Update ^^ I'm a little stressed out right now... money troubles :(

But it doesn't stop me from writing for you guys ^^

Bleary cobalt eyes opened to a white ceiling, his body unusually stiff and sore as he tried extending his limbs, a small shuffling on his chest halting him. Looking down, Kanda felt his eyebrows raise slightly at the sight of the still sleeping vampire. Adjusting his body slowly, the Japanese was careful to keep from disturbing the other, his hand still around the slim back while the silver eyes remained gently closed, his impossibly long and pale lashes fanning his cheeks while his languid breaths escaped from his parted lips.

Kanda felt the younger stir in his arms before the body relaxed with a soft sigh. Tightening his jaw, the Japanese gently placed Allen on the couch with his cheek to the pillow, the breathing still escaping the chest at a slow and languid pace. Slipping the blanket over the slim form, Kanda took to the kitchen, grimacing slightly at the neglected dishes that sat in the sink. Cloth in hand, the Japanese started at the pile, careful not to wake the sleeping occupants in the house, his mind allowed to wander as he scrubbed the pots and pans.

Since he could remember, killing vampires was all he knew or was told to know. Making friends was pointless as, like with Alma, the lives they lead would undoubtedly result in their parting, and a heartache no one wanted to face. Now, however, he was allowing a creature that was of the species that caused him endless pain to sleep on him without any qualms from the hunter.

It was almost the same with Lavi. The other hunter had disappeared for at least three weeks and in that time, Kanda found himself missing the exuberant redhead bouncing after him with a stupid grin plastered to his features. Guilt would manage to worm itself into his consciousness, his mind consumed with thoughts of what could have gone differently had Kanda been with the rabbit during his abduction.

"…Hmm…"

Kanda turned to the shuffling blanket, the white hair mussed and messed from his sleep.

"Morning," the young Japanese man murmured, his eyes watching as the tired vampire yawned widely, his fangs exposed to the light before his bleary silver eyes turned to look at Kanda.

"Morning," Allen mumbled as he unfurled his limbs from the couch, his feet touching the cool wood while the blanket remained over his shoulders and around his chest akin to a cape, "what time is it?"

"About ten," Kanda grimaced slightly, knowing he was usually up with the sun, "how are you?"

"Fine," the younger nodded, "little… cold to be honest… and tired"

"Aren't you usually cold," the elder questioned as he turned back to the dishes while the vampire pulled his body up on the bar stool, his arms folded on the countertop and his chin in his arms.

"I mean… colder," Allen emphasised quietly, "and… really tired…"

"You're fighting off a monster," Kanda murmured as he rinsed the pan, "of course you're going to be tired."

"I mean more so," the younger half-whispered, "it's scaring me…"

"You'll be fine," the other informed the vampire, "either way, that thing won't win."

Allen smirked slightly, "by either way, you mean the cure will be found or I'll die," he bleated out a small laugh, "is it sad that I'd be happy with the latter?"

"You want to die as yourself," Kanda shrugged, "I don't see how that's an issue."

Silver eyes widened slightly at the elder's back as Kanda drained the water, Allen's face morphing into a small smile and a soft laugh.

"You're going soft," the vampire murmured, "you might not be able to kill me when the time comes."

Kanda said nothing as he dried the dishes, the tightening in his chest an unknown feeling to him, and the cause equally as unknown.

"Say, Kanda…"

"Hmm? What is it moyashi?"

Allen swallowed thickly, his nerves beginning to get the better of him.

"Have you… have you ever been in love?"

The young Japanese man seemed to freeze at the question, his head turning to glance over at the younger, the vampire seeming to fidget in his nervousness.

"Why… why do you want to know that?" Kanda asked as he filled a kettle with water before he placed it over the lit stove.

"I'm just… curious," Allen shrugged, "I feel like I know all about Lavi, but not much about you."

"You know my past-"

"That's who you were and only part of who you are," the vampire murmured, "I'm just… curious…"

Kanda chewed on his lip as he let the water boil, the whistling thankfully filling the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

"You… You don't need to tell me," the younger finally spoke up, "sorry for bringing it up…"

"Don't be," the young Japanese man surprised even himself, "just… thinking."

"About?"

"Whether or not I've actually been in love," Kanda admitted as he poured the boiling water into the tea pot, the cups pulled down from the cupboard, "I don't… really know to be honest."

"How can you not know?" Allen asked as a cup was placed in front of him, the other by Kanda.

"I just… don't," the elder shrugged, "when… I was a child-well, you already know about Alma, but… I think it was just the idea that I had someone with me who was suffering through what I did… I don't know if it was love or not but… I felt… almost good."

"Hmm," the vampire hummed as green tea poured into his white cup before Kanda filled his, "I guess that makes sense."

"Does it?" Kanda grinned, "sounds a bit confused to me, and I'm the one who said it."

"Well… Mana always told me there was more than one kind of love," the younger's fingers hugged the mug, "you know, a different kind for your parents than for your friends and from the ones you feel sexual desire for."

"I think Lavi mentioned something that the Greeks said about that," the young man murmured while the vampire's eyebrows rose.

"You talk to Lavi about that sort of thing?" Allen asked in disbelief.

"He just starts talking to me," Kanda corrected, "until you came along, we've been doing this for about three months with just the two of us."

"I'm amazed he's still alive," the younger teased as he sipped his tea, thankful for the caffeine.

"So am I," the young Japanese man muttered through his cup as he took a swig of the tea, his cobalt eyes glancing to the other. "So, aside from wanting to know more about me, why else did you want to know?"

Allen paused as he swallowed his mouthful, the white china touching the marble countertop, his eyes flickering to the green liquid.

"Think you're gonna die before you experience it?"

Silver eyes looked towards the elder from his cup of green tea, an unreadable expression flickering past his orbs.

"No," Allen murmured, "I know it."

"You still have time-"

"Not much," the vampire murmured, "not enough…"

"It's never enough," Kanda shrugged, "that is, if you don't use it right."

Allen smiled softly to the elder, the cup rising to his lips.

"Never thought you'd be giving me a pep talk," Allen informed him softly, "I think I've changed you."

Cobalt eyes met his, the elder studying the vampire. His shoulders sagging, Kanda turned to move out of the kitchen, Allen confused as he was left to his tea, his ears unable to hear the whispered words from Kanda's lips.

"You just might have, moyashi."

Limbs shuffled under the blankets, Lavi pale arm extending to touch his night's partner, the green eyes snapping open in disappointment when he touched nothing but mattress and blanket. Lifting his chest off the bed, the redhead turned his eyes to the open window, the drapes fluttering in the cool breeze. Shivering from the chill, the singular occupant rose from his bed to close the glass, the blankets still surrounding his hips like a half-toga.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, the young man sighed deeply, his head in his hands as his fingers ran through the red locks. His body flopping on the bed, Lavi reached for the pillow where the head of curly black hair had rested for the night. Burying his face in the white plush, the redhead inhaled the musky scent deeply, his arms tightening over the pillow.

Whether he was under a spell or actually loved Tyki Lavi didn't care. The only thing the younger cared for was being able to see the other daily, not having to tiptoe around the issue that the other would become an immortal killing machine, leaving Lavi to live as a failure.

Biting back tears brought on by frustration and stress, the young man almost begged for a time when he was ignorant of the vampire's world; even if it meant never meeting Tyki, Lavi would be thankful for the lack of heartbreak and only having to worry about funds and trivial things in life.

Fingers reached to pluck a stray strand of hair, the curly black strand wrapping around his finger as his thumb ran over the texture, confusion slipping in his eyes at the feeling. He had often run his fingers through the strands during their intimate moments, so the texture of the hair was known to him.

Lavi sat up, his brain spinning with ideas and thoughts. Pulling on a pair of pants and an undershirt, Lavi flew down the hall, his bare feet padding along the carpeted flooring to the stairs, a bewildered vampire lifting his head from his arms to watch the redhead.

"Lavi?"

"Not now!" the other brushed up, his body halfway down the stairs when a thought struck him. "Actually…"

By the time Kanda had entered the room to investigate the source of the commotion, Lavi had already made his way to a confused Allen.

"OW!"

A marred hand reached to grab his scalp from the place where Lavi had pulled a strand of white hair, his eyes scrunched against the pain.

"Lavi! What the Hell!?"

"Inspiration!" was all Lavi offered as an explanation, the other two left in the kitchen in bafflement.

"Should… should I even-"

"I wouldn't," Kanda shook his head, Allen sighing slightly while the other moved to the couch, the vampire following almost timidly with his mug of tea.

"What are you doing?"

Red hair lifted from the microscope, the green eyes glancing towards the other hunter, his shoulders sagging as he sighed lightly.

"You scared me Yuu," Lavi breathed while the other raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Who'd you think I was?" Kanda pressed as he stepped towards the other.

"Does it matter?" the other murmured, "you still startled me."

"So what's got you so invested?" the Japanese asked as he stepped up to the other.

"Just… had a spark," Lavi lied horribly while Kanda stood with his arms over his chest.

"Lavi-"

"Just have a look," the redhead cut the other off, his hands gesturing to the microscope.

Still skeptical of the confusing rabbit, Kanda leaned over to look at the sample, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Care to explain what it is I'm supposed to be looking at?"

"The DNA from Allen's blood," Lavi seemed to bounce in happiness, "now, remember how I mentioned that his blood has a virus in it?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I only looked at the fresh stuff, so I didn't think to look at it again."

"Why would you," Kanda asked shrugging, "blood is blood."

"Not this stuff," Lavi grinned, "I looked under it really closely… there's no more virus in it."

Kanda stared at the other, his eyes widening while the redhead seemed to shake in anticipation.

"What do you mean, there's no more virus?"

"It seems that when the blood is parted from the body from a certain period of time, the virus detaches," Lavi shrugged, "I don't know why, but it just does!"

"Lavi, calm down," Kanda told him, "calm down and explain-"

"I assumed that the origin of the virus was untraceable," the other explained, "but thanks to this, it insinuates that the origin might actually be from the bone marrow, where the red blood cells are."

"Might?"

"That's the problem," Lavi murmured, "I don't-I don't know for sure if it's in the bone marrow or if it's in the heart."

"And if it's in the heart?"

"Then that's another story all together," the red head bit his lower lip, "see, if it is, it depends on how big the affected area is, but either way, it'll be a difficult task."

"How will you know for sure," Kanda asked, his hip leaning on the countertop while he tried to ignore the almost inexplicable hope budding in his chest.

"I would need to look at Allen's heart for that," Lavi explained, "by look at it, I mean slip something up his femoral artery and… well… look at it."

"Can you do that? Safely I mean."

"I don't know," the other seemed to deflate slightly, "I'd be nervous that I might kill him or damage his heart or-"

"I'll do it."

Both heads turned to look as the vampire appeared on the floor, his silver eyes rising to meet them with a fierce determination in the orbs.

"Don't say stupid things moyashi," Kanda snapped, "you heard him!? It's stupidly dangerous."

"If it goes wrong, I die," Allen explained, "if it is the heart, I die," his head turned to the elder, "I'm dead either way. If I don't risk what little life I have, it's not worth it."

"Allen," Lavi whispered, the vampire still staring at the Japanese hunter.

"It isn't the length of your life, it's how you use it. Right, Kanda?"

The Japanese swallowed thickly, half-hating how his words were thrown back in his face, the other half of him hating the idea of Allen dying on the table while Lavi nervously looked around his heart.

"If this goes well, I'll get to live," Allen pressed on, his eyes turning to look at Lavi, "if you're willing to do what it takes to fins this cure, then I'll step up too."

"Lavi isn't the one who's got everything to lose," Kanda pointed out, ignorant of the other's slight flinch.

"No, he's not," the younger agreed, "and this isn't your choice, it's mine," his eyes turned to Lavi, "so, when do we start?"

Hope you guys like it ^^ Reviews please!