Log; COMPLETE
When; March 21st
Rating; PG for shirtless men?
Characters; Kanda Yuu [to_sublimate] & Rabi [oodzuchi]
Summary; Rabi's grandiose entrance to the City involved a fair amount of whining, pain, and a soft borrowed bed.
Log;
The redhead took a ginger seat on one of the benches in the square, too tired to even observe his surroundings. He'd woken up with his hammer next to him, a bit cracked, but still intact-- a blessing, really. One never wanted to be unarmed in unknown surroundings. But despite the unknown, his mind was wandering uncharacteristically.
Why was Kanda here? Hadn't he... back then, he'd--- no, it did no good to question things. It might've just been a dream. The Bookman in him snorted, but Rabi ignored it. It was okay for now, right...? To let his guard down a teensy bit. There didn't seem to be any imminent danger, and he was so tired...
He'd posted on some strange computer thing, and people responded well enough, and then he'd replied, and said he'd come meet him. Rabi knew-- even if they were just words on a screen, even if he really was just dreaming-- that Kanda would come. He mighta been a jerk sometimes, but they were comrades, right?
Rabi was here again, it seemed, and Kanda was undecided on how, specifically, he should feel about that particular revelation. Indifference, annoyance that he was here instead of protecting the Order, or the realization that he was still alive, and there was hope yet for the Exorcists? Of course, he knew that Rabi stood as much chance of dying here as back home, especially with the Noah still lurking here, but there was strength in numbers, even if Kanda refused to acknowledge that he himself would also require backup once in a long, long while.
He'd left for the Square as soon as Rabi divulged where he was, his strides quick and full of purpose - it didn't take a genius to realize that Rabi was in very bad shape, and Kanda didn't want to acknowledge that that particular realization unsettled him just that little bit. It had been quickly pushed out of mind, however, and soon, he spotted the redhead at one of the benches - what did he think he was doing, resting like that?
"Rabi." Kanda barked, a little harsher, a little more urgent than he would have liked, especially with the potential of having the Noah in the vicinity. Wounded or not, this was not the place to heal them. "Wake up."
He jerked to attention, body sore and wounds throbbing as he sat up again, sight focusing on the samurai in front of him. "Haha, Yuu-chan~ s'good ta see ya.."
His movements were slow, but he brought a hand up to rub at his face, trying to wake himself up more. It was mighty tempting to sleep, really, but he knew Kanda'd just yell at him until he was on his feet. Fighting against the lethargy settling in, he stood up and stretched, cringing.
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean 'ta nod off on ya-- I'm awake, promise."
And the redhead forced a lopsided smile, awaiting Kanda's direction. It was really Kanda, he knew-- and he'd put his complete trust in him. Besides, even an abusive Kanda was better than a... Kanda that was gone, right? The memory of leaving his friend to fight that Noah still left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it made his chest tighten.
What had happened while he was fighting the Noah bastard? For something to land Rabi in such bad shape, it was clear that it was nothing less than that massive akuma, or one of the Noah. Funny, how it seemed to be months since he was last in the battlefield. It was an almost bitter feeling, being set aside in this place without knowing if the others were okay.
It was a small comfort, Kanda grudgingly acknowledged, that Rabi was here. He didn't miss Rabi's cringe, and knew instinctively that he was most probably a lot more battered than he'd let on.
Stopping in front of him, dressed casually in his white shirt and pants, Mugen in his other hand, Kanda waited for him to get to his feet. He would offer support, but only if it was clear that Rabi needed it. Bound by his own concept of honor, the swordsman was not going to interfere there was a need for it. Instead, he paused for a moment before commenting. "You look like shit."
There was no need for Rabi to know what Kanda was thinking, or if the slightest bit of relief that served as an undercurrent for those gruff, clipped words were real.
Upon closer inspection, as the redhead stumbled a bit closer to Kanda, he was glad to see that he seemed to be okay. No visible wounds or anything-- the relief that flooded him wasn't entirely expected and he wobbled a bit more, bringing a hand up to his head. Had he lost that much blood...? But he was steadied a moment later, the support that his fellow exorcist provided just by being there enough to ground him.
He chuckled lightly, clamping a hand on Kanda's shoulder as he began to walk. He'd try and keep a good pace lest he anger his friend. "Thanks, Yuu, it's good to see you're doing well too~"
Had he gotten used to decoding Kanda's words and tone of voice? Maybe just a little bit; but he could probably do well to read up a few more books on body language and psychological behavior.
"No one's... really given me a straight answer... but uh..."
He looked around briefly-- so many different kinds of people, all giving off different feelings. "What exactly... is this place..?"
"Who the hell gave you permission to touch me?" Kanda demanded, but made no move to shrug the other's hand off - sensing that he, perhaps, needed the support. Pausing briefly, he looked back at him. He'd heard of people who left not being able to remember that they were here, of course, but being faced with it directly was another kind of feeling entirely.
"You don't remember? You were here before." Really, did he have to explain everything to him again? With a faint, disgruntled sound, he responded. "You're in the City, a shithole of a place where you can't get out." A pause, then. "A few of the Noah are here as well."
His strides lacked the urgency, the solid determination he had possessed earlier, even as his gray eyes scanned his surroundings ever so often. He was a jerk, yes, but he had mellowed - just slightly - enough not to keep up his punishing pace when Rabi looked like that. His grip on Mugen had not loosened, even as he spared Rabi a glance. "I'll pass you the guide later, so you can shut up and read that."
After, of course, the idiot had his wounds tended to.
Rabi debated retracting his hand, but realized that if Kanda had really meant his threat, he would've smacked the offending appendage away. But upon the other's questioning, he bit his lip and tried to recall something-- anything-- from a previous visit to this place. Though the effort was unnecessary. If he remembered, he would've remembered right away.
"I've... been here before? ..Are ya sure?"
And then, not too long after, ".....Noah..."
His senses seemed to sharpen then, understanding Kanda's shifty glances around as they walked. He lowered his voice so it was barely above a whisper, leaning on Kanda a bit more. "How many...? Are there any akuma? What about other exorcists?"
Most perturbed at having his personal space invaded, Kanda tamped down the reflex action to move away before Rabi's question focused his attentions onto more important tasks. It was imperative that Rabi knew what he was in as soon as possible; the Firehouse may have the protection they required, but the Exorcists needed to head outside sometime.
A curt nod at the first question, then he answered the next series of questions easily, already reaching the Firehouse and pushing open the doors. Rabi's quick reversion to business was somewhat reassuring, and another sign that the redhead wasn't in danger of dying anytime soon, despite the looks of it.
"Three, at last count. Has akuma potential. The beansprout, Lenalee, and Miranda are here."
"Three Noah..." His head was pounding again, that deep-seated pain pulling at his temples, and he didn't pay much attention as Kanda led them into some building, following his lead.
"Where... Is this place safe, then..?"
He was ready to nod off-- it'd been a long time since he last rested, and his body ached for it. He was starting to understand that this place was quite real, as well, but it was too much for him to wrap his mind around. Yuu mentioned something about a guide... maybe that'd help out, too.
Surprised, though, he fought the sleepiness that pulled at his body and asked, "Miranda, too? But I was just-- and Allen, he--"
No, he was definitely too tired for this.
Glancing back at him when he heard those words, wondering if Rabi was from a time where the akuma and the Noah had made their move on the Order's Headquarters - he was more than aware of the fact that it was just a matter of time before that happened - Kanda led the way upstairs. The Firehouse was quiet now, and Kanda had enough manners not to stomp around and make a general din. The angels - despite everything - had offered them a place to stay, and protection; there was no point being rude about it.
"You were just what?"
"...I was just with him, and--"
And Miranda? Hadn't she been safe outside of the Ark? They'd left her with the old man and the group of seekers, and Kanda's teammates...
"...Which of the Noah are here?"
His footfalls were heavy, but not loud, as he took his time up the stairs. No point in rushing if you ended up tripping back down them, at any rate. He kept a tentative hold on Kanda, hand slipping down from his shoulder to grasp his arm. He knew it was intruding of him to do so, but...
...Well, he was never one to ask for help, but they seemed to have that mutual understanding. It seemed okay-- he wasn't swatting his hands away yet.
And Kanda, despite initial, unfavorable reactions, was not about to. Rabi needed help, and it was just stupid not to give it - they were not back home anymore. In here, the Exorcists were forced to look out for their own. Naturally, Kanda had been displeased by this, but a person made do. That, and despite the fact that Rabi was really an incurable idiot rabbit brat, something deep down inside him was unable to be outright cruel to him.
"Road, Tyki, and Devit." There was the doll, too, but more important issues had to be addressed first. So Rabi came from almost the same time Allen had been, then? Pausing when they reached the hallway, Kanda contemplated dumping Rabi into one of the rooms, but with the moving of various of residents within, he wasn't too sure as to which was truly unoccupied - and the fact that some of the residents here were slightly less than savory made him reluctant to tangle more with them than was absolutely necessary.
Tch. His room it was, then. Leading Rabi to where the door to his room remained shut, he set Mugen down against the frame, pushed down the knob, and opened the door before picking up his sword again.
"Get in."
Though battered and worn, Rabi could appreciate the sentiment as he took a few tentative steps into the bare room-- it was a rare treat to be invited into Kanda's room, only one of only a handful of times he'd been in the swordsman's dwellings. It was the same as headquarters-- one bed, sparse signs of living, and that glowing lotus on a table. Was that a painting on the wall...?
He veiled his amusement and stood there a bit awkwardly, not knowing where he should go from there. He mulled over Kanda's previous words-- oh, the Noah!!-- and his expression went dour once more. "Tyki..."
"Bastard killed a good few people during his first week here." Kanda spoke, his tone a little more clipped than he'd intended it to be, even as he guided him toward the only place in the room where one could sit - the bed. "Sit down."
Slipping out of the other's grasp, not watching to see if he had settled himself properly, Kanda pulled out the first aid kit from one of the drawers. They were mostly new - generally because Kanda healed exceedingly quickly, and for the wounds that were too deep, Raphael had always been on hand to tend to them, despite vehement objections. Setting Mugen by the side of the drawers, he pulled out a fresh roll of bandages, antiseptic, and gauze. A basin of clean water stood nearby, and Kanda reached for a clean cloth as he said offhandedly, rinsing the cloth.
"Take off your shirt."
Rabi let Kanda lead him to the bed and sat as he was told, expression falling further as he heard about Tyki. His fingers found the zipper pull on his uniform and yanked it down gracelessly, shrugging out of the clinging clothes. He cringed when he pulled on half-congealed wounds as he twisted to pull off the sleeves, but ignored them for the most part.
He pulled his gloves off, tattered and probably in need of replacing, palms scraped up and shredded through to his hands, where he'd grabbed at rubble. He was beat up more than he'd thought he was, a bit surprised, himself, at the amount of scrapes, gashes, and bruises that littered his torso.
The reversal of roles as Kanda broke out a first-aid kit brought back that hint of amusement, though, and his eye fluttered closed, sitting quietly. He'd try not to complain as much as he could in exchange for the treatment, but he made no promises.
Turning back to face Rabi, clean towel in his hands as he assessed the damage done as well as the still bleeding wounds, his lips thinned slightly. The man had been more wounded than he'd thought, but was not inclined to ask him what had happened. Hadn't it been blatant enough?
Watching him for a moment longer than he really should, noting how much he - how much they all had grown - Kanda snapped his gaze from the other's wounded torso to Rabi's face, focusing intently of the other's closed eye as he continued. "Anything broken?"
Rabi gave a light laugh, looking down at his lap. "Nothing but my ego, I think; maybe a cracked rib or two, but... doesn't feel like anything too serious."
Was there really no leaving this place? There'd been theories and all-- about other worlds, or long-lost rips in time. Mu continent, Atlantis, whatever you wanna call it-- was this place like that?
And he'd said Allen was here-- maybe... just maybe, had they all come together, but separated a bit? Perhaps this was a side-effect of the Ark? Maybe there was still hope. To be able to return after they'd had a chance to regroup and recup-- that'd be nice. Really nice.
But in all of history, written and unwritten, when had battles ever been that favorable? Nah, it was unlikely, but a guy could hope.
"Tch." Tossing the clean towel at him, a tad bit grumpy at the fact that he damn well could not push Rabi to the floor and make him sleep there tonight; Kanda went back to unwrapping the bandages. Cracked ribs meant that he had to restrict activity for at least a day or two - perhaps even longer, since Rabi did not have Kanda's beefed up healing constitution.
Reading his silence, having been around him long enough to know that Rabi was already busy speculating the nature of this place and other things, he added. "Clean yourself up." He would apply the antiseptic later, but for now, he needed Rabi to clean his front up. "Are there any wounds on your back as well?"
He flinched as the damp towel hit him, not having even noticed Kanda wetting it in the bowl and wringing the excess water out, it broke his reverie. Rabi began to wipe himself off, pausing as Kanda asked about wounds on his back.
...And he realized he had no clue. Craning his neck to try and look, only able to see his shoulder, he sighed and shrugged. "Feels like it... maybe..?" He couldn't even see his right shoulder with the eyepatch, much less over it.
Going over this time, moving over to take a look at Rabi's back and inevitably narrowing the distance between them, Kanda frowned. The cuts were not deep enough to be serious, but they weren't shallow enough to be considered completely superficial, either. The dirt and grime that laced the cuts had to be cleaned off in case infection set in and made it worse, and the gods knew that they couldn't afford something like that, especially with enemies all around in this City.
"Tch, got into a fight with a Noah?" If he did, Kanda supposed Rabi had gotten off relatively easy. He himself had been in far worse shape than Rabi when he'd entered the City.
He was on his blind side-- something that always made him nervous, and he started to fidget with the towel. "A-ah-- yeah, th' beansprout and I... we were uh..."
Too unnerving. He rested a hand on Kanda's shoulder and nudged him back lightly, cheeks coloring faintly. His voice lowered as he finished, Kanda now in his range of sight again, "we were fighting Tyki, and Allen managed 'ta... kill him, I guess, or at least his Noah powers, but he er..."
He fidgeted with the towel more, rubbing gingerly at a scrape on his forearm. "He came back, I guess, even worse than before."
Ah.
Kanda got the message instantly, especially after seeing him fidget. The Japanese Exorcist had gotten on the other's blind side without realizing it, and he backed away to a suitable distance wordlessly, missing the slight color in the redhead's cheeks. Heading over to the basin and drawing out another clean towel, he soaked it and wrung out the excess before he frowned at the information that he'd just been given. The beansprout had managed to kill him?
"Worse?" Heading over to him, his frown deepened a little more as he contemplated the exact repercussions of that statement. He became something even worse? That was a massive problem in itself, and something that served to darken Kanda's mood even more. "This means that we can't kill the Noah bastard here, then. Turn your back to me."
Rabi nodded slowly, turning around before he answered, "Yeah, like... mm. I had a hard time wrapping my head around what General Cross said, but I think... th' Noah instinct for survival took over? Allen's Innocence has upgraded to th' detachable sword-- I think ya saw that part-- but it has cleansing abilities, and when he cut Tyki with it, it passed through 'im but... it cut the... Noah inside?"
He'd need more time to really process what had happened during that fight, and more research, definitely-- transfer some of the texts he'd read previously onto paper so he could compare easier.
"Th' color drained away and he looked human, yanno? But it only lasted a little while, and then he turned... iono. It was worse than an akuma..."
He was quiet for a moment more, thinking. It was-- he wasn't going to say the "real" Noah, because that'd be a stretch, and he only worked on facts, but...
He was pretty sure that was as far off as he thought it sounded. "I'll sketch 'im for ya, later. Maybe you'll have some ideas too."
"Hn." Kanda nodded, perching on the side of the bed before dabbing the towel against the dirt, cleaning out the wounds quickly, efficiently. He spotted the scars aside from the current wounds as well, faint remnants of fights long past. They mapped stories, these scars, but Kanda himself had none of them to show, thanks to his own curse. Pulling himself back quickly before he could lapse into his own private thoughts, Kanda focused on what Rabi had just said before muttering something vaguely unflattering under his breath. Damn Noah and their tenacity for clinging to life like common roaches.
That, and Allen's new capabilities... It was startling, how that idiot beansprout could grow to be that powerful, but Kanda really, really didn't want to think about him any more than was absolutely necessary. Moving to clean a particularly nasty wound on Rabi's lower back, blood smudging a little on his fingers, he said. "Sleep on your unbruised side tonight."
Usually one that could pull quite a bit of meaning from a simple "hn", without the ability to see the other's face and the ambiguous nature of their discussion, it was difficult to infer any real response from Kanda. When he was finished toweling himself off, he sat quietly, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from whining-- but the swordsman was surprisingly gentle.
Rabi never minded leaving himself in the Japanese exorcist's hands-- because for all his bark and bite, he knew that Kanda had an admirable sense of honor and camaraderie. "'zat my left side? I'm too tired to feel it out, haha."
The redhead wasn't sure what sort of sleeping arrangement was going on, but it was nice that Kanda seemed to care, at least.
"How about if I hit you on both sides and see which one hurts you most?" Kanda retorted dryly, giving him a mildly withering glare. For all of Kanda's snappy retorts and Rabi's lazy, teasing comebacks, the atmosphere was something that resembled comfort. Kanda had worked with the idiot long enough, and as a result, knew him well enough; he supposed that was an unfortunate thing, because apparently Rabi knew him well enough to keep annoying him, too.
Taking his own towel and Rabi's as well, he dumped them into the basin of water before bringing over the antiseptic, the wool, and a chair, setting it down in front of the injured redhead. It annoyed him that he was the only one awake enough to tend to Rabi, but he quickly dismissed it. The faster he finished with it, the better off the both of them would be.
"P-please don't!" He gave a nervous laugh, and sighed. He felt selfish-- being able to leave imminent danger the way he did, to leave everyone behind in that place, and to be here, safe, having someone to look out for him. But if Allen and Lenalee and Miranda and them were all here-- well, what was to say the others wouldn't be coming soon? Would they be okay too?
He peeked over his shoulder and cringed as he saw Kanda sit back down with the antiseptic, knowing that now was the part he was really not looking forward to, and the part that he'd really have to try and bite down on any yelps and complaints.
His only solace was knowing that Kanda was a fast and diligent worker-- it'd be over quick, and if the swordsman felt like sparing his friend, he'd also be relatively gentle.
"Then feel it out yourself, idiot." The swordsman remarked, before dabbing out the antiseptic onto a piece of cotton wool. Well now, back to work. Leaning in slightly closer, he began to apply it to the wounds, deft and quick. The smell of the antiseptic was strong in the air - a scent Kanda personally despised, but then again, there was nothing that could be done about it now.
Tossing the used cotton ball to the floor, he made use of another, making swift, thorough work of the job at hand. Perhaps it stung more than it should have; because a) Kanda was male, and therefore did not possess the same gentle care nurses had, and b) it could also be inferred that Kanda was something of an insensitive jerk as well.
Catching sight of the other's expression and the sigh, he added, his voice firm and resolute, betraying none of his own concerns. "Worrying about them is useless. They'll be fine without us."
He squirmed and bit his lip as the antiseptic burned his wounds, feeling the cold air brushing against the damp skin, doing little to soothe the pain. He closed his eye again, trying to get his mind off the burning sensation and turn back towards something relevant.
It stayed on analyzing the battle with Tyki for about twenty seconds before he gave up, fists clenching in the sheets in his frustration. He knew he had to sort everything out soon-- get something figured out, but the solace of knowing that everything was already filed away gave his mind enough reason to wander away. Which, of course, just plain wasn't. Helping.
He squirmed again and a low whine escaped as Kanda was particularly rough on a gash, and pouted. "Yuuuuu..."
"Tch," The Japanese swordsman retorted impatiently, giving him the Kanda Yuu version of a mild glare. Which, on a normal person, would have looked positively deadly. "Shut up and take it like a man."
Despite those words, however, he had eased up slightly before he finished the front. The smell of blood and antiseptic hung heavy in the room, and Kanda fought down a grimace - he hated that damn smell - before he moved back a little, surveying his handiwork. Not too bad, then. Exorcists had always gotten injured on the job, and even though Kanda rarely had been subject to such treatment, he had to occasionally tend to his comrades' wounds. Comrades meaning Daisya and Marie, of course. Rabi as well, if they went on a mission together, but that had been rare, since Bookman would tend to Rabi himself.
Dampening another piece of wool, he remarked, carelessly brushing his ponytail back over his shoulder; the thing got in the way sometimes. "Turn around."
His limbs were stiff from sitting in one place again so long, but he unfolded himself and did as told, turning to face Kanda and sitting up as straight as he could, eyeing the pile of bloodied cotton balls on the floor.
"I'll uh... I'll clean up, when yer done..." 'If I don't pass out halfway through and sleep for ten hours' was the unspoken latter half of that sentence, but he chided himself against it. He didn't want to impose on Kanda any more than he already was, so the least he could do was get on his knees and gather up the used cotton balls on the ground and toss them out before setting up camp on the floor or whatever.
The awkward tenderness (if it could even be called that by a mile), that the other exorcist displayed made the redhead smile a bit, a lopsided quirk at one corner of his lips. For all he knew, he could've been left for dead on that bench he'd settled on, but...
It was a nice comfort to know that Kanda was here, to know that some of his comrades were in this strange place with him, to have his back if anything happened.
"Yuu-chan... Thank you."
"Don't bother." Kanda responded lazily, tending to the other's front and cleaning it up as well as he could. "What the fuck did I tell you about calling me by my first name, idiot?" It was snappy, but it lacked venom - mostly - and he glanced over at the redhead. It wasn't all that often that he thanked him, and Kanda found that he didn't quite know how to deal with gratitude.
To put it simply, Kanda wasn't all that used to social niceties - polite and formal ones, yes, but otherwise, he supposed he was practically a stranger to it all - and the Japanese swordsman paused for a moment before continuing, a tad bit gruffer than he'd intended. "Can't have you bleeding all over my damn bed."
Kanda was done in a few minutes, dropping the last few cotton balls to the floor before heading over to retrieve the gauze and bandages. "You're sleeping on the bed just for tonight."
Under normal circumstances, he would have balked at letting anyone else - much less Rabi - share his bed, but then again, there was nowhere for him to go at this time of night, and there were no couches available. He just had to make do, then.
"Sorry, sorry-- jus' getting tired. Ah-- I can't take your bed from ya, Kanda!"
He frowned at the Japanese exorcist sitting in front of him, disapproving. The last thing he wanted to do was take the bed from his friend. Though the offer was appreciated; he made a note to get injured more often. Kanda was a lot nicer to him this way...
"It's not going to be a habit, rabbit boy." The Japanese Exorcist snorted, handing the other man the gauze and bandages and returning the frown. The redhead would probably be adept enough to do it himself, and Kanda needed some time to himself. The newest revelations were something that he had half-expected, and it changed a significant amount of things. There were questions, of course; there were always questions, but there was no point pursuing anything immediately - they were at an uncomfortable stalemate, the Noah and the Exorcists, and he knew that he had to be prepared somehow.
Gesturing to the bed, he said. "Stop arguing with me and get some sleep, because you damn well are not going to win this."
Rabi smiled, taking the gauze and starting to wrap it around his middle, struggling a bit to get it behind him and back around. At the mention of sleep, he yawned, trying to refrain from stretching his back.
"Rabbit boy... Yuu-chan, that's not very nice-- an' I never win arguments, we already know that." His smile prevailed, though, and when he got far enough up his chest, he tossed the diminishing roll over his shoulder to retrieve from the back, and brought it under the opposite arm to tie off messily. Not the best job, but it'd do.
He did the same with the bandages, wrapping up midway before giving Kanda a sheepish glance, and held the roll out to him. "Could you er... wrap it tight? Fer the ribs an' all..."
"Never stopped you from annoying me with them, anyway." Taking the roll, he leaned over, careful to not get on Rabi's blind side even as he pulled it relatively firmly, wrapping it tight. Kanda supposed that the redhead was a little more tired than he'd thought, and he saved the snark for now, securing the bandages so that they didn't fall off when he moved.
Stepping away and bending to gather the discarded cotton balls from the floor and tossing them into the bin, he repacked the first aid kit and surveyed Rabi briefly, hands in his pockets. There were things he wanted to ask - things he wanted to know despite himself; had he come out of there alive? Did Rabi know? - but they could wait. His pride would not allow him to be a desperate man, seeking out answers about his own survival, not when he told that Noah bastard that he would come out of it alive.
"We'll talk tomorrow."
Rabi yawned again, covering his mouth as Kanda wrapped his ribs for him, giving the other exorcist a sleepy smile. "Tomorrow sounds good; time for bed, na?"
His hands slid down his sides, pressing lightly to feel which was more tender, and his earlier guess was right-- he'd be sleeping on his left side tonight. But that made him a bit more comfortable anyways-- back to the wall, even if it hindered his sight a bit.
The glow from the encased lotus flower caught his attention as he stood up, stretching minimally before he broke away and went to pull the blankets down, glancing at Kanda.
"So er... it's safe here? This building, I mean."
"It's safe." Observing him for a few moments, knowing that Rabi had clearly seen the lotus - Kanda supposed that if he gave no indication that the flower meant something from him, the Bookman's heir wouldn't ask - he shrugged, just a little. "The angels offered their protection to us. The Noah won't get in here."
It wasn't often that Kanda trusted anyone else other than himself, but Alexiel and the others had been rather civil, and had not bothered very much with their affairs, and Kanda was willing to return the sentiment. The angel had been one of few words, and that suited him perfectly. Moving away from the drawers, he headed towards the window, the window sill large enough for Kanda to settle himself on.
He'd shared a room with Rabi before on their missions, and this was no different. There was something strangely, uncomfortably intimate about Rabi sleeping on the bed he slept on, but Kanda pushed it away, refusing to put more thought into it. It wasn't worth dwelling on, and Kanda was going to stubbornly stick to that line of thought.
"...Angels?" The word piqued his interest enough to pause in his smoothing of the sheets, climbing into the bed and getting as far off to one side as he could. It was only made for one person, it seemed, but he could get up against the wall if he needed to.
He watched Kanda with a slight fascination as he sat on the windowsill and seemed so used to this place-- the City, huh? It seemed Rabi would be getting used to it soon, too-- and wondered what kind of angels he was referring to. God's angels? Disciples of a higher power? Were they angels in name only, some different race?
Even in his short stay in the City center, he'd seen many different kinds of people, and it made one wonder. Just... what sort of place was this City? What was its purpose? Was there even a purpose? Who was in charge?
So many questions, but each one seemed to be more weight on his eyelid, which was soon drooping quite a bit, his sight narrowed to a small sliver, Kanda's neck and shoulders the only visible part of the Japanese exorcist.
He slumped back slowly, laying down on his back just long enough to cringe, weight on the wounds uncomfortable, and he turned onto his side, burying his face into the pillow. He was still listening, if Kanda chose to answer him.
"Angels," Kanda responded, as if that answer took care of everything. He was well aware of what Rabi was wondering, and the questions that would eat at him, but Kanda had never been the type to explain things well - mostly because he lacked the patience required to do it. He would pass Rabi the guide later, and knowing him, he would spend hours upon hours poring over the sentences, the words, trying to make sense of it all. Right now, however, it was time for rest. For both Rabi and himself - it had been a long day, and even though Kanda wasn't hurt in the least, he'd worn himself out on the extensive training regime he'd set himself on.
"You'll get your answers tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, hmm~?" He should've known better, really; of course Kanda would evade the question, because he was probably as tired as Rabi was-- well, that was a stretch, but tired nonetheless-- and probably wanted to sleep just as much.
The redhead nestled into the pillow further, inhaling the fresh scent that always clung to Kanda. The soap he washed his hair with, wasn't it? Yeah..
Rating; PG for shirtless men?
Characters; Kanda Yuu [to_sublimate] & Rabi [oodzuchi]
Summary; Rabi's grandiose entrance to the City involved a fair amount of whining, pain, and a soft borrowed bed.
Log;
The redhead took a ginger seat on one of the benches in the square, too tired to even observe his surroundings. He'd woken up with his hammer next to him, a bit cracked, but still intact-- a blessing, really. One never wanted to be unarmed in unknown surroundings. But despite the unknown, his mind was wandering uncharacteristically.
Why was Kanda here? Hadn't he... back then, he'd--- no, it did no good to question things. It might've just been a dream. The Bookman in him snorted, but Rabi ignored it. It was okay for now, right...? To let his guard down a teensy bit. There didn't seem to be any imminent danger, and he was so tired...
He'd posted on some strange computer thing, and people responded well enough, and then he'd replied, and said he'd come meet him. Rabi knew-- even if they were just words on a screen, even if he really was just dreaming-- that Kanda would come. He mighta been a jerk sometimes, but they were comrades, right?
Rabi was here again, it seemed, and Kanda was undecided on how, specifically, he should feel about that particular revelation. Indifference, annoyance that he was here instead of protecting the Order, or the realization that he was still alive, and there was hope yet for the Exorcists? Of course, he knew that Rabi stood as much chance of dying here as back home, especially with the Noah still lurking here, but there was strength in numbers, even if Kanda refused to acknowledge that he himself would also require backup once in a long, long while.
He'd left for the Square as soon as Rabi divulged where he was, his strides quick and full of purpose - it didn't take a genius to realize that Rabi was in very bad shape, and Kanda didn't want to acknowledge that that particular realization unsettled him just that little bit. It had been quickly pushed out of mind, however, and soon, he spotted the redhead at one of the benches - what did he think he was doing, resting like that?
"Rabi." Kanda barked, a little harsher, a little more urgent than he would have liked, especially with the potential of having the Noah in the vicinity. Wounded or not, this was not the place to heal them. "Wake up."
He jerked to attention, body sore and wounds throbbing as he sat up again, sight focusing on the samurai in front of him. "Haha, Yuu-chan~ s'good ta see ya.."
His movements were slow, but he brought a hand up to rub at his face, trying to wake himself up more. It was mighty tempting to sleep, really, but he knew Kanda'd just yell at him until he was on his feet. Fighting against the lethargy settling in, he stood up and stretched, cringing.
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean 'ta nod off on ya-- I'm awake, promise."
And the redhead forced a lopsided smile, awaiting Kanda's direction. It was really Kanda, he knew-- and he'd put his complete trust in him. Besides, even an abusive Kanda was better than a... Kanda that was gone, right? The memory of leaving his friend to fight that Noah still left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it made his chest tighten.
What had happened while he was fighting the Noah bastard? For something to land Rabi in such bad shape, it was clear that it was nothing less than that massive akuma, or one of the Noah. Funny, how it seemed to be months since he was last in the battlefield. It was an almost bitter feeling, being set aside in this place without knowing if the others were okay.
It was a small comfort, Kanda grudgingly acknowledged, that Rabi was here. He didn't miss Rabi's cringe, and knew instinctively that he was most probably a lot more battered than he'd let on.
Stopping in front of him, dressed casually in his white shirt and pants, Mugen in his other hand, Kanda waited for him to get to his feet. He would offer support, but only if it was clear that Rabi needed it. Bound by his own concept of honor, the swordsman was not going to interfere there was a need for it. Instead, he paused for a moment before commenting. "You look like shit."
There was no need for Rabi to know what Kanda was thinking, or if the slightest bit of relief that served as an undercurrent for those gruff, clipped words were real.
Upon closer inspection, as the redhead stumbled a bit closer to Kanda, he was glad to see that he seemed to be okay. No visible wounds or anything-- the relief that flooded him wasn't entirely expected and he wobbled a bit more, bringing a hand up to his head. Had he lost that much blood...? But he was steadied a moment later, the support that his fellow exorcist provided just by being there enough to ground him.
He chuckled lightly, clamping a hand on Kanda's shoulder as he began to walk. He'd try and keep a good pace lest he anger his friend. "Thanks, Yuu, it's good to see you're doing well too~"
Had he gotten used to decoding Kanda's words and tone of voice? Maybe just a little bit; but he could probably do well to read up a few more books on body language and psychological behavior.
"No one's... really given me a straight answer... but uh..."
He looked around briefly-- so many different kinds of people, all giving off different feelings. "What exactly... is this place..?"
"Who the hell gave you permission to touch me?" Kanda demanded, but made no move to shrug the other's hand off - sensing that he, perhaps, needed the support. Pausing briefly, he looked back at him. He'd heard of people who left not being able to remember that they were here, of course, but being faced with it directly was another kind of feeling entirely.
"You don't remember? You were here before." Really, did he have to explain everything to him again? With a faint, disgruntled sound, he responded. "You're in the City, a shithole of a place where you can't get out." A pause, then. "A few of the Noah are here as well."
His strides lacked the urgency, the solid determination he had possessed earlier, even as his gray eyes scanned his surroundings ever so often. He was a jerk, yes, but he had mellowed - just slightly - enough not to keep up his punishing pace when Rabi looked like that. His grip on Mugen had not loosened, even as he spared Rabi a glance. "I'll pass you the guide later, so you can shut up and read that."
After, of course, the idiot had his wounds tended to.
Rabi debated retracting his hand, but realized that if Kanda had really meant his threat, he would've smacked the offending appendage away. But upon the other's questioning, he bit his lip and tried to recall something-- anything-- from a previous visit to this place. Though the effort was unnecessary. If he remembered, he would've remembered right away.
"I've... been here before? ..Are ya sure?"
And then, not too long after, ".....Noah..."
His senses seemed to sharpen then, understanding Kanda's shifty glances around as they walked. He lowered his voice so it was barely above a whisper, leaning on Kanda a bit more. "How many...? Are there any akuma? What about other exorcists?"
Most perturbed at having his personal space invaded, Kanda tamped down the reflex action to move away before Rabi's question focused his attentions onto more important tasks. It was imperative that Rabi knew what he was in as soon as possible; the Firehouse may have the protection they required, but the Exorcists needed to head outside sometime.
A curt nod at the first question, then he answered the next series of questions easily, already reaching the Firehouse and pushing open the doors. Rabi's quick reversion to business was somewhat reassuring, and another sign that the redhead wasn't in danger of dying anytime soon, despite the looks of it.
"Three, at last count. Has akuma potential. The beansprout, Lenalee, and Miranda are here."
"Three Noah..." His head was pounding again, that deep-seated pain pulling at his temples, and he didn't pay much attention as Kanda led them into some building, following his lead.
"Where... Is this place safe, then..?"
He was ready to nod off-- it'd been a long time since he last rested, and his body ached for it. He was starting to understand that this place was quite real, as well, but it was too much for him to wrap his mind around. Yuu mentioned something about a guide... maybe that'd help out, too.
Surprised, though, he fought the sleepiness that pulled at his body and asked, "Miranda, too? But I was just-- and Allen, he--"
No, he was definitely too tired for this.
Glancing back at him when he heard those words, wondering if Rabi was from a time where the akuma and the Noah had made their move on the Order's Headquarters - he was more than aware of the fact that it was just a matter of time before that happened - Kanda led the way upstairs. The Firehouse was quiet now, and Kanda had enough manners not to stomp around and make a general din. The angels - despite everything - had offered them a place to stay, and protection; there was no point being rude about it.
"You were just what?"
"...I was just with him, and--"
And Miranda? Hadn't she been safe outside of the Ark? They'd left her with the old man and the group of seekers, and Kanda's teammates...
"...Which of the Noah are here?"
His footfalls were heavy, but not loud, as he took his time up the stairs. No point in rushing if you ended up tripping back down them, at any rate. He kept a tentative hold on Kanda, hand slipping down from his shoulder to grasp his arm. He knew it was intruding of him to do so, but...
...Well, he was never one to ask for help, but they seemed to have that mutual understanding. It seemed okay-- he wasn't swatting his hands away yet.
And Kanda, despite initial, unfavorable reactions, was not about to. Rabi needed help, and it was just stupid not to give it - they were not back home anymore. In here, the Exorcists were forced to look out for their own. Naturally, Kanda had been displeased by this, but a person made do. That, and despite the fact that Rabi was really an incurable idiot rabbit brat, something deep down inside him was unable to be outright cruel to him.
"Road, Tyki, and Devit." There was the doll, too, but more important issues had to be addressed first. So Rabi came from almost the same time Allen had been, then? Pausing when they reached the hallway, Kanda contemplated dumping Rabi into one of the rooms, but with the moving of various of residents within, he wasn't too sure as to which was truly unoccupied - and the fact that some of the residents here were slightly less than savory made him reluctant to tangle more with them than was absolutely necessary.
Tch. His room it was, then. Leading Rabi to where the door to his room remained shut, he set Mugen down against the frame, pushed down the knob, and opened the door before picking up his sword again.
"Get in."
Though battered and worn, Rabi could appreciate the sentiment as he took a few tentative steps into the bare room-- it was a rare treat to be invited into Kanda's room, only one of only a handful of times he'd been in the swordsman's dwellings. It was the same as headquarters-- one bed, sparse signs of living, and that glowing lotus on a table. Was that a painting on the wall...?
He veiled his amusement and stood there a bit awkwardly, not knowing where he should go from there. He mulled over Kanda's previous words-- oh, the Noah!!-- and his expression went dour once more. "Tyki..."
"Bastard killed a good few people during his first week here." Kanda spoke, his tone a little more clipped than he'd intended it to be, even as he guided him toward the only place in the room where one could sit - the bed. "Sit down."
Slipping out of the other's grasp, not watching to see if he had settled himself properly, Kanda pulled out the first aid kit from one of the drawers. They were mostly new - generally because Kanda healed exceedingly quickly, and for the wounds that were too deep, Raphael had always been on hand to tend to them, despite vehement objections. Setting Mugen by the side of the drawers, he pulled out a fresh roll of bandages, antiseptic, and gauze. A basin of clean water stood nearby, and Kanda reached for a clean cloth as he said offhandedly, rinsing the cloth.
"Take off your shirt."
Rabi let Kanda lead him to the bed and sat as he was told, expression falling further as he heard about Tyki. His fingers found the zipper pull on his uniform and yanked it down gracelessly, shrugging out of the clinging clothes. He cringed when he pulled on half-congealed wounds as he twisted to pull off the sleeves, but ignored them for the most part.
He pulled his gloves off, tattered and probably in need of replacing, palms scraped up and shredded through to his hands, where he'd grabbed at rubble. He was beat up more than he'd thought he was, a bit surprised, himself, at the amount of scrapes, gashes, and bruises that littered his torso.
The reversal of roles as Kanda broke out a first-aid kit brought back that hint of amusement, though, and his eye fluttered closed, sitting quietly. He'd try not to complain as much as he could in exchange for the treatment, but he made no promises.
Turning back to face Rabi, clean towel in his hands as he assessed the damage done as well as the still bleeding wounds, his lips thinned slightly. The man had been more wounded than he'd thought, but was not inclined to ask him what had happened. Hadn't it been blatant enough?
Watching him for a moment longer than he really should, noting how much he - how much they all had grown - Kanda snapped his gaze from the other's wounded torso to Rabi's face, focusing intently of the other's closed eye as he continued. "Anything broken?"
Rabi gave a light laugh, looking down at his lap. "Nothing but my ego, I think; maybe a cracked rib or two, but... doesn't feel like anything too serious."
Was there really no leaving this place? There'd been theories and all-- about other worlds, or long-lost rips in time. Mu continent, Atlantis, whatever you wanna call it-- was this place like that?
And he'd said Allen was here-- maybe... just maybe, had they all come together, but separated a bit? Perhaps this was a side-effect of the Ark? Maybe there was still hope. To be able to return after they'd had a chance to regroup and recup-- that'd be nice. Really nice.
But in all of history, written and unwritten, when had battles ever been that favorable? Nah, it was unlikely, but a guy could hope.
"Tch." Tossing the clean towel at him, a tad bit grumpy at the fact that he damn well could not push Rabi to the floor and make him sleep there tonight; Kanda went back to unwrapping the bandages. Cracked ribs meant that he had to restrict activity for at least a day or two - perhaps even longer, since Rabi did not have Kanda's beefed up healing constitution.
Reading his silence, having been around him long enough to know that Rabi was already busy speculating the nature of this place and other things, he added. "Clean yourself up." He would apply the antiseptic later, but for now, he needed Rabi to clean his front up. "Are there any wounds on your back as well?"
He flinched as the damp towel hit him, not having even noticed Kanda wetting it in the bowl and wringing the excess water out, it broke his reverie. Rabi began to wipe himself off, pausing as Kanda asked about wounds on his back.
...And he realized he had no clue. Craning his neck to try and look, only able to see his shoulder, he sighed and shrugged. "Feels like it... maybe..?" He couldn't even see his right shoulder with the eyepatch, much less over it.
Going over this time, moving over to take a look at Rabi's back and inevitably narrowing the distance between them, Kanda frowned. The cuts were not deep enough to be serious, but they weren't shallow enough to be considered completely superficial, either. The dirt and grime that laced the cuts had to be cleaned off in case infection set in and made it worse, and the gods knew that they couldn't afford something like that, especially with enemies all around in this City.
"Tch, got into a fight with a Noah?" If he did, Kanda supposed Rabi had gotten off relatively easy. He himself had been in far worse shape than Rabi when he'd entered the City.
He was on his blind side-- something that always made him nervous, and he started to fidget with the towel. "A-ah-- yeah, th' beansprout and I... we were uh..."
Too unnerving. He rested a hand on Kanda's shoulder and nudged him back lightly, cheeks coloring faintly. His voice lowered as he finished, Kanda now in his range of sight again, "we were fighting Tyki, and Allen managed 'ta... kill him, I guess, or at least his Noah powers, but he er..."
He fidgeted with the towel more, rubbing gingerly at a scrape on his forearm. "He came back, I guess, even worse than before."
Ah.
Kanda got the message instantly, especially after seeing him fidget. The Japanese Exorcist had gotten on the other's blind side without realizing it, and he backed away to a suitable distance wordlessly, missing the slight color in the redhead's cheeks. Heading over to the basin and drawing out another clean towel, he soaked it and wrung out the excess before he frowned at the information that he'd just been given. The beansprout had managed to kill him?
"Worse?" Heading over to him, his frown deepened a little more as he contemplated the exact repercussions of that statement. He became something even worse? That was a massive problem in itself, and something that served to darken Kanda's mood even more. "This means that we can't kill the Noah bastard here, then. Turn your back to me."
Rabi nodded slowly, turning around before he answered, "Yeah, like... mm. I had a hard time wrapping my head around what General Cross said, but I think... th' Noah instinct for survival took over? Allen's Innocence has upgraded to th' detachable sword-- I think ya saw that part-- but it has cleansing abilities, and when he cut Tyki with it, it passed through 'im but... it cut the... Noah inside?"
He'd need more time to really process what had happened during that fight, and more research, definitely-- transfer some of the texts he'd read previously onto paper so he could compare easier.
"Th' color drained away and he looked human, yanno? But it only lasted a little while, and then he turned... iono. It was worse than an akuma..."
He was quiet for a moment more, thinking. It was-- he wasn't going to say the "real" Noah, because that'd be a stretch, and he only worked on facts, but...
He was pretty sure that was as far off as he thought it sounded. "I'll sketch 'im for ya, later. Maybe you'll have some ideas too."
"Hn." Kanda nodded, perching on the side of the bed before dabbing the towel against the dirt, cleaning out the wounds quickly, efficiently. He spotted the scars aside from the current wounds as well, faint remnants of fights long past. They mapped stories, these scars, but Kanda himself had none of them to show, thanks to his own curse. Pulling himself back quickly before he could lapse into his own private thoughts, Kanda focused on what Rabi had just said before muttering something vaguely unflattering under his breath. Damn Noah and their tenacity for clinging to life like common roaches.
That, and Allen's new capabilities... It was startling, how that idiot beansprout could grow to be that powerful, but Kanda really, really didn't want to think about him any more than was absolutely necessary. Moving to clean a particularly nasty wound on Rabi's lower back, blood smudging a little on his fingers, he said. "Sleep on your unbruised side tonight."
Usually one that could pull quite a bit of meaning from a simple "hn", without the ability to see the other's face and the ambiguous nature of their discussion, it was difficult to infer any real response from Kanda. When he was finished toweling himself off, he sat quietly, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from whining-- but the swordsman was surprisingly gentle.
Rabi never minded leaving himself in the Japanese exorcist's hands-- because for all his bark and bite, he knew that Kanda had an admirable sense of honor and camaraderie. "'zat my left side? I'm too tired to feel it out, haha."
The redhead wasn't sure what sort of sleeping arrangement was going on, but it was nice that Kanda seemed to care, at least.
"How about if I hit you on both sides and see which one hurts you most?" Kanda retorted dryly, giving him a mildly withering glare. For all of Kanda's snappy retorts and Rabi's lazy, teasing comebacks, the atmosphere was something that resembled comfort. Kanda had worked with the idiot long enough, and as a result, knew him well enough; he supposed that was an unfortunate thing, because apparently Rabi knew him well enough to keep annoying him, too.
Taking his own towel and Rabi's as well, he dumped them into the basin of water before bringing over the antiseptic, the wool, and a chair, setting it down in front of the injured redhead. It annoyed him that he was the only one awake enough to tend to Rabi, but he quickly dismissed it. The faster he finished with it, the better off the both of them would be.
"P-please don't!" He gave a nervous laugh, and sighed. He felt selfish-- being able to leave imminent danger the way he did, to leave everyone behind in that place, and to be here, safe, having someone to look out for him. But if Allen and Lenalee and Miranda and them were all here-- well, what was to say the others wouldn't be coming soon? Would they be okay too?
He peeked over his shoulder and cringed as he saw Kanda sit back down with the antiseptic, knowing that now was the part he was really not looking forward to, and the part that he'd really have to try and bite down on any yelps and complaints.
His only solace was knowing that Kanda was a fast and diligent worker-- it'd be over quick, and if the swordsman felt like sparing his friend, he'd also be relatively gentle.
"Then feel it out yourself, idiot." The swordsman remarked, before dabbing out the antiseptic onto a piece of cotton wool. Well now, back to work. Leaning in slightly closer, he began to apply it to the wounds, deft and quick. The smell of the antiseptic was strong in the air - a scent Kanda personally despised, but then again, there was nothing that could be done about it now.
Tossing the used cotton ball to the floor, he made use of another, making swift, thorough work of the job at hand. Perhaps it stung more than it should have; because a) Kanda was male, and therefore did not possess the same gentle care nurses had, and b) it could also be inferred that Kanda was something of an insensitive jerk as well.
Catching sight of the other's expression and the sigh, he added, his voice firm and resolute, betraying none of his own concerns. "Worrying about them is useless. They'll be fine without us."
He squirmed and bit his lip as the antiseptic burned his wounds, feeling the cold air brushing against the damp skin, doing little to soothe the pain. He closed his eye again, trying to get his mind off the burning sensation and turn back towards something relevant.
It stayed on analyzing the battle with Tyki for about twenty seconds before he gave up, fists clenching in the sheets in his frustration. He knew he had to sort everything out soon-- get something figured out, but the solace of knowing that everything was already filed away gave his mind enough reason to wander away. Which, of course, just plain wasn't. Helping.
He squirmed again and a low whine escaped as Kanda was particularly rough on a gash, and pouted. "Yuuuuu..."
"Tch," The Japanese swordsman retorted impatiently, giving him the Kanda Yuu version of a mild glare. Which, on a normal person, would have looked positively deadly. "Shut up and take it like a man."
Despite those words, however, he had eased up slightly before he finished the front. The smell of blood and antiseptic hung heavy in the room, and Kanda fought down a grimace - he hated that damn smell - before he moved back a little, surveying his handiwork. Not too bad, then. Exorcists had always gotten injured on the job, and even though Kanda rarely had been subject to such treatment, he had to occasionally tend to his comrades' wounds. Comrades meaning Daisya and Marie, of course. Rabi as well, if they went on a mission together, but that had been rare, since Bookman would tend to Rabi himself.
Dampening another piece of wool, he remarked, carelessly brushing his ponytail back over his shoulder; the thing got in the way sometimes. "Turn around."
His limbs were stiff from sitting in one place again so long, but he unfolded himself and did as told, turning to face Kanda and sitting up as straight as he could, eyeing the pile of bloodied cotton balls on the floor.
"I'll uh... I'll clean up, when yer done..." 'If I don't pass out halfway through and sleep for ten hours' was the unspoken latter half of that sentence, but he chided himself against it. He didn't want to impose on Kanda any more than he already was, so the least he could do was get on his knees and gather up the used cotton balls on the ground and toss them out before setting up camp on the floor or whatever.
The awkward tenderness (if it could even be called that by a mile), that the other exorcist displayed made the redhead smile a bit, a lopsided quirk at one corner of his lips. For all he knew, he could've been left for dead on that bench he'd settled on, but...
It was a nice comfort to know that Kanda was here, to know that some of his comrades were in this strange place with him, to have his back if anything happened.
"Yuu-chan... Thank you."
"Don't bother." Kanda responded lazily, tending to the other's front and cleaning it up as well as he could. "What the fuck did I tell you about calling me by my first name, idiot?" It was snappy, but it lacked venom - mostly - and he glanced over at the redhead. It wasn't all that often that he thanked him, and Kanda found that he didn't quite know how to deal with gratitude.
To put it simply, Kanda wasn't all that used to social niceties - polite and formal ones, yes, but otherwise, he supposed he was practically a stranger to it all - and the Japanese swordsman paused for a moment before continuing, a tad bit gruffer than he'd intended. "Can't have you bleeding all over my damn bed."
Kanda was done in a few minutes, dropping the last few cotton balls to the floor before heading over to retrieve the gauze and bandages. "You're sleeping on the bed just for tonight."
Under normal circumstances, he would have balked at letting anyone else - much less Rabi - share his bed, but then again, there was nowhere for him to go at this time of night, and there were no couches available. He just had to make do, then.
"Sorry, sorry-- jus' getting tired. Ah-- I can't take your bed from ya, Kanda!"
He frowned at the Japanese exorcist sitting in front of him, disapproving. The last thing he wanted to do was take the bed from his friend. Though the offer was appreciated; he made a note to get injured more often. Kanda was a lot nicer to him this way...
"It's not going to be a habit, rabbit boy." The Japanese Exorcist snorted, handing the other man the gauze and bandages and returning the frown. The redhead would probably be adept enough to do it himself, and Kanda needed some time to himself. The newest revelations were something that he had half-expected, and it changed a significant amount of things. There were questions, of course; there were always questions, but there was no point pursuing anything immediately - they were at an uncomfortable stalemate, the Noah and the Exorcists, and he knew that he had to be prepared somehow.
Gesturing to the bed, he said. "Stop arguing with me and get some sleep, because you damn well are not going to win this."
Rabi smiled, taking the gauze and starting to wrap it around his middle, struggling a bit to get it behind him and back around. At the mention of sleep, he yawned, trying to refrain from stretching his back.
"Rabbit boy... Yuu-chan, that's not very nice-- an' I never win arguments, we already know that." His smile prevailed, though, and when he got far enough up his chest, he tossed the diminishing roll over his shoulder to retrieve from the back, and brought it under the opposite arm to tie off messily. Not the best job, but it'd do.
He did the same with the bandages, wrapping up midway before giving Kanda a sheepish glance, and held the roll out to him. "Could you er... wrap it tight? Fer the ribs an' all..."
"Never stopped you from annoying me with them, anyway." Taking the roll, he leaned over, careful to not get on Rabi's blind side even as he pulled it relatively firmly, wrapping it tight. Kanda supposed that the redhead was a little more tired than he'd thought, and he saved the snark for now, securing the bandages so that they didn't fall off when he moved.
Stepping away and bending to gather the discarded cotton balls from the floor and tossing them into the bin, he repacked the first aid kit and surveyed Rabi briefly, hands in his pockets. There were things he wanted to ask - things he wanted to know despite himself; had he come out of there alive? Did Rabi know? - but they could wait. His pride would not allow him to be a desperate man, seeking out answers about his own survival, not when he told that Noah bastard that he would come out of it alive.
"We'll talk tomorrow."
Rabi yawned again, covering his mouth as Kanda wrapped his ribs for him, giving the other exorcist a sleepy smile. "Tomorrow sounds good; time for bed, na?"
His hands slid down his sides, pressing lightly to feel which was more tender, and his earlier guess was right-- he'd be sleeping on his left side tonight. But that made him a bit more comfortable anyways-- back to the wall, even if it hindered his sight a bit.
The glow from the encased lotus flower caught his attention as he stood up, stretching minimally before he broke away and went to pull the blankets down, glancing at Kanda.
"So er... it's safe here? This building, I mean."
"It's safe." Observing him for a few moments, knowing that Rabi had clearly seen the lotus - Kanda supposed that if he gave no indication that the flower meant something from him, the Bookman's heir wouldn't ask - he shrugged, just a little. "The angels offered their protection to us. The Noah won't get in here."
It wasn't often that Kanda trusted anyone else other than himself, but Alexiel and the others had been rather civil, and had not bothered very much with their affairs, and Kanda was willing to return the sentiment. The angel had been one of few words, and that suited him perfectly. Moving away from the drawers, he headed towards the window, the window sill large enough for Kanda to settle himself on.
He'd shared a room with Rabi before on their missions, and this was no different. There was something strangely, uncomfortably intimate about Rabi sleeping on the bed he slept on, but Kanda pushed it away, refusing to put more thought into it. It wasn't worth dwelling on, and Kanda was going to stubbornly stick to that line of thought.
"...Angels?" The word piqued his interest enough to pause in his smoothing of the sheets, climbing into the bed and getting as far off to one side as he could. It was only made for one person, it seemed, but he could get up against the wall if he needed to.
He watched Kanda with a slight fascination as he sat on the windowsill and seemed so used to this place-- the City, huh? It seemed Rabi would be getting used to it soon, too-- and wondered what kind of angels he was referring to. God's angels? Disciples of a higher power? Were they angels in name only, some different race?
Even in his short stay in the City center, he'd seen many different kinds of people, and it made one wonder. Just... what sort of place was this City? What was its purpose? Was there even a purpose? Who was in charge?
So many questions, but each one seemed to be more weight on his eyelid, which was soon drooping quite a bit, his sight narrowed to a small sliver, Kanda's neck and shoulders the only visible part of the Japanese exorcist.
He slumped back slowly, laying down on his back just long enough to cringe, weight on the wounds uncomfortable, and he turned onto his side, burying his face into the pillow. He was still listening, if Kanda chose to answer him.
"Angels," Kanda responded, as if that answer took care of everything. He was well aware of what Rabi was wondering, and the questions that would eat at him, but Kanda had never been the type to explain things well - mostly because he lacked the patience required to do it. He would pass Rabi the guide later, and knowing him, he would spend hours upon hours poring over the sentences, the words, trying to make sense of it all. Right now, however, it was time for rest. For both Rabi and himself - it had been a long day, and even though Kanda wasn't hurt in the least, he'd worn himself out on the extensive training regime he'd set himself on.
"You'll get your answers tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, hmm~?" He should've known better, really; of course Kanda would evade the question, because he was probably as tired as Rabi was-- well, that was a stretch, but tired nonetheless-- and probably wanted to sleep just as much.
The redhead nestled into the pillow further, inhaling the fresh scent that always clung to Kanda. The soap he washed his hair with, wasn't it? Yeah..