One night in Cairo - A&K dgm.rtf

DGM FANFICTION

One NIght in Cairo

Allen & Kanda

Ch 1
Heat shimmered across windswept dunes as the overhead sun blazed down from a cloudless azure sky. A slight wind that offered no relief from the blistering orb danced over golden sand that stretched out to the horizon. In the distance, rising up out of the sand to lord over its surroundings, lay the giant monuments to a civilization now consigned to the pages of history. While many a poet and learned traveler had paid homage to the mysterious beauty that was Egypt’s Giza Necropolis, Kanda was not one of them.

Indeed, the raven-haired exorcist thought as he looked out the window of his hotel room, he hated the desert. He hated the sweltering heat. He hated the gritty sand that found its way into uncomfortable places. He hated the stupid, smelly camel that he had been forced to ride earlier that day. Turning his dark eyes toward the slight figure huddled beneath the covers of the only bed in the room, Kanda realized what he hated most was being forced to travel with that person.

Allen Walker. An exorcist three years his junior and a naïve, bothersome beansprout. That’s who Komui had assigned as Kanda’s partner on this mission. Traveling with the younger boy always got on Kanda’s nerves. Something out of the norm invariably happened when the two were paired up, just like what put them in their current situation.

The two exorcists had been dispatched to Egypt to look into a strange anomaly that had been occurring ever since a previously undiscovered, small-sized pyramid had been excavated. It was said a furious sandstorm would appear every time one of the archaeologists or laborers tried to enter the tomb, thus preventing any further exploration of the monument. Kanda and Allen’s job was to determine if an Innocence was responsible for the phenomenon.

The pair had arrived in Cairo the evening before. After acquiring lodgings and resting for the night, the ill-matched duo had rented camels and set out for the Giza Plateau, some 20 kilometers southwest of the city. The tomb they were looking for lay just east of the Great Pyramid. As the exorcists headed for their destination, Kanda attempted to ignore the white-haired youth at his side. For some reason, just looking at the beansprout annoyed him to no end.

Upon reaching the pyramid, Kanda attempted to go through the entryway, only to be rebuffed by a fierce wind that showered him with stinging clouds of sand. Much to his chagrin, he was only able to enter the tomb with Allen’s help. The younger boy stretched his left arm, the one containing his anti-akuma weapon, and was able to grasp the stone just inside the entryway. Instructing Kanda to hold on to him, Allen had pulled them both through the howling whirlwind and deposited the now grubby twosome inside the pyramid.

Lighting the torches they had brought along, Kanda and his partner begin to search the tomb. What they found was a maze of dusty stone hallways, some displaying elaborate pictograms along their walls. Interspersed throughout the hallways were chambers of various sizes. Other than a few pottery shards and pieces of rotting wood, the rooms were empty.

Because the pyramid was so small, the exorcists were able to search it completely in just a few hours. Other than the freak sandstorm at the entrance, no other strange incidents had occurred. Hot, sweaty and covered in grime, the pair stumbled into the last chamber, thus far finding no traces of an Innocence.

Holding his torch up, Kanda had walked the length and breadth of the room. It was empty. When he said as much to Allen, the other exorcist sighed heavily and leaned back against one of the chamber walls. Justifying Kanda’s opinion that the younger boy was nothing but trouble, a grating and rumbling sound filled the room. The idiot beansprout had triggered a hidden switch.

In surprise, Allen had jumped back until he was standing beside Kanda. The two had watched as a small section of wall receded to reveal a shallow crevice. Inside the opening lay a small, brown box. Before Kanda realized what he was planning, Allen had moved forward, picked up the box and opened it. Not sure if he was expecting to see an Innocence inside, Kanda peered into the box over the other’s shoulder, only to find a chipped and worn figurine.

Allen had reached into the box and pulled out the object. Once in the light, Kanda could see that the figure was actually an obsidian cat statuette, about 20 centimeters in length. The head was that of a lion, with emerald green eyes that glittered eerily in the torchlight while golden hoops dangled from its ears. Kanda didn’t feel any sense of the presence that usually signified Innocence. Stepping away, he turned and headed for the chamber entrance. Another dead end. Whatever caused the unnatural sandstorm was not related to an Innocence.

He had only moved a few steps when he heard a screech behind him, followed by the sound of something shattering. Pivoting back around, he saw the box and statue in pieces at Allen’s feet. A light, dusty substance drifted up from the wreckage, causing Allen to sneeze. For an instance, it seemed to Kanda that a dark image wavered around the beansprout’s body, but he blinked and it was gone.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kanda had asked the other in irritation.

Allen had only laughed sheepishly and stated, “Um, something scurried across my foot and it startled me.”

Disgusted, Kanda’s only response was, “Tch. Scaredy-cat”

Determining they would not find an Innocence here, the pair had decided to leave the tomb. Kanda was glad. While he would never admit it to the shorty, the pyramid made him uneasy. He would be happy to get out there. They made it to the entrance and, once again, he had to rely on Allen to get them through the sandstorm. While others might be curious as to what was causing the phenomenon, now that he knew there was no Innocence, Kanda could care less about it.

Once outside, the duo mounted their camels and headed back toward Cairo. They had traveled some distance before Kanda noticed Allen slumping down over his camel’s back. As Kanda watched, the other exorcist tilted sideways and fell to the ground with a thud. Kanda jumped down to his side. The younger boy lay with his eyes closed, face ashen and damp.

“What is the matter with you?” Kanda had asked, concerned despite himself.

Allen’s eyes fluttered and he replied weakly, “I’m not sure. I suddenly felt dizzy and everything started to go black.”

Before Kanda could respond, Allen’s body went limp. The white-haired exorcist had passed out. Nothing he tried could rouse Allen. Kanda had no choice but to pick his unconscious companion up and hold the boy as the camels returned them to the city. Back at their lodgings, he had placed Allen in the bed, somewhat relieved to notice the other’s color had returned to normal.

Several hours had passed since then, and Allen still hadn’t regained consciousness. Kanda was annoyed. He wanted to leave this blasted city and get back to his job of destroying akuma and hunting Innocence. Leave it to the beansprout to mess up again.

“Tch. This mission sucks,” Kanda grumbled under his breath, absently brushing out his long, blue-black hair. After depositing Allen in the bed, the first thing Kanda had done was bathe away the dust and sand from his body. It had taken him quite awhile to remove sand from all of the places on his body that sand had no business being in, which only served to further fuel his ill temper.

Deciding there was nothing to gain from continuing to dwell on his predicament, Kanda sat down in the chair nearest to the bed. Leaning his head back, the dark-haired exorcist closed his eyes.The last thing he heard as sleep claimed him was the steady snoring of his companion. It almost sounds like purring, Kanda thought drowsily before drifting off.

Ch 2

“Ungh,” Kanda grunted as he woke with a stiffness in his neck.

Rotating his shoulders, the exorcist stood up and walked to the wash basin. He had just splashed his face when movement from the bed made him glance over. Making nonsensical noises, Allen sat up and stretched. Kanda calmly turned around and wiped the water from his face and eyes. There is no way he just saw what his eyes told him he saw. It had to have been the water distorting his vision. Feeling assured, he turned back only to be confronted with same vision as before.

“Son of a bitch,” Kanda’s shocked voice echoed through the room.

“Kanda?” Allen turned questioning eyes to the older exorcist.

For once in his life, Kanda’s cool composure failed him. His legs slipped out from under him and he hit the floor, hard. All he could do was stare at his partner in shock. Allen popped up from the bed and rushed over to Kanda.

“Kanda, are you alright?”

With a laugh that bordered on hysteria, Kanda replied, “You should be asking yourself that.”

Allen only looked confused, “Huh?”

Slowly standing up, Kanda pointed to the mirror over the wash basin, “Look in the mirror, beansprout.”

“I told you to quit calling me that,” the younger boy groused, “and why do I need to look in the mirror?”

“Just do it, dammit!”

“Geez, you are obviously not a morning person,” Allen muttered but still complied with Kanda’s order. “I don’t understand why you-,” the white-haired exorcist’s voice trailed off as he finally got a good look in the mirror.

It only took a moment.

“Hiyaaaaaah!” Allen threw his arms up and screamed as he jumped back from the mirror.

Kanda nodded. That was pretty much his reaction, too, only he had internalized it.

“Um, Kanda,” the beansprout’s asked hesitantly, “I’m hallucinating right? Whatever made me dizzy yesterday is still affecting me, right?” Anxiety colored Allen’s voice by the time he finished speaking.

“Hah, then it is a joint hallucination because I see it, too,” Kanda replied humorlessly.

With trembling legs, Allen went back to the mirror. “No way. This is not happening. I refuse to believe it.” The young exorcist continued to chant those phrases, almost like a mantra, as if he could change the situation by doing so.

“I hate to burst your bubble, beansprout, but it is happening.”

As if Kanda’s words opened up the flood gates, tears began pouring down Allen’s face as he wailed, “I’ve got cat ears!”

“A tail, too,” Kanda interjected mildly, wanting to scream and jump around himself.

Allen turned around to see a long, white tail waving happily behind him.

“Waaaah!” the younger boy cried out and glomped onto the front of Kanda’s body, “what do I do, Kanda?”

Kanda’s eyes widened and a look of desperation crossed his face as he frantically tried to push the other boy away.

“Get off of me, you idiot!”

Allen refused to let go. Kanda had to struggle for several minutes before he was finally able to pry the crying exorcist away. In terms of strength, the two were almost equal.

Putting ample space between them, Kanda raised a finger and pointed it at the bed. “Catboys stay on that side of the room!”

Allen only cried harder at that. Kanda couldn’t help but stare in morbid fascination as white, fur covered ears twitched upon Allen’s head, while the tail on his backside danced back and forth in agitation. There was no mistake, those things were real. Kanda felt a tic appear under his eye.

“What do I do,” the beansprout was moaning, “I can’t go out like this.”
 

In an attempt to calm his own self, and not wanting to deal with a weeping Allen, Kanda tried to turn the other’s attention to how the transformation had occurred.

“Calm down and let’s think for a minute. That black statue we found in the tomb was a cat, correct?”

Allen’s crying quieted slightly as he nodded.

“Ok,” Kanda went on, “when you dropped the figure and it broke, it looked to me like some sort of dust rose up from the broken pieces. You even sneezed, remember?”

The younger exorcist was focused on Kanda now, only an occasional sniffle coming out now.

“It was after that incident when you started feeling dizzy and passed out. We have to conclude they are somehow related.”

Allen nodded, calm now. “I seem to recall the ancient Egyptians were known to place curses on their tombs to prevent grave robbers from desecrating them.”

Kanda sighed to himself, relieved the other boy was rational again “Right. I will go downstairs and call Komui. He can put the Order’s resources to work on finding out how to fix this. Stay here until I get back.”

Allen looked forlorn as he said, “How can I leave like this?”

Kanda made no reply as he exited the room. Downstairs, he used the phone and contacted Komui. The other man sounded intrigued as he explained the situation. After Kanda had described the cat figure in the tomb, Komui promised to get right on finding a cure. Kanda disconnected the call and headed back to the room.

“Beansprout,” Kanda called out as he opened the door, “Komui said that--what the hell are you doing?”

“Hmm, what is it?”

The dark-haired exorcist could only look on in disbelief. Allen had stripped completely and was currently crawling on the floor as he rubbed his body back and forth against the plump sofa that lay in the middle of the room.

“What do you mean ‘what is it’, you dumbass? Why did you take off your clothes?”

Allen stopped his movement and sat back on his heels. “Well, they were itchy and hurt my tail.”

Kanda could only marvel at how rational the young exorcist sounded. As he faced Allen, Kanda didn’t know where to look, because the other boy was splayed out in all his naked glory, dangly bits and everything.

Fighting down the flush he felt heating his cheeks, Kanda asked, “Then why were you brushing up against the sofa like that?”

Cocking his head to the side, Allen replied, “Um, I just had this urge. And then, when I did it, it felt so good I couldn’t stop.”

Allen stood up and made as if to move toward Kanda. The older exorcist couldn’t take it anymore. Averting his eyes, Kanda whipped the sheet off the bed and threw it at Allen. “At least cover up with that!”

With some reluctance, the younger boy complied. When Allen was safely wrapped in the sheet, Kanda turned back to him and told him what Komui had said.

“Ahh, I see,” Allen murmured.

Kanda was confused at the transformation in Allen. Whereas before the younger boy was hysterical, he now seemed serene and uncaring. Kanda watched as Allen casually stretched out on the bed, absently scratching behind one ear. He could only conclude that this was another side effect.

“I’m hungry,” Allen called out to Kanda when the other exorcist had turned to pour himself a glass of water.

“Hmpf, should I get you a saucer of milk?” Kanda asked snidely.

“Haha, funny. Seriously, I am really hungry,” the ears on Allen’s head drooped as he responded.

“All right,” Kanda agreed reluctantly, “I will go down and fetch us some food.”

“Thank you,” Allen tilted his head and smiled brightly, white ears perking back up.

C-Cute, the brief thought flitted through Kanda’s mind. When he realized it, Kanda reared back in horror. No, no, no! I did not just think that, Kanda said to himself sternly. Glaring at Allen, Kanda stomped across the room and left, slamming the door behind him.

After procuring food, Kanda headed back to the room. Pushing open the door, he was greeted once again by the sight of Allen’s nude body as the younger boy strolled casually across the room.

“Gah,” Kanda shouted as he almost dropped the covered plates in his hands. “Quit walking around like that!”

“But it is more comfortable this way,” Allen actually pouted as he grabbed the sheet and tucked it back around him.

Sighing at the reprieve, Kanda placed the plates on the small table in the room.

Allen rushed over and attacked the food with gusto. By the time he was finished, the young exorcist had managed to accumulate bits of food on his face. Kanda wanted to laugh at the picture the boy presented, but instead just pointed it out to Allen.

“You eat like a child, beansprout. You have food on your face.”

“Ahh,” Allen said as he reached up and wiped the bits with his hand.

To Kanda’s shock, the other boy held up his hand and licked the crumbs away. Kanda found Allen’s slightly parted lips, pink tongue peeking through the gap, strangely fascinating. When he realized once again the direction his thoughts were taking, the usually somber exorcist wanted to flee from the room in a panic.

Ruthlessly curbing the impulse, Kanda moved to the sofa and sat down heavily, flinging his arms across the back. He made a mental note to punch Komui in the face the next time he saw the bastard. Just as Kanda had predicted, partnering up with Allen had resulted in nothing but trouble.

A movement to his side brought his attention to the fact that Allen had sat down beside him. Kanda was determined to ignore the person next to him, and was succeeding admirably, until he felt the other boy begin to rub his face against Kanda’s hand where it lay on the back of the sofa.

Snatching back his hand, Kanda all but yelled, “Stop rubbing yourself on me, dammit!”

Allen’s ears drooped again and his big, dark eyes glittered with tears. Kanda felt like a jerk that had just struck a defenseless kitten. Dropping his head in defeat, the frazzled exorcist placed his hand on Allen’s hair and proceeded to pet the other boy. A contented purr rumbled up from Allen’s chest as he angled his head for better petting.

The two stayed that way for several minutes. While absently scratching his companion’s head, Kanda sifted his fingers the snow-white hair, amazed at how soft it felt. Glancing at Allen, Kanda saw a rosy blush staining the younger exorcist’s cheeks. To his amazement and dismay, Kanda felt desire stir in his body.

In an abrupt movement, Kanda jumped to his feet, determined to put some distance between the two of them. However, he became tangled in Allen’s sheet and they both crashed to the floor, with Kanda splayed out across the other boy. As he pushed himself up on his forearms to move away, he looked down at Allen. He didn’t know if it was the cat ears or some other mysterious force, but he was having some seriously dirty thoughts about the figure beneath him.

“Kanda?” Allen’s voice was questioning as Kanda continued to stare down at him.

When that small, pink tongue darted out to moisten the younger boy’s lips, Kanda felt his restraint snap. Throwing all thoughts of morals and consequences out the window, the dark-haired exorcist pounced on Allen, planting his mouth across the other boy’s.

“Wha-,” Allen tried to speak, but was muffled by Kanda’s ravaging kiss.

When Allen reached up to push at the body on top of him, Kanda grasped the smaller boy’s wrists and held them down above his head. After a few moments, Kanda felt all resistance fade from Allen’s body. The cat-eared exorcist stopped struggling and began to return Kanda’s kiss with enthusiasm.

“Ngh…mrgh.”

The little sounds the younger exorcist was making only fueled the heat burning in Kana’s body. Lifting Allen in his arms, Kanda made his way to the bed. Never breaking the kiss, he reached back and freed his long hair from its tie. Allen stretched out a hand to caress the dark, flowing locks while Kanda frantically divested himself of his clothing.

Reaching over to the table, Kanda used one hand to turn out the lights while the other slowly peeled back the sheet that covered Allen’s body. Kanda’s last coherent thought was that he would probably regret his actions in the morning. After that, he gave himself up to the heat consuming him and didn’t think of anything else for the rest of the night.

Ch 3

We did it, Kanda thought as he sat stunned and unclothed in the bed. Closing his eyes in denial was not effective and offered no respite as images from the previous night hit him one after the other. Glancing over at Allen’s naked back, Kanda tugged his long black hair at this further evidence of his temporary insanity. He had to get out of the room, fast.

Easing the covers back, he attempted to stealthily leave the bed without disturbing the other boy. However, he was unsuccessful. Allen moaned softly and rolled over. His eyes opened slowly and blinked a few times before zeroing in on Kanda. Kanda froze, unsure what to do or say in the situation. He calmly debated turning Mugen, his black katana, on himself, but eventually discarded the idea.

Allen sat up and that’s when Kanda noticed something: the cat ears were gone.

“Ah!” he shouted in surprise.

“What?” Allen asked as he looked startled by the outburst.

Pointing at Allen’s head, Kanda responded, “They’re gone.”

Allen quickly patted his hands across his head. A grin broke out across his face as he assured himself that his head was back to normal. Jumping up in the bed, the younger boy glanced around at his backside. The tail was gone, too. Before Kanda realized his intentions, the younger exorcist flung himself into the taller boy’s arms.

Hugging Kanda tightly, Allen exclaimed happily, “They are gone.”

A drop of sweat rolled down Kanda’s face as he reminded Allen, “Oi, we’re both still naked here.”

A crimson flush spread over Allen’s body and pulled back a bit. In a low voice, he shyly whispered, “I don’t mind.”

Kanda’s eyes widened at the statement. The proper thing to do would be to push the other boy away and pretend last night had never happened. Kanda knew that, and yet…and yet…

“Ah, to hell with it,” Kanda gave in and fell back with Allen on the bed for another round.
 

***

Kanda left Allen to pack up their belongings while he went down to call Komui back and let the other man know that Allen was cured.

Komui answered on the first ring. “Good morning,” his cheerful voice boomed over the phone.

“Ah, good morning,” Kanda replied. “About Allen…”

Kanda was unable to continue because, in usual fashion, the chief ignored the dark-haired exorcist’s words and kept speaking.

“First, we have managed to determine that the pyramid we sent you to find was indeed cursed. The pharaoh who built it was deeply into that sort of thing. So, your strange phenomenon is explained. We also made a fascinating discovery about that cat statue you and Allen found in that tomb. The cat represented the feline goddess, Bast, whom many ancient Egyptians worshipped.”

“Kom-,” Kanda tried to interject again in vain.

“Bast was seen as a protector, but that particular statue you found is actually related to her other function as a fertil-.”

“Komui,” Kanda shouted into the telephone, not wanting to hear the other man ramble on and on as he was wont to do.

“What is it, Kanda?”

Taking a deep breath, he replied, “There is no longer a need to research this matter further. When the beansprout woke up this morning, he had returned to normal.”

Silence greeted Kanda’s statement.

“Ohhh,” Komui finally responded, “is that so?”

“Yes, it is. There was no sign of an Innocence here, so we will be returning immediately.”

“I see. Well, that is great news indeed, about Allen I mean,” Komui said with what sounded suspiciously like laughter in his voice. “It is somewhat intriguing that young Allen has been cured, however. As I was saying before you interrupted me, that statue you found represented Bast in her function as a fertility goddess. The ancient priests of her cult placed spells and charms on those figurines and gave them to their followers. The text we found indicates that the purpose was to aid in the conception of children.”

Kanda had a bad feeling about where this was going. “So,” he cautiously stated.

“So,” Komui said in a jubilant tone, “the spell on the statue brings out the deepest desires of the couple who receives it by bestowing the spirit of Bast on one of them. Thus you have Allen’s cat ears and tail. However, the effect is not dispelled until the couple engages in marital relations, hopefully producing a child from the effort.”

“Marital…relations,” Kanda repeated, dumfounded.

“Um hmm,” Komui was laughing openly now, “you know, S.E.X.”

Kanda had no response.

“Don’t worry, though,” Komui snickered, “Allen is a boy after all, so I highly doubt you will have a little Kanda running around anytime soon.”

Kanda could still hear Komui laughing as he placed the phone down in its cradle and walked away. He definitely was going to sock the chief in that smirking face when he got back to headquarters. Rounding the corner, he bumped into Allen.

Taking one look at Kanda’s face, Allen asked, “Are you alright, Kanda? Your face is pale.”

Deciding he needed to be honest, Kanda cleared his throat and said, “Er…I don’t really know how to tell you this, but…um…Komui knows.”

“Knows what?”

“About us. Last night.”

Allen cocked his head in confusion, “So? Everyone is going to find out.”

“What?! How?” Kanda demanded.

Looking down, Allen said in a soft voice, “Well, aren’t we dating now?”

Kanda jerked back in shock, “We’re dating??!”

The younger boy looked up at Kanda’s outburst. Bottom lip trembling, Allen said, “I thought we were.”

Ugh. Kanda felt pain stab through his heart at the pitiful look on the other exorcist’s face. Absently rubbing his chest, Kanda said awkwardly, “Er…well…I guess we are.”

The radiant smile that appeared on Allen’s face was enough to put Kanda at ease. He felt a dopy grin try to escape his own lips but ruthlessly squashed it.

Forcing a stern tone, Kanda admonished Allen, “But you are going to have to work on that naïve personality of yours. It’s going to get you into trouble one day, beansprout.”

The duo left for home, then, Allen objecting to Kanda’s comments the entire way. Kanda barely heard him, however. The dark-haired exorcist was already plotting out the number of asses he would have to kick when they got back. At the top of the list was Komui, followed by Lavi, then Jerry, then….The list had grown to pretty much include almost everyone at the Black Order by the time the pair reached home.