amplified by the blast of cold air that covered the two of them from the basement.
"Damn it," the Japanese muttered, "Lavi forgot to turn on the heater again…"
"I'll live, well, so to speak," Allen shrugged, "but… do you think you can maybe get me a blanket?"
A loud slam from the cellar door caused the vampire to jump from shock, his undead heart hammering wildly in his chest as the rug was thrown over the door.
"You say you'll be fine but you'll end up bitching about it and keep me up all night," Kanda snapped, his face in thought before he turned on his heel, "come on!"
The vampire followed hastily after the elder in confusion, his feet stepping up the steps back to the second floor, his silver eyes wide in shock as Kanda kicked the sleeping redhead, Lavi grunting awake with almost as much surprise as Allen.
"Wha-huh-Yuu?" Lavi rubbed his green eye, "wha-"
"Do NOT call me by that name!" Kanda shouted at the sleepy other, "now get off your lazy rabbit ass and get to bed if you're tired!"
"Huh? Why~" the redhead whined, "I'm too tired Yuu~"
"I just said not to call me by that name," the Japanese growled, "but the Moyashi's gonna sleep here since you were too stupid to turn on the heater!"
"Moy-wha-huh?" Lavi yawned widely as he turned to the still stunned Allen, the vampire looking from one to the other, "what?"
"He'll bitch and moan about everything little thing when he's there and then you'll bitch and moan when your precious results are screwed up," Kanda snapped, "as it is, I do not want to deal with it so move your ass!"
The redhead spluttered for a few more moments before he finally trudged off to his room, the door shutting behind him as Kanda returned to the living room, a blanket from the linen closet folded over his arms.
"Alright Moyashi, here's a-"
Kanda paused at the sight of the vampire already curled up on the couch, his boots removed while his shirt and pants were hung over the couch's back, the lithe form resting on his side in nothing but boxers.
"It's barely been thirty seconds!" the Japanese muttered in disbelief, his hands unfurling the blanket in his arms only to cover it over the pale body, Allen humming softly in response. "Idiot," Kanda murmured, "it's almost cold enough to snow and you wear nothing to bed."
Allen did nothing as he slept onward, the soft exhales slipping from his parted lips the only thing filling the silence before Kanda sighed, his long fingers brushing over the white locks that slipped down the vampire's cheek.
"Good night, Moyashi," was all Kanda murmured before he turned on his heel and headed to his own room, the final sight before he closed his eyes and fell asleep that of the rabbit Allen claimed to have found in the stars.
Tee Hee ^^ Review?