D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ A Game of Poker ❯ The Fine Line ( Chapter 21 )

A/N: This is my first multichapter fanfic for the DGM fandom! Yay! I'm fairly new to the fandom, but hopefully I haven't made any unforgivable mistakes.

 

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons in the uncut versions (not on fanfiction(dot)net). Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don't own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don't recognize (like the plotline of `A Game of Poker') does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don't sue.

 

Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta'd by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.

 

DEDICATIONS:

Dedicated to N.H. Arawn who wrote the awesome Yullen/Lucky novel-length fic called `The Fine Line'. I borrowed the title of the fic for the title of this chapter. It seemed fitting. If you haven't read `The Fine Line' then you should put it on your to-do list. You can find it on fanfiction(dot)net or the AssHat website at http://asshat(dot)0fees(dot)net/

Also dedicated in part to Tim (he knows who he is) just for being awesome and actually reading this.

 

Last Time On `A Game Of Poker':

 

With a quiet, thoughtful hum, Komui pulled the paper back towards himself and scratched out the 'three days' under the 'duration' heading. In its place he wrote 'one week'.

 

Good work, however accidental, deserved some sort of reward.

 

And Now, The Continuation

 

A Game of Poker, Chapter 21

The Fine Line

 

Lavi yawned widely, looking around the lunchroom and enjoying completely free movement of his neck for the first time in a week. Wearing his scarf indoors, especially sans his coat, had drawn a lot of awkward questions, but it had been worth it. For some strange reason, the sight of the mark on his neck and the knowledge of who had put it there had sent a rush of warmth and something lighter and more bubbly than contentment through him every time.

 

Now, of course, Tyki's mark had healed to the point where it was no longer visible and the redhead could once again walk around in the low collared shirts he so favored. Though the scarf had been a hassle, he almost wished he still had to wear it.

 

He spotted a familiar head of white hair flanked by two taller, darker haired people. He grinned faintly, hesitantly heading over towards the group of three.

 

Lavi hadn't spoken to Kanda since the night the redhead had carried Tyki to the Order. He hadn't really had time for any of his friends what with all the jobs Bookman had for him, but it seemed the old Panda was finally out of useless busywork to push onto his apprentice. Lavi and Kanda hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms that night and the redhead knew full well that Kanda could hold a grudge sometimes. He hoped that this wasn't one of those times. Though he didn't regret his outburst and wouldn't change a thing even if he had the chance, he knew it would be much harder to mend fences if Yuu-chan was still furious with him.

 

Lavi covered his hesitation with his usual cheer, walking almost bouncily over towards the table occupied by his three friends. A few Finders also sat at the table, but they weren't close to the Exorcists. The redhead set his tray down opposite Allen's usual mountain of food, grinning cheerfully like he didn't have a care in the world and life was going more splendidly than ever. If he was honest with himself, he would have to admit that life was going more splendidly than ever, but he was hardly without a care. The bleakness of the future hung just ahead, threatening everything that was making his life so wonderful at the moment.

 

He pasted a wide smile on his face and plopped down on the bench.

 

"Hello Yuu, Lenalee, Allen!" He said cheerfully, reaching for his eating utensils. All three looked surprised to see him, but their surprise faded into different expressions. Kanda scowled, the downturn of his lips conveying an even greater contempt than usual. The samurai turned back to his food, eating at a slightly faster pace than usual. Allen smiled, though the boy's silver eyes seem speculative. The British boy seemed to have some plan working beneath his mop of white hair. Lenalee smiled as well, though the expression was more forced than Allen's and she seemed to have an underlying worry mixed with curiosity.

 

Lavi inwardly winced. Perhaps he would have been better off finding a different table to sit at. Though the other Exorcists were his friends, he didn't want to deal with any more questions. Bookman may have run out of useless tasks for him to complete, but that didn't mean that the old Panda was no longer suspicious. Quite the contrary - Lavi was certain the man had once caught him without his scarf during the past week and had probably seen the mark, but his mentor hadn't spoken with him beyond giving him his list of duties each morning. It was unnerving, especially considering what Bookman must have overheard that day in the infirmary and the implied promise of a 'talk' that had yet to be fulfilled.

 

Acting as nonchalantly as possible, Lavi reached for his drink and took a big gulp of the sweet tea.

 

"So, what have I missed? The old Panda kept me working all week - Bookman stuff," he explained briefly, shrugging as if it was unimportant. If he just acted natural, hopefully the others would follow suit. Kanda ignored him, stoically shoving soba into his mouth.

 

"Not much, really," Lenalee replied hesitantly. She glanced around, then lowered her voice. "The only topic lately has been... him."

 

Lavi nodded, noting her hesitation in saying Tyki's name. She hadn't seemed that upset about it when the redhead had brought the Noah here, but then again he had been rather distracted. Now that he thought about it, Lenalee had been rather quiet that night. It seemed as if his Chinese friend was worried or afraid - knowing her, probably both.

 

He sighed quietly to himself and picked up his sandwich, taking a large bite of it and tasting the ham and turkey.

 

"Tyki Mikk, huh?" he said, pretending he didn't notice the way the female Exorcist immediately looked down and studied her salad intently. "I guess a Noah who betrayed the Earl and now lives here would be big news."

 

He tried to keep his defensiveness out of his tone but couldn't help the slight stress he put on the phrase 'betrayed the Earl'. Lenalee nodded silently, picking at her food disinterestedly. Allen seemed to have caught the tone in Lavi's voice; his eyes narrowed a bit, more puzzled than suspicious.

 

Lavi avoided his British friend's gaze, making a face of feigned disgust before putting his sandwich back on his plate and opening it up to pick out the tomatoes. He studied his plate intently, needing something to do with his hands and an excuse to avoid Allen's eyes. Of all the people in the Order, he had given the white haired boy the most clues as to the true nature of the redhead's relationship with the Noah. Lavi would rather that no one found out (that phrase had become something of a mantra for him ever since he had brought Tyki here). At the very least he wanted none of his friends to find out, especially-

 

Kanda snorted derisively, the sound cold and humorless.

 

The Japanese man slammed his chopsticks down, breaking one. The samurai shoved back from the table and stood, picking up his tray and glaring down at the redhead.

 

It was the first time Kanda had looked at him all week. Lavi met his friend's gaze calmly, keeping his face carefully blank and neutral. Empty, even though he was more than half-tempted to glare back. Kanda was his first real friend and it hurt to have him so furious; this fight was not like the petty, amusing, (near-deadly) squabbles they had had before.

 

"Baka usagi," Kanda growled, voice practically dripping with venom. "The Goddamn Noah hasn't changed one fucking bit."

 

The longhaired Exorcist turned away.

 

"You never should have brought that asshole here." With that, Kanda walked away. He didn't once turn to face the three Exorcists at the table as he put his tray away and left out the doors.

 

Lavi inwardly winced, giving no outward sign of how much the other Exorcist's words had hurt him while surreptitiously glancing towards the small group of Finders at the end of the table.

 

The Finders were whispering frantically, each and every one of them sneaking looks at him and then looking away when they realized he was watching. He heaved a mental sigh; so much for hoping no one found out (and there was that phrase again) he had brought Tyki here. He had heard enough rumors about the man's presence and didn't want to know what the Order's grapevine would make of this new information.

 

He really didn't want to know what Bookman would make of the rumors. Really, really didn't want to know. The old man was certainly smart enough to figure things out if told what direction to look in. Since most of the rumors were about Tyki's lovelife it wasn't hard to figure out what the gossips would do with the new information.

 

He wondered how long he had until Bookman heard the new rumors Kanda's sharp tongue had just provided fuel for.

 

"Lavi?"

 

The redhead blinked, turning back to Lenalee and Allen. The Chinese girl looked at him with concern and sympathy while Allen's expression was just sympathetic understanding.

 

Lavi lost his appetite. He wiped his fingers clean of tomato guts with his napkin and dropped it over his mostly-uneaten lunch. He didn't want to stay here. He didn't want to face the questions he could almost SEE lurking behind Allen's eyes.

 

"Lavi-"

 

He ignored Allen, pushing away from the table and standing. He forced a smile on his face, one of the bright, cheerful grins he knew his friends found reassuring.

 

"I just remembered something I have to do. I'm not that hungry anyway - maybe I'll catch you both at dinner?" Without waiting for them to reply he turned away and began to walk towards the garbage cans to toss out the remainder of his lunch. "See you later!"

 

He kept his grin firmly in place as he disposed of his food and put his tray away. The expression didn't fade until he was safely out in the hall and en route to the library, the one place he knew he could lose himself in for a few hours without worrying about running into someone else.

 

Line Break

 

Allen watched Lavi leave, a thoughtful expression on his face.

 

He chewed absently on his mitarashi dango, not entirely sure what to make of Lavi's reaction. He was at least a little perceptive - it had helped in the past to figure out who was bluffing and who wasn't when playing poker to pay off Cross's debts. Before Allen could cheat effectively, he had to learn to read people. The skill had come in handy since then.

 

Lavi had been hurt by Kanda's attitude. Allen could understand that. The two were supposedly best friends (by virtue of the fact that Kanda hadn't tolerated anyone as long as he had tolerated Lavi and Lavi could get away with braiding the Japanese man's hair without being brutally murdered - the redhead was excellent at dodging) and the samurai hadn't been the friendliest towards the Bookman apprentice since the night Lavi had brought Tyki to the Order.

 

Lavi had seemed almost hurt by Lenalee's reaction too though. That was weird. Lavi had also avoided Allen's gaze, which wasn't usual. The redhead had been extremely defensive of Tyki Mikk. He had tried to hide it and had mostly succeeded, but Allen could tell.

 

He paused for a moment, thinking while he swallowed the dango inside his mouth.

 

Lavi had gone to a lot of trouble to save the Pleasure not too long ago. Allen could still remember the older teen's expression when Lavi had revealed that the Noah was important to him.

 

There had been so much desperation in the redhead that night. So much Allen hadn't considered, hadn't wanted to consider.

 

Tyki Mikk was the enemy, after all. The Noah clansmen should be saved, there was no doubt in Allen's mind about that, but he had never really considered exactly who he would be saving.

 

Unconsciously, he put his right hand on his left bicep, squeezing slightly to reassure himself that the arm was still attached.

 

He could still remember how helpless he had felt that night and still recall the roaring emptiness inside when he had watched the Pleasure seemingly destroy his Innocence. He had gotten his arm back, sure, but the memory was still there. The endless days afterwards spent trying to restore his broken weapon were clear as crystal in his mind, the helpless rage he had felt for being reduced to almost nothing. Without his Innocence, he was useless except as a Finder. Without his arm, he might not have even been able to BE a Finder.

 

Allen knew he had plenty of reasons to hate Tyki Mikk, but he didn't. He couldn't. Tyki deserved to be saved just as much as the Akuma, even if he'd rather not think about what the man had done. He supposed it might be part of his curse to feel compassion for every being in the Earl's service, but Lavi...

 

Lavi didn't have a curse that helped him sympathize with the enemy.

 

Allen took another bite of his dango, lost in thought.

 

It seemed like there was more going on between the redhead and the Noah than he had wanted to think about. Part of his refusal to contemplate that relationship had been out of respect for his friend's privacy, but there was also a major part of Allen that simply hadn't wanted to think about what the Pleasure meant to the redhead and vice versa. He still didn't want to think about it.

 

He looked towards the doors of the lunchroom contemplatively. Even if he didn't think about it, a few things were so obvious he didn't even need to wonder. Whatever the relationship was between Lavi and Tyki, the Noah was important to Lavi. Lavi was Allen's friend, and though Kanda was a friend too, Kanda was hurting the redhead with his attitude.

 

That bothered Allen more than the question of what Lavi's relationship with Tyki was. A lot more.

 

Mind made up, the British Exorcist bit off the last dango and set the empty stick on the plate.

 

"I'll see you later, Lenalee," he said, getting up from the table and balancing his trays on his arms. The Chinese girl looked up and nodded, trying to smile and ending up with something like a grimace. Allen could read the worry in her eyes and smiled reassuringly.

 

"I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll see you at dinner, all right?"

 

"All right."

 

Her voice was quiet, almost subdued. Allen turned away, quickly tossing out the empty dango skewers and putting his trays away before heading for the door. His stride was purposeful, his silver gaze determined as he headed out the doors of the lunchroom.

 

At this time of day, Kanda would probably be meditating. With that in mind, Allen headed for the training rooms.

 

Line Break

 

Kanda knelt on the floor, palms on his knees and back ramrod straight. His eyes were closed and the training room was empty of everyone except for him. The only sounds were of his steady, deep breaths. Mugen was sheathed and rested on the floor in front of him. His coat he had tossed to the side sometime after entering the room and snarling at the former occupants to get the fuck out. They, of course, had fled in fear and he had knelt in the center of the room to practice meditation and bring himself under control.

 

The scene would have been tranquil if not for the dark scowl still on his lips.

 

Why had that idiotic rabbit brought THAT Noah here? Here, of all places! It wasn't even any Noah, but the goddamned Noah of Pleasure, the same bastard that had nearly killed Kanda not too long ago. The same bastard who had almost ended and had certainly shortened the samurai's already-short life. The Noah was ridiculously powerful and merciless and while Kanda didn't feel fear - that was for lesser beings, certainly not him - the fact remained that he hadn't been able to defeat that Noah. He had taken Skinn Bolic on his own, but the Pleasure's powers were greater than those of Noah's Wrath.

 

Tyki Mikk was strong and wouldn't have betrayed the Earl so easily. Mikk had proven his allegiance to the Earl time and time again and had killed Exorcists numerous times before. He couldn't be trusted, regardless of what Lavi thought.

 

Rage flared up inside Kanda once more, hot and fierce.

 

He wanted to grab Mugen and stalk to wherever it was that the Order was keeping the bastard and pay him back for every injury the man had caused him. Kanda was NOT someone to mess with and not someone to threaten; he wanted to make it clear to that asshole before Komui even thought about letting the man roam free.

 

He itched to teach that bastard a lesson and not just for his own honor. That fucker had no right to threaten anything, no right to use THAT against him.

 

No one, especially some no-account Noah, was allowed to threaten the damn moyashi. It didn't even matter to Kanda why he had become so enraged at the thought and he refused to wonder why his reaction had been so strong. The 'why' of it didn't matter, only the fact that Tyki Mikk HAD threatened the moyashi and that was Not Allowed.

 

And the stupid beansprout didn't even care that he had helped to rescue the man who had almost killed Kanda - hell, the Noah had almost killed Allen too, ages ago. Allen didn't even care that he was helping the man who had threatened him, a man who had acted as if Kanda would be easy prey and Allen would be even easier.

 

Come to think, Kanda wasn't certain he had told the moyashi about Mikk's threats...

 

It still didn't matter.

 

Allen was being stupid, stupider than usual but still not nearly as idiotic as Lavi. It was the damned rabbit's fault anyone had thought to rescue the Pleasure in the first place. If the redhead hadn't had the incomprehensible desire to rescue the Noah (Kanda still scoffed at the thought) then the moyashi wouldn't have gotten dragged into helping and Kanda wouldn't have felt ANYTHING because Allen would never have left in the middle of the night to face almost certain death in the middle of an Akuma-infested stronghold where Kanda couldn't reach him. He wouldn't be feeling any of this right now because Mikk wouldn't be here and the moyashi wouldn't be trying to convince Kanda to give the Noah a chance because he may have changed and Lavi thought the man was good...

 

In short, this whole mess was all Lavi's fault. Kanda knew he would have been able to shove aside his 'feelings' if it hadn't been for the rage he felt when Mikk had attacked him, the emotion he would not name (it wasn't worry, he didn't worry about anything and least of all annoying beansprouts who were determined to die in a messy, painful way out of reach of any help) he had felt before Allen and Lavi had returned to HQ with the unconscious and injured Noah, and the hot bitterness that wasn't jealously that he felt whenever Allen tried to subtly convince him to 'make up' with Lavi or when Allen claimed that he believed Lavi wholeheartedly and thought Mikk had turned over a new leaf.

 

It was all Lavi's fault. The damn rabbit could deal with the consequences.

 

It was all Lavi's fault, but at the same time it wasn't.

 

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It wasn't working and he growled in frustration. He shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable, and then the sound of the door opening reached his ears.

 

His eyes shot open and he jerked his gaze towards the sound. He put on one of his fiercest expressions, glaring instant death at the idiot who had dared intrude as he opened his mouth to spew venom and hurl insults at whoever it was that was interrupting his as of yet unsuccessful meditation. The words caught in his throat as he saw who it was that stood in the door.

 

His glare lost some of its heat and he turned away from the determined beansprout in the doorway with a quiet 'che'.

 

"What the hell do you want, moyashi?" he asked coldly, closing his eyes again to better ignore Allen. The other Exorcist didn't acknowledge his cold attitude and walked into the room, silver eyes bright with indignation. Kanda could hear the footsteps, heavier and louder than was normal for the white-haired Exorcist, as the British boy crossed the room to stand directly in front of him.

 

He continued to ignore the younger male, pretending to meditate and attempting to ignore the presence hovering above him. He was quite successful until Allen started to call his name.

 

"Kanda."

 

The first time he withstood well enough, even though it was impossible to pretend the moyashi didn't exist when the younger Exorcist was talking to him. Kanda tried anyway, scowling.

 

"Kanda!"

 

The Japanese man's scowl deepened. He didn't even know why the dumbass Brit had to bother him while he was trying to meditate, though he could hazard a guess if he had to. He didn't want to and said dumbass was becoming even harder to ignore.

 

"Moyashi," he growled, picking up Mugen and unsheathing it in one quick motion. He opened his eyes and leveled the blade at the younger Exorcist's throat before the other had a chance to react. "You touch me again and I'll cut your fucking throat."

 

Allen frowned, keeping his eyes warily on the sharp edge while he let go of Kanda's shoulder and backed up half a step. Satisfied that his message had gotten across, Kanda resheathed the blade and laid it on the ground between himself and the white-haired boy. He was about to close his eyes again when Allen suddenly darted forward and snatched Mugen from the ground, moving the sword behind his back and out of Kanda's immediate reach.

 

The swordsman was on his feet instantly, snarling in wordless rage as he advanced towards the other Exorcist. Allen glared back at him, refusing to be cowed by the expression on the older teen's face. He held his ground, tightening his grip on the sword he held.

 

"Now will you listen to me?" he demanded almost petulantly, craning his neck to stare Kanda in the eye - the Japanese man was taller than he was and close enough that looking straight ahead would put him eye-to-well-defined-chest and that was hardly intimidating. Staring up at Kanda rather than down at him wasn't very intimidating either, but...

 

"What. The hell. Do. You. Want?" Kanda responded, treating Allen to his most deadly expression. Allen stared defiantly back, keeping his arms relaxed enough to react instantly should the swordsman decide to try and retrieve his weapon.

 

"Why are you being so cruel to Lavi?" he asked, voice slightly indignant but also somewhat curious. Kanda's lips thinned.

 

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he hissed. Without warning he shifted, moving around to Allen's right side and reaching for Mugen. Allen turned as well, keeping his body in between the swordsman and the Innocence. He backed up a step to keep his balance, pivoting almost immediately as Kanda made another grab for his weapon. Both men stopped, each watching the other for a hint of weakness or a moment of inattention.

 

"Give it back," Kanda demanded, scowling as dangerously as he could to make up for how childish his words were.

 

"No." The word could have been taunting, but was instead a simple statement of fact and all the more infuriating. The swordsman walked forward threateningly, doing his best to loom over Allen. The white haired boy leaned back, shrinking in on himself almost imperceptibly as he backed towards the wall. He kept his gaze warily on Kanda's arms, wary for any sign of movement as he tightened his grip on Mugen. He was careful to keep the sword completely behind his body, wincing only slightly as the hard metal guard dug into his back. He continued backing up regardless, even leaning back further and stretching his shoulders to try and form a protective guard around the sheathed blade.

 

Allen's eyes flicked from Kanda's arms to the other Exorcist's eyes. He didn't look away.

 

Kanda's eyes narrowed as he moved forward. He stopped only when he could no longer advance without touching Allen and braced his hands on the wall to either side of the shorter man's head, as much for balance as intimidation and trapping the younger Exorcist in place.

 

"Give it back now, baka-moyashi," he said, tone quiet but deadly. Allen swallowed heavily, barely daring to breathe; the swordsman was perhaps a hairsbreadth away and the act of respiration was suddenly difficult, though Allen was fairly certain it wasn't fear causing his breath to catch. He kept his emotions off his face, if not under control, quietly thankful he had perfected his poker face years ago.

 

"I will when you answer my question," he replied, pleased when his voice came out steady. He itched to throw out the usual 'baKanda' after the sentence, but the desire was tempered by the knowledge that no good could come from further antagonizing the Japanese man. "Why are you being so mean to Lavi?"

 

Kanda's scowl deepened. He kept his mouth firmly shut, letting his glare do the talking for him. There was no fucking way he'd answer that question, especially considering who was asking it.

 

"Is it because he saved-"

 

"You don't have a damn clue what you're talking about," Kanda hissed furiously, unconsciously leaning even closer to spit the words directly into the white-haired idiot's face. Allen's breath hitched and he shifted backwards, attempting to become one with the wall behind him. "Now shut the fuck up and give me back my sword."

 

Allen frowned, shaking his head and giving Kanda an annoyed glare.

 

"Lavi's your friend, isn't he?" he asked insistently, ignoring the quiet growl that escaped the swordsman at the word 'friend'. "He's been distracted about something lately, really distracted. Lenalee and I are both worried about him and you're not helping, acting like he's the scum of the earth."

 

Kanda opened his mouth to retort but Allen kept going, silver eyes narrowing further as he pushed forward slightly and brought them nose to nose. Neither realized their position, both too infuriated to notice how close they had gotten.

 

"None of us even get why you've decided to act like this! All I want is an explanation so we can fix it and start working on what's bothering Lavi - haven't you noticed it? Even if you haven't been around much lately, even you should have noticed-"

 

Kanda pushed off the wall and spun around, folding his arms and looking up at a distant spot on the ceiling.

 

"Che. Why should I have noticed anything?" He hadn't noticed Bookman's excessive chores for Lavi or the redhead's absence at meals. He hadn't noticed how thin the idiot was earlier today or how his usual energy had been lacking. He hadn't noticed that the rabbit's green eye seemed dull and distant, as if he was preoccupied, or how all of it had started the night he had brought the goddamn Noah to the Order.

 

And he hadn't been worried. At all.

 

"The idiot's no different than before," he bit out scathingly, a spike of anger going through him. With his back turned towards Allen, he didn't realize the white haired boy had stepped away from the wall until a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around once more. He glared down at the younger man, keeping his arms firmly crossed as his muscles tensed.

 

"That's a lie and you know it!" Allen shot back. His hand tightened on Kanda's shoulder, his arm shaking slightly. "You must have noticed it too; something is going on between Tyki Mikk and Lavi. That has to have something to do with how distracted he's been lately. Is that why you're so angry with Lavi?"

 

"What does that asshole," Kanda stressed the word, putting as much venom as he could into the two syllables. "-have to do with anything?"

 

"Lavi was distracted before, but after he rescued Tyki is when it became noticeable to everyone - even the people that didn't know him. You didn't ignore Lavi like this until he rescued Tyki," Allen's grip relaxed and he shrugged helplessly, gaze turning concerned and compassionate. "Do you still hate him for what happened on our last mission?"

 

"You mean that he nearly killed me?" Kanda demanded, ignoring the part of him that wanted to add 'and threatened to go after you' on to his rhetorical question. "We have few enough Exorcists as it is and Lavi brings one of the fucking Noah to the Order! One that has killed Exorcists already and we're just supposed to believe he's had a goddamn change of heart because the rabbit says so?!"

 

Allen just stared compassionately at him, an understanding look in his eyes. Kanda wanted nothing more than to punch him, just to erase that expression.

 

"It's all right if you're angry with Tyki, but that's no reason to take it out on Lavi," he said softly, carefully bringing Mugen out from behind his back. Kanda reached for it as soon as it was visible, grabbing onto the sheathed weapon just below the guard and tugging. Allen didn't let go. "I don't quite understand why Lavi did it either, but I think I'm starting to. Even if I didn't, I would try to believe that Tyki's turned over a new leaf because I trust Lavi. Everyone can change." With that he released his hold on Mugen, allowing the swordsman to pull his blade back protectively.

 

Allen turned towards the door of the room and began heading for it silently. Kanda watched him go warily, one hand gripping Mugen tightly. He'd have to watch for that trick in the future so the moyashi couldn't use it again the next time he wanted to have a talk.

 

As if reading Kanda's thoughts, Allen suddenly stopped with one hand on he door. He turned back to face Kanda, smile falsely bright.

 

"Tyki tried to kill me before, too. He would have succeeded if my Innocence hadn't saved me. He tried again when we were in the Ark, but even though he's nearly killed me twice I'm still trying to support Lavi's decision to bring him here. I even went to help rescue him because I trust Lavi." He paused, then turned towards the door and opened it.

 

"Think about that for a while," he said, stepping out and shutting the door quietly behind himself.

 

Kanda scowled, staring at the door and half-expecting someone else to burst through and interrupt his meditation time again. His hand was white-knuckled around Mugen as he abruptly turned from the door and moved to the center of the room, once more taking up his customary position for meditation.

 

The baka-moyashi didn't understand. He could ignore his own injuries if he had to. Kanda wasn't stupid - a Noah who defected from the Earl's side could be a great help to the Order. He knew that Komui and the Science Department were ecstatic with the sheer amount of information they had gained by talking to Mikk. Sacrifices were necessary to win wars, even if the sacrifice was his personal feelings, his grudge, rather than his life. He could accept that. Eventually.

 

What he couldn't accept and refused to allow...

 

He scowled.

 

Allen had made such a casual reference to those incidents. The fucking sprout had almost died twice and he was willing to forgive and forget like the naive idiot he was. He had almost needed to fight the bastard again when Kanda had lost to him on their last mission and there was no way Allen was lucky enough to escape death a third time. The first time he had been saved by his Innocence and the second time Cross had arrived just in time, but Kanda had been the only other Exorcist in the area and he doubted the white haired boy's Innocence would save him again. Depending on what type of injuries Mikk inflicted and how many, the Innocence might not even have been able to save the younger Exorcist's life.

 

And Allen was willing to just move on and put the past behind him, nevermind that this could be some really elaborate (so elaborate Kanda wasn't going to bother figuring the logic of it out) plot for Mikk to earn the beansprout's trust and then kill him.

 

There was no way Kanda was letting that happen.

 

No way in hell.

 

Not that he was worried or anything. Worrying was for lesser mortals.

 

Allen could be as naive as he liked, but Kanda wasn't buying it until he had proof. Real proof, not just Lavi's word. There was some things the Japanese swordsman just wasn't interested in risking, no matter if everyone else in the Order seemed mostly convinced of Mikk's good intentions.

 

He carefully shoved the nagging voice in the back of his mind - the one that kept asking annoying questions about why he was so angry with Mikk over a certain white-haired bean and what that might mean - into a mental box and wrapped it with chains and padlocks before stabbing the box repeatedly. He didn't need those sorts of questions and he certainly didn't need the answers either.

 

Though, he amended the thought quietly, maybe he could consider the answer later. Much later.

 

As he settled down to meditate, brief flashbacks of his verbal fight with Allen kept playing in his head. Most annoying was the several too-short moments when he had pinned the white-haired idiot to a wall, noses and chests just barely touching and the scent of mitarashi dango thick and sweet on Allen's breath.

 

For some reason, that scene would not leave him alone and, most peculiarly, he had a sudden craving for dango.

 

He scowled.

 

He hated sweets.

 

TBC…

 

A/N: I did not originally plan on there being Yullen in AGoP. They sort of forced their way into the story…

 

I hope we all enjoyed this chapter! Chapter 22 will be out as soon as I can get it written and beta'd. Reviews fuel the process, so please take a moment or two and let me know what you thought.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING NEXT CHAPTER:

 

To Those Readers on Fanfiction(dot)net: Please, I'm very, very sick of people Favoriting this story or me and then not reviewing. (Especially when people put me and AGoP on their Favorites and Alerts without a single word to me.) Please, if you're planning on Favoriting or Alerting, review and tell me why you're Favoriting or Alerting my story. I swear to God, I almost didn't post this chapter tonight because as I was doing Review Replies (halfway through) someone (who shall remain nameless thanks to my better nature) Favorited AGoP and neglected to review. (To those of you who do review every chapter: you guys are awesome, totally amazing, and I'm lucky (Lucky) to have such loyal fans.)