Chapter 1 - The girl who didn't speak

How many days since? How long had it been when?

Silver strays of hair were covering the face of the young female as she had her eyes closed and her hands clasped together into a prayer. Small words escaped over her lips. Words begging the God to end the night and the sun to rise.

How long had she to wait? How many days had passed?

"Is there anyone?" a voice said knocking on the little cottage. A few weeks back news received that a village was attacked by akuma. Though a family of exorcist was residing inside that village they hadn't heard anything from them and thus they had decided to pay them a visit. The Black order had decided to set out a few finders to search for the exorcist and ask them for an update, but upon arrival inside the village all they stumbled upon was a ghost place.

Dead, no sign of live and neither was there any sign of the exorcist. The place discarded, abandoned, left for the finders to find out that the akuma as well had left together with the innocence of the exorcist couple and their lives.

"Hello?" the finders were moving carefully, hoping that they wouldn't meet any akuma on their way. Opening the little cottages, stables and the closets and room found inside the stables and cottages they soon gave up the hope of ever finding a survivor.
That untill one of them found a basement.

"Hey.. I found someone!" one of the finders said carrying a small girl, no older than the age of ten, out of the basement. She was unconscious, probably from the lack of food and dehydration in the past few days. After all the stockings inside the basement hadn't been much and it had seemed that there were other survivors inside the basement, some better off some on the brink of death.

interrogations had started a while ago, after that the survivors were tended and started to gain strength little by little the questions had started. Questions like "Had you noticed anything strange days before the attack?" Or "Can you tell me anything about the days before the attack?" They tried to be as vague as they could about the subject of akuma. And none of them seemed to mind, many of them tried to answer as sincerely as they could while others just refused to become serious about the situation, wishing to go back to their village.

It wasn't too soon that they let go these who didn't seem to be anymore worth than the attack. All of them, expect from one girl, the one who had been carried out by the finder as the first survivor. Though she hadn't spoken yet the villagers had let a few words fallen about her identity. The daughter of the strange couple from outside the village. They hadn't settled themselves too long ago and were pretty vague as of what their job was.

Suiren Nian, the daughter of the Nian couple who recently transferred themselves from the Asian branch to the European branch cause of the health problems the mother was suffering from. They had hoped that inside the mountains they would find the treatment that would heal the woman, but it wasn't to fated to end the story so easily.
Rumours had soon be circulating as the father was gone for whole days and came back late at night. Unknown to the villagers they suspected that the man was a bounty hunter or a member from an ominous gang. It wasn't too long after that the health of the wife was worsening that more suspicious looking people had decided to pay them a visit. Not too long after their appearance the village they once knew was wiped off.

Though that was the story that the villagers had told the order they knew better. They knew the condition the mother of Suiren had suffered in and were aware of the strain that it had put on her husband who went out whole days to scramble the money for her treatment together by doing beside missions several odd jobs inside the city. It had been hard for them, but the order couldn't afford to let any of their members go.

The girl herself though hadn't spoken a word and while everyone had tended to her kindly she still refused to speak. It wasn't before a certain arrogance came over to her and demanded a word out of her that she had looked up to him with wide and perhaps fearful eyes.

It had been Yuu Kanda of all the people who had succeeded into getting a word out of the slightly younger girl.

"Who do you think you are not speaking to us all?" he had said crossing his arms while his tall and lean figure had stood in front of her as intimidating as it was demanding. He was tired of the constant chatting that the other members had tried on her, only to leave with their shoulders drooped and to tag another to finish the job. He was the first soul to speak so unkindly and demanding at her that it reminded her from her father, the loving man who had so often told her to man up a little as the daughter of their family.

The first reaction the girl gave him were big eyes that stared at him before she turned it into a frown and opened her mouth. "Who do you think you are? Suddenly bashing up to me?" she questioned, annoyed at the older boy in front of her. She had placed an emphasis on the word 'you' retorting the question he had asked her back at him. She knew and she was aware of the fact that if she didn't speak the order wouldn't get any farther, but she just didn't want to feeling annoyed with the same questions over and over.

"Talking back, bean sprout?" he spat, ready to start a fight with her as the girl, who seemed to be playing the same game as he was. "It seems so" she said calmly. Why she had suddenly decided to start talking now was unknown, but it seemed that whatever Kanda was doing it worked and so they decided to place the two of them together often at one place to make sure that the girl crawled out of her sculp.

"Hurry up grand ma." Kanda said a little impatient but still kind enough to wait for the girl nevertheless as Suiren appeared from around the corner as calm as always. "It is Suiren." she commented, not pleased with her nickname as she followed on. "Why are we in such a hurry anyway?" the young exorcist asked a little curious catching up with her friend who remained silent. She decided not to ask anything further, but the wonder was still lingering inside her head as she entered the cafetaria of the Black order only to see the room decorated with the name of 'Allen Walker'.

"Ah, I forgot.." Suiren gasped remembering the newcomer again, he had arrived while she was off on a mission and only returning yesterday late at night she hadn't gotten the chance of meeting him as she looked up to the scoffing Kanda. "I wish I could." he said annoyed but didn't make a comment further entering the room as they were welcomed by Lenalee amd a new face.

"You're late!" the girl scolded as Suiren only smiled simply at her. "Sorry, I had forgotten about you're welcome party." she said bowing a little as she then turned her attention to the new face. "I suppose you are the new exorcist right? I'm Suiren, also an exorcist of the black order." the girl greeted as she walked up to the boy with the same coloured hair as she had. "Allen Walker, it is nice to meet you." he said to wich Suiren only responded with a smile. She never found new meetings too pleasant.