Kanda tracked through the forest with the young wolf in his arms. So many questions were buzzing in his head, but one stood out among the rest, an it was eating at him.

'Does he not feel the connection between us?' Kanda thought to himself.

"So, Allen..." Kanda started, trying out the younger's name "where is your pack?"

"Well... um..." Allen whimpered.

Concerned, Kanda waited for the answer, hoping that his little one was alright.

"I never had one... and when I tried to join, I was shunned as a rouge. They also said something about a curse... but I don't remember being cursed by anyone." Allen explained. "I did have one person, though. When I was a pup, a man took me in, taught me to survive, to keep walking. He died protecting me."

"It seems that you have had a rough life... but I will gladly accept you," Kanda smiled down at him.

This caused Allen face to turn beet red.

"Ah, we're here."

Allen looked over at the large mansion and his eyes widened in awe. It was much to large for only one person to live in and it seemed old. He looked at his holder and wondered just how old this vampire actually was. The doors swung open, letting them inside, then closing, not letting the night air in. Despite it being so large and the vampire seemingly living alone, it was clean, vibrant, and it gave off a sense of pride. A large grand staircase lead the way to a second level, the navy blue carpet coating it in royalty. Doors lined the walls, leading out of the foyer.

"Draw a bath and ready a med-kit," Kanda spoke out, though no one was there.

Allen's sharp ears picked up the sound of running water, and some things being jolted around.

"Do you live here with someone?" Allen asked, curious.

"No, not technically," the vampire stated, confusing the wolf more. "There are spirits here. I let them stay and they answer my requests."

Allen nodded, letting the knowledge sink in. There were ghost? The question made him shiver. He hadn't had any good encounters with spirits. They headed up the staircase, to the right. The water had stopped now, and all was silent. So quiet, in fact, he didn't even hear the vampire's footsteps, though he felt the tug of each step. It was if he were gliding, which wasn't impossible.

"Alright, you can wash yourself, right?" Kanda asked.

"Of course!" Allen exclaimed, his face a bright red in both embarrassment and anger.

"Hey, Allen?" Kanda asked.

"What?" Allen snapped.

"How old are you?"

Allen tipped his head, confused by the question.

"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen in..." it hit him then, "a few weeks..."

"Ah, that's why..." Kanda mumbled under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Here, the ghost have set everything up. If you need anything, just call out to them, and they will listen," Kanda explained, setting the boy down on a stool near the bath tub so he wouldn't have to walk on his injured leg.

Kanda walked out, giving Allen his space. As soon as he got to his room, the familiar voices entered his head.

*We have no contract with this wolf...*

*Why should we listen to him...?*

*Why should we let him in...?*

*We must throw him out...*

They all spoke at once, filling the vampire's chamber as he heard them all in the back of his mind. It almost sounded as if they were talking out loud. The last one was agreed upon but the phantoms, and at this, Kanda let out a possessive growl.

"He is mine. You touch him and I'll send you all into the underworld," Kanda growled, his silver eyes flashing an angered red in warning.

*We will not touch him.*

Their filthy plasma would taint his pure white aura. This thought alone was enough to send hot shivers through the vampire's being. After cooling down a little, Kanda sat by the windowsill, looking out over the large amount of land he guarded. Being much older than most, he had a lot of land. He had given most of his lands to the packs that surrounded his home, and in doing so, making a deal to stay out of each others way. Kanda, however, had kept the nearby village to himself, wanting to protect the people there. Kanda chuckled to himself, thinking of something that he would never thought he would ever ponder.

"You bring out the worst in me, Allen. I don't think I've been that possessive over anything," he chuckled to himself.

"Alright, I'm done, can you come get me?" Allen's voice tickled his ears, and Kanda left his sill in favor for Allen.

As he headed down the halls, a sense of unease filled his stomach. He heeded it, being careful as he walked. When he got to the bathroom, he spotted Allen in the stool, half dry, his wounds cleaned and now see-able. There was a wound over his left eye which bled a little bit. His entire left arm looked like someone had thrown acid on it, let alone it still had the markings from the trap he was caught in, his right leg mirroring the markings. Allen had covered himself with a towel hiding his crotch. Kanda drunk in Allen's form as he could feel his fangs throb and lips gone dry. Allen's wounds had somewhat stopped bleeding, thankfully. Kanda found the med-kit on the counter in the large bathroom, and he opened it, taking out disinfectant, gauze, and a couple of ace-bandages to hold the gauze.

"Is this going to hurt?" Allen whined.

"Well, it's not going to tickle." Kanda said bluntly as he tried to control the newfound emotions that was swimming in his head.

Love and concern were the started with Allen's leg, spraying it, and then wrapping it. Allen hissed as it stung, and Kanda said nothing.

"How come you don't remove the traps?" Allen asked.

"I have to eat to, you know," Kanda stated.

"Don't you drink- ow- human blood?" Allen hissed, Kanda now working on his arm.

"On occasion. Hey, what happened to you arm?"

Allen's left arm, that Kanda was now working on, seemed to look as if it had melted, then froze in place. Allen looked at it, and then shivered.

"It happened when I lost my dad, the one I said took me in. We were being chased and one of the men had a torch and they threw it at us. It got me, and then we were trapped within a burning building. Mana got me out, but..." Kanda looked up, seeing Allen crying.

Tears streamed down his pale face, the salt water irritating the scratch over Allen's eye. Kanda, who had finished his arm, hugged the wolf gently, trying not to hurt him. To his surprise, Allen hugged him back. After a few minutes, the cries died down, and they pulled apart.

"How about we fix up that eye, yeah?" Kanda asked sweetly.

Allen nodded, whipping his tears away. Allen couldn't understand why the vampire was helping him but he was grateful to the older man for helping him.

"Thank you Kanda."

"Your welcome Allen."