Title: Contagion

Rated: T

Warnings: Rated T for violence and angst.

Notes: Set at the start of the manga after Allen's first mission. Celtic Mythology, Irish terminology.

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am associated in any way with, its characters nor its creator Hoshino Katsura.

Beta(s): miracleflame-alchemist147

Author: uchihasasukekun07

Summary: A routine mission becomes a struggle as Allen and Kanda face off begrudgingly against Akuma, illness and each other.

Key:

Moyashi – bean sprout

Che – (Kanda says this a lot)

B'dayjaysus (An Irish slang term, means - In the name of the Lord)

Chapter 1: Tosaigh (Commence)

"Soooo..." Komui added sweetly after the mission briefing, "...both are you are going!"

Komui looked from one exorcist to the other, both of which stared at him silently. Shifting uncomfortable in his chair, Komui adjusted the height of his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He was well aware of the ice cold stare he was receiving from Kanda.

The young Japanese exorcist's jaw set firmly into a tight clench at the supervisor's last sentence. This was originally meant to be a solo mission, just how he preferred them. But now the moyashi was tagging along.

Beside Kanda on the couch, Allen Walker smiled nervously. He had only ever been paired up with Kanda once, his very first mission as an official exorcist. That....had not gone so well. True they had gotten the innocence in the end but Allen's methods were polar to that of his counterpart.

"Che!" was Kanda's verbal opinion on the matter at hand.

"Good! You are to leave right away; the early bird catches the worm!" Komui breathed an internal sigh of relief. Kanda, despite his anti-social personality, was a professional. On taking the mission manifesto from Komui, he froze at Komui's attempt at humor. Kanda's eyes narrowed as he whipped the manifesto from Komui's grasp, half thinking it was a set-up for the supervisor's own amusement. Allen accepted his own copy once it was safe to approach the desk and followed in Kanda's footsteps in exiting the office to prepare for the mission.

"Oh! Don't forget a raincoat!" Komui shouted his after thought while inhaling the rich aroma of his coffee made by his dear Linali. "I hear it rains a lot, that's why it's called the Emerald Isle!"

Allen followed Kanda down through the tight roof box window of the train. Neither had spoken since boarding the boat back at headquarters. Well, Kanda had spoken...a sentence. Allen just agreed for the sake of peace. Nothing original, the exact same thing Kanda had said...warned him on their first mission.

"I don't care if you're on the verge of been killed, if I find that you're a nuisance, I'll leave you behind. In war there are always sacrifices, so don't think of us as partners."

Allen shuddered to himself as a staff member quickly redeemed himself from the surprise of black clad people entering a moving train from the roof of all places. Kanda threw him a look of disdain as the poor staff member remembered his place and led them to a private cabin. Allen had no finder this time for relief from the intensity of Kanda.

Thanking the attendant, Allen closed the door to the increasingly claustrophobic cabin. Allen removed his manifesto before placing his brown suitcase beside Kanda's on the rack. The silver-haired boy undid the top button of his uniform, releasing Timcampy. Allen smiled; at least he still had his little gold golem to keep him company. Timcampy settled on the top of Allen's head as he took his seat opposite Kanda by the window. From over the top of his manifesto he could see that the stoic exorcist was already compiling the data and that was all that mattered at the present time. Allen frowned, feeling Timcampy's tail move slowly at the back of his neck.

"I still don't like your way of thinking."

Outside the landscape changed slowly from the tired green landscape that was been basked in the cold winter sun to the overcast gray monotone landscape of Northern Europe. Their mission was taking them to the rural landscape of Ireland. Their destination lay in a county called Meath. Rumors had surfaced about the Tuatha Dé Danann. Allen read the sentence again.

"Tuatha Dé Danann?" The white haired boy felt that Komui really did keep his mission summaries far too short.

"Che!" Kanda retorted to himself. The moyashi's lack of intelligence was most apparent.

"The Tuatha Dé Danann were the fifth succession of people tracing back the Irish ancestry to Noah. They occupied the island before the Gaels came. They fought against people such as the Fomorians led by Balor of the Evil Eye, to name but one example. Balor was eventually defeated by Lug Lámfada also known as Lug of the long arm at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh. When the Gaels came the Tuatha Dé Danann headed underground where they became myths, fairies in other words. However in later history they are associated with deity and thus the Black Orders interest in the subject matter. The probability of Innocence is relatively high given the previous association with Noah and deities. Not to mention the association of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the Black Order."

"How does he know all this!?" Allen couldn't help but think to himself trying to get his head around the Irish terminology. "So what does Tuatha Dé Danann mean?"

"Peoples of the Goddess Danu."

"Goddess Danu?"

"She the goddess of water, it's an island after all." sighed Kanda.

"So these people were exorcists?"

"Possibly."

"This Lug Lámfada guy could have been a parasite type exorcist like me?" mused Allen mostly to himself.

Kanda didn't reply, he wasn't going to entertain the fact that this Lug guy was actually a High King and at one point ruled over the Tuatha Dé Danann and led them into battle to which they were victorious.

Kanda che'd silently to himself. He could already sense the conflict. He couldn't understand why Komui had sent the moyashi. He was more than capable of dealing with this himself. It was a rumor of a ghost in a forest in the area of Meath, along with a sudden increase of death and disappearances. Also the sudden presence of Akuma increased the possibility of innocence. If this 'ghost' turned out to be a living being, he was inevitable he was going to lock horns with the moyashi's ideals. Retrieving the innocence was top priority, people's feelings were not.

After a half day's sailing from the European mainland the two exorcists arrived on the east coast of the island of Ireland. A short forty minute train ride brought them to their final destination. The two stepped out into the dark heavy evening air. A moderate fog covered them like a blanket as they tried to take in their surroundings. The train station exited on to a sparsely populated street of small stone cottages with their slated roofs and white washed walls. Smoke from the chimneys rose but lingered with the lack of wind causing the air to be somewhat suffocating. It was hard to understand how this place was called the Emerald Isle. As fresh flakes of snow gently fell Kanda looked around tsk-ing to himself. The place was covered in white snow, no sign of green to be found anywhere. The Japanese swordsman frowned outwardly. Komui was wrong about the weather.

"You okay?" Allen quizzed his partner. Silence was his answer, unease filled Kanda as he dismissively waved at Allen to figure out where they were headed

Allen studied Komui's badly drawn map of where their accommodation was.

"Leaving the train station turn right to the pub. Turn right again heading for the church. Keep going straight pass the church and it's on the left." Allen mumbled to himself as he tried to understand the stickmen drawings of his map.

The church was located on top of a small hill. Neither could make it out through the thickening snow fall till they drew closer. The entrance to the churchyard was framed by two weeping willows on either side of the large stone gateway. In the night air the gothic style church stood large and ominous, dimly lit by paraffin lamps. The light ghostly reflected by the snow the center piece of the church's entrance was a large decorative circular stained glass window. In the darkness it was hard to make out the various colours and designs. Allen couldn't help shake the eerie feeling that emanated from its concrete structure. Having fallen behind Kanda, he quickened his pace to catch up.

Kanda came to a halt outside a two story detached stone built house. It had seen better days than its tired state and the wet weather was not helping its appearance. To him it looked like a normal residential home rather than an inn. Komui was beginning to get a bit stingy on the accommodation end of things. Surely if Linali was accompanying them they would be staying in the rather large and comfortable looking hotel a couple of doors down. Looking at the map, the childish stickmen drawings of himself, Allen and Timcampy confirmed that this was indeed their accommodation for the length of their stay. As long as it was dry and relatively warm, Kanda was content.

Kanda knocked twice on the heavy green wooden door. Inside he could hear a flurry of activity as both males studied the chipped paint and excess water and ice on the door. Tensing, Kanda rested his hand on the hilt of Mugen. Allen was busy trying to get an unsettled Timcampy in his uniform to calm him down. The wooden door flew open as Kanda instinctively took a step back into his stance. There stood a rather plump, middle aged woman with rosy red cheeks and with brown, wiry hair that was tied back in a bun. She blinked at the two boys standing in her doorway. Noticing the symbol of the Vatican and the uniforms her hands flew up in understanding.

"Ah ye must be the exorcists!?" she exclaimed while rubbing her flour-covered hand in her beige apron that covered her faded blue dress. "Come in, come out of that snow!" she stood aside beckoning the two in.

"Róisín's the name but ye can call me Rose, after me rosy red cheeks!" the innkeeper laughed to herself.

As ridged as a poker Kanda stepped inside, trying his best to squeeze past Rose. Allen of a smaller build easily entered the small entrance hallway.

"Straight through with the both of ye. Wasn't expecting ye so soon. The boat must have made good time? Terrible weather we've had the past couple of days but sure tis pickin' up a bit now. Did ye eat? I have a brew on and I've put ye in the pot anyway."

The two exorcists stood beside each other. Allen was smiling nervously, Kanda frowning trying to determine what the woman was saying. Rose looked from one to the other. Their silence bemusing.

"Ah now, I don't bite. Make yerselves at home. Sit down, sit down!" Rose flustered when neither of them moved. "Here let me get a better look at ye." She adjusted the paraffin lanterns and the room brightened allowing all parties to see each other better.

"Eh!? Ye're nothing but children!" Rose gasped horrified at seeing them better. "Just out of nappies!"

Allen laughed softly, scratching his cheek in self awareness. Rose reminded him of the stereotypical mother he often read about in books. Kanda stiffened even more at his manliness been insulted.

"Oh B'dayjaysus, what are they sending out these days!? And ye two are here to deal with the little problem over there in the forest? What is the Black Order thinking sending out people so young? I was expecting men, in their thirties or forties but not babies!"

Rose left the room still talking to herself. Kanda tensed even more. The woman not only continually insulted him but never stopped talking. He couldn't get a word in edge ways. Allen looked around the room. It was an average size, leaning a bit on the small side with cream wallpaper that was bubbled in places and peeling in others. There was a large fireplace in the far wall with two oversized stuffed armchairs either side with a large hairy ivy green rug in between them. Where himself and Kanda stood, just inside the door they entered was a cabinet that held a few bits of silverware but mostly decorative cutlery. There was a few straight back wooden chairs lining the wall to the right and a door which lead into the kitchen to the left.

Allen took a seat in one of the oversized armchairs to defrost from the coldness of the weather. There was something very settling and homey about a raging fire. Watching the flames dance in the fireplace Allen let out a content sigh. He could feel the tension melt away with the coldness in his bones. Kanda, not one to relax remained standing with one hand still resting on the hilt of Mugen. He wasn't relieved that Allen's left eye hadn't activated since their arrival. Some good old Akuma slaying would put him at ease. As he placed his suitcase on the floor beside the remaining unoccupied armchair, Rose came bustling in.

"There we go! Make yerselves at home boys!"

A rumble echoed through the room and Allen grabbed his stomach in embarrassment as Kanda threw him a look.

"Ah we got a hungry one here!"

"Ah no, I um-" Allen tried to apologize but his stomach rumbled hungrily again with the delicious scent wafting in from the kitchen.

"Tis nothin' to be apologizin' about boy, tis a good sign of a grownin' youngin'. That fairy cake Komo or somethin' warned me one of ye had a good appetite."

"Komui-" Kanda tried to correct her but once again she talked right over him.

"Leave yer stuff there and come through."

Both exorcists sat opposite each other at a dark, round, oaken table that sat five. It was laid with bread, butter, a jug of milk, and cutlery. Rose set about setting food in front of them, first was vegetable soup followed by beef country stew and apple pie and custard for dessert. Rose instinctively place the larger portions in front of Kanda who would annoyingly exchange them with Allen for the smaller portions when Rose turned back to the Stanley stove upon which she was preparing another batch of meals.

"About the disturbances in this area-" Kanda started and yet again cut off.

"Do ye have enough to eat?"

"Yes, now-"

"Would ye like a brew?"

"Brew?" Allen asked trying to diffuse the situation seeing the vein on Kanda's forehead becoming more pronounced.

"Tea! Would ye like tea?"

"Ah yes please...um as Kanda- san was saying?"

"What was that?" Rose asked absent mindlessly as she made a pot of tea.

"About the disturbances." Kanda repeated himself through gritted teeth.

"Oh that! Ah well sure ye know."

"No, not the full details." Allen cut in quickly as the vein on Kanda's forehead began to pulse angrily.

"Oh, well up in the wood there across the river." Rose looked up to the two faces staring at her. She wiped her hands nervously in her beige apron. "Well, it started out as rumors. I didn't take much heed of it myself. Been a small town, word travels fast. Well that was until that boy Luke went across the river and well...he never came back. Then the rumors started to fly that the wood was haunted as there was wails and screams a-comin' from there. People started saying the say a white ghost like figure floatin' about the area. Then the unseasonal mist and snow came which fueled the rumors. Then Tara, a lovely young girl from the houses there at the train station died suddenly followed by her fiancé. Apparently she went to the wood to find Luke, as he was quite taken with her. She was acting strange ever since she came back then that happened. Then people who went near the river all died. Some say they seen a huge floatin' demon that had a huge red eye of the devil. Others say tis Luke that's livin' in the wood killin' anyone who goes near there. Somethin' has to be up, a lot of healthy youngin's are passing away God forbid."

"This Luke character. What is his background?" Kanda asked processing what headquarters had told them and what they were hearing.

"He's a blow in. Not a native of here, from the west I think. Good lookin', intelligent fella."

"Why would he go across the river? What's in the wood?"

"Who knows, that's what baffles us. There's an old red buildin' from the seventeen hundred's there but it's long since abandoned and is fallin' into ruins but that's in the heart of the wood. Other than that the river cuts through it."

"You mentioned Tara earlier. What is her relationship with Luke?"

"Well the two of them were fairly close for a while. Then he had to go to the city for a few months there a while back. When he returned, Matthew another boy had already proposed to her, both were to be wed in the summer. Luke took it bad. I think he had gone to the city to work to save up money to pop the question to her."

"Then Luke went to the wood. When did Tara go?"

"Two days later when he never returned. No-one knew she went. It's only when she came back that evenin' that we knew and at that stage she was already not herself. The followin' mornin' she was dead, Matthew the day after her."

"What was the cause of death?"

"Boy, your askin' a lot of questions. People won't like that. I don't mind 'cause I know tis part of what ye do, I've children of me own and I don't want to lose them." warned Rose. "We don't know what killed them; there were no bodies, just dust. The doctor says a freak accident, sudden internal combustion, a load of bullshit if you ask me."

"And as for the others that went go to the river?"

"This is an industrial town, carpet manufacture and the mines are our livelihood. People come from all around for the mines. A group of them went up to the wood and they were all killed, another group went to the far side of the river, same deal. Now anyone that went near the river, same fate so we steer clear of it now."

Kanda sat in quiet contemplation. To put Rose at ease Allen helped her clean the table, talking about mundane things. Once the table was clear Kanda stood asking that they'd be shown to their rooms as it was getting late. Rose, clearly uncomfortable of him, led them up a narrow staircase. At the top of the stairs were three different doors. Rose opened the door to the left.

"Ye both are goin' to have to share a room. I've made up the beds and the fire. The bathroom is downstairs beyond the kitchen. Towels and blankets are there." recited Rose pointing at the foot of each bed. "Will I run a bath for one of ye?"

"Ah." Kanda responded walking purposefully into the room.

"Right so, I'll call ye when it's ready."

"Thank you." Allen called after her as she closed the bedroom door.

The bedroom was again leaning on the small side. The floor was of dark oak and the walls were painted a cream colour. A small fire raged in the little fireplace just to the right of the door. A study desk sat to the left of the door. Two beds lay parallel to each other at the furthest wall. A small window separating them. The beds were not of equal size.

"I'll take the smaller...." Allen started in a bid to cut the tension between them, ".....one....." but Kanda had already seated himself on the larger bed and only briefly looked up when Allen began to speak. Defeated before he even began Allen shuffled by his stoic partner and lay down on the smaller bed. Inside his coat Timcampy was getting unsettled so Allen opened his coat letting his little gold golem out.

"So what do you think of the situation?" Allen asked trying to cut the silence that the crackling of the fire and the flapping of Timcampy's wings only seemed to occupy.

"Tch, this Luke character is the main source of the problem. The river seems to be the boundary but Akuma are definitely present in the wood. If we find Luke, we'll most likely find the innocence.

"Hmmm? My eye hasn't picked up on any Akuma presence. What about Tara and Matthew?"

"From what Rose was saying it was the result of Akuma poisoning."

"So this Luke is probably an Akuma?"

"Great deduction skills moyashi." Kanda responded sarcastically at Allen's pointing out of the obvious.

"It's Allen." the silver haired boy mumbled to himself.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Ye're bath is ready."

"Ah."

Allen watched Kanda leave with a feeling of ease and relief as if a weight was been lifted of him and he could breath easier. "Let's hope we get this sorted tomorrow Tim cause I can't take much more of his 'superiority'.

A/N: First and foremost I want to thank my wonderful beta Hiro-kun(a.k.a miracleflame-alchemist147) and Kaya-chan for reading and fixing my story. I hope I have (and will) stay true to the characters as much as possible. I hope the Irish terminology hasn't deterred people too much, it won't be featured much in the rest of the story. So thanks a mil for reading and please review, till the next chapter, ja! ^-^