Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Kanda came back from his latest mission with a scraggly dog in tow no one really knew what to say at first. The dog had orangeish-red fur and blue eyes, which Lavi immediately said made it a mix between something and a Siberian husky because those were one of the few dogs that had naturally blue eyes.

Not that Kanda seemed to care that much about the breed. “He needs a bath.” he'd said to no one in particular, then dragged the dog off. Lenalee had to say she was surprised when, a few hours later, she found Kanda with his shirt sleeves still pulled up, and barefoot, brushing the dog out with one of the combs he never used.

That night he asked for an extra portion, and he didn't even complain when Lavi told him the general list of things dogs couldn't have. Instead he meticulously picked those ingredients out and threw them away, before setting the plate on the ground so the dog could eat.

Surprising absolutely no one, the dog followed Kanda after that.

**

Lenalee was almost certain her brother would say no to having a pet at the Order. It could ruin everything! She thought he'd say. But no. Instead he'd stared in mild disbelief before his face crumpled into some sort of expression that Lenalee couldn't name. Because Kanda was smiling and when did Kanda ever smile willingly ? He had a piece of rolled up newspaper and had tossed it, causing the dog to scramble after it, nails clacking against the tile flooring as it dutifully brought the wad of paper, all coated in saliva, back to Kanda's feet.

Kanda didn't seem to care, and actually scratched the dog behind the ears.

“Okay.” he'd said, “But where will he sleep?”

Kanda's room, apparently.

(A few days later proper tennis balls showed up along with two shallow dishes outside Kanda's door. He didn't ask who'd left them, but soon one was filled with water, and the other was promptly carried to the mess hall at dinner time).

**

The first time Kanda was away on a mission the dog cried and howled and refused to leave the front gates for pretty much anything. Even in the rain, he sat resolutely at the door waiting for Kanda's reappearance. Jerry and a few other science staff members took turns making sure he was fed and taken out, but they still couldn't manage to draw him away from the gate for long before he was right back at it again, staring forlornly for his master.

Because that was who Kanda was to him. He never seemed to question it.

And when Kanda came back? The dog was ecstatic--jumping up and licking him on the chin, face and hands without Kanda once scolding him.

Kanda clearly returned the affection, and honestly? That was probably the best part of the Order’s most recent addition.

**

And of course the dog hated Allen, at least at first. Even if the dog had been fed by him on and off whenever they met at the mess hall, he seemed to realize fairly early on the antagonistic aura that resonated between Kanda and Allen whenever they were in the same room for too long.

Which translated in him no longer begging for food from Allen, and actually growling when Allen got too close to Kanda.

“But they don't hate each other!” Lenalee insisted after one of these growls almost turned into an actual bite. “Why can't he see that?”

“Because he's a dog, Lena.” Lavi snorted. “They don't understand the concept of tough love.”

**

Which made it even more ironic when it was Allen who brought up the fact that the dog didn't have a name. It was right after a sparring match that Kanda very clearly won. Allen was sitting on the ground, wiping off sweat when he saw the dog sitting off by the rest of their group of friends. “Does he have a name?” He asked like it was the most casual thing in the world. “You've had him for almost three months now.”

Kanda actually seemed to seriously be considering it, which was answer enough for Allen.

And for Lavi and Lenalee too. “Have you seriously been calling him dog or “hey you” this entire time?” Lavi deadpanned. “Really, Yuu? I know you aren't the brightest crayon in the box but surely you can come up with a name!”

“Tch, he responds to those just fine!” Kanda muttered, only to sigh and tack on, “I'll think of something.” The dog was staying, after all.

**Allen**

“Red, come here!”

Allen nearly dropped his plate full of food when he heard Kanda's voice shouting a familiar name. A hand clenched painfully around his gut when he saw the dog--red, yes, he could see how Kanda had come up with that--bound through the cafeteria. “Oi get back here!” He had something in his mouth and Allen could only guess what it was.

That feeling didn't go away, though even as he sat down.

“Seriously?” He heard Lavi laughing as he caught up to Kanda who only seemed slightly out of breath, “You named him red?”

“Well it fits.”

Lavi snorted loudly. “Yeah I guess!”

Allen was quiet all through dinner. Even when Lenalee prodded him with a foot and asked, “Are you okay?” He simply gave her a smile and said:

“Yeah I'm fine.”

She knew it was a lie, but she also knew not to push. Lenalee was good about that.

**

Ideally Allen would never confront Kanda about this, but of course his luck was against him, because of course Kanda would be sent with him on a mission next. Not only that, but they demanded that he take the dog with them. Apparently part of the mission took place in a heavily wooded area. Something about children going missing in it, and that having a dog with such a keen sense of smell would probably help put them at ease and give them a natural cover for investigating in a place that was otherwise heavily opposed to the church.

Which meant Allen was stuck in a carriage with Kanda and a dog that didn't really like him.

A dog that just so happened to share that name too.

The trip took roughly eight days. Two days of nonstop traveling, then three on and off trains (for the most part the dog was well behaved), and finally the last three on foot outdoors. On the second to last day they stopped at a particularly well traveled spot, by the juncture of a river and a natural rock wall. Immediately they made to set up camp, setting up a smoke fire and bedrolls underneath provisional tents.

Allen got to cooking almost immediately, he was hungry after all, and for once the dog didn't even try to growl at him. So Allen smiled a little and held out a piece of smoked beef.

The dog happily took it.

“What did you feed him?” Kanda asked almost immediately, nearly scaring Allen shitless.

“It was just beef.” Allen held up a hand placatingly. It was the one he'd picked the meat up with, and the dog seemed to know this, because immediately he bumped his nose against it and then licked . It was his left hand.

Allen choked back a sound, and when he glanced at Kanda to see if he'd seen that he saw a speculative look he didn't really want focused on him. He didn't even know Kanda could give that kind of look! “W-what?”

“Do you hate dogs?” Allen stared for a moment. Kanda sighed and sat down, immediately the dog trotted up to him and sat down with his tail wagging. “You always jump whenever he's around. It's gotten worse lately. Why?”

Allen cringed, “W-Well he did try to bite me before--”

Kanda cocked his head to the side, “And you expect me to believe that's it? Red, no.” He scolded gently when the dog grabbed at a stick and started chewing it. He then glanced back up at Allen. “See? There. You did it again.” He scowled here, but it wasn't a particularly angry one. “If you really hate dogs then tell me now. This mission runs on us both being able to handle him.” Oh. Right. Of course. The mission. It wasn't like Kanda actually cared.

“It's not the dog.” At least that wasn't a lie. “If I hated them why would I feed him?” his stomach growled as if proving a point.

“Then why--”

“It's a long story.” Allen looked down at the fire, “I don't want to talk about it.”

For once Kanda did, actually, let it drop. But he kept looking at Allen all evening, like he couldn't quite pinpoint something. Allen just made it a point to not look at him the rest of the night. It wasn't easy.

**

The next day they set out early, and nearly an hour in they got ambushed. “To your left!” Allen shouted just as they dodged yet another Akuma bullet. They were both immune, which was a godsend really, but the dog wasn't. Naturally.

Kanda dodged several bullets, two almost hitting him before he remembered, “Red, run!”

That name made Allen queasy, but he quickly looked around for the dog, who was cowering bravely underneath a fallen log. The Akuma at least didn't seem to care much about animals, so at least he was safe in that sense. But he was still in danger of errant bullets, so Allen immediately dove in front, considering he was much closer, to block a few as Kanda dealt the final blows.

It hurt Allen a little to know those Akuma might have been a few of the missing children they might have to look for, but he pushed that thought aside when Red-- the dog --jumped on his back and began licking his ear, then neck, then face. “H-hey!” He laughed, “That tickles!”

Then suddenly Kanda was there in front of him, staring. Well. Shit. “You really don't hate dogs.” He sounded curious now. “So why--”

“I can't just change my mind?” Allen asked, only to get a slobbery kiss in response, “Agh!”

“Red.” Kanda scolded, and that sent a shiver straight down Allen's spine. “Off.”

The dog got off almost immediately, and Allen wiped at all the places he licked. “Thanks. He l-listens to you.” He was surprised when he saw Kanda extend a hand, and even more surprised when he unthinkingly reached out with his left --And Kanda took it.

Huh .

**

They arrived at the town with very little fanfare. It was self-sustaining for the most part, loggers as well as carpenters who sold their wares in one of the nearby cities. But they’d somehow managed to clear away some land for farming, and Allen could see several pigs, goats, and chickens wandering about the town.

And then, of course, there was them. The town was apparently not used to visitors, though it wasn’t unheard of. And they’d gotten notice in the form of a telegraph that professional trackers were in the area, which meant Allen and Kanda both had to change out of their uniforms and into something more appropriate for the area. It still didn’t hide the fact that Allen’s hair was white, or the fact that seeing a “Japanese” person out this far was kind of an oddity too, but the dog at least was welcomed with open arms.

“Oh thank the gods!” One of the mothers had started to actually bawl. “Maybe some of the children at least can be saved?!”

Allen winced and glanced over at Kanda who resolutely wasn’t looking at anyone. Well then. This was up to him, wasn’t it?

So he put on a smile and asked, “Can you tell us when they started disappearing? That way we know how long ago the scent trail was left.” He motioned for Red to come closer and hoped to god that he listened. Apparently he must have gotten some sort of cue from Kanda, because he trotted up and sat at Allen’s feet. “Red here has a very strong nose , so we’ll try to do what we can, okay?”

The lady sniffled and nodded her head and led them to one of the bigger wooden houses. This one had pillars out front carved to make some sort of figure. She spoke in a tongue Allen hadn’t heard before--it was some off shoot of what sounded like German, or maybe a very old French? -- before an older man was hobbling out of the building. Immediately Allen could tell he was the leader of this town, with the way he dressed and carried himself. Though really, the only difference was the fact that he wore beaded jewelry, his actual clothing? Seemed to be the same quality and make as everyone else’s.

Was it awful that that put Allen at ease? At least they weren’t dealing with some city man that took this town under his thumb and made them obey. That sort of thing made him feel sick.

He spoke a few words to the woman before smiling at them kindly. “Come in.” Allen could see Kanda relax behind him. He wasn’t used to having to learn a language on the fly, much less one that didn’t have any real traceable origins, hell Allen didn’t even know what languages Kanda did know? Maybe Chinese? And of course maybe some Kanji, if he could get his hands on any books that had made it out of Japan before the Earl took over.

But Allen was getting ahead of himself. He followed the old man in, with Red and Kanda following him silently, and sat down in front of what looked like a hand-built stone fireplace, with mats surrounding it. “Thank you for having us.” He said as his manners dictated.

The older man seemed to appreciate this. “Thank you for responding so quickly! We do not know what be in this wood, but it has periodically stolen our children over, and over, and over again for the past several months. Sometimes! Sometimes we are lucky and find bones that we think may be theirs.” He shook his head here sadly, “That has been the best outcome, because then we can put them to rest properly and pray. But there are still others…”

Allen looked down at his lap sadly, “You said these past few months, so before then…?”

“No problems other than wild animal.”

“I see.” Allen glanced back at Kanda who nodded his head. It definitely sounded like the work of an Akuma that was killing just for the sake of getting stronger, and possibly helping to create more Akuma, though they couldn’t be certain of that success rate until they learned how many children had been stolen. It had been hard to tell because of the action earlier, but he was almost certain those Level Ones had child-souls attached to them. It made his stomach roll a little at the thought that he’d been right. But then did that mean? That the Akuma wasn’t interested in the adults in this town? Only the children?

“You do not look happy.” The man said, and Allen jerked a little, when the man was suddenly right there , reaching out to touch his scar-- “You have had pain too, I see. You understand.” It was a kind smile, but it was one Allen really, desperately, did not need . Not to mention it was a clear invasion of personal space, even Red and Kanda had tensed at this abrupt movement. The man seemed to notice the sudden shift and chuckled, “They are very protective over you, yes. Come, then,” He backed away and stood up on old legs, “I will show you where they disappear.”

Allen coughed a little into his fist and slowly stood up as well, “S-So so far? It hasn’t been any a-adults?”

“None past the age of eighteen.” The older man looked at him again, curiously. “Your...friend...here should have no trouble, you on the other hand. Still young?” Allen winced. “Hm, hm I doubt whatever it is would be interested in you. You have an old soul! Come, come.”

Allen stared as the man walked across the room to the back entrance. Then he stared back at Kanda who actually had his hand on Mugen’s hilt. He shook his head. “It’s fine.”

Kanda ground his teeth together, then huffed. “Whatever.”

Slowly they followed the old man, out the back entrance, out across a small clearing, then turning to face the town. They walked a good distance there too, along one of the finer streets, until they reached the west most portion of town. “This way.” He opened a small wooden gate. “We have one of our fountains here.” Allen knew the main reason why these people were so against the church was because they tried to kill their old Gods, the ones they worshipped as the truth. Allen had seen plenty of religions, of deities and worshipping methods over his travels with Cross, and while many held a few common truths they were all as different as they came, and their followers? Just as intense.

It wasn’t in him to tell them they were ‘wrong’, when in truth they weren’t. He glanced over at Kanda who for the most part didn’t seem like he even cared. That was probably why they sent them on this mission together. Neither of them had any particularly strong religious affiliation, and at least Allen had a strong understanding of the world, where Kanda...didn’t.

Oh, what did Allen know? He’d never actually asked . Not that Kanda would probably tell him.

After a little bit of walking they arrived at the fountain the old man spoke of. There were flowers here, red and orange and blue, some withered, some recently picked. “They’ve used this as a memorial.” Allen murmured sadly, walking forward, “Is it alright if I…?”

The old man nodded his head. “Yes.”

Allen walked closer and inspected the fountain. The flowers were laid on the ledge, and the water itself seemed perfectly clear. The fountain itself trickled water, probably through some mechanism built inside it, and the water came trickling out of what appeared to be a woman’s face with her hands held out. She was holding a circular object, but with all the wear from the water trickling over it it was almost impossible to tell what it had originally been. A small part of him wanted to say maybe Innocence was the cause of all this, but the likelihood of that was slim, considering there had already been Akuma in this area for, probably, months. Whatever Innocence had been here was probably long since destroyed.

“So they...come here to...worship?” Allen chose his words carefully. “And then they disappear?”

The old man nodded his head. “This is the children’s worship place. Some come back, some do not. I do not know how it is chosen who leaves and who goes but.” He shook his head here sadly. “Sometimes I think the older children chase after the younger ones.”

Allen winced and Kanda looked anywhere but at the fountain. “I-I see. Is it--alright if we look a-around this area a little?”

The older man nodded his head, though oddly he turned to Kanda here who had been pretty much silent. “You need to watch him diligently. He is still young.” The way he seemed to take in Kanda, eyes tracking along to his arms, face, then torso, then lower--even Allen felt slightly uncomfortable watching the inspection. “He may be taken. You would hate that?”

“He won’t.” Ah. He finally spoke. “But I will.” He closed his eyes and walked to stand closer to Allen.

“T-thank you for your concern, though!” Allen tacked on with an awkward smile, “I-I don’t think they’d want me anyway.”

“Mm who knows what this thing wants.” The old man shook his head. “I will be home. Call if you find anything.”

Then just like that he hobbled away.

**

It was only after about an hour of inspecting that Allen finally decided to call it quits. The old man was right, apparently this was the starting point for where all the children disappeared. There were several trails that Red could pick up on, but they got confused and muddled, almost watered down after a few feet away from the fountain, to the point that it was almost like it had been intentionally done: like the Akuma knew they were going to be tracked. “Tch, this is pointless.” Kanda ground out, leaning against the edge of the fountain. “If we can’t even start from the starting point--”

“Then we’ll have to search elsewhere.” Allen cut him off gently. “It’s almost midday. I don’t want to come back without finding anything,” Granted saying the trails got mixed up was at least something . Maybe it would help the children’s parents know that there was a reason they couldn’t just follow after their children without getting lost in a woods they probably grew up in themselves, “but I want to have as much daylight as possible.”

Kanda sighed heavily and scratched at Red’s ears. The dog also seemed to be disappointed at not being able to find anything, but for once Kanda saw the logic in Allen’s words and didn’t bother to argue.

And maybe that was when it happened. That was when Allen heard it, faintly, sobbing. He jerked his head around and stared off into the woods. “Wha--”

But then Kanda’s hand was on his shoulder. “Oi, what is it?”

“I-I just thought I heard something.” Allen stared. Was it just him or was the forest getting...darker? More foreboding? The sobbing got louder, then there was a shriek. “Please tell me you hear that?” He looked up at Kanda who shook his head slowly. He wasn’t one to show emotions openly on his face, but Allen liked to think he might’ve seen worry there. “R-Red,” God it felt awful saying that name after so long, “Do you hear anything?”

The dog sank his head a little in confusion.

So that was a no too.

Allen licked his lips and shook the feeling off. “O-Okay.” Well. “S-So we can add audio hallucinations that only some can hear?” To the list of possible reasons why the children would bolt.

“Tch whatever the case let’s get you back.” Kanda’s hand tightened on Allen’s shoulder. “I am not running after you.”

Allen laughed a little nervously. “D-Don’t worry. I won’t run off.”

He hoped.

**

The woman who initially welcomed them to town was waiting for them when they reached the old man’s house. “Come with me.” She smiled, “You can stay with me for the time being. I don’t have much room, but hopefully it will be adequate.”

Allen smiled and thanked her profusely, after all otherwise they would have had to sleep outside and he kind of really didn’t want to if the forest kept talking to him. Granted the sobbing had gotten quieter the farther away he’d gotten from that fountain, but he could still hear it even now and it was slowly giving him the jitters. He could tell Kanda noticed, because of the way he kept glancing at him, but the woman seemed oblivious for the most part.

Thankfully the crying all but stopped when they actually reached her home, which was more in the center of town by where the carpenter shops were, and Allen wasn’t sure if that was because of the sounds, or because he was now inside and away from the prying eyes of the forest. God. That was something he didn’t want to risk repeating for fear of sounding like he was insane.

The woman led them to a small room on the back of the house, by what looked like a mud room. There was one large pallet set up, and a smaller one, “For Red.” She explained. “It’s his name, yes?”

Kanda seemed a little speechless, but nodded his head. Red seemed to realize it was for him and quickly laid down, tail thumping twice at getting to sleep indoors after sleeping outside or on uncomfortable surfaces for the past week. No one made any comment on the fact that there was in fact only one bed, and no other sleeping quarters provided.

Allen wondered if it was on purpose.

Not that he’d ask.

**

Allen had shared a bed before, sure. With Master Cross, when money was scarce, granted that was when he was roughly half the size he was now, and Cross hadn’t exactly spent the night with him, half the time. Normally in those situations Cross wound up at the local whore house and actually somehow convinced them to let him sleep there. Though yes, Allen could remember a few times where he’d woken up to Cross sneaking back into their shared room. The point was, he’d never really shared a room with someone he considered a colleague and not--whatever the heck Cross was to him. But to Allen’s credit he tried to make it the least amount of awkward as possible, by getting ready for bed first, and crawling in--with his clothes still on, thank you very much.

He wasn’t sure when Kanda crawled in next to him, only that he was never actually aware of it--and, hell, he probably actually never did , or at least, when Allen woke up at three in the morning he was leaning against the far side wall, petting Red and just staring off into space. Allen slowly sat up in bed and rubbed at his eyes. “Hey.”

Kanda barely even jerked. “What?”

“You need to sleep too.”

“Tch, not tired.”

Allen huffed. “I’m not carrying you around if you’re too tired to work.”

“Like you could carry me.” Kanda pointed out. Then, quieter, “Go back to bed.”

Allen rolled his eyes. “I totally could. And whatever you say.” He turned to roll on his side and closed his eyes. But he knew a part of him wouldn’t get a restful amount of sleep with Kanda watching him.

So why did he wake up several hours later more well rested than he had in awhile?

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Red had decided, at some point, to be his pillow that night.

Or maybe it was the fact that Kanda had chosen to keep watch without telling Allen. Because it hit Allen, when they stepped foot outside at roughly five in the morning with the first rays of sun peaking out through the trees, that he could still hear it. The sobbing.

Maybe Kanda had been worried that he’d get up in the middle of the night and follow the sound?

In that case Allen kind of felt like an asshole.

**

But Kanda seemed fine. No worse for wear, despite the fact he’d clearly stayed up all night. The woman they’d been staying with made an offhanded comment about how when she woke them up, he’d already been up and ready, and how he’d kept checking on Allen every ten minutes like he’d been afraid he’d disappear. Allen could tell from the slightly constipated look on Kanda’s face that he hadn’t wanted her to even remark on it, but he said nothing, so she just kept giggling and saying how cute it was .

Why was that cute?

**

It was roughly an hour into the woods when they ran into trouble. Signs of Akuma, and a few bones, as well as the throbbing pain in Allen’s ears from ignoring all that crying . He knew Kanda noticed, but he couldn’t find it in himself to hide it after the first thirty minutes, because the sound echoed and no matter how hard he tried to find a starting point he couldn’t. And he hated it .

No wonder the children had given in and followed it. For all they knew, even the older ones had heard it! Because Allen was almost sixteen, so he had to be on the older end of the spectrum.

“Oi,” Kanda grabbed Allen when he nearly tripped over another log, “Be careful. We know they’re close.” A few trees looked like they’d been hit by Akuma bullets, while others looked like they’d been crushed by heavier objects.”Shit how many are there?”

“I-I don’t know.” Allen held his head, “But one of them c-can manipulate sound.” He stopped by a nearby tree and squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s getting louder .”

“Red--”

Red, Red, we’ll call you Red! Because of your arm! Your disgusting arm!

“You’re covered in bruises again?”

“I’m fine! Why do you care you sick clown!”

Allen jerked a little when he felt Red try to lick his hand, and suddenly Kanda was there in front of him, frown clearly on his face. “Oi. Do we need to go back?”

“No!” Allen snapped, jerking his hand away when Red tried to lick it. “I just--it’s just--I’m not leaving you out here alone!”

“But you’ll be useless if you can’t fucking concentrate.” Kanda sighed. “You said one of them is manipulating sound. You never told me what you actually heard though.”

Wait, what?

“Crying.” Allen licked his lips. “I hear crying.”

**Kanda**

Kanda’s eyes narrowed. Allen was shaking, like he was hearing screaming , not just crying. He also looked more frazzled than he’d ever seen him before, and even though Red tried to comfort him--he saw it last night, too, Red left Kanda’s side for once to crawl over to the bed when Allen started to toss and turn from an obvious nightmare--Allen jerked his hand away like he’d been burned. At this rate they would have to turn back, because Allen could get seriously injured if he tried to fight against whatever Akuma was causing this.

“Crying.” He finally muttered. “That’s all?” Allen winced and nodded his head. “You’ve been hearing it since yesterday?”

Another nod. “E-Except when we were inside that woman’s house. E-Every time we were outside though...and the closer we were t-to the woods. It started at the fountain.”

Well, shit.

If the Akuma had that much range, then-- “It’s at least a level two, maybe a level three.” Who knew how large this forest actually was. Kanda at least felt like he’d been walking forever. He almost wanted to curse the fact that it was just them, here, but he knew all the same that they were two of the stronger members, and that because of the nature of the village they couldn’t send Finders to properly scout the area--they’d all been thrown out because it had taken the Order three times to realize that the reason they were thrown out wasn’t because of misconduct, but because these people hated the church that much .

Kanda sighed here and grabbed Mugen’s hilt. “So we’re in trouble.” Probably. “If I have to fucking protect you both--”

“I’ll be fine!” Allen insisted. “L-Let’s at least try to get as far as we can? I can ignore it.” He looked like he was about to cry though, “I’ve been through worse!”

“And that’s supposed to be helpful now because?” Kanda sighed heavily. “Just try not to fucking get killed.”

He really didn’t want any deaths. Sure he could solo missions, he had before, but the fact was they weren’t sure how many Akuma they were actually facing. One strong one, yes, but they’d never actually gotten numbers for the children turned versus the ones who were killed, and the last thing Kanda wanted was to take down the level three only to be downed by a level one. Yeah he wouldn’t die, but that also wouldn’t exactly solve their current problem.

Suddenly Allen was slapping his hand away from where it was still holding onto his arm, “I’m fine !” Then he turned and stalked off like he was on a mission, hah, to find who the hell was making all that racket in his head. Racket Kanda couldn’t hear. He wasn’t sure how successful he’d be, but suddenly Red was following him and Kanda realized at this rate he’d be left behind--so he quickened his pace, only vaguely noticing the carnage that seemed to be getting worse and worse in this direction, before suddenly--

They saw it.

No wonder Allen had been to the point of tears.

Well shit .

This wasn’t just a regular Level three. This was a level three that had turned to cannibalism, it was currently chewing away on a level one, with several level two carcasses tossed aside. Normally in this case Kanda would’ve been grateful because it meant less work for him, even though the level three would be ten times more work because of it, but a glance over at Allen showed him that, yeah, he probably should care.

“Don’t just stand there!” He hissed in Allen’s ear, dragging him off to the side and out of the Akuma’s direct line of sight. He’d pretty much frozen when he first locked eyes with it, even when Red had darted under some nearby brush for cover, Allen hadn’t budged. Did he want to die?! Kanda seriously wanted to ask him that after all was said and done.

But right now? Right now he was more focused on the fact that the Level 3 was distracted, giving them a perfectly clear shot of it--if they took the chance. “Stay here if you can’t fucking fight.” He muttered, “Watch over Red if you need to just--don’t fight. You’re going to only get in my way.”

Then he darted out and did what he did best.

Which meant getting slammed into a nearby tree.

The Level 3 cackled maniacally and that’s when Kanda knew shit was really going to hit the fan any minute now. Red howled from somewhere to his right, and he heard rather than saw Allen’s voice but he couldn’t hear exactly what he’d said before the level three was off of him and turning around.

It was the perfect opening for Mugen, but Kanda’s hand barely worked. Broken . Dammit. It would take a little longer to heal. Meaning unless Allen had activated his Innocence, they were--

Screwed.

**Allen**

“Don’t just lie there!” Allen shouted partially out of worry, partially out of desperation. He’d seen Kanda get tossed and grimaced when he heard a series of bones crack. Normally that would’ve meant Kanda was out of the fight entirely, but Kanda was by no means ‘normal’, so really Allen knew all he had to do in this case was distract the Level 3 until one of his wrists healed. So he did. Or tried to, his attention was focused on Red, who  was running around the perimeter, clearly worried about his master, but not being able to get too close, because he knew at this point if he did that he’d turn to ashes--and Allen knew Kanda would never forgive himself if that happened. But there was also the other half of his brain, which was distracted by the loud crying of not only the ‘fake’ children, but of the Level 3’s soul as well. He felt his stomach roll, but invoked his Innocence anyway.

And he distracted the Level 3 as best he could with one eye on the dog currently going batshit crazy on the sidelines and he hoped to whatever God was around at the time that it would work. Because his head was pulsing, and he knew he was compromised when the Level 3 Grinned and--

Suddenly it felt like his head was being split open.

He dropped like a piece of lead. It wasn’t one of his proudest moments, especially when he felt the vomit burning at the back of his throat, and the tears clouding his eyes and--

“You really are a fucking drama queen.” He heard Kanda say right by his ear but how ?! --

Only for the Level 3 to scream in pain in the next instant because Red had fucking bit it.

So wait. It could mimic Kanda’s voice too ?!

And why--

What--

How ?!

Red yelped as he was tossed away and Allen could feel himself scrambling away as the Level 3 cursed and --fuck. Did it get blood in it. Goddamit--no -- no this was bad--this was--

“Get out of the way!” Allen whirled around in time to see Kanda standing on shaky legs. He could see blood matting up the back of his hair, even with the fact that his hair was black. Mostly because it was sliding sluggishly down his forehead, staining the collar of his white dress shirt red as he lifted Mugen with one partially healed wrist --and dealt a fucking blow. It was a weak one, or at least weaker than Kanda usually dealt, but he could tell his hands were shaking--and it was enough to do the job, because the Level 3 screamed in pain and staggered as it began to crumble into little tiny pieces.

It probably helped that Kanda stabbed it in the back of its head. That was usually a common weak point.

Then he was shoving the disintegrating carcass away and rushing over to where Allen was leaning over Red, who had--fuck. Probably swallowed some Akuma blood. Dammit . Dammit. Dammit . “I’m so--”

“Move.”  Why was Kanda slitting his wrist? Holding it to the dogs mouth? What was--going on? Kanda cursed silently as the dog began lapping at the blood there, almost as if on impulse and-- “My blood should help.” Kanda said, almost elusively. And what the hell did that mean ? Allen just gawked as slowly the dog stopped lapping up the blood and began to jerk, before slowly lifting its head sluggishly to stare at them both with eyes that looked far too aware for any animals. How had Allen not noticed before?

Kanda sagged a little in relief. “That worked.” He pressed the now healed wrist to his forehead to wipe at the sweat there. “Fuck. I didn’t think that would work”

The dog yipped, as if it needed to further prove that it was okay and --god. Honestly? They were probably in the exact wrong place to ask questions like that. As if Kanda would answer them. Allen was almost certain he wouldn’t. But that was beside the point. Now that the crying in his head had stopped, he was distinctly more aware of his surroundings, and how un...warped they’d gotten over the course of the fight. So that at least answered one of their questions, possibly two, if the Level 3 Akuma was simply hanging around, indirectly causing the creation of Akuma at lower levels so it had a constant steady diet. There could still be level ones in the area, but at the very least this would prevent more from being created--at least immediately.

Red slowly staggered to his feet and shook his entire body, tufts of hair flittering about in the morning light. “Tch, he probably needs a bath.”

Allen stared at Kanda a bit incredulously. “That’s what you’re thinking about now?”

Kanda raised an eyebrow at that. “And that’s the first thing you ask?”

They stared at each other for a moment before Allen sighed. “I’m not going to push you for answers. Like you’ll tell me anyway, you never have before.” Kanda seemed slightly taken aback by that answer, but it got him to look away, at least. Or maybe that was because of Red bumping his head against Kanda’s knees in a desperate attempt for attention.

“Tch, fine.” He finally said after giving Red a good scratch behind the ears. “I guess we’ll find the leftover level ones then we’ll call it a day?”

“Yeah.” Allen nodded his head. “Good idea.”

**

They didn’t arrive back at the town until sunset that same day. Thankfully there were only six or seven Akuma’s that Allen could sense--apparently he hadn’t been able to with whatever the Level 3 had been doing. He hadn’t even noticed that his eye hadn’t been reacting as well as it could have until the Level 3 was gone. Now wasn’t really the time to question that either, only that Allen was glad they’d gotten rid of the scragglers, even if that meant they had bad news for the town itself.

Granted it was probably one of their warmest welcomes, which made Allen feel slightly bad for lying to them about the whole ordeal. “Thank you,” the woman had said, after Allen had concocted a lie about some sort of demon (which wasn’t too far from the truth)  that lured their children away into the forest to eat them, and how Kanda had killed it with his sword while it had been distracted by Red and Allen. “This way no other children will be taken. We will mourn for those lost and move on. It is what they would have wanted.”

“I don’t know what you did,” One of the carpenters said, passing off a small gift --a box hand carved with special stones inside that they claimed were for good luck, “But the forest feels less evil now. We thank you.”

Red had even gotten the finest meats in town for dinner, which had been enough of a reward for Kanda too, leaving Allen to accept the handwoven cloth that had been meant to be his gift. It was apparently drenched in oils and herbs that were meant to help prevent rust on blades. Granted Allen had never actually seen Mugen rust before, or be uncared for, but then again Kanda probably normally took care of it on his free time, which Allen wasn’t a part of.

They had been begged to stay one more night, which Allen couldn’t refuse--after all it was late, and he wasn’t exactly keen on traveling through the forest at night--and soon Allen found himself back on that large pallet that he was sure Kanda wouldn’t sleep on.

Except he did. He actually laid down on it the minute they got into the room.

Well then.

Allen finished getting ready for the night, splashing water on his face and stripping off his vest and gloves (his shoes had been left by the front door) before slowly lifting the farthest edge of the covers and slipping underneath. “You’re going to get cold.” He murmured, but Kanda didn’t seem to hear him. Allen sighed heavily. “Well, whatever. I guess you won’t really get sick, will you?” If his healing ability had anything to say about it.

Red pawed at Kanda’s side of the bed, before circling around and sort of curling up by Kanda’s head. It was sweet, really, “He’ll be fine.” Allen reassured when Red whined. “Trust me. Exhaustion isn’t going to kill him that easily.”

“Hn, shut up.” Allen jerked at the sound of Kanda’s sleep-laden voice. “You didn’t stay up last night.”

“Yeah well, I never asked you to.” Allen grumbled, half tempted to turn because yeah, sure this bed was big, but with Kanda facing him it seemed a little too small all of a sudden. He ducked his head a little. “I know why you did, though.” Red yipped in agreement. “T-Thank you.”

“Tch, then don’t do it again.” Kanda yawned and hid his face in one of his arms. “And sleep . We have an eight day trip back tomorrow.”

Right. Of course.

Allen sighed. “Night.”

He didn’t get a reply back.

**

Three days later found them at the edge of the forest, trying hard to stay dry because of the sudden downpour that the sky decided to unleash on them. They were hiding under a particularly old tree, with branches extending out thickly in all directions, when Kanda asked: “So you don’t hate dogs?”

Oh great. This again . Allen cringed inwardly, but put on a smile, “I told you--I don’t. I’m just not used to them liking me .”

“Hn, really?” Kanda wasn’t looking at him, instead he was crouched on the ground giving Red a belly rub which, honestly? Was absolutely adorable. Not that Allen was going to tell that to Kanda’s face. “Why?”

“What?”

“Why didn’t they like you?”

Allen fidgeted a little, glancing at his gloved left hand. “I don’t know. They’ve always --not liked me much. I think I scare animals.” He lifted his hand up and wiggled his fingers. Kanda was looking at him now, “I think this scared more than just people.”

Kanda stayed silent for a moment before shrugging, “Red doesn’t mind.”

“I know.”

“So why does it still bother you?”

“Why does what still bother me?”

“The fact that he’s here.”

Allen rolled his eyes in exasperation. “It’s not because he’s a dog that he bothers me!”

“Then why?”

It occurred to Allen that maybe he was walking into a trap. Being cornered, like a wild animal, and being forced to do whatever his captor wanted. But it was weird to think of Kanda as the type that would do that intentionally. So maybe he didn’t mean to? He glanced down at Kanda, who was still watching him curiously. Well then. “I-It doesn’t matter.” God that sounded like such a lie. Kanda was scowling at him now. Allen immediately flinched and opened his mouth to apologize, only for Kanda to cut him off.

“My blood. Heals. Sometimes.” This time he wasn’t looking when Allen glanced down at him. “That’s why I think. He was fine.” Saved , more like. “It’s because I heal. Sometimes I can pass it on. It works better on humans, but.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Now why don’t you like him?”

“It’s the name.” Allen blurted out before he could stop himself. A secret for a secret. “I used to be called that. Before. Because of my arm. A-And because I didn’t have a name.” He bit his lip here, “It just surprised me.” And brought back memories . Memories he didn’t really want to remember. Memories of the dog that had actually, ironically, given him the name he had now.

Wasn’t that funny that a dog had an actual human name? And that he hadn’t? And now he had that human name, and this dog didn’t? He laughed a little painfully. “It’s just funny.”

Kanda opened his mouth to reply, but then the clackity-clack of hooves and wooden wheels drew their attention down the road. Their carriage was here. Oh great . Somehow that was even worse than having to sit out here in the rain alone.

Well. At least they’d be dry.

**

The journey back took slightly longer than necessary, because it seemed like mother nature had decided now was the time to unleash a monsoon everywhere they went, but at least for the most part they were dry, even if it meant being cooped up in close quarters together for a few days longer than strictly necessary. Allen couldn’t have been happier to see the large gates that led to the Order, though, and he practically made a run for it the soonest he was able.

But he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide for long.

Sure enough they shared dinner together that night, but unlike all those times before, Red seemed to have absolutely no trouble walking up to him and begging for a piece. Or two. Or three. And Allen couldn’t help but feed him, carefully picking out the bad bits, before giving him the acceptable parts, at least until Kanda came stalking up to him.

Allen half expected Kanda to drag Red away.

What he didn’t expect was for him to grudgingly sit down next to them.

“Oooh?” Lavi joined them shortly afterwards, having just gotten back from a mission himself, “I dunno what happened on y’all’s last mission but if it gets Yuu to finally acknowledge us then I’m all for it!” That got Kanda to fling a potato at Lavi, and Lavi to fling a piece of something green back and for once Allen felt like the oldest one at the table.

It was when they were leaving (after Kanda and Lavi got scolded about wasting food by Jerry himself) that he was stopped. Not by Red, but by Kanda himself. “Oi.” Allen cocked his head to the side curiously. “Red isn’t a bad name.” Immediately he tensed, “But Allen suits you better.”

What ?

Allen felt his face begin to flush. “W-What?”

But Kanda was already walking away, with Red on his heels.

What on earth was that ?!