The Inevitable PROLOGUE

Two days before New Year's Eve, Lenalee and Allen are writing down the names of all the employees and tenants of the Black Order Apartment Building.

"Who the hell is Kanda?" The sight of the unfamiliar name makes Allen raise an eyebrow. Lenalee giggles.

"Oh, he's going to be a new tenant. He's moving in today, so I figured we could include him in our little old New Year's Eve Tradition," She grins. "I heard he's quite the pretty boy." Then she whispers, "He's ASIAN."

"You'd think his name made it obvious…" and he finds himself chuckling. "…And what's so exciting about it? YOU'RE Asian."

"Well, my dear friend, let's just say he already got into bonus points land even BEFORE I met him," she winks at him playfully; a loud chuckle is what she gets in response.

"Are you sure he's good looking? What if your lil' stool pigeon has bad taste?" Allen's tone is teasing.

"Did you even use that expression right?" she laughs. "Anyway let's just say my informant had a picture to back his or her statement up."

"Who is your informant?" And his expression is skeptical.

Lenalee winks. "It's a secret."

A theatrical sigh. "I will never find out where you get your info will I?"

She sticks her tongue out. "Never is such a strong word…"

There's a loud CLUNK.

"Oh My God…" Lenalee looks at Allen and grins. "…That must be the moving truck… Wanna go welcome your new neighbor?"

"My new what?" The shock is plainly obvious in his expression

She giggles, "Oh silly, there's only ONE vacant apartment in the entire building, where'd you think he'd live, the roof?"

"But… That apartment's JOINT with mine… As in… There's a door connecting that apartment with mine? As in it's—"

"Well then, aren't you lucky," she says with a smirk. "That guy's in the same league as Lavi the doorman…"A pause. "…whose last name I still have not found out…" and she looks genuinely annoyed.

"Knowing you, you'll find out soon," he says it matter-of-factly.

"Oh, well anyway…. Let's go meet Kanda Yuu." And that Cheshire cat grin of hers appears on her face yet again.

Allen shrugs, because you can't say no to Lenalee Lee. It's interesting to see what all the fuss about Kanda Yuu is about anyway.

………………..

"Be careful with that…" and because it was said with the sharpest of glares the moving men couldn't help but take that extra care.

It was a strangely designed katana, on a custom pillow, inside a glass box. It didn't seem too ancient, but it did look like something people would put into museums.

A low whistle. "That thing's a beauty, must be pretty important to him…" says Allen.

"A man who honors his cultural heritage…" Lenalee grins. "He is DEFINITELY already in bonus points land…"

"Well now, isn't he a beauty…" a voice says from behind them.

"Lavi!" Lenalee's expression is bright. "I know isn't he? And he's Japanese."

Lavi looks amused, "Oooo, Asian, so he's in Lenalee Bonus Point Land now isn't he?"

"I don't really see what's good about him –ok I guess he's fairly pretty but he isn't really all THAT is he?" Allen grunts, always one to be skeptic and wary.

"Oh Allen, take a close look dude, THAT'S a pretty man." Lavi pats Allen on the shoulder and points at who is allegedly Kanda Yuu.

As if sensing their eyes on him Kanda Yuu turns. Lavi and Allen frantically divert gazes, and Lenalee chooses to wave. Kanda Yuu narrows his eyes.

"I'm going to go talk to him. Coming with?" Lenalee says.

Lavi is quick to answer. "No thanks, your brother might scold me for leaving my post again…." He says "…Good luck though!" And with that he's gone.

Lenalee turns to Allen. "Not like I have any choice but to go with you do I?" he says with a sigh.

It is when they start walking that Allen feels like time begins to go ridiculously slow. It is when he focuses on Kanda Yuu that he realizes he is about to meet someone who will change his life. It is when Kanda Yuu talks that he realizes it's because he will be the worst enemy he's ever had.

Kanda looks at them both. "You must be Ms. Lenalee Lee…" he and Lenalee shake hands.

"Yes, uhm…" it's funny how all of a sudden she's at a loss for words; Allen guesses it wouldn't last long. "…Welcome!"

He nods curtly then looks at the snow haired boy, he narrows his eyes, "…And you must be…" he seems to be considering something. After a moment, he lifts his head a little bit and then smirks, "…tsch… Just what do you think you were looking at back there bean sprout?"

Allen looked irked. Bean sprout? "My name's Allen Walker…" he said through gritted teeth. "…Nice to meet you…" and he offered a hand shake.

Kanda looked at the hand, then at Allen. He closed his eyes, and turned to Lenalee when he opened them. "Nice to meet you …"

"Lenalee" she says. "…just call me Lenalee," and she smiles.

He nods, and then leaves. Completely ignoring Allen.

Allen slowly lowers his hand, a moment of silence ensues.

"What the hell was that!" Allen shouts.

"He doesn't seem to like you…" Lenalee looks embarrassed for some reason.

"Well I could see THAT!" and he sounds so frustrated. "But what the heck did I do to deserve that level of discourtesy?"

Lenalee bites her lip. "Err…"

"At least tell me he's no longer in Bonus Points land…" and Allen thinks that he shouldn't be in any of Lenalee's lands of like.

"…He's mostly out now…" she says.

"Mostly!" Allen groans.

"Come on Allen, you must have done something to offend him. Ever met him in a bar and insult him while you were drunk?"

"I don't remember what I do when I'm drunk."

"Exactly," she says with emphasis. "You could have offended him long ago, and you just don't remember him."

Allen sighs, point taken. He'll give the guy a chance at least.

…………………

A day before New Year's Eve, Allen and Lavi are having a talk in the apartment building lobby.

"Giving people chances…" Allen says. "…is SO overrated" and he partners the statement with a grimace.

"Oh come on, you don't really mean that do you Allen?" Lavi the doorman offers his version of comfort, which is really not comfort at all, is it?

"Since Lenalee asked so nicely, I TRIED, to tell him about the apartment house's year end exchange gift tradition BUT—"

"I know, I know, he ignored you and hurriedly left… That would have been the tenth time you said that…" says Lavi.

"What SUCKS is that when Lenalee talked to him, he stopped to listen, and now he's actually part of the event…"

"Remind me again why that sucks."

"Because it means that he's only ignoring ME," he wrinkles his nose. "Furthermore, he seems to regard me as a 'beansprout'."

Lavi breaks out into roaring laughter. Allen glares at him.

"There is nothing funny about it Lavi…"

"Are you kidding me!" breaths Lavi, he laughing still"This is the beginning of an ERA. Things are going to be SO much more interesting around here…"

"Interesting is not the word for it…" Allen narrows his eyes.

"Or so you would like to think~"

"I wonder why everyone's fussing over that stupid katana of his too, it's almost as if it was a national treasure, or something…Timcampy is WAY cooler than that."

"I recall you describing that same katana as a 'beauty' and I also recall you calling Timcampy 'a reminder of your horrible step-dad.'" Lavi smirks.

"I was foolish Lavi, foolish!" and the British boy grunts in frustration. "Why did you have to remind me of my step-dad?"

Lavi laughs, "Was he really all that horrible?"

"You don't know what it was like living under his roof… I saw things children shouldn't have…" he shudders. "He lived on women and booze, and his primary hobby was GAMBLING. You don't know what I had to go through to pay his debts…"

"It's good that you're living on your own now then, isn't it?" Lavi laughs.

"Coming of age is a wondrous thing, moving out even more so…" Allen cringes. "I still dread his occasional visits though…"

"Hmm… By the way, weren't you about to leave? You know, before we started talking."

"Oh right! I was going to buy the gift for tomorrow!" Allen slaps himself.

"Who'd you get anyway?"

"I'd spoil a great secret if I told you," he grins. "See ya Lavi!"

……………………….

Kanda Yuu begins to enjoy the various advantages to living in the Black Order Apartment Building. Aside from a few minor anomalies, this turned out to be a great choice of residence. The apartment itself is more than anyone could ever ask for, clean as a whistle, and daintily decorated, it was a relaxing place to be in (and if not for it being connected to a certain bean's apartment, it would have been absolutely perfect). The fact that the nearest Starbucks was right across the street was definitely a plus. Kanda's day was never complete without his three Grande cups of Vanilla Frappe (topped with cream and caramel syrup). Of course, who could forget about the Apartment Building's Rooftop pool? (Complete with a waterfall, fancy would be a good way to describe it.) Those are just three of the many advantages. Kanda is content.

He walks across the street, Vanilla Frappe at hand, ready to retire to his now humble abode. But he should have known he couldn't get there so easily. At the entrance of the Apartment House, he bumps into Allen Walker who appears to be leaving. The doorman named Lavi (who shall be named 'Rabbit' henceforth) laughs as the bean goes from gawking, to scowling, to leaving. Kanda chooses to ignore it. Why had he been blessed with such bad luck as to have gotten the bean's name in that exchange gift thing?

…………………………

A/N After Edit: I'm restarting this fic again, yeay!