Chapter 1: First Meetings

She stood there motionlessly, staring at the tranquil water in front of her. The sea breeze was cooling as her luscious locks the colour of blood fluttered in the air. Chaos reigned around her: Houses were slowly being destroyed, the screams of terrified innocents could be heard as more lives were lost. Something monstrous was roaming about, leaving destruction in its wake.

Oddly enough, she did not fear death. On the contrary, she felt emptiness in her heart. It was as if she had lost something of great importance to her, something that had been taken away from her and she didn't know what.

"Hey, are you alright!? There's an Akuma running amok in the streets! I'll take you to safety!"

The mysterious young woman turned around and deep sea green eyes stared intensely at the unfamiliar stranger. The young boy donned on a strange uniform clad in black and white with a crest on it. He must be an exorcist then for the crest is a representation of the Black Order, the renowned religious organization.

A man with dark wavy hair, tanned skin and amber eyes appeared in her mind but she could not put a name to it. She reckoned that she must have been suffering from amnesia. There was a great deal about her past that was fuzzy to her.

"Hey, are you alright!?" She blinked as the young man came to a stop in front of her, peering closely at her. Was that concern in his silver eyes…? The unknown woman tilted her head as she continued staring at him. Why was he worried about her when they didn't even know each other?

"Ah, shit…!" He swore to himself as his eyes widened at the sight of the Level 2 Akuma that appeared out of nowhere behind the silent woman. The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes at the sight of the Akuma looking down at the mysterious lady. His heart clenched slightly as his cursed eye was activated, revealing the tortured soul that resided within the body of the Akuma. It was screaming and writhing in pain. The human soul wanted to be free from the curse that kept him trapped within the body of a monstrous entity and all it wanted was to just rest in peace.

And Allen Walker would do just that. He would allow the poor soul to seek the tranquillity that it desires. That after all, was what he defined himself as. He, Allen Walker, would bring the poor anguished souls away from their misery and save them from their cursed fate. And to that…

"Innocence, Acti–"

Allen Walker was stunned as he watched her turn to face the demon with a blank expression on her countenance. And before he could stop her, there was a loud boom as an explosion occurred.

"What…?"

The Akuma had self-destructed… He didn't know how or why… but what he did know was that the young woman had caused the Akuma to self-destruct and to destroy the soul that lived within it. It troubled him for Akuma could only be destroyed by Innocence. His grey eyes widened as the young woman suddenly slumped forward. Thanks to his amazing quick reflexes, Allen caught the unknown stranger just before she fell to the ground. Her heart was still beating; a sign that she was still alive.

"Guess I'll have to bring her to the Black Order then. She caused a Level 2 Akuma to self-destruct… I'll contact Komui and then decide what to do with her later on…" Allen murmured to himself as he studied her features curiously.

Her complexion was almost as pale as his own with long eyelashes decorating her heart-shaped face. Crimson locks fell down to her back, gleaming under the harsh sunlight. Allen could sense a deep sorrow and anguish radiating from the young woman. She weighed almost nothing in his arms. He sighed softly, deciding to keep her safe until he found a reason not to do so.

XXXXXX

He stalked angrily down the hallways; his long black hair tied up neatly in a ponytail. As the tall man made his way down from Komui's office, everyone steered clear for fear of incurring his wrath and being on the other end of Mugen. Kanda Yuu was extremely furious. The swordsman had arrived back from his mission only to find out that he was assigned to another. Here in the organization, gossip spread quickly. Apparently, the damned beansprout who was currently the bane of his existence had returned with an unknown woman who seemingly caused an Akuma to self-destruct. As such, Komui had deemed fit to leave the responsibility of being her bodyguard to him. The purple-haired man must have a death wish… If not for Lenalee, he probably would have sliced the man into half with Mugen.

Kanda Yuu was to get close to the young woman and to find out her background. It was the first time anyone have ever heard of an Akuma self-destructing. It was impossible. Kanda Yuu was infamously known for his bad temper. Kanda Yuu wasn't one to be sociable nor jovial. Kanda Yuu wasn't one to get close to people for the sake of getting information.

And Kanda Yuu wasn't one to be surprised as he opened the door to the infirmary only to lock gazes with surprised emerald eyes.

"What the fuck!?"