Demon's Kiss

To hold you in Hell

Lavi POV
Allen! I saw him fighting. When his name screamed out of that inhuman throat, I raced to reach him. I did manage to catch his limp body, the scared lines on it already beginning to fade as the life in it vanished.
“Allen!” I screamed. “Invoke your innocence!” The sword arm was limp. Please Allen. I rushed downward thinking only to get the boy to Bookman or maybe Tidal. A white flash of light tore my eye from the body in my arms. Mugen.
Glowing and angry the blade cut through the air like butter. Flashing so swiftly it looked like fireworks. Every time it bit into Cross the scream its owner cried out could be heard over the noise of the fight. Kanda had seen the boy fall; of that I was sure. Now he fought, not only with his own strength, but with that of Damion and Satan. The three were one.
It was more than the monster who raised the boy could handle. Even as I did all I could to get Allen to safety, I saw Cross fall. Mugen cut at the armor. Its white light shifting through the colors as the demons fought together. When his head flew away from the body, when it collapsed, only then did those grey eyes search for me. He didn’t see the creatures stirring around him. His fight wasn’t over.
“Noise, get to Kanda.” I whispered. I saw the large man barrel out of a storm of Akuma. He ran across the dessert, Blind, he could hear things that the average person couldn’t. Kanda was his friend. He would do everything to keep him alive. It was all I could do. My fight was with Allen. I glanced down at the limp form.
His eyes still closed, the tattoo stopped fading on his arm and face. A faint green light surrounded his pale body. The chest barely moved. He was able to invoke the innocence. For now, it was maintaining his life. The dessert floor skimmed by under the handle of my hammer. I stepped off running toward the two people waiting for me.
Eden rose up around me as I dropped to my knees before the short man. He grabbed Allen’s head. My own hands were pressing into the wounds on Allen’s body. Doing all I could to keep the blood from touching the ground. Bookman’s hands searched over him.
“Is there anything we can do?” Tidal asked. Bookman’s panda like eyes lifted to mine.
“Lavi has done all I know of to save him. This fight is his.” I stared at him, what the hell did that mean? I couldn’t even ask that. As the thought sprang into my head, the world began to shift.
“Stupid Rabbit is he still…” the voice faded as it began. Something heavy hit my arm. The gate was opening and it was pulling us in.
I blinked. Where was I? This world looked beautiful. The clouds like white cotton balls gliding gently in a brilliant sea of blue.  Creamy sandstone towers rose up out of the ground. They provided a bit of shade for us. I looked over the people with me. Allen had brought us to fight for him, with him. He stood like a general in front of us.
His arm was a sword. He held it pointed at the soft sand under our feet. A billowing white cape fluttered around his body. His hair blending with it as he looked out over the horizon. His back to us he appeared surreal in this land. I knew there was no place like this on Earth. A hand touched my arm.
Huge green eyes looked up at me. I patted her hand. “Where are we beansprout?” Kanda tall unhurt stood on the other side of Lenalee. Next to him was Noise, Krory, Tyki and even Alma. We were all here, his soldiers.  Slowly the snow-white form turned to face us. His violent eyes glowing with a strength he never showed in life.
“I brought you here with me, because…” His voice trailed off. “I was afraid to fight him alone.” He whispered. “You all have stood by my side. Helped me to overcome him before. I’m sorry, I don’t know if your bodies are safe.”
“The stupid bunny and I are in Eden.” Kanda sighed.
“So am I and Alma.” Lenalee said.
“I was fighting the sand demons with Kanda. We defeated them. I followed him back to Eden.” Noise stated.
“I was in the sky, drinking from the ball things.” Krory said.
“I’m sure Bookman and Tidal would have guessed what was happening. If they saw you falling, they would pull you in.” I nodded at him.
“I was behind the wall, fighting on the spires. My body could have fallen over into hell itself.” Tyki muttered. Then he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, I was mortally wounded anyway. I was just trying to take out as many of them as I could before the inventible.”
“I’m sorry.” Allen whispered. Tyki shrugged his golden eyes looking out over the land that was quickly turning black.
“Time to line up.” He stated. Kanda stepped to Allen’s side. I moved to frame the short white male between us. Krory’s hand fell into mine as Lenalee moved to Kanda’s side. Noise took her other side with Tyki beyond him. We faced the devastation that was racing toward us.
I pulled the hammer from its strap on my side. “Big hammer, little hammer grow, grow, grow!” I cried. It grew in my hand. “Fire stamp.” I slammed it into the ground. Fire erupted in a circle around us. It was enough time for the others to gather themselves. Allen’s sword flew up above his head. It took the first blow as Cross jumped over the flames.
He was monstrous. His flowing red hair was all that was recognizable about him. His body resembled a lobster without the shell. Mugen had destroyed that in the real world, was that why he didn’t have it here. We surrounded Allen, all of us ready to back him up. With our backs to the fighting, we kept Cross’s minions from gathering to help him. Kanda alone didn’t join in the fight. He stood as the knight of the gate, protecting Allen’s back.
We didn’t let anything through. Over what felt like an eternity the things began to slow down. Only then was I able to turn to see what was happening behind us. Kanda stood where he had been. Eyes dancing as he watched the fighting before him. Mugen held tightly in his grasp. He never took his eyes from the white bird flying around him.
Allen was a light, a beacon as he flew at Cross. During the time I had been preoccupied it appeared Allen grown stronger. There was an odd golden glow to his frightening. My eyes flew back to Kanda. He didn’t!
“You gave up your soul to help him!” I shouted.
“No.” Was the only response that was given. Yet any fool could see Satan was no longer in Kanda, he was fighting with Allen. The fleshy thing that was Cross was stronger in this world, but not even he was as strong as Allen Walker.
Allen was like a tight rope walker. He spun, kicked, slashed and piece by piece he was cutting he former abuser to pieces. Cross was missing an arm, scars were cut deep into his chest, legs and face. Not much was left of him.
As I watched, Allen came down again slicing the arm off at the shoulder. Cross stumbled back. The golden glow that surrounded Allen grew brighter.  It collected into a faintly human shape. Allen fell backward. Kanda caught him. He held the boy tightly as we all stood over him watching.
A boy appeared in the glow. He stood tall wearing a suit of golden stars. His white blond hair blowing in a breeze that touched none of us. He stood alone. A barrier between us and the demon that was Cross. Allen’s violet eyes were watching the scene.
The boy turned. “Allow me this one wish, I will destroy the thing that never should have drawn breath. For this wish, I will save him in your world.” Briefly his glowing eyes flashed to Allen. “His soul will remain his, and his alone. In doing this, Yu Kanda, you are never to call open me or my kin as long as you live, deal.” The blond head tilted a bit as he watched Kanda.
“Deal.” Kanda agreed. The boy stepped up to him. He leaned over Allen, a hand touching his brow lightly as his bright pink lips captured Kanda’s. When he stood back up, a smile touched his lips.
“You are worthy of my son. Treat him well, Master Kanda.” He turned to face Cross. A tentacle arm was already emerging from the stump.
“Upon my natural death, I, Yu Kanda, releases Damion from his imprisonment to my family. His father Satan, has upheld the bargain of the Demon Kiss. As it is spoken here this day, let it be written in the threads of fate.” Satan stared down at him, shock reverberating across his handsome face. He bowed his head.
“You are truly a warrior of honor. I thank you.” He turned away once more. His clothing changed from the sparking suit to that of ancient armor. Red and gold it protected him from the acid that Cross spit at him. A sword of dragon scales flashed in his hand.
“You were never meant to be, I end thee now!” He shouted. The sword in his hand glowed with fire a second before it cleaved the Cross thing in half from top to bottom. Satan kneeled as the twin halves of Cross split falling on either side of him. They shattered, melting into the sand.  Satan stood slowly to gaze once more at Kanda.
A white fog began to rise around his tall imposing form. He slowly pulled those golden sun bright eyes from Kanda as he bowed, exposing the back of his neck to the fighter. The honor was not lost on the man that stood, lifting the body of his one true love in his arms. Kanda bowed his head as the white fog took them all away.
“Kanda! Allen!” The scream tore from me as I bolted upright. My head smacked into a hand. The sound, a loud slap in the quiet of the room.
“There is no need for yelling you, stupid rabbit.” The drawl of the voice. I blinked. Looking up I saw Kanda standing above me. With a laugh I sprang from the bed to hug him. It was a good thing he didn’t attempt to stop me. His arms caught me from crashing to the stone floor. We were back at headquarters.
“You’re alive.” I breathed in his ear.
“We all are.”
“Tyki?” I questioned drawing back. Kanda eased me back down in the bed. I knew this place. Having spent a lot of time here already. This was a room in the hospital wing. Kanda knelt before me.
“Lay down and I will tell you what you slept through.” I pushed myself back on the bed. The door began to open.
“… he will be fine; he is just taking his sweet time to wake…” Allen’s childlike voice breathed into the room. A moment later his body followed. One hand was carrying a tray. I couldn’t see what was on it, but it smelled heavenly.
“Lavi!” Krory nearly knocked the tray out of the shorter teens hand as he flew at me. Allen chuckled. Kanda stood. Krory’s lips pressed into mine blocking out the room. I clutched his shoulders drawing him close. I wanted this to last forever, but Allen was watching. I pushed Krory back.
“Not in front of…” I began, my mouth falling open as Krory drew aside.
“He no longer cares about our romance.”  Krory’s chuckling voice was a buzz of white noise. Allen stood before Kanda. He was facing my bed, holding the tray. His head tilted back as Kanda’s long thin hands gently curved over his neck. His dark head was bent over the boy. The blue-black hair cascading like a waterfall tickling the boy’s cheek as he kissed Kanda.
“What?” I gasped. Kanda lifted his head.
“Right. I was about to tell the dumb bunny what he missed.” Allen pressed the tray into Kanda’s hands.
“You eat, I will tell him.” He came over to sit beside me.
“We all woke up in the Maker of Eden, all but you. At first, we didn’t know why you didn’t wake. Bookman thought it was something to do with the other world.”
“That’s getting a bit ahead.” Krory pushed me forward to sit behind me. I laid against his chest.
“Right. When I woke, I was healed. I still bare the scars of the gate. I promised Satan I would remain the gate keeper until I die. He accepted that. Lenalee, Krory, Noise all woke with us. Noise and Kanda insisted in going out to find Tyki’s body.”
“We wanted to give it a proper burial.” Krory said.
“We didn’t have far to go.” Kanda added.
“Satan had promised Kanda that we would all wake in this world. He must have brought Tyki’s body back. Healed.” Allen smiled.
“So why didn’t I wake with you?” I asked.
“Why don’t you tell us? Satan must had more to say to you?” They looked at me. Slowly the dream came back.
The white fog lifted. He stood there in that god awful suit. “You are his true son. That eye of yours is your demon mark.” I had glared at him.
“He was no father of mine.” I hissed.
“Then surrender your eye. Don’t take anything from this world back with you. You hide it anyway.” I stood, one hand reaching up to touch the eyepatch. The nightmare I saw whenever I used that eye…
“Let me end your suffering. You may keep the skills you honed; the strength is yours. That is not.” He pointed to my eye.
“Take it. I want no part of him alive in me.”
“Very well. You will live a good life, Lavi Bookman. Bare thy name well.” He bowed to me. That was when I woke up here. Suddenly I had to see it. I shoved away from Krory. Sprinting to the mirror I yanked the eyepatch off.  There in the mirror for the first time, I saw only my face.
Twin emerald green eyes flashed in the light coming from the ceiling. He had given me more than a life.
“When you returned, I no longer sensed the neither world in you.” Bookman stood in the doorway.
“I’m whole then?” He nodded. I laughed scooping him up spinning around.
“Thank you for fighting for me, gramps.” I laughed hugging him.
“Children.” He muttered after I put him down.  We had a feast that night. Although Cross was gone. We were still exorcists. But for tonight we could be ourselves, and celebrate a hard-won victory.
Kanda found me alone leaning against the wall. He took up a spot beside me. “Satan asked me to break our contract. He wanted to fight with Allen.” I nodded. “He wanted too…”
“End Cross. Yeah, I figured that out. Your soul is safe then?” He chuckled.
“Safer than anyone’s ever was. Satan promised no one would come after it. When I die of natural causes, only then can Damion be released. Satan himself will see that my soul goes, “where it needs to be” when I die.” We smirked at each other. It was better than we could imagine.
 
The End