Little Secrets

Original Story: D. Gray-Man by Katsura Hoshino

Chapter 1: Smile Upon Me

It was one of those days, when the air was warm but hard to breathe, when the sun was shining but the atmosphere tepid. The city of New York moved as sluggishly as possible for a city of its size and caliber. The incessant sounds of honking rippled through the pleasantness of a rare and beautiful fall afternoon, and the inhabitants of the streets did not take the time to stop and appreciate the little serenity attainable from the scenery.

One such person dragged his suitcase along the streets aimlessly, glancing up at the old city apartment buildings occasionally. Despite the fact that everyone around him seemed to have important business to attend to, they all spared a second to glance back at him once they'd passed. It was not an uncommon reaction. Annoying as it was, he was essentially used to being stared at. Perhaps it was the long hair. Or his…slightly feminine features. Or the fact that he was dressed rather warmly for such a humid day, but he had only assumed that New York City in the middle of September would be cold. He tugged at his scarf, bothered by the cumbersome clothing.

His cell phone rang. He paused in the middle of the street, shuffling slightly to the side of the sidewalk as he struggled to retrieve his phone from the pocket of his trench coat. He looked at the screen—it was Lavi.

"What?" he said as he answered.

"What do you mean, what?" Lavi said sourly. "I'm checking up on you, man. You land safely?"

"Clearly," he said dryly.

"Don't be so snarky," said Lavi. "Just being a friend."

"Didn't ask for it."

"Yeah, yeah. Have you found your apartment yet?"

"No."

"Seriously? Didn't you get the taxi driver to drive you there?"

"I took the subway and bus."

"…Why?"

"Cheaper."

"Kanda," said Lavi, frustrated. "Look, you're going to get lost. You don't even have your new roommate's phone number. What if you just keep wandering and never arrive? You're going to get mugged at night, then stabbed and left to die—"

"Shut up, Lavi," said Kanda, annoyed. "I'm close."

"How do you know?"

"Intuition."

Lavi snorted. "Sure, okay. Do you need me to Google map where you are and give you directions?"

"I'm fine," said Kanda, looking up at the street signs. "I'm on 118th already. It should be soon."

"Fine," said Lavi. "Let me know when you settle down."

"Whatever."

"You are—"

Kanda hung up and continued his trek down the street, his suitcase rolling along the sidewalk's many cracks and bumps. His suitcase was heavy and the clothing proving to be very stifling; 118th, 117th…he looked up at the signs again. 116th. Relieved, he sighed and turned to find the closest building number, but instead realized that he was next to a body of water. Bemused, he looked up at the sign again.

East 116th Street.

Well, fuck. He was on the wrong side. He had to cross the entire city to get to the other side. So much for being close.

He dialed Lavi back.

"Lost?" said Lavi triumphantly.

"No. I just need to cross the entire island."

"Good luck."

"Shut up. Is there a bus?"

"I dunno. Why don't you just walk? It's cheaper."

"Shut up."

"You're lost," said Lavi in a sing-song voice. "Yuu Kanda is lost, he should have taken a taxi, but he's so stubborn—"

"Asshole, the moment you get here I am going to beat the living shit out of you—"

"But I'm going to be gone the entire semester!" laughed Lavi. "Good luck flying to Oxford and finding me—you'd get lost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean trying to swim there because it's cheaper—"

"You—"

"You lost?" said a voice behind him.

Kanda turned around. A tall, well-dressed man stood behind him, his blazer slung over his shoulder as he used both hands to light a cigarette propped between his teeth. His black hair clung to his neck in waves, and as he grinned, he showcased a set of perfectly white teeth. He looked like a professional worker of some sort, given his formal attire, but there was a peculiar look in his nearly golden eyes that made Kanda think otherwise.

"Lost?" repeated the man.

"…Sort of," admitted Kanda.

"Where are you heading?"

"Morningside Heights."

The man arched an eyebrow. "No way."

Kanda didn't know how to respond, so he didn't.

"Someone offered to help you?" said Lavi.

"Yeah," said Kanda. "I think. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up again.

"Mind directing me?" said Kanda coolly.

"You need to cross the island," said the stranger.

"Yeah, I got that," said Kanda impatiently. "Is there a bus or something?"

"Yeah, but with the amount of time it takes, you might as well just walk."

"How long would that take?"

"A while," answered the stranger breezily, letting out a puff of smoke.

Kanda disliked him already.

"I actually have a car," continued the man. "And strangely enough, I am actually headed to that precise complex. Convenient, no?"

Kanda frowned. "You're a creep."

The stranger laughed. "No, I'm not. I told you—it's the strangest coincidence, but I'm being quite serious. My…girlfriend lives in that complex and I was heading over to her place. Want a lift?"

Kanda hesitated. It was a little too coincidental.

The man shrugged. "It's fine if you don't want to. I'll just see you over there in about an hour."

"Fine," snapped Kanda. "I'll take the ride."

"You're welcome," he responded mockingly as he stuck out a hand. "Name's Tyki."

"Kanda," he muttered in response, shaking the hand briefly. Though Kanda was not short, he could not help but feel slighted as he stood in front of Tyki, who was clearly a few inches taller.

"My car's parked that way," said Tyki, pointing behind him. "Once you see it, you'll hopefully stop thinking that I'm here to kidnap you and take all your money, because quite honestly, nothing you're wearing would look that flattering on me."

Kanda frowned but said nothing as he following Tyki to the car, parked a block down from where they had been. A black BMW's lights blinked as they approached.

"That's your car?" said Kanda, unable to contain himself.

"Yep," grinned Tyki as he dropped his cigarette and crushed it. "Beautiful, isn't she? Latest model. Fourth edition BMW M3. I got her last week. Here, let's put your suitcase in the trunk."

Kanda heaved his luggage in the back of the car and then climbed in the passenger seat, where he looked around the car in self-controlled admiration. He did not want to come off as an idiot staring in awe, but the car was beautiful and the man who owned it clearly rich.

"So are you moving in or something?" asked Tyki as he started the car.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing in New York?"

"School," answered Kanda. "I'm transferring to Columbia."

"Oh, wow. You're smart. My friend—I mean, girlfriend's graduating there next year."

"Oh."

"Know what you're majoring in?"

"No."

"What year are you?"

"Sophomore."

"You have time then. Or at least, that's what she says to every underclassman she meets," said Tyki. "I don't particularly know the logistics of college."

"You go?"

"Nope. Dropped out sophomore year from a school in Boston. Moved here for work."

"…What do you do?" said Kanda, privately thinking that Tyki was probably an assassin-for-hire if he didn't need a college education to pay for a BMW.

"You'll find out if you hang around for long enough," said Tyki cryptically. "So where are you from originally?"

"Born in Japan. Been living in Atlanta."

"I see. Your parents still in Atlanta?"

"Yeah."

"Nice," said Tyki, clearly bored with the small talk.

His phone rang, and the car's digital monitor lit up as well. Incoming call, Iris Fairing.

"Answer," said Tyki to the machine, evidently relieved that he had a reason to avoid social niceties. "Hey, Iris."

"She's not here yet," said a worried voice. "Do you think she got lost?"

"No, it takes a while to come from the airport. Don't freak."

"Should've asked for her number…" she said. "How stupid of me."

"Don't worry about it, she'll be there soon."

"Yeah…where are you?"

"On my way to your place."

"Didn't you say you'd get here fifteen minutes ago?"

"Got delayed, picked up someone who was lost and conveniently on his way to your complex."

"You're the only New Yorkie who would actually pick up a stranger. What if he has a gun and is there to steal your car?"

"He can hear you, Iris."

"Oops."

"Besides…" Tyki glanced sideways at Kanda, "I don't think he's that type."

"Mm-hm…fine, I'll see you soon."

"Bye." The call ended, and Tyki turned to Kanda apologetically. "Girlfriend," he explained, as if Kanda had asked.

"Don't care," said Kanda.

Tyki looked amused, but he didn't comment on Kanda's clearly disinterested reaction. "Well…here we are."

The car turned a corner and they arrived in front of a series of tall, brick buildings primarily made for residency.

"There's no garage…" he muttered more to himself than to Kanda. The BMW crept slowly down the street, and then just as another car pulled out of its spot on the side, Tyki swerved into the spot easily. Clearly, he had been driving in large cities for a long time.

"Off we go," he said. "Watch it when you open the door—don't hit the curb."

Tempted though he was to smash the door in completely, Kanda got out gingerly and looked up at the complex in front of him. It was a high-rise, red brick building that he truthfully found incredibly distasteful. He scowled. With the price of the rent, he would've found a penthouse in Atlanta.

"Don't look like that," said Tyki, handing him his suitcase. "It's quite nice inside."

Kanda took the suitcase with a nod of appreciation.

"What room are you?" asked Tyki.

"247."

Tyki stared.

"247?" he repeated.

"Yeah."

Tyki's lips began to curl upward in a huge smirk, but at Kanda's confused expression, he hitched it back and appeared impassive.

"I see."

They entered the building, and after a brief nod to the front desk recipient, who seemed to recognize Tyki, they took the elevator up to the second floor.

"You don't have to show me all the way to the apartment," said Kanda bluntly. "I can read signs."

"Oh, I wasn't intending to. I'm just heading in the same direction."

Slightly wary, Kanda left the elevator as the doors began to slide open. He paused for a second to read the sign, but Tyki just said,

"Hall to your left."

Kanda nodded and turned to the left, but when he saw that Tyki was following him, he could not help but grow unnerved.

"Seriously," said Kanda irritably, "you don't have to—"

"Not following you, man. I'm really going in the same direction."

The fact that Tyki had just been "going to the same complex" and was now "going in the same direction" infuriated Kanda—coincidences were not this freakish. Muttering under his breath, he turned his heel and walked quickly. 247, 247…it was the third door from the end. He knocked on the heavy and newly varnished door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tyki approach him and wait. Kanda's temper blew.

"Why are you following me?" he said angrily.

"I'm not," said Tyki, grinning.

"You have been following me from the start—it's fucking freaky—"

The door in front of Kanda finally opened.

"Tyki, she's still not here—oh!"

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, dressed in an off-the-shoulder T-shirt and leggings, stared up at Kanda.

"Are you Yuu?" she asked, smiling gently.

A vein prickled in his temple—he did not appreciate being called by his first name. Yet it wasn't like she knew that, so Kanda merely nodded curtly.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you," she said, hugging him abruptly. Kanda stiffened immediately at the contact and without thinking, jerked out of her hold, stepping back in the hallway.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh, my gosh."

A few feet away, Kanda heard the undeniable sounds of muffled laughter. He turned to find Tyki leaning heavily against the wall and clearly dying of laughter.

The girl poked her head out of the hallway, her face flushed.

"Tyki!"

"Hi, Iris," he greeted, still laughing.

"Don't just 'hi' me, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, what's going on? Isn't it obvious, Miss Columbia? This," said Tyki, gesturing to Kanda, "is your roommate. And if you haven't noticed by now, this is a guy."

"What?" snapped Kanda. "Of course I'm a guy—why the hell did you think I wasn't?"

"I actually thought you were a girl," admitted Tyki. "That's the only reason I approached you—you looked extremely…uh…pretty from the side. But then you started talking and obviously your voice is a guy's so…"

"You're a guy?" said Iris weakly.

"And you're the roommate?" said Kanda, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "I thought the roommate was a Mark Epstein!"

"…Oh, dear," she said.

"It's okay, Iris," chuckled Tyki, "you can still live with him—"

"But that's…"

"Did you not look at the roommate applications at all?" said Kanda.

"I did!" she said, laughing a little bit. "I saw your picture, I saw your name, I saw where you were from and what you're doing here—"

"You saw everything except for my gender," said Kanda, deadpan.

Iris winced. "Essentially…yes."

"…I'm not a woman," said Kanda, wishing that he wouldn't have ever had to say the statement. What was even sadder was that this was not the first time he had made this kind of assertion. He was eternally grateful Lavi was nowhere nearby—the last time this had happened, Lavi had tormented him for months.

"I see that…now," she added in an undertone. She let out a deep breath. "Sorry, this has been extremely rude of me. I made a big mistake." She extended a hand. "I'm Iris Fairing. It's nice to meet you."

Kanda shook her hand, and she stepped back to invite him in the apartment.

"Please, come in."

Kanda obeyed, stepping inside the apartment with his suitcase following. There was a loud bang behind him, and he whipped around immediately to find that Iris had attempted to shut Tyki out of the apartment.

"Oh, come on, Iris, it was a good joke."

"Get out, Tyki."

"Don't be mad—I only realized that he was your roommate when we arrived."

"You should've taken the stairs and called."

"It was a practical joke, let it go."

Iris sighed and stepped away, letting Tyki come in.

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" said Kanda, cocking his head to one side.

Iris paused for a second before replying, "Yeah."

"Then why don't you guys live together? Why do you need a roommate?"

The two of them exchanged looks.

"Tyki…has his own place," said Iris. "And he's got work that…functions better when he lives alone. Besides, I've lived here since sophomore year and then my roommate graduated last year, so I figured I might as well stay here for my senior year too."

Kanda arched an eyebrow but said nothing, instead looking around the apartment. It was a clean, rather open space—Tyki had been right, it was quite nice inside.

"Um. Yuu—"

"It's Kanda," he said curtly.

"Oh. Okay. Um, Kanda. Would you like anything to drink before we sit down and talk about our…evidently very curious living situation?"

"…Water's fine."

"And a beer for me, sweet," said Tyki.

"You drove, so no."

"I'll be staying here for a while—we can go across the street for dinner. You don't have to worry about me."

Iris shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen. Kanda took another glance around. The apartment was already fully furnished, just as the advertisement had indicated. The girl had good taste in furniture. Mostly everything complemented the deep shade of red on the walls; the coffee table was mahogany-brown, and the sofa—felt like cashmere—was a light tan. Works of art—twisted wires and steel, paintings from the Renaissance—decorated the walls, along with the occasional vase of flowers. There was a large window that stood at the left wall of the apartment, giving Kanda a view of the city. A flat-screen TV stood rigidly across from the couch they were sitting on. Kanda frowned. Everything seemed rather expensive. Was the girl a rich spoiled brat? That would explain the clear lack of insight when it came to determining who her future roommate would be…

"Here," said Iris, placing a bottle of cold water in front of him and tossing a beer to Tyki. "You don't need a bottle-opener, right?"

"Nope," said Tyki, merely twisting the cap. It popped off effortlessly.

"So…" said Iris anxiously, taking a sip of her own drink—iced coffee. "Kanda?"

"…It's nice here," he said honestly.

"If you mean the furniture, my old roommate was obscenely rich," laughed Iris. "She bought literally everything, and left it all for me after she graduated. I was very lucky—I couldn't have ever afforded it all."

"But you're fine with the rent?" said Kanda.

"It's a bit steep," she said, "but it's hard to find such a good location. We also get a discount because this apartment is signed to my old roommate's brother—"

"That explains it," muttered Kanda. "I thought the roommate would be a Mark Epstein."

"Yeah, that's him. But anyway, there's a bit of a commute to Columbia, but I like being right here. But um…so I guess I should say that I already used your down-payment to pay for this month's rent."

Kanda's eyes flickered. "Meaning?"

"Well…if you want to move out, I can't stop you. But I'm also broke, so it'll take me a while to pay you back. And you'll have to look for a different place, which will be hard."

"So what are you suggesting?'

"I know it's weird," she said, "but I don't mind rooming with a guy—I know I can be very forthcoming, but I promise I won't hit on you or anything."

"Considering that you have a boyfriend, I wouldn't have expected that to begin with," said Kanda dryly.

"Oh. Right. Forgot about that," she laughed. "But…yeah. I know it's weird. But…hey, by any chance, are you gay?"

She seemed incredibly hopeful.

"No," said Kanda icily.

"Bummer," sighed Iris, completely unfazed by the potential awkwardness of the situation. "But it's fine. I think it'll work out fine—just let me know what you do or don't like, and I'll try to be accommodating. Rent, we can figure out as we go—I get paid pretty soon so I'll be okay for next month as long as you pay your share. I can show you how to get to school and stuff if you need help, and—"

"I hate people who talk so much," interrupted Kanda.

Iris looked stricken, but Kanda did not care. Something about the girl irritated him to no end.

"Which one's my room?" said Kanda.

"Down the hall…the one on the left."

He stood up and took his suitcase.

"Accommodations," he said coldly. "I don't need any. Don't bother me, I won't bother you. I'll figure out how to get to campus. You don't need to pretend to be nice."

Without another word, he disappeared down the hall.

Iris was smiling as Kanda left.

"Wow," said Tyki. "He saw right through you."

"Ah…" she said, finally relaxing and spreading out on the couch. "He's just been full of surprises today. We're going to have fun."

"You seriously thought he was a girl, didn't you?"

"Did I ever show you his application?"

Tyki shook his head. Iris got up and retrieved her laptop from the kitchen counter.

"Here," she said after momentary searching. Tyki scooted over to her, his arm draped casually around her shoulder, as he peered at the screen.

"Whoa."

"Yeah," she said, looking at the picture. "My mistake was completely valid. Why would he leave his hair down for this photo? He looks like a woman. Not to mention that I can't even see his clothes to tell if they're masculine or feminine."

"Well, sweet, it was still awkward."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm an idiot. I knew it the moment I hugged him. Guy works out—his chest is rock-hard and…flat."

Tyki kissed her gently. "It was a valid mistake, like you said. Want to get dinner?"

"I have leftovers. Besides…don't you have dinner plans? Also known as work?"

"Yeah, yeah," he murmured, his hands beginning their familiar roaming. Iris allowed him to kiss her for a bit longer, deepening it, but then his tongue began to flirt with hers and his hands had slipped under her shirt—

"I thought Fridays and weekends were our days for this," she breathed.

"Thursday," he said. "Close enough."

"Stop…" she said, pushing him off. "If we end up doing it now, who knows if you'll be able to perform tonight. I'm sure your dinner date will feel cheated."

"Babe, don't worry about my proficiency—I never have problems performing," said Tyki with a quick smirk. "Besides, you know what happens to me when you show off those wonderful collarbones of yours." He bit the skin above them affectionately.

"Fetishistic, aren't you," she said mildly, patting his head as he buried himself in her neck. "Seriously, Tyki…you're a freaking sex addict."

"It's what I do, it's what I'm good at, it's what I love."

"Yes, I know, but unfortunately, today's not one of our designated days. School starts next week though, and I'm sure there will be a flurry of activities that we can attend together."

"Ugh, college parties," he groaned, resting his head on her shoulder. "Why can't we just stay home, get drunk, and fuck?"

"Or just fuck," she said. "Tempting."

"Yes," he said. "College parties are overrated. You're just about as grown-up as I am."

"Please don't say that," she said, shuddering. "I'm already having problems dealing with the fact that I'm a senior—get up, Tyki, you're going to be late for your dinner."

"Dinner, lunch, brunch," he grumbled, lying down on her lap. "It's all exhausting sometimes."

"What happened to 'it's what I do, it's what I'm good at, it's what I love?'"

"Well, it is, but doesn't make it any easier. They can all get annoying. Which is why I only like you."

"Mm-hm."

"Don't look like that, babe. I'm being serious. It's why we're best friends, no?"

"Sometimes, I wonder how you delineate 'best friend' from 'fuck buddy.'"

"Easy," he said. "You're the 'friend' who overlaps with 'fuck buddy,' which makes you a 'best friend.'"

"Charming," she smiled. "Okay, best friend, you gotta go."

"No."

Iris sighed and ruffled his hair. "Hey, Tyki. Why'd you tell Kanda that I was your girlfriend? I thought you were only telling desperate people that? And my friends?"

"Well, he's your roommate. Shouldn't he know?"

"You told him before you knew he was my roommate, didn't you?"

Tyki thought for a second. "Yeah. Hm. I remember thinking about which one to say, but 'girlfriend' came out first and it was just going to be weird to retract it."

"You're going to have to tell me what you're telling others, you know. I don't want it impacting your work or…whatever."

"Don't worry," he said, sitting up and stretching. "If random people expect you to be my girlfriend, just make a judgment call. If they look like they're about to kill you, deny it. I don't want you getting hurt for stupid reasons."

"Thanks," she said. "Good to know that you are dealing with people who would kill me."

"Women," he scoffed. "Some of them are crazy."

Iris frowned. "Don't say that, Tyki. They just all love you."

"But they can't buy that from me," he said cheekily.

"So much for you being grown-up," she said. "You're such a kid."

"And you're a little sneak," he breathed. "Always pretending to be so nice—doesn't it exhaust you?"

"It does," she said, learning forward and kissing him. "But that's why I always keep you around. You don't judge."

"Only because you don't, babe." He returned her kiss and sat up. "All right, Iris—I'll leave you and your new roommate to do some nice bonding activities."

"I don't think he's the type."

"You aren't either."

Iris smiled. "Not in the slightest. It's actually nice that he's this antisocial—I like my alone time too. Renee was too much personality for me. I couldn't stand her for more than two hours at a go."

"But you roomed with her for two years."

"Tyki. She was rich as hell."

"Touché." Tyki grinned. "You are such a little sneak. I bet she never even knew how much she was being used." He leaned in, his breath hot by her ear as he whispered, "That's why I like you best."

Kanda successfully unpacked everything within an hour of his arrival. His suitcase had primarily contained clothes, so there had been nothing terribly difficult to unwrap. He gave Lavi a call after he finished.

"I told you to take a cab," said Lavi without preamble. "Did you seriously just arrive?"

"No, idiot," said Kanda. "I just finished unpacking."

"So how is it? You meet your roommate? How is he?"

"…My roommate is not Mark Epstein, like you said it was," said Kanda shortly. "It's a girl."

"…No."

"Did you not read the ad, you moron?"

"I did!"

"You didn't—you probably thought all the fine print was too tiny and just ignored it—"

"Fine, next time you want to find a place, look for it yourself, you asshole. But how is she? Hot?"

Kanda groaned inwardly. Lavi sounded way too excited.

"You have a girlfriend. Stop striking every time you see someone remotely attractive."

"She's hot, isn't she?" said Lavi triumphantly.

Kanda thought back to her. Shorter, thin—seemed like she was fit and flexible. Small face. Round eyes. Straightened hair. She looked generic.

"Send me pictures—or actually, I'll just go stalk on Facebook. What's her name?"

"Stop being an idiot."

"What's her name?"

"Iris Fairing," said Kanda, knowing that Lavi would have found her eventually.

There was the sound of quick typing.

"Whoa. She's hot."

"She's not."

"Columbia…senior? Fairing…not a big family name that I know of. She does a lot of random stuff—lots of volunteer work, journalism, yoga—she's like…perfect on paper. Shit, she's published already! First author, what? And whoa…" More rapid clicking, "is that her boyfriend? Tyki Mikk? He's good-looking. Weird, he's not in the Columbia network—oh, he's older, twenty-five, maybe grad student? Nope…"

"How did you get that much—actually, never mind," said Kanda, well aware of Lavi's extreme stalking abilities.

"So what's she like?"

"…She's just like any other girl. Annoying. Shallow. Doesn't know how to shut up."

"In other words, she's a perfectly sociable, attractive, intelligent girl who knows how to get things done."

"Just stop it."

"Fine. But are you seriously going to room with a girl?"

"Tell me a better plan, Sherlock. She already deposited my check and finding another apartment will be a pain in the ass."

"Yeah, but…c'mon, Kanda. You know what happens when you're around women—and men, sometimes—they go crazy—"

"I know that," he said lightly.

Lavi got the message. "I'm just…worried for you, man."

Kanda let out a breath. "Look, she's got a boyfriend—I don't think she'll cause any problems."

"That hasn't stopped people before, Kanda."

"Yeah, well hopefully it'll stop her," Kanda snapped.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Lavi exhaled.

"Yeah, you're right," said Lavi. "I'm overthinking it. Especially when her boyfriend looks like that—you know, Kanda, I think they finally found someone better-looking than you, other than me, of course—"

"Right," said Kanda sarcastically. "Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah, I gotta go anyway—Lenalee's calling me. Don't want her to see that I'm stalking someone random. Hope you have a good time, man. Call your old man and let him know you arrived."

"I already did," said Kanda.

"Great. Bye then."

Right as Kanda hung up, there was a knock on his door.

"Hi," said Iris, the same gentle smile that he'd first seen her with in place.
Kanda felt a bristle of resentment.

"What?" he said brusquely.

Iris crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Stop acting like I'm a pest," she said. "I was wondering if you wanted to go get dinner with me, now that you're done unpacking."

"I'm not finished."

"You had one suitcase. It was probably all clothes and toiletries. You're done. Let's go."

She was still smiling faintly, but her eyes had gained a hardened gleam—perhaps not hard, but commanding. It made her entire aura change, and along with the resentment flowed wariness.

"Come on. You're in New York. First night. I'll treat you out."

Kanda could not help it. As if pulled by some greater power, he followed her as she walked away.

"You're…nineteen, Kanda?"

"Yeah."

Iris slung a bag over her shoulder, checking it for something. "So not technically of age. Looks like we'll have to go to a place that won't card. Though it's pretty lax here, honestly."

"Where's…Tyki?"

"Oh, he had an appointment," she answered, gesturing for them to exit. She locked the door behind them. "He's usually occupied during the weekdays."

"What does he do?"

"He's…hm. He does special things."

"What?"

"I'll tell you after we get to know each other a little better," she said. "We can just go across the street to find some place. What kind of food do you like?"

"Soba," said Kanda bluntly.

"…The noodles?" said Iris incredulously. "Huh…well. That might take a little longer to get to. You mind traveling for a bit?"

"We can just go across the street," he muttered, unwilling to stay any longer than necessary around her. "Anything's fine."

"Soba, hm…very Japanese. You live in Japan for a while?"

"When I was a kid."

"Do you miss it?"

"No."

"I went to Japan for study abroad in my sophomore year," she said as they exited the building and began to walk down the street. "There was an international exchange program with Tokyo U—it was an incredible experience."

Kanda did not have anything productive to say in response, so he just grunted. Iris smiled a little wider.

"Ah, right. You hate people who talk. I guess I'll just shut up now."

He would have almost preferred it if she had kept chatting. There was something about her that made him exceedingly aware of everything when she was around. She was completely different from the person he had met earlier, even though there had been nothing drastically obvious about the change. She was still polite, nice, but…he didn't know. Something about her was imposing.

Kanda re-focused his attention on his surroundings; the high buildings, the busy cars, the sky that was slowly darkening.

"Here," said Iris, opening the door to a diner. "There's good basic food here—burgers and whatnot. I used to come here with—"

"Iris!" called someone from across the restaurant.

A blonde, busty woman waved over at them. Iris waved back, motioning that they would join them momentarily.

"Speak of the devil. It's Renee," said Iris as she and Kanda were seated. "She was my old roommate."

Renee did not even wait for the server to finish asking what they wanted to drink before bustling over and sliding into the booth with Iris.

"Iris!" smirked Renee, hugging her. "It's great to see you—I thought you hated eating out? Here, especially. This girl has such a problem with going out—"

"It's a special occasion," said Iris, hugging her back and inclining her head at Kanda. "I have a guest. Or rather, your replacement."

Renee's eyes widened at the sight of Kanda.

"Um…" said Renee, clearly unsure of how to approach him.

Kanda gave an exasperated sigh. He could see her mind internally whirring to decide whether he was a guy or girl. Perhaps it would be easier on everyone if he just walked around naked.

"His name's Kanda," said Iris, helping the conversation.

Renee seemed relieved that Iris had used a gendered word.

"Oh, hi," she said, offering her hand. "Renee Epstein—my brother owns the apartment you're living in now. But wow, you're rooming with a guy?" she said, turning to Iris and retracting her hand before Kanda had shaken it. It was fine—Kanda had made no movement to do so.

"Yeah. There was a slight…misunderstanding, but this will be the most convenient thing to do."

"But is your hot-shot boyfriend okay with this?"

"Renee, you've met Tyki countless times. You know he's fine with it."

"Oh, you lucky, lucky girl," said Renee, looking at Kanda intently. "Your boyfriend is gorgeous, and…well, has anyone told you how adorably beautiful you are, Kanda?"

"Countless times," said Kanda, his words dripping with sarcasm. He felt like punching someone—preferably the big-breasted blonde in front of him—to regain the masculinity that had been stripped of him countless times today—oh, wait, that happened every time he met someone new. Iris smirked, and Kanda caught sight of that hard glare in her eyes again—derisive and cold—before it and the smirk melted away completely, and Iris was merely smiling faintly again.

"Ooh, the voice gives you away," said Renee, unaware of everything. "Sexy and deep. I like that."

"Renee. Seriously…contain yourself."

"Fine, fine," she yawned, standing up. "You are a lucky girl, Iris. Be sure you don't regret this though—you don't want any strange rumors to crop up about you, I dunno, being a cougar or something. You had plenty of strange drama junior year…"

Iris only smiled. "Of course."

Kanda contained a shudder—this was the first obvious indication of the glacial aura he had been getting from her all evening. Renee seemed oblivious to it, and after waving goodbye, she walked away and left them alone. Iris blinked—the coldness disappeared—and she returned to look at him, a blank slate.

"You don't like her?" said Kanda lightly.

"What?" said Iris, startled. "No, I love the girl! What made you think that?"

Her aura had changed to the same one she had been exerting when he'd first met her. He finally realized what it was—it was superficial, which was why she had irritated him so incredibly much before. She looked at him now, her eyes wide and innocent, her lips parted in a small "O" of gentle concern. Kanda's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing," he said thinly, unconsciously edging back in his seat.

Iris's eyes softened, and she opened her menu.

"And what would you like, Mr. Adorably-Beautiful?"

"Your head on a platter, if you say that again."

Iris laughed, and this time, it sounded more genuine. "Ah…you know it's true though. You are quite beautiful."

"Believe me," he snarled, "if I could've chosen to be born with a different face than this one, I would have."

"Why?" she questioned. "Life is always easier for the beautiful."

"No," he said in a steely tone. "It's not."

Iris seemed to understand that she had touched a sensitive nerve. She retreated immediately, burying herself in her menu again.

"Ah, who am I kidding…" She snapped it shut after a few minutes of perusal. "I've been here for three years—they're not going to change anything. You know what you want?"

"No."

"How about I just get you whatever I'm getting? It'll make things faster, especially since you're so eager to get rid of me anyway."

"I—"

"That's all you're thinking about anyway," she said with a grim smirk. "You're an open book, Yuu Kanda."

"What?"

The server came over with their waters.

"We won't be needing those," said Iris. "Rather, two number fours for take-out please. And make it as fast as you can."

Kanda could only stare, stunned, as the server left them.

"See?" she said, her eyes nearly winking with her smile. "I can be accommodating."

She did not speak to him for the duration of their wait, and when the server returned with their meals, stacked neatly in Styrofoam boxes and wrapped in a plastic bag, she took it with gracious thanks and left without another look at Kanda. Completely thrown, he followed her out of the restaurant.

They stalked down the street in surreal silence, one so loud that the honking of cars and the moderate rumbling of the subway under their feet were lost on him. As irritated as he was, he felt…almost threatened. It was ridiculous—she was more than half a foot shorter than he was, she was tiny, she looked weak…but he had known her for only a few hours—who was he to judge—but Lavi had said that she was "perfect-on-paper," and he didn't know her at all.

But that was just it. She was just "perfect-on-paper." And when that superficial persona came out…she was just paper.

Because in whatever reality she really was, the girl in the three-dimensional space and with the fickle threats and commands came off as violently twisted.

Iris Fairing on paper was a fake.

free talk:

hello! i truthfully thought i would retire the dgm fandom after diamonds in wine, but i thought i would try my hand at a shorter and more mature fic. it's a bit different - not action-packed or anything - and it'll be based largely on relationships between various people than actual events. most of the premise of this story has been set up in the first chapter. i know iris seems very fickle, but please give her some patience and time. this kanda will also be a little different, so please bear with me!

hope you enjoyed! please review :)

xoxo,
m.n