The Fine Line

All of these author’s notes are kind of old…

Now, on with Niamh’s craptastic story!!

Disclaimer of Dysfunctionality: I don’t own D.Gray-man. If I did... I would publish ‘dysfunctionality’ as a word.

Sweden

It was hard to tell what time it was with no windows in their cabin, but Kanda figured that he had slept through dinner by the darkness. But he had not been that tired, or at least he had not thought that he was.

Nor had Allen. And his breathing was still as slow and calm as it had been when Kanda had drifted off. That was fine with him though, because he could go out and look at the cold North Sea, and think about the things that demanded thought, even if he did not really want to think about them.

Kanda was exceedingly careful not to disturb the younger Exorcist when he eased himself from his place atop the bed, then he was equally cautious not to step too heavily on the squeaking floorboards. He pulled on his greatcoat and buckled Mugen into place, then gave the room a final, cursory sweep of his eyes. Everything seemed to be in place, though Allen’s booted feet were still hanging off of his bed, his jacket open, his nose and cheeks flushed pink for a reason Kanda could not name. He did not want to be curious about the cause. He was supposed to be indifferent to the Moyashi’s condition unless it stood to hinder their work.

And yet…

He stepped closer, fully aware that if Allen opened his eyes, he would know that Kanda was staring at him again. With slow, uncertain fingers he barely brushed the skin of his forehead. It was like ice against his hand, a temperature that living flesh had no business being, and the feel of it sent a thrill of fear up his spine. The wall next to the bed seemed to be providing a constant stream of chilled air.

As much as he hated himself for it, Kanda Yuu was worried.

“Kanda?” Allen’s voice was very soft, but his eyes did not open. Kanda yanked his hand back as if burned. Being caught touching was a lot worse than being caught staring in his book, lots worse. The comparison was not even worth making.

“Go back to sleep, Moyashi.”

“You’re really warm.” His eyes still did not open.

Kanda let out a small ‘che’ before he answered that. “Baka, you’re just cold. Go get in the top bunk before you freeze to death.”

Allen could not keep his eyes closed when Kanda said something like that. He opened them to find the older Exorcist sitting on the three legged stool, pulling on his boots without looking at him. The faint light that seeped from under the door painted his ebony hair with shades of silver and blue, reflected strangely gold from his averted sapphire eyes. Allen could not read the expression on those strong features, but he could hear the lack of hate in his voice.

“But that’s your bed.” He closed his eyes again just as Kanda looked at him. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to make you sleep in the cold.”

That wasn’t a lie. Allen figured that Kanda would be even less fun than he already was if he was cold and sleepy.

Allen’s voice was still tired, which struck Kanda as odd. If they had indeed missed dinner, Allen’s stomach should have been on high alert, demanding sustenance now. Maybe the cold had slowed him down too much, but whatever the case, Kanda wanted him warm. And the Moyashi was just being childish by denying a warm place to sleep. It was all ridiculous.

Allen nearly had a small heart attack when Kanda swept down and picked him up like a child in his arms, one beneath his knees and the other supporting his shoulders. He was so taken aback by the action that he could not find his voice to protest when he was placed gently in Kanda’s bed, which was perhaps the warmest, most comfortable place he had ever been. And the entire time he held him Kanda’s face was an unreadable mask of stoic indifference, colder than the wind outside.

An icy hand caught Kanda’s shoulder when he made to step down from the lower bunks frame. “Thanks,” The soft voice intoned behind him, and the hand gave a little squeeze before slowly pulling away.

Without as much as a grunt of acknowledgement, he left.
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“Sable-chan, it’s been a week and three days, why haven’t they called?” Lavi was having something of a chaotic fit in the library, holding the sides of his head and weeping comically. He had no patience for such things as this, none at all, and his periodic spasms of sadness only proved how little self control he possessed. “They could be dead. They could be lost at sea. They could have murdered each other! Waaaah!” He clutched at his heart, rivers of water running down his colorful face. “Oh, my Yuu-chan must not love me enough to call! And Moyashi-chan must have been thrown overboard by Yuu-chan in a moment of uncontrollable rage! Oh, the horror! The horror!” He continued to rave for a few more minutes until Lenalee managed to somehow calm him, crooning softly about a storm that could have kept them from landing and the wideness of the North Sea.

Sable, on the other hand, just twirled a quill through the end of her braid thoughtfully, her eyes distant. She was not too worried about the lack of contact, but it could become an issue if it lasted much longer. There were, of course, other ways of planting the seeds of love, but they required time, cooperation, corruption, and perhaps the presences of a certain other sibling of hers. Lloyd had always been the matchmaker of the three of them, not Sable; she was just following what she thought that he would do in this situation. Which was wait.

“Damn it,” She said under her breath. She did not want to wait. She wanted to see them all lovey-dovey and cute now, or at least to know that they were being that way all the way across the world. After ten days together something had to of happened and she wanted to know about it.

But maybe… if they were really careful… and Lenalee was exceedingly nice to Komui…

A sly smile crept across her mouth and set her eyes alight. Without looking, Lenalee knew that Sable had a plan.
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Ten days. Ten whole days. Allen looked down at his small bowl of watery stew and nearly cried. I’m going to die if I don’t get more food soon.

Since the night that he had accidentally skipped dinner he had come to learn how important meals were on their ship, the Lady Eloquence. Each morning they served salt pork and cheese, every afternoon was stew, and in the evenings they were fed some kind of flavorless white putty that was usually cold. It was all brought out in normal portions and there were never leftovers when he asked. It seemed to him that there was nothing eloquent about the situation.

He was convinced that he was starving to death.

He and Kanda sat across from each other, sipping their soup in silence. The dark haired man had not argued with him at all since that first night, and he turned in early every night, always taking the bottom bunk that was supposed to have been Allen’s. Allen did not know what to do about it, so he whispered his thanks every night before he went to sleep, even if the other man didn’t hear him.

Kanda watched as Allen drank his lunch thoughtfully, his left hand shook violently every time it brought the spoon to his mouth, but the younger man did not seem to notice. Kanda knew it was the lack of good nutrition doing it, there could be no other reason, but he did not see anything to do about it being death threats had not worked on the cook a few evenings before. The only option was to be very, very, very nice to the Moyashi and hope he did not notice.

“I’m going to walk the deck.” He informed Allen, standing up. When the Moyashi’s eyes met his he stealthily emptied the contents of his bowl into Allen’s – which filled it nearly to brimming.

“Don’t get lost.”

“Che, only you would.”

Allen watched Kanda leave coolly, forever giving off the aura of man who did not want to be approached, did not want to be talked to, and did not want to be stopped. It was not until he looked down at his food that he realized what had happened.

Ten days, He thought again, a small smile playing at his lips. And then he gave me his stew.
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The two of them left the less-than-well-named Lady Eloquence the instant the option became available, the shorter of the two more than irked at his fellow Exorcist. Kanda had grabbed all of their things without even asking Allen if he minded – he just took charge, took their things, and tromped off the boat, completely ignoring the Finder that greeted them on the dock. Snow was falling around them, which was not a surprising being it was late November, but the snow was wet and heavy and it soaked their greatcoats like any heavy rain would, slowing their progress as they made for the inn that the Order had rented for them. Allen felt that he was going to collapse by the time they came to street it was supposed to be on.

“Master Kanda, Master Walker, there is a lot of information that I need to give you—” The poor Finder, who had introduced himself as Nathan, tromped along behind them, attempting to catch hold of Kanda without being cut in half by Mugen.

“Save it. We’re staying here tonight.” Kanda ordered without looking. Allen wished that he wouldn’t walk so fast. He wished he would be nicer to Nathan also. It kind of felt like the old, angry, annoying Kanda was back now that they were on land.

Nathan kept talking regardless. “The three of us are to take a train from here, Verberg, to Goteborg tomorrow morning. We can go to Ange, which is where the Innocence is reportedly located, directly from there.” Allen nodded at him, instructing him to continue. “As you have undoubtedly read in your reports, a number of trains have been derailed there, where the Nora Stambanan connects with the Mittbanan.”

By the time the Finder had gotten that far with his story, Kanda had spotted T e S ow Side Lo g. Needless to say the building was rather run down, with parts of the sign missing. Indeed he had stared for a few minutes before he understood that this was indeed the Snow Side Lodge and they place that they would call home for the evening.

“So what will we be looking for, exactly?” Allen asked when they came through the squeaking front door and into a simple foyer. A large fire burned in a well kept hearth across from the receptionist’s desk, a number of tiny candles lit the place from one end to the other, and not a single light bulb could be spotted. It did make sense though, in a country that experienced horrible storms so often, to use fire for the things that it could be used for instead of electricity.

“We don’t know. The reports include anything from a ghost to a ghoul to a giant, train eating worm.”

“At least we know where it is.”

Kanda went to the desk while Nathan and Allen took up residence in front of the fireplace, he rang the bell twice before a young man answered.

“Sorry, sorry,” He apologized as he came from a backroom, waving his thin hands apologetically. He was slightly taller than Kanda with dark hair and deep eyes, and an air about him that made him seem as if he had no problem with anything the world could hand him. Even as he apologized he grinned wholeheartedly, his features dancing with a childlike mischief that reminded Kanda of someone, though he could not say who. “Could I get you three something?”

Kanda nodded. “We should have reservations.”

“Reservations?” The man looked shocked. “At The Sow Side Log? You must be mistaken. We haven’t had reservations here since I was a wee little tot.” That sounded odd come from someone who couldn’t have been out of his twenties.

Allen blinked at that. “You mean, this isn’t The Snow Side Lodge?”

The man laughed and the sound rang through the room. “No. That place burned down four days ago. Chimney fire. Travesty. It was a nice place. You’re welcome to stay here if you want, though there’s only the one room available.” He flipped through the books on the desk until he came to a list of prices and vacancies. “Which is very cheap.” He added when he found what he was looking for.

Allen looked to Kanda who looked to Allen who then looked to Nathan. Together, they shrugged.

“We’ll take it.” Allen said thankfully.

“But not yet,” Kanda stopped the man from grabbing the room key. He jerked his head in Allen’s direction, bringing the man’s attention to how very sallow he looked. “He needs to eat fist, and preferably lots.”

“Kanda, I…”

“Shut up, Moyashi. You’re hungry and you know it.” Kanda glared at him, almost daring him to say that he was fine, that he wasn’t weak and in no shape to face an akuma. The pair of clear silver eyes that met his gaze was determined, but not stupid. If anything, the Moyashi was looking at him like he wanted to say something ridiculously friendly and warm.

The man at the desk smiled broadly. “Allow me to show you to the kitchen then. I’m afraid that you’ll have to wait for me to cook for you though, my sister left a few months ago when she found work in England, so it’s just me running the place. The name’s Lloyd.” He offered Kanda his hand.

“Kanda, and the moyashi over there is Allen Walker.”

“Nice to meet you, Kanda and Allen Walker.” He said the names as if they went together, like a couple.

Allen gulped. “Ah… no… er… he’s Kanda Yuu and I’m Allen Walker. We’re not related.” As Allen spoke Lloyd lead them away into a room toward the back of the building where a small and cozy kitchen awaited them. Lloyd offered them seats at the table – there were four chairs – before he made his way to the stove, forever grinning.

“Sorry about that, you two just have the look, you know?” The way Lloyd opened cabinets and studied them with his eyes was just like someone Kanda knew, someone he should have remembered. “You two act like you either love each other or want to beat each other’s skulls in. Rather hard to say which.”

Kanda pretended to be suddenly very interested in the lines of his palm. Allen became impressed with the splendid craftsmanship of the rafters.

He’s like… a male Sable! Kanda realized at last. They’re faces were nothing alike, their voice dissimilar, but the calculating looks, the assuming remarks, the feeling that this man was looking at him like a creature under a microscope – it was all the same as it was with her. It seemed very strange though, that two people with the same observant air would exist in neighboring countries without knowledge of one another’s existence.

“What shall I make you?”

“Soba.”

“Always. I never drink.”

“Tempura.”

“I don’t have any rice flour.”

“Food?” Allen suggested.

“That, I can do!” Lloyd exclaimed. “Blodpudding, gravad lax, palt, polsa, lutfisk, inlad sill, falukorv, and kroppkakor should do it, right?” He began taking out potatoes, fish, herring – and all sorts of other things that Kanda had never eaten in all of his life and started to cook them without waiting for an answer. He had never seen anyone besides Jerry who was capable of cooking that much at once, and he was surprised even more by what he considered to be ‘lots’. Most people thought that Allen’s appetite was inhuman and had to be corrected when they made him a slightly bigger plate than normal.

It smelled wonderful. Allen was having trouble containing his excitement.

“Where did you learn to make all of this at once? Everything is perfect!” He was incredulous when Lloyd laid it out for them, wiping his hands on at flowery pink apron that had no doubt belonged to someone else a long time ago.

Lloyd grinned before taking up his own place at the table. “Once again, I have to blame my sister. She was a really big eater before she left, though I never really understood why.” His eyes glazed over at happy memories much the way Komui did when he was thinking of something memorable that Lenalee had done. “She could just sit there and stuff her face with anything I cooked for her – never got fat either. Kind of wonder where she is now, she hasn’t called in weeks.” He sighed and glanced longingly at the phone in the corner of the kitchen. “But she was always forgetting about me anyways.”

“Forgetting about you?” Kanda asked, poking a lump of something he could not even begin to pronounce. Potatoes and fish and turnips. Lloyd might as well have offered him dirt for dinner.

“Yeah, Sabe always liked Uri more.”

“Sabe?” Kanda blinked. There was just no way…

“Short for Sable.”

Kanda almost fell off his chair. Siblings? They were brother and sister? How?

Allen was consumed by his food (or his food was so consumed by him) that he did not notice that something was amiss until Kanda wavered slightly in the chair next to him, his face blank with surprise. Mentally he rewound the conversation and played it for himself, listening to what had been said and actually managing to pay attention this time.

“Sable-chan is…Lloyd-san’s…” He blinked for a minute. No…but how many girls can there be named Sable?

Allen opened his mouth to say something else, to ask if Lloyd’s name was actually Lloyd Adair, but he never had the chance. The far wall exploded before his eye could even tell him that something was there.
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All done! And now the interesting part starts, MWAHAHAHAHA!! Oh, I’m excited. Thank you all soooooo much for reading and reviewing! I know, you’re most likely tired of hearing that, but I really do appreciate it! This next scene makes me feel so very evil…