Chapter Text
When Kanda first arrived at the Black Order headquarters, something in him finally relented to caring about General Tiedoll, just a little. It took him a painfully short amount of time to fully understand the small mercy Tiedoll had granted him, by letting him travel the roads and cities, free of the Order's many eyes – even if it was just for a little while.
He still refused when Tiedoll tried to hold his clammy hand, as they stood in front of Branch Chiefs office, officially registering Kanda as an Exorcist in his own right. No longer a threat to be under constant watch. Tiedoll settled for patting his head, as Kanda tried to squirm away from his hand.
“I only ask that you don't swear at him.”
The conversation between the three of them was almost immediately lost to Kanda, but he was aware that he did swear at that shitty looking, uptight man many, many times.
“I'll only be here for tonight, and a little while in the morning.” Tiedoll began, once they had stepped outside the office. He was already sketching, seeming to care very little that Kanda had completely ignored his one request. “Would you like if I showed you around?”
“No.”
“Oh, Yuu. I'll miss you.”
“I won't.”
Tiedoll sighed, not necessarily upset, but certainly tired. “If you give me a few minutes, I'll have you a map. I'm not sure where your room will be, but you can mark it yourself, if you need to.”
“I don't need a map.” Kanda gave Tiedoll a quick, indignant glare that Tiedoll either missed, or deliberately ignored.
“It's a very big building.” A man in a science uniform, making his way awkwardly around the two of them, brought Tiedoll back to reality. “In the meantime, let's get dinner.” He smiled at Kanda. “The food here is much better than my cooking.”
“Good.”
Tiedoll continued working on his map, as he led Kanda down to the cafeteria, unfazed by the few accidents he nearly caused along the way.
“You can pick whatever you like, there is no fee. Please get me a pea soup.”
“You can get it yourself.”
“I'll get us a table.”
Kanda let out a breath, as he watched Tiedoll mindlessly wander off. He considered also just wandering off, letting Tiedoll stew in losing him again, but Kanda was hungry, and watching the stupid, old man cry was never as satisfying as he wanted it to be. He received a few curious stares as he got in line, and was vaguely aware of a few people trying to speak with him, but he didn't retain much of anything. He got two pea soups, unsure of what to order for himself.
“Thank you, son.” Tiedoll took a soup, absentmindedly spilling some onto his hand, as Kanda placed the tray down. He wiped the hand on his pants, without really pausing from his work.
“I'm not your son.” Kanda slipped Mugen off his shoulder, taking the seat across from Tiedoll. It took him one spoonful to decide the soup was disgusting. “I thought you said the food here was good.”
“I enjoy it.”
Kanda groaned, pushing the bowl across the table. He supposed it was what he got for trusting Tiedoll's taste in anything.
“You can get something else, if you don't like it. There's no fee.”
Kanda pillowed his head on his arms, too exhausted to try and think of something else to eat. He tried to remember how they had gotten from the front gate to the office, and the office to the cafeteria. A folded piece of paper slipped under Kanda's hand, dragging him out of the labyrinth his mind had created out of the Order's hallway's.
“I've marked my room, and Marie's, on there as well.” With that, Tiedoll finally turned to his untouched food. “Marie is out on a mission right now, but he should be back within four or five days. Think of him as your older brother. Ask him for help, if you need it.”
“The stupidest shit comes out of your mouth, you know that?”
The comment seemed to roll right over Tiedoll. “It's been quite a few months since you've seen each other. I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about.”
“I doubt it.”
“He's a good boy, Yuu. Please, don't push him away.”
“I'll do what I want.”
“Please, you've been recovering well this past year but, and while I'll always be here, we'll be seeing less of each other now, Yuu. I want to be sure you don't regress, and I think you and Marie having gone through that experience together-”
“Fuck you.” Kanda interjected, stiffly and full of venom. “You have no idea what I've gone through, and I'm not your son, you crazy old man.” Kanda glazed over Tiedoll's pathetic, defeated face, as he grabbed Mugen and rose to his feet. Tiedoll didn't try to stop him, as he left.
-
As Kanda made his way aimlessly through the tower, he quickly began to regret ditching Tiedoll. He had never been here, but every so often he would turn a corner, and something in his chest would rise, and then fall, when Alma wasn't waiting to greet him. Following Tiedoll through places Kanda was sure he had never been, everything had been new and painful - it was almost like Kanda had always been alone. Here, thousands of miles away from where he had started, the walls seemed to echo with the space where Alma wasn't.
Kanda stared at the entrance to the Asia Branch, mind hazy. The General had his hand clasped tightly around Kanda's. The Exorcist stood next to him, a nervous energy radiating from him; his injuries healed but he was still scarred. The Crows had come, found Kanda and the Exorcist in the woods – both of them barely alive, but still trying to fight back. There was no secrecy to his existence anymore, as they had pulled him through the main gate, back into the Branch, screaming. He was sure he had killed at least one of them, in the woods, but it did nothing to comfort him. He had never been to this part of the Branch before, but he knew it, he knew Alma wouldn't be here anymore. He was leaving now, no longer alone, still barely alive. The Exorcist, and his General, and Kanda – Yuu was Alma's and so Yuu was gone.
In the early hours of the morning, Kanda found Tiedoll's room on his own. Tiedoll wasn't very hard to sneak up on when he was awake, so Kanda made himself comfortable next to his bed, and quietly looked over the map Tiedoll had left on his beside table. The back included a check list of things Kanda had to get done the next day. When the sky began to lighten, Kanda snuck back out.
He didn't bother going to say goodbye the next day.