Well last chapter was super long xD but hopefully I can a good pace this time instead :3

.: Playthrough 8 :.

= Fear =

Acceptance doesn't mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there's got to be a way through it.

- Micheal J. Fox

Two knocks to his door alerted Allen of someone's presence behind his door. That along with his golden retriever's, Timcanpy, ears perking up and his growling starting low in his throat. The latter was what made Allen push himself back from his desk. He gave Timcampy a ruffling to calm him down and walked over to his door and opened it.

He was surprised to see the dainty Chinese at his door. Specially because of her overprotective brother that lived in the same place. And even more so because it was nearly three in the morning.

"Um, Lenalee, may I help you?" the Brit whispered the question lowly afraid that Komui might hear him pronounce Lenalee's name and come hunting him down for simply talking to his 'dear, younger sister'.

"I couldn't sleep," she simply whispered back hugging herself slightly. At hearing her voice from Allen's bed, Timcanpy got off from it trotting her way and came to stand beside Allen in the doorway. "Hey, Tim. Keeping Al safe?" The year old dog simply came to her and placed his nose under her hand, enticing her to pet him. She giggled and happily complied. She glanced up at Allen again, "May I come in?"

The teen was hesitant to let her in. It was the middle of the night and if anybody found them in his room at this time, he'd be dead. Literally. "I-I don't think-"

"It's three in the morning Allen, no one's going to come barging into your room. Everybody's asleep," she chided slightly touching his shoulder and coming into his room anyway. Tim followed at her heels gladly and jumped onto Allen's bed when she took a sit on it's edge. She instantly began playing and petting him.

"Um..." Allen couldn't really find what to say to the girl that was playing so carefree with his golden retriever. He sat back on his rolling chair and came closer to where she was. "You said you couldn't sleep?" he inquired after a few minutes of silence.

This stopped her playful demeanor with Timcanpy and grimaced. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking that something would happen to you."

'Oh,' he thought and a smile grew on his features. 'It's that.'

"You shouldn't worry," he assured her. "Nothing ever happens here."

"That's what they say but what about the attempt last month and the one today at the mall, mmh?" she rebutted with a scowl on her face. Allen couldn't answer but instead could only stare. His mind, unconsciously, drifted to the thoughts he usually kept hidden in the back of his mind. The ones like the one he had right now about how even with that scowl on her lips she couldn't look less beautiful. He shook himself mentally and drew those thoughts away.

"It's different now," Allen said faintly. "Master's being more careful. I can't...even go out anymore. Guess I won't be accompanying you to BaKanda's place to see Reiyo-san."

Lenalee gave another distressed sigh at hearing that name. "I hope she's okay. She seemed pretty unresponsive after the shooting."

"It came and knocked her off her feet, Lenalee," Allen explained to her while reaching out and petting Tim right under his ears. "I remember the first time I experienced that, it took me days to assimilate that it could happen any minute of any day. It takes your perspective of some things and flips it around. Takes time to get used to the idea."

"Yeah, I suppose," she said defeated. Allen pursed his lips at his incompetence; he hadn't done anything to lift her already dampened mood. Despite this, she glanced up to meet his eyes, "I'll sneak you out. I suppose Marian-san will be alright with you leaving as long as your with me and it's not somewhere out in the open."

Allen chuckled lightly at her idea, "He won't get mad at you for sure so I guess if you're willing to I can't say no." They shared a hushed laughter and everything felt more lighthearted like they were used to.

Lenalee liked when they would laugh together. It lightened her mood anytime of the day. It was much easier to talk to Allen about some things than anybody else. He was practically the friend she could always count on and the one that could always count on her as well. They had known each other for the longest time. Lenalee had known the two heirs that always fought with each other since she came from her home country. Kanda first and a few months later the British Heir of the Black Rose.

Her brother and her had been members of the Black Lotus before the Four Houses had even existed. Before that there were only three major groups that were constantly at war with each other: the Noah, the Kanda, and the Bookman households. But when the Walker Family came along, they instated a treaty among the households and since ten years ago, the Four Houses of Tokyo have upheld the yakuza in peace. It wasn't until a few years ago that these ruptures in power began. The time after the incident in the Walker Family happened.

Lenalee's gaze came up to the younger boy that played happily with his dog. He always seemed so happy but she knew better. The wounds from 'that' time were still fresh and wide open. No matter how many smiles he used to hide them with she could see right through them. He was still hurting from it. And she couldn't blame him.

She gently brushed her hand against his arm. This gesture took him by surprise and it showed in his face. She simply smiled warmly and whispered, "You know that I'm here for you for anything, right Al?" It still confused him a bit that she acted so respectful towards him in front of others but when it was just them two it was just like when they were little.

He returned the same smile and placed his other hand over the one she'd placed on his arm and gave it a tiny squeeze before answering, "Of course, and I'm always here for you too."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear but it soothed her nerves. She nodded and went to stand back up readying to leave. "I should probably go back to my room and at least try to sleep."

"You should," Allen agreed getting up as well with Tim following him and jumping off the bed. "It's been a long day for all of us. We should rest."

She nodded and bent low to pet Tim endearingly, "Make sure to take care of him, okay Tim?" The canine simply bark, happily wagging its tail. She stood right back up and walked up to the doorway. Just before she left, she turned and faced the younger boy, "Goodnight Al."

"Goodnight, Lenalee," he replied and watched her as she left and closed the door behind herself. He sighed and returned to his laptop and to what he'd been doing.

He opened back up the chat that he'd entered not long ago and typed.

Are you still there? He typed in blatant English.

I'm here, boy. The recipient answered after a few seconds. Quickly after that they typed, Hanging out with your little sweetheart?

Allen blushed against his own consciousness at how easy he was to read, even through a screen. It surprised him that the one he was talking to didn't even need to see his face to tell. I have no idea what you're talking about. Can we please go back to the subject we were speaking of previously?

Damn boy, no need to be so polite. I'm not your petty Head.

Allen couldn't disagree that Cross was petty as Head of the House but he at least tried for his sake. He typed something along those lines never once mentioning any liking to his Master.

Keep telling that to yourself, boy. I couldn't imagine why he was the one to take the lead when it wasn't even his to take.

I wasn't of age yet. I can't take authority of it; at least not correctly at such a young age.

You sound like a machine. How many times have they told you those exact words?

Allen lost count after thirty. Yet it changed nothing. He knew Cross was doing this for his good. He knew, it was Mana's will that Allen should take over the House of the Black Rose when he came of age.

Mana said them as well. Does that mean you think he's wrong too?

I never said they were wrong. I just meant that you believe the things they tell you too blindly. Haven't you ever questioned why Walker had a will made to his name when nothing ever pinpointed that he was to be hunted down?

They made a point, Allen thought to himself. He wanted to make sure he left clear instructions, I assume.

You know what they say about assuming, boy. It makes an ass out of you and me. It's easy to follow whatever they tell you but it's harder to go looking for the answers. You know what I say, it's best to search for the answer even when they tell it to you. That way even when you find it to be exactly what they told you at least you have the satisfaction that you found it out yourself.

Much too philosophical tonight, aren't we? Have you been drinking again?

I kicked that habit a long time ago. It's with moderation now. Why? Worried about moi?

As if. I would hate to tell your niece that she lost her uncle to a drunken stupor.

She would dance on my grave, no doubt.

She isn't as heartless as you make her seem.

You don't live with her, boy. You have no word in the matter until you do. By the way, I heard from Wisely about the shooting at the mall? Any chance you where there?

I wouldn't be surprised if I was their target. Actually, according to what we found out, they were aiming at me.

You know, if you would just come to us, we could protect you well. Mana was a good friend of Little Walker and any friend of his is a friend of mine.

No thank you. Every time they talked this was always brought up. How many times did he have to refuse for them to get it through their thick skulls?! I think I'll be taking my chances with the snipers rather than go with you all.

Suit yourself. There's always a space for you here, though. By right, anyway.

Yeah, right. He was about to type something else but saw the three little dots that came telling him that the other was typing something. So he waited but it wasn't the one he thought it was.

Having fun with the little family reunion?

Allen looked at everything he could to know who it was. The IP wasn't identifying anybody he knew. And since it was a private chat, he knew that none other than him and the recipient were allowed in it. It was a disposable, incognito chat. A one use thing. So how...?

The dots came again and Allen waited expecting it to be the unknown IP but it was his original recipient.

It better not be you, Wisely.

Check. I'm not him. And you can look up my address if you want but you'll find nothing.

What do you want?

Nothing much. Just came to give a warning.

It was a few seconds before the rest of the message came.

You were merely lucky today, Walker. You won't be so lucky next time. You won't have your little girls to watch over you. And when that time comes, we'll be there when you least expect it.

And before he could type anything in response the IP disconnected. Suddenly the window closed on Allen and another one popped up.

We're sorry. The URL you have posted does not exist. Please recheck if it is correct or try another one.

He'd closed the chat. The recipient had lost no time and closed it to keep anything else from happening or hacking in. Whomever it was they were clearly affiliated with the snipers that had been sent to the mall after him. And they knew about his private chats with the other. No one knew about those. Not even Lenalee. He pursed his lips but snapped out of his train of thought when he felt Tim's wet nose against his left arm.

Unlike his usual wear, his sleeping clothes were mostly short sleeved t-shirts. Those left his left arm exposed. That arm that he tried so hard to hide from the world. Tim came up to it and licked the back of his hand lovingly. Allen smiled and came to pet him.

"You don't mind it, huh Timcanpy?" Allen whispered lowly to him. He had always despised that deformity of his. That black color that charred the entirety of his left arm almost reaching his shoulder. It was always something he hated but had eventually come at terms with. He clapped his hands twice and got up to head to bed. "Come on, Tim. Let's go to bed." The dog barked in response and climbed to bed with him. Allen took the right side of the queen-sized bed while Tim spread out on the left side. "Goodnight, Tim. See you tomorrow." And with the heaviness of worry and suspicioun, Allen drifted to a sleep full of dreams.

'I can't sleep.'

It was three in the fucking morning and Reiyo couldn't even resign herself to sleep. The loud noises from that afternoon still reverberated inside her skull enabling her from sleeping. She just couldn't.

She hadn't much to do in her room, so after twenty minutes of uselessly tossing and turning she opted to get up and trace her way to the kitchen. Albeit knowing her way to kitchen and underground training grounds, she noticed just how little she actually knew about the place she now resided in. Sure, it was a pretty big place but she wanted to know the layout out of curiosity. But not now, her priorities at the moment were getting some warm milk and perhaps cookies and see if that helped her consigned to slumber.

Surely enough she reached the kitchen without a problem. She had to admit that it felt eerie walking around the mansion in the middle of the night. Without knowing her surroundings that well, it almost felt like being in the middle of a cheap horror movie. And she wasn't about to be the stupid girl that got herself killed. Thinking back to the line of work she was now in, it wouldn't surprise her if that actually did happen.

Letting a heavy sigh out and closing the fridge after grabbing the milk, she came to a halt when she heard a rummaging of something along the low cabinets behind her. She turned and cursed at herself that she hadn't turned the damn lights on. She thought the light the fridge gave off would be enough. Stupid her. She slowly felt her way along the wall for the switch. All the while the constant cringing of bags and hits on the cabinets could be heard in the mist of the darkness.

Finally finding the switch, Reiyo gulped before turning the lights on. The source of the noise was behind an open cabinet. She slowly approached it and opened it fully with one swift movement of her hand. The moment she saw what it was, she sighed and grinned.

A small Doberman pup popped its head out of the bag of chips that it was eating and wagged its tail at seeing Reiyo discovering its hiding spot. "Geez, bud. You gave me a scare there." She picked up the puppy and was attacked with a tongue lashing from a slimy tongue on her hand. Reiyo chuckled while picking up the bag of chips and putting it away inside the cabinet.

She held the pup in her hands and got a better look at it. "You're tummy's going to hurt later from that, you know?" The pup only whined and barked before licking at her face. Reiyo drew him back giggling a bit. She heard a distinct jingling and noticed that the pup had a tag on a red colored collar. Picking the tag up, she read it to herself.

"Gina. You're a girl?" Gina licked and bit playfully at Reiyo's hand. "I don't know how you got here but I'm pretty sure you got away from wherever they had you at, you sneaky runt." And she couldn't go about finding the pups room. "I guess, you'll be my company in bed tonight." She placed the pup on the floor, "Wait here." She went on ahead to get her cookies but before she could she heard Gina barking and running away. "No, hey! Gina!" she whispered harshly at the dog to get its attention but to no avail. "Damn."

She left her food on the counter and went after the young pup. Turning out of the kitchen, she turned towards where she heard the soft padding of Gina's paws hitting against the wooden floor of the mansion. She ran after it and soon found that she'd gotten herself somewhere she didn't recognize.

She heard a loud bark and turned towards an open door. Running inside, Reiyo found Gina inside a locker room while trying to reach a towel that laid half way in inside a locker. Finally, Gina jumped high enough and caught the towel in her teeth only to have it fall on top of her. Reiyo smiled gently and went up to Gina and picked her up. She unwrapped her from the mess she got herself into. Gina simply wagged her tail in thanks and licked her cheek.

"You little runt," Reiyo muttered giggling at the pup's carefree attitude. Reiyo looked around at the lockers she had landed herself in and noticed that they weren't any different than the ones she usually used at the underground training grounds. Taking a deep breath in, Reiyo noticed the strong smell of chlorine that hung to the nearby showers.

Chlorine. She turned towards the door opposite from where she'd come from and noticed it was closed but a faint blue light came form underneath the double doors. Curiosity getting the best of her, she went over to it with Gina in her arms and opened it. On the other side was a grand pool.

Reiyo gaped at the size of the thing. It was almost as big as an Olympic one! The blue light that she had noticed before had been from the light inside the pool itself that lighted most of the room. Kneeling before the edge, Reiyo dipped her fingertips in and felt the warm water. It was a heated pool to boot.

"It must've been expensive, huh?" Reiyo inquired to Gina but mostly to herself. "Can't believe they have this huge pool. Wonder who uses it?" Judging by the handful of people she'd met so far, most of them being workers, she doubted many did.

She sat down near the shallow end and had started to put her feet inside but stopped at seeing her bandages. It would sting her feet if she placed them in the water. That and she would stain it too. As she looked around she spotted another door. This one was across the pool and seemed to be much smaller. Getting up with Gina at hand, she walked over cautiously trying not to slip on the edge of the pool and reached the mahogany door. Slowly, she turned the knob and pushed the door in only to feel a swarm of warm, moist air hitting her all over.

Inside the tiny room was a clear steam hovering over the top quarter of the room. It took her awhile to see past it and see the huge Jacuzzi. What surprised her more was that someone was actually in it and she knew that someone.

His hair let loose around him, Kanda seemed to be doing nothing at all. His eyes were closed which made her presume that she hadn't been heard coming in. His arms were draped along the edges of the tub and the most of his bare torso was submerged in the bubbling, hot water.

She was about to apologize for intruding until she heard a small sound above the constant bubbling noise. It was soft and low and she could have waved it off as her imagining things but when it came again she knew it wasn't her hearing things.

It was Kanda. And he was...snoring.

She had to stifle a chuckle with her hand while balancing Gina in the other. Oh damn, she should've brought her cellphone. She would have at least had a camera to take a picture of him like this. Lavi would have paid loads for such a vulnerable picture of his so called friend. Or she could just blackmail Kanda with it some other time.

Among the cruel part of her mind that wanted nothing but to humiliate the Japanese, the other part of it, the rational part of her, knew that she had to wake him up. If he slept in the hot water for too lung he would hurt himself or catch a cold. 95% of her wanted to just leave him there to dry like a raisin. The sane 5% that she hated told her that she needed to wake him up.

She sighed and hated herself for actually listening to that small portion. The nice Reiyo that mostly only the people she liked saw. Kanda surely wasn't in that list but her conscious won this battle. She walked over to him to wake him but stopped short when she saw past and under the water.

She hated to admit it but, damn, the guy had a nice body. She'd never really had time to delve about the opposite sex but even she had to admit that Kanda was handsome to say the least. She shook her head from that insane thought and placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

But what happened next came too fast for her to register and it occurred before she had time to react at all. In the end, all she heard before feeling the hot water engulf her was a loud splash and a growl from Gina. She had lunged her arms upward instinctively after hearing Gina's growl to keep the pup from getting wet. She had almost all her body inside the tub, only her feet and anything above her shoulders was spared. Except her hair, the lower half was inside the water.

Kanda had acted upon reflexes. He'd been startled from his sleep and in the state he was in, he didn't hesitate to act. He grabbed the hand that had dared touch him and pulled it in while pushing his other fist against their gut. But instead of somebody's stomach he felt a sharp set of teeth biting down onto his fist. Soon after he heard a loud splash and this made him actually look at whom he had pulled in exactly for that punch.

"N-Niyishima?!" he raged but with a tinge of confusion in his voice.

"Yeah, you asshole," she muttered trying not to let go of Gina. She tried to contain her anger but it was hard to. "Could you push me out of here so that I can kick your ass for pulling me in in the first place?"

He didn't comply at first and instead tried to get out himself. But it was useless, Reiyo was literally sitting on him enabling him from getting out without pushing her out first. Without any care to it, he pushed Reiyo off from him and onto the edge of the tub and stood up himself walking out of it, still dripping wet. Reiyo wasn't much better off, her pajama pants and t-shirt soaking wet. Gina barked gladly and licked at Reiyo's hands. Well, at least one of them got saved from the waterworks.

She placed Gina and the towel down and turned to Kanda infuriated. She was about to say something but bit her tongue at seeing something she'd failed to notice when she'd first seen him. On his right shoulder there was a heavy bruise that seemed fresh and would only get darker before it started to heal. It had formed from the shotgun shot that she'd received and that had transferred from her to him.

Now she understood why he was in the Jacuzzi so late. The wounded muscles must be painful. Her pain had gone away but he had to deal with the repercussions of her recklessness. What made her feel the tinge of remorse she hated was that she'd whined about her feet afterwards. Kanda hadn't even opened his mouth about it. And it damn sure looked like it hurt.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" his acerbic tone told her just how pissed off he was at her.

She frowned at his tone and placed her hands on her hips. Like hell was she going to be pushed around by some pissed off orangutan. "You tried to hit me you, jackass. And pulled me into the damn water to boot. I should be the one mad here."

"Tch, whatever. Just get the hell out of-" his words stopped when he felt a sudden jab at his ankle. He kicked back instinctively and heard a yelp. Shit.

"Gina!" Reiyo cried out running over to the pup that Kanda had just kicked. She bent to pick her up and started petting the poor thing. She scowled at him, came up to him and slapped him hard on the chest.

"What the fuck-"

"You're heartless!" she cried furious at his violence against a puppy. "I don't care about myself but you aren't going to be molesting defenseless creatures in front of me." She shoved Gina's form in front of his face. The pup had its ears low and tail between its tail. "Now, apologize."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to apologize to a mutt." He instantly regretted it when he felt Reiyo kick his left shin. He bend over to rub at it to ebb the pain away. "You damn bitch!"

"Apologize or else..." she threatened her eyes narrowed and glaring daggers at him.

He clicked his tongue and would guess the brat wouldn't relent until she got what she wanted. He gritted his teeth and grunted a faint 'I'm sorry'.

"Now pet her."

"You've got to be kidding."

"Do it!" she hissed and he could still hear the 'or else' part that went missing on that last sentence. Reluctantly, he reached out and scratched the back of the pup's ears. At seeing that she wasn't in 'trouble' anymore, Gina chirped right up and began licking and nibbling at Kanda's hand. Once he saw this, he retracted his hand and scowled. "Now that wasn't so hard," Reiyo added pulling Gina up to her chest and carrying her there. "And what the hell were you doing sleeping in the hot tub like that? You're going to get sick." She bent down and picked up the towel that she brought along and that Gina had been playing with. She tossed it his way and he got it easily. He narrowed his gaze at her but she ignored him. If he was going to be a little wuss about her rare kindness then he could go screw himself. She didn't need his thanks anyway. She turned and was ready to leave when he suddenly called out to her.

"Why were you here in the first place?"

The question he asked had an answer but it wasn't one she was comfortable speaking to anyone about. Specially not him. Instead she went for the second best choice. "I found Gina wondering around."

"Doesn't explain what you were doing wondering around yourself in the first place," he retorted with spite while he used the towel to dry himself off. "Security's tight here, specially after today. Had they seen you and hadn't recognized you, they would have wiped you out."

"Is that concern I hear?" she asked sweetly but sarcastically.

"Don't play coy. It's about the shooting this afternoon, right?" The moment he saw her shoulders squaring, he knew he'd hit bull's eye. He scoffed, "How childish, being scared by something like that."

"Well excuse me, your Highness," she exploded right there and then raising her voice considerably, almost to a shout. "I'm not use to seeing people opening fire on me like you are. You see, I didn't grow up in these luxuries while being hunted every day. Heck, I didn't even know what pain was until that bitch at the mall shot me. So sure, I'll be childish if it means I at least have some disgust towards this situation. It'll mean that I at least have my sanity intact. Unlike you and the others. You acted as if it were nothing. As if you weren't scared to death-" just like I was. That last part of her sentence was cut off by her pride. Admitting she was scared when they weren't would be a low hit to her pride and she wouldn't have it. But then again, she didn't want to be as heartless as they were, either.

Suddenly, she felt something damp hit hear face. Instantly she raised her hand to take it off. By the time she did Kanda had already walked past her and was before the doorway leading outside. Not bothering to face her, she had nothing to look at but his well sculpted back while he spoke.

"You assume we weren't," his baritone voice echoed in the tiny room. "I wasn't but I know for a damn fact that Lenalee, Usagi, and that Moyashi were. But you can't see that because of how narrow you are. It's not that they've grown heartless about it but simply that they don't have the same luxury you have." Luxury? she thought. "We can't be afraid. In our world, fear costs. And sometimes that burden is more than we can ever pay for." With that said he the room and walked away towards the lockers. She stood there thinking about what he'd just told her.

Fear costs? What did that even mean? It didn't answer any of her questions. But the way he said it told her that he wasn't joking around and that he meant every word he had said. She pursed her lips in thought but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't understand. And she sure as hell didn't want to if it meant she'd turn up like him. Cold and aloof. She wouldn't.

She heard a sudden bark from Gina and her attention was brought back by the pup that wagged its tail and whined at her for attention. Reiyo smiled and wrapped the towel around it to keep it from her wet clothes. "Let's go back, Gina. Let's go to bed." She hadn't cared much for the one she had taken as her owner but now more than ever was when she decided that she would never care. Such heartless and cold guy. She would never care for someone like that.

Well, how was it? I didn't want to get into the party just yet and I wanted to go into Reiyo's and Kanda's current relationship so far. And this is it. Contempt for one another I suppose. We'll see how it goes. Sadly I have midterms for the next two weeks so it'll be a bit till the next chapter.

Wish me luck in them people, I'll need it c: