SS: I finally had some spare time to release this story! In fact, I've had this first chapter done for a while now, I just hadn't gotten around to posting it online. This is my first DGM fanfiction, a Kanda/Lavi to boot, and I plotted each chapter out beforehand for once. -laughs- I can only hope it turns out well by the end of it.

Disclaimer: I don't own DGM and I don't make money off of this story. It's purely created out of my love for the characters.

WARNING! Before you read, please take note: This story contains m/m, or slash, meaning non-canon male with male love/romance and mature content. If you don't like that, or can't handle adult themes, I suggest you stop and press the back button on your browser. Thank you.

Chapter 1 Confusion

"Yu! Yu!" Twisting to look behind him, the Japanese man glared venom at the person that annoying, hyperactive voice belonged to. Ugh! Did he always have to call him by his given name? Okay, so he was feeling like being a little nice today. He wasn't going to kill the idiot, or mention about it at all. "Wait up, will you?" Panting, Lavi slouched his stance slightly as he stopped in front of the older boy. "Why do you have to always disappear like that? We're on this mission together, remember?"

Kanda turned back around, being his usual cold self, while his hair practically smacked Lavi in the face like a whip. "Together or not, I don't need your help," he snapped, speeding his walking pace up. "You only get in my way. Why don't you make yourself useful for once? Stop following me around and go look for the damn Innocence back at that old inn with those idiot finders!" Without looking back, he faded into the darkness of the hall up ahead.

Frowning, Lavi stood straight up and lightly scratched the back of his neck. Did Kanda always have to be so mean? Ah well, there was nothing he could really do about that. Yu was Yu, after all. Heaving a heavy sigh, the bookman in training started to wander back to the inn his comrade had been referring to, but the sound of a shriek startled him. "YU?" Bolting up into that hall he ended up slamming into someone of similar height to him and tripped backward to the ground. "Ow…"

"You stupid idiot, get up!" Kanda growled, rubbing the spot Lavi hit the hardest on himself. "I can't believe you! You're only getting in the way yet again!" Kanda glared at him, and it was obvious the redhead could see it in the dark in a vague sense.

Lavi gave him a pout and rose back up to his feet. "Well excuse me for worrying about you-"

"Worrying about me? Are you saying you think I scream like a woman?" Lavi blinked a few times fast at him, seeming confused. "Don't act dumb, you came running because you thought I was screaming, right?"

Crossing his arms, the bookman stuck his nose in the air, acting as if he really hadn't cared or anything. What would be the point with this guy, anyway? He was far too stubborn for his own good! "Pfft, no. Besides, that sounded like a man, not a woman." Kanda stared at him weirdly and walked closer, grabbing him by his scarf. Lavi gasped, feeling himself being choked. "Y-Yu?" he wheezed, reaching his hands up desperately to pull the other's off. Wait, was he-?

"Just checking to see if you're really you," Kanda said sharply, releasing his grip and causing the other man to fall to his knees, gasping for air. "There have been occasions where that Noah would show up and disguise herself as one of us, or even akuma that have that ability." Lavi couldn't help but shoot the other a glare.

"And you honestly thought I was an akuma or Noah?" Lavi huffed, pushing himself back up. "Grow up, Yu! Don't look for excuses to choke me simply because you're mad that you mistook a scream for a girl's and not a boy's." Wait, why wasn't he getting a 'tch' or 'che' in response? Blinking, baffled, the redhead moved back closer to his comrade. "Yu - mmph?" A hand was suddenly over his mouth and his only visible emerald hue drifted to stare at the Japanese man.

"Quiet," Kanda commanded in a whisper, seeming to be staring at some movement up ahead in the shadows. "You're too noisy. You're going to get us killed." Moving his hand down, the samurai walked silently up further, Lavi trailing as close behind him as possible. Places like this always seemed to weird him out.

Almost tripping twice because Kanda kept stopping short, the younger male sighed softly and stopped in place. Well, there was really no harm in asking. Tapping his partner on the shoulder, he spoke in a low, quiet voice. "Yu… what did you see up ahead?"

Getting annoyed by now that his given name was being abused more than it needed to be, the brunet turned around slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Call me that one more time and you won't live to find out," he growled, also speaking in a low and quiet voice. "Anyway, I thought I heard something, then I saw shadows that seemed to belong to a human being… I think there's someone else here besides us."

Pondering that thought a moment, the red haired boy scratched one of his cheeks lightly with one finger. Well, knowing Kanda with his amazing ears and eyesight, there probably really was someone up ahead. Or something for that matter. "Y'think it could be an akuma? Maybe two, three, possibly more?" Lavi glanced further down the hall, squinting his eye a bit. Ah! Now he'd seen it, too!

"It's possible," the other replied, noticing the surprise on the second exorcist's face as he looked back at him. "You saw it too?"

"Yeah, think so." Lavi moved up to Kanda's side now instead, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should stay as close together as possible… If it is an akuma, there are bound to be more lurking around these corridors." The Japanese rolled his eyes, pushing Lavi's arm off. In turn, the redhead blinked a few times fast, shooting him yet another pout.

Kanda only glared, keeping his composure as best he could. It was always so damn difficult around this rabbit-brat, though! "Stop that, I told you I don't need your help. I can handle them on my own." Moving forward once more, he didn't even bother waiting or checking to see if Lavi was still following.

A slightly melancholy look crossed Lavi's face. Did the guy always have to be so cold and heartless? No, he knew Kanda by now. He was hiding his emotions, forcing others to stay away, all that because he thought they only got in his way. Sighing, Lavi messed with his headband a little then continued down the hall, squinting his eye to see if he could find the other in the dark.

Okay, so he hadn't expected to find him like this. Bam! Right hard into his comrade, in fact. Well, at least he found him again. Rubbing his nose, the emerald eyed man blinked a few times fast only to find Kanda had whipped around and was glaring fiercely at him. Gulping, Lavi stepped back. "You stupid idiot… You're trying to get us caught, aren't you?" the Japanese snapped, though his voice was a whisper filled with anger and venom.

"I'm sorry," Lavi apologized, bowing his upper body to emphasize. He knew about Japanese customs, so maybe, even if Kanda hadn't been raised in Japan, that would make Kanda a little less mad to see his 'friend' at least knew the proper way to apologize.

Blinking with a blank expression, Kanda smacked Lavi over the head lightly after a couple more seconds. "Don't do that," he said, surprise hidden deep in his voice. "It's… it's creepy. I'm not used to you doing that to me... I was expecting you to gasp then shoot your hands up all defensively."

"Well," the redhead smirked a bit, "I do enjoy shocking you. It's another form of teasing, y'know?"

Scowling, eyes narrowed, mouth twitching, Kanda turned back around with a huff and started to move down the hall again, leaving Lavi standing there, the younger boy only sighing. Kanda would never lighten up and take a joke, would he? Nope, it just wasn't possible.

Deciding it'd still be for the best if he kept close, but not too close so that Kanda wouldn't stab him with his sword, the junior bookman crept onward, keeping his guard up. If it were true there were akuma up ahead, or even a Noah, there was no doubt they'd more than likely be attacked from the shadows. Letting one's guard down at a time like this would be beyond stupid, common sense said.

"Yu," Lavi said quietly, noticing the dark-shrouded figure of his partner freeze up in the distance. "Yu, what's wrong? Did you spot it again?" No response. So Lavi spoke louder. "Yu! Did ya hear me?" Still nothing. With a sigh and shrug of his shoulders, long legs made him make his way towards the other, cautious with his actions and careful to not let his comrade out of his sight for even two seconds. What if it wasn't really Kanda?

To his relief he heard a slight growl sounding like 'Shut it!' Practically skipping up ahead, Lavi realized they'd basically done this several times now, but he didn't like how there was getting to be a bit too much distance between them to call comforting. "If we die, it's your fault." Kanda was scolding Lavi as soon as he'd made it up to him again. Ah, that was just like him to do.

"I'm not trying to be trouble," Lavi said in a soft tone, a smile moving along his features. "I'm only trying to stay close and support you. Even if you don't want the help, you're gonna get it, whether you like it or not."

Kanda scoffed. "Whatever," he grunted, twisting then suddenly stopping short before making it anywhere.

"W-what?" Lavi asked, slightly startled by the way his comrade was now acting. Had he heard something? Saw something? Bracing himself by lowering a hand to his thigh where his hammer rest in its holder, Lavi's only visible eye scanned the area looking for any signs of what just made Kanda react. Nothing… not a single sign. Had the older man really seen or heard something? "Yu… what did you-?"

Before he was capable of really finishing the question, Kanda had a hand over the other's mouth, a serious expression glowing on his pale features even in the dark. "It's you…" The two words were whispered directly into one of the emerald eyed man's ears, and Lavi let out a startled noise when he felt another hand making its way up his chest. What in the world was happening right now?

One sword-skilled hand was suddenly shifting to trail up Lavi's sides and he shivered when he felt nails digging into his waist. "Yu!" he gasped, moving his hands to grip at the older man's shoulders and hopefully push him away. "What… are you doing?" The attempt proved to be in vain, and Kanda's actual strength showed itself in full bloom when he shoved Lavi against the wall by both shoulders. Wincing, eye shut tight and body slightly trembling from shock, the redhead shifted and tried yet again to break free, this time of an even stronger grip.

Kanda obviously seemed mad about how Lavi kept trying to get loose from his grasp, because every single time Lavi squirmed, he shoved him into the wall again. And each time that happened, the younger would go still then slump back against the stone structure for a brief moment to regain some scattered wits. "Y-Yu," he started, dizzy from more than one thing. "What…?"

"Be quiet and obedient, and I'll be nice." The words invaded his ears and his abused brain tried to process their meaning. Quiet? Obedient? Nice? Oh, geez, this wasn't what he thought, it just couldn't be! Kanda didn't swing that way, or at least, he seemed to be completely uninterested in any type of thing like this overall, so this was not happening right now.

Frightened by the images in his mind, Lavi's emerald hue went wide. "I don't understand. Yu, I just…" He was interrupted by two fingers pressing firmly against his lips.

"There's no need to understand," the Japanese said in a low tone, staring at Lavi with a blank expression which only seemed to scare him more. "I want you, no, I need you, and you're not going to get away from me before I'm satisfied." What in the… was this really Yu Kanda speaking here? The very same man who'd always threaten Lavi with his long, sharp weapon every time he teased him to his breaking point? The only thing convincing Lavi that it was were his attitude and looks.

"But Yu," the redhead tried to argue, moving his hands to tug at long, silky side-bangs, "you can't, I mean, I can't. It's not that I don't like you, it's well… It's complicated, I just don't think - mmph!" Lavi's excuses were ceased by lips pressing against his own, those other ones being warm and harsh. Quite frankly he just kicked his reasoning aside, letting his mouth be captured by the older man's fascinating, passionate kiss, movements unlike anything Lavi imagined they'd be. Not willing to disobey the silent command to continue, he tipped his head more and braced himself.

If there did happen to be an akuma there, it was sure as hell going to be in for a surprise. Lavi, on the other hand, was starting to become pretty certain the only demon here at the moment was the one his mouth was attached to, and that was saying a lot. He always knew Kanda to be rough, he just never imagined he'd be like this when it came to…

A small movement of his mouth just right caused Lavi to whine at the sensation, pulling the Asian closer by moving his arms around his back in response. A hoarse, surrendering noise escaped him when he felt Kanda's surprisingly strong, slender hands gripping his hips tight, not allowing the redhead to pull or push away. In return, Lavi dug his own fingers into the other's shoulder blades, gaining a lovely approval from Kanda.

A bead of nervous sweat trickled Lavi's chin after a few more seconds of their kiss, and when it finally broke, it left both boys gasping for air. Neither had wanted to part lips from one another and had the thing going for quite a while, but they did need to breathe. Even with that thought in mind, Lavi found himself doing nothing to stop the mouth suddenly disappearing down his chin and to the front of his throat.

"Yu!" he shrieked, surprised when it came out in a husky manner. Apparently it only got to Kanda further because he heard a low growl as hands started tearing at the shirt Lavi wore under his coat. Shit, how did he get himself into this mess, anyway?

Before being capable of thinking deeper into the situation, a sharp bite to his collarbone made Lavi jump and shudder. "Take off your shirt," Kanda ordered in a low voice, hardly having the patience to want to take off his own, needless to say the other's as well. "I want to see you."

Obeying, the redhead started stripping himself as the Japanese pulled back. Wait… what were they doing? More importantly, where was this leading? Even with being confused by the sudden desire he got for his comrade, Lavi slid his coat down his shoulders then pulled his shirt up over his head. All he wanted to do right now was get rid of that feeling, and since his brain wasn't working the best, the only solution he came up with was to keep going.

Thankfully Lavi'd always been quick at getting dressed and undressed, so when he felt lips to his chest the instant he'd managed to get the shirt off completely, he shivered with delight. Kanda was sometimes patient or impatient, it really all depended on his mood. In this case, one could easily see he was very annoyed at waiting.

"You gonna take your shirt off, too?" Lavi eyed the Asian with a strange look of amusement quickly growing in his only visible emerald eye. "Or should I help with that?" he added after noticing Kanda was fumbling with the many belts and buckles of his exorcist coat.

Seeming to realize why the other asked that, Kanda slowed his, unlike him, clumsy pace to have an easier time with undoing the coat. Grinning, Lavi reached a hand, gripping at the older man's. "Hold it, hold it. You sure we shouldn't wait and rethink this through? I mean, we wouldn't want to be embarrassed later on when we come back to our senses, would we?"

Narrowing his dark hues, the samurai slapped the other's hand away. "Tch. I don't give a damn right now, rabbit-brat," was the response which only made the mongrel sigh in relief.

"That's good, 'cause I don't think I can stop now, anyway," Lavi replied quickly before tugging roughly at the Japanese's upper arms, pulling him into a passionate kiss like before. Only, this time, he seemed to be the one taking control.

Kanda growled in the back of his throat, digging fingers into Lavi's shoulders, obviously a bit upset by the turn of events. He loved the kiss, there was no doubt about it, but he didn't like being shifted into the, what he considered to be, 'feminine' partner. He'd gotten teased enough about looking like a woman even though his voice and body was nothing like one's! Sneakily moving as per usual, Kanda made sure to cease Lavi's movements… harshly. Lavi collapsed to the ground, holding himself with a hiss.

Bending down, head tilting a little while a non-sympathetic look sprawled across his face, Kanda extended a hand to dig into Lavi's scalp, getting a hold of a huge chunk of his dark-red hair. Pulling, he lifted the other's head, a smirk perking his cheeks up when he noticed the anger in the other's half-narrowed eye. "What? Didn't like that? It's your own damn fault."

"You… are a bastard…" Lavi murmured in a hoarse voice, mainly from the pain he was feeling. Geez, he could've easily been killed with how hard he'd been kneed!

With a nod, Kanda let go. "I know, and I don't really care, either. Besides, you shouldn't expect me to go easy or give into you anyway. Don't you know me by now, Lavi?" Icy blue-black eyes stared sharply into an emerald one, still not the slightest bit of mercy or regret showing for what he'd just done. This was no surprise, of course. Yu Kanda was known to be much colder on his darker days.

Swallowing, Lavi glanced down and placed one of his hands against the floor, making an attempt at getting up. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on his side, because a sword was drawn from a sheath like lightening and was now gently leaning against his neck. "Er… you gonna kill me or something? While I'm down? Ain't that considered dishonorable in Japan?" The sharp metal object slid further up to directly under Lavi's chin and forced his head upwards.

"Actually, I'd much rather prefer making you suffer…" Those words were said in a cruel tone of voice as he pressed the sword to the other boy's throat, enough to leave a red mark behind, but not enough to pierce the skin. "Get up. Now," Kanda ordered, guiding Lavi up with Mugen still to his neck.

"I don't know what you're planning, but…" Pausing as he got up fully, Lavi smirked a little at the merciless expression on his comrade's face. "Just promise not to kill me… I have a panda to succeed, y'know- oh shit!" The sword was quick to disappear as hands groping Lavi's chest prevented him from continuing to speak coherent things, his own hands shooting up to grip at the other's shoulders. Much to his dismay and surprise though, he felt each hand get ripped off. "Yu-?"

Kanda pressed two fingers to Lavi's mouth, stopping him before he could say anymore. "You can't touch me. That's part of your punishment."

Lavi's eye went wide and he voiced a complaint in the manner of an incoherent whining noise through those fingers against his lips. What the hell? He couldn't touch him? It was part of his punishment? Damnit, that was not fair! "Bmf Nnu!" Of course, those muffled words translated to the usual 'But Yu!' Annoyed by how he couldn't talk, the redhead moved one of his own hands up, snatching Kanda's wrist and pulling those fingers off. "Geez, finally. Now as I was about to say-" Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, the older man caught his lips in a kiss, causing Lavi to forget what he was about to say.

Punishment… oh boy, this had to be the best punishment Lavi could remember having in his entire life. And considering his damn good memory, being able to remember whatever he so desired perfectly, that was saying a lot.

As soon as yet another of their amazing kisses ended, Lavi had his mouth on the older man's neck, kissing up and down it while Kanda gently massaged the hammer wielder's sides. Their actions seemed to bring them back to where they just were, though, because in less than a second, their mouths were glued back together, hands clawing at backs and chests to try to gain control of the situation.

And just when Lavi found himself wishing this would never stop, Kanda suddenly lifted his hands to the Lavi's shoulders, shaking him wildly. "W-what?" He couldn't tell what the Asian was saying because it sounded murmured, but gradually the sounds grew and an emerald orb shut tightly at the words 'wake up.' Snap! Eye now open again, Lavi gazed up at the two figures hovering over him. "Wha…? Yu? Allen?"

Allen was the first to speak, a sigh of relief moving past his lips as he smiled. "Lavi! Thank goodness! You seemed to be having a nightmare or something, but now you're finally awake!" Nightmare? Was this kid for real? That whole thing was a dream? It wasn't like Lavi to not be able to separate dreams from reality, and he found himself lost in thought as he tried to figure out why he had such a dream in the first place.

"What the hell were you even dreaming about, rabbit-brat?" Kanda asked curiously out of the blue, moving up from the bed and standing. Lavi blinked at him with a slightly freaked out expression. That guy…

After a few seconds of pondering, Lavi's expression quickly softened and he smiled. "You care, Yu? How touching!" he teased, sitting up against the headboard as he peeked under the covers. Hmm, he was all tucked in and in night clothes, so he couldn't have just fallen asleep there by mistake. Wait, why couldn't he even remember where he was or why Kanda and Allen were both with him? Oh, wait, they were on a mission, right? But still, what in the world could've made him have that type of dream about Yu Kanda of all people?

"Hmph," the older man grunted, taking a seat on a bed next to the one Lavi was on. "I don't really care, but you were saying my name in a… weird way."

"Weird? How so?" Lavi blinked a few times fast, recalling some of the events from his dream. Oh, geez… Why was it he still found it alluring? He was pretty certain he was straight, so how come?

The way Kanda was now looking at Lavi basically broke his thoughts into tiny pieces, because the oldest of the three was glaring like a rattle snake ready to sink its fangs into a helpless mouse. Allen sighed and moved to the edge of Lavi's bed, scratching the back of his head a bit, seeming slightly embarrassed by what he'd heard. He decided to answer for their Japanese comrade. "You were moaning his name, Lavi… It was weird. You're feeling okay, right?"

The redhead basically just sat there, his gaze moving back and forth between his two fellow exorcists, both with similar emotions mixed in with their different expressions. There was Kanda, who looked completely pissed off about it, then Allen, who seemed to have found what happened simply bizarre. At the same time, they both shared the emotion of curiosity, though.

"Of course!" the junior bookman chirped quickly. "I feel fine! It was a random and freaky dream! To be honest, I don't even remember it well now!" Lavi waved his hands in a defensive gesture after saying that, fearing Kanda was going to choke him if he said one thing he considered wrong. Did he always have to be so life-threateningly scary? "I really don't!" Lavi added, gulping when he noticed fingers creeping towards the sword resting by the Kanda's bedside.

"Good," Yu snapped, twisting to snatch his sword. "I'm going. You two do whatever you want, just make sure you're no where in my sight until later on this morning. I want to get this mission over with as fast as possible. Don't be late waking up in other words or I'll leave you behind." With those things said, he was gone in a matter of three seconds.

"Yu is so moody," Lavi said, a sigh tying into the last word of his sentence. "It was only a stupid dream, it didn't mean anything." Even though he had said it aloud, and kept repeating those words over and over again in his mind, Lavi couldn't help but feel it was a lie. He still found Kanda hot… and was still wishing the dream had gone on forever. But why? He didn't get it at all.

Allen laughed a little and got up, wandering over to his bed. He took a moment to get comfy then waved a hand at Lavi. "That's Bakanda for you, right? Anyway, don't worry about it. I found it strange to hear you saying Kanda's first name in such a way like him, but it's not really a big deal. I've had weird dreams before myself, even Kanda, I bet." He twisted to his side and stared over at the older one.

The mongrel blinked a few times fast. "You have?" he asked, sounding almost surprised to hear that, assuming Allen meant ones like his at first.

"Yes, of course!" The teenager's voice was reassuring, but it was to be expected. It was just like Allen to try to comfort others. "Is it really that unusual to have a freaky dream? I mean, it's actually very natural if you think about it. Most dreams are pretty bizzare."

Lavi smiled and snuggled back under the covers, his head resting on an arm as he turned to his side as well. Well, it seemed Allen didn't truly know about Lavi's after all, but that didn't matter. "I'm not entirely sure everyone has a dream like mine, though." He shifted and laid on his back once more, eye drifting up to stare at the ceiling blankly. Was Allen right? Was it just something bound to happen, even this kind of dream? Lavi's recallings of psychological study in youth did bring back memories about dreams, but not much.

"I kind of pity you, Lavi. I can't even imagine what it was about exactly, considering the range of different noises you were making. You almost sounded like you were in pain, was Kanda hurting you or something? I mean, when Master and I used to travel together, I would always wake up crying in the middle of the night because of him haunting my dreams." Again, the cursed teen was laughing as he mimicked Lavi's movements. "Such a nightmare would scare the heck out of me with how frightening he can be! If I were you, I'd have ran out of the room screaming bloody murder!"

"I hope you're not being serious, kid," the redhead joked, easily able to tell there was sarcasm in the other's voice. "I wouldn't want to see you getting kicked out of the inn for something like a silly old dream."

Allen sighed. "Well, I wouldn't really. Just, I'd be pretty freaked out. I used to stay up a few hours after, trying to fall back to sleep." A small frown showed on his face with that comment, as if he were actually pondering the images in his head. Allen had always been sensitive, so of course having dreams of his Master beating him up more would scare him. "Oh no! Now you've got me picturing my old dreams, Lavi! Eep!"

"Me? You're the one who's thinking too much into it!" Both of the boys were suddenly laughing, and after another half hour of chit-chatting, they'd finally managed to settle down, being too tired to think needless to say carry on the conversation. Thankfully talking with Allen always seemed to make Lavi feel better, and he was able to sleep pretty soundly… at least for another hour or two.

xoxoxox

For whatever reason, Lavi found himself opening his eyelids to a dark and quiet room two hours later. Yawning, he laid there pondering about his dream again. Okay, he had to admit, the feelings he had for Kanda, the ones that remained from the 'nightmare', were mainly gone by now. Apparently the little bit of sleep had done the redhead good in that sense. Unfortunately, the images and vision itself were still there, causing Lavi to feel a tad uncomfortable as he recalled it all.

Shifting from bed in a quiet manner, Lavi reached for his coat and slung it over his shoulders, exiting the room while making sure he didn't disturb his peacefully sleeping comrade. More than anything he'd have loved to get back to sleep, because he really loved to get as much as he could, but was feeling pretty certain he wouldn't be able to. So, feeling hopeless, he wandered outside of the inn they were staying at.

It was pretty early in the morning, around 4 or 5am he guessed, the cool night air, birds chirping and moon's current position being three signs of it. Scattered blankets of stars still twinkled dimly in the dark blue clear skies, the lack of clouds making it seem all the more beautiful. Lavi'd always been used to star gazing; he'd done it a lot through his travels with bookman from place to place, but never really got a chance to examine the balls of fire admiringly like now. They really were gorgeous, and if he wasn't so out of it right now, he'd have laid down on the ground and fallen asleep right there under them.

Continuing along, he came across the small forest behind the inn and walked into it. The trees weren't very tall for the type they mainly were, so Lavi guessed this forest was fairly young, thirty years or so, and the scattered wild rose bushes all around made it look quite pretty. It was quiet, birds chirping being the only sounds besides crickets. He liked it that way, needless to say, but was kind of wishing some other type of noise would happen so nature didn't lull him back to sleep.

Apparently he got his wish when he came to a fair sized lake, the sound of a sword cutting through air making him turn his attention to a figure in the near distance. Wait, was that who he thought it was? There was only one person Lavi knew who wielded a sword and had long dark hair… "Yu," he said in a whisper, hiding behind a tree and keeping his distance from him. So this was where Kanda went off to. Deciding to stay and watch, since he knew he had nothing better to do, he crept along behind the trees.

It was only when he got closer did Lavi realize he'd made a big mistake by coming out here and watching him, because from the way the other looked, plus how the dream was still fresh in his mind, the bookman in training suddenly felt heat building in his face. "O-oh no," he stammered, finding he was frozen in place, his eye locked onto the second male. "I can't… not when I was almost done with these feelings…"

Bright beams of reflected light from the moon shined down, making the samurai's sword glow even if he hadn't activated his Innocence. From how light reflected off the silver and black blade, Kanda's eyes glowed a dark gray-blue, and his pale skin was slightly lit up as well. His long hair, due to how well it was taken care of, shined in the rays of moonlight as well, especially each time he moved his body, causing it to flutter through the air in its usual high ponytail. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which didn't help Lavi's composure, and it was easy to see he'd been training long and hard, for beads of sweat were all over him.

In other words, he looked absolutely, radiantly, outstandingly, stunning, and it took Lavi's breath away - literally. Struggling to keep his heartbeat steady, Lavi pondered what was going on with himself and what he should do about it. Why weren't these emotions going away, in fact, why were they growing ever stronger just from watching that other man? He always found Kanda to be handsome, but to have his lungs lock up over him simply scared the living soul out of the redhead. What exactly were these feelings? A crush? No… No… NO!

"Son of a bitch, NO!" He bit his tongue as soon as he realized he'd said those words aloud. As expected, Kanda froze in place briefly and seemed to peer back out of the corner of his eye. Shit, shit, shit! Lavi panicked, going as still as the actual trees were in this windless morning, heart beating around 99-miles-per-hour. What should I do? I can't just… run away. He'll catch me that much easier. I… I don't know what to do… Whether Lavi was unlucky or not, Kanda seemed to immediately know he was still there, standing there as if waiting for his stalker to come out on his own. Swallowing, Lavi decided to stay in place, hoping as hard as he could that the Asian wouldn't care anymore after some time went by. Sadly, Kanda wasn't that naïve and Lavi wasn't that lucky.

"Come out," the other said deeply, his voice in a threatening tone. "I know you're there. I heard you. My ears are sharp." Which was true. Lavi was actually quite surprised he hadn't been caught when he'd whispered to himself before shouting a few minutes ago.

Alarmed by his predicament and unaware that Kanda was slowly raising his sword, Lavi decided he'd do the thing which had the highest chances of sparing his life - to go out there and 'surrender'. Swallowing hard, the red-haired mongrel took a step out from the side of the tree and gave one of his usual sunny smiles to his comrade. "Yu! Eheh. It's just me, don't worry-" The sound of 'Hell's Insects' being called made Lavi almost scream, his words interrupted as he ran, being chased by at least three nasty bugs.

Kanda seemed almost surprised to find it was the bookman-in-training out there at first, head tilting to the side a bit, expression looking confused, but it quickly shifted to anger and annoyance as he called the creatures back. Shoving his sword into its holder, he made his way to the other boy who was on his knees by now, panting and exhausted. Crossing his arms, Kanda scowled. "What do you want, rabbit-brat?"

A frown struck the mongrel's lips when he heard that question, and just to further add to his mental chaos, Kanda threw in, "And what are you even doing out here? Shouldn't you be sleeping with the beansprout?" Wincing, Lavi pushed himself up and shook his head, shoulders shrugging as if saying it didn't matter. That wasn't good enough for Kanda. "Tch! How annoying! Tell me now unless you want pain!" At this Lavi quirked a brow, causing the Japanese to narrow his eyes.

"And you care so much… why?" Lavi asked, voice sounding inquiring. Why did the other man seem to care? Wouldn't he usually shrug it off with a scowl then walk off elsewhere?

"Because you were spying on me, you creepy rabbit!" the Asian growled, eyes narrowed sharper, teeth grit, and a fist clenched as if he were intending to knock the boy's lights out. This actually stunned Lavi to a certain extent because he hadn't imagined Kanda to be so mad over something as little as being watched by another comrade. Then again, was it the dream? Maybe it had bothered Kanda a lot, too, as it was the only other explanation Lavi could come up with.

Well, other than classifying his Japanese friend as manic depressive, that is, and that didn't make much sense. It was pretty clear up to this point that Kanda had some control over his temper, even if only a little, and was never in a super good mood. Pondering how to reply to the other's accusation, Lavi scratched his chin then stretched. "I wasn't spyin' on ya… I couldn't sleep so I wanted some fresh air. Is that so wrong, Yu-chan?" Maybe it was the way Lavi had said his first name, or how he had added the feminine/childish Japanese ending to it, or maybe it was both, but whatever the reason, Kanda snapped and drew his blade to Lavi's neck, the redhead responding by shooting his hands up in the air, waving frantically. "Wait!" he gasped.

"Give me a damn good reason to!" Kanda growled, absolute furiousness in his voice. Why was he so mad? Lavi couldn't remember a time when the older man would get so upset over one simple action, needless to say some harmless words.

Gulping, he gently pressed fingers to a dull part on the other's sword, slowly pushing it to the side, inch by inch. What would he say to that? A good reason… Hmm, well… Thinking quickly, he knew it had probably been a bad idea the moment it exited his formerly closed lips, but didn't take it back. "Because I'm your rabbit-brat and you love me?"

Looking dumbstruck a moment, Kanda lowered Mugen and then shoved Lavi before he realized what was happening. "You damn idiot!" There was a slight strain to the Asian's voice, as if he were thoroughly offended by the junior bookman's words - or regretting what he'd just done - and Lavi couldn't quite put a finger on why. "Don't you dare ever say that again or I'll kill you, you hear me?" Lavi only nodded, too shaken up to come up with a coherent answer or joking comeback. "Good! Now go back to the room and do me a favor… stay the hell away from me for the rest of the mission! Or better yet, for the rest of my life!"

Keeping his back pinned to a tree, he watched Kanda slip the sword back into its sheath and disappear into the woods. Did the thought of Lavi moaning his name in his sleep horrify the other that much that he would be furious at the very sight of him? No, that couldn't be… Kanda didn't seem mad at first, only surprised, Lavi realized. But still, his cruel words stabbed a stake right through the bookman's heart and he slid to the ground, trying to sort his thoughts out, hurt creeping onto his expression.

As much as he told himself he didn't care what Kanda thought of him, he knew deep down how he longed for the other to at least not hate him of all things. He could be annoyed at him, angry at him, ignore him, anything but loathe him. He could even beat him on the spot, making him sore for a week and he wouldn't mind. After all, that kind of punishment would be better than being hated, even…

Biting his bottom lip, Lavi realized his head was spinning and he wondered what the hell he was thinking. Yes, he wanted Kanda to like him, but no, he did not want the other male to grab him and kiss him like their lives depended on it. Or… do other things… His cheeks burned for a brief moment when he realized he was getting such thoughts about said man, and he had to hit his forehead a few times to snap himself out of it.

"You like girls!" he told himself sharply, swallowing hard. Yes, that was true, his thoughts and feelings towards women hadn't changed, because he was still attracted to the mental images of cute girls he'd seen. But yet, knowing he was probably crushing on another guy somehow didn't bother him entirely, and the images of Kanda in his mind made a soft noise of desire slip past his lips.

Sitting with his legs folding up against his chest, he moved his arms around them while his expression shifted to a twisted one, half-stuck between his sudden longing for his Asian comrade and his true feelings deep down. Or was it possible this entire time he actually liked Kanda and just never noticed? Or was it the dream that had affected him this way? Bent on the feeling that a simple dream could never be responsible for such strong, engulfing emotions, he forced himself to his feet. Starting later today, he was going to find the cause of these feelings - no matter what.