Chapter 1: Demon Child

It was silent in the small clearing. The full moon shone overhead, illuminating the earth with a bright, yet gentle glow, almost as if it were daytime. Leaves littered the ground, covering it like a carpet. Tall bamboo stalks reached high into the night sky, swaying in the breeze. A gentle rustling sound came from them, completing this peaceful scene of nature.

Unfortunately, that peace did not last.

Small, uneven footsteps could be heard just beyond that clearing, until a child came into view. A girl. She was young, around the age of eight or nine, with raven black hair that fell to her shoulders. Her clothes hung on her frail frame, as if she hadn't seen a decent meal in a long while. Her most peculiar feature, were her eyes; the right one was a vibrant shade of blue while the left one was a deep red.

She stumbled into the clearing, not really seeing where she was going. Then, from exhaustion, she collapsed onto the hard earth, allowing the moonlight to emphasize the multiple wounds that covered her body.

The little girl laid there for quite a while, her breathing labored and uneven. She had curled into a self-defensive ball, as if she wanted to shield herself from something.

Suddenly, heavier footsteps could be heard nearby. The girl's head jerked up and her eyes widened in fear as she noticed them. Quickly, she tried to scoot so that she could take cover in the vegetation. A small whimper escaped her lips at the attempt as pain flared through her body and more blood spurted onto the floor.

The figure of a woman appeared through the bamboo. She looked ordinary at first glance, but after looking at her for a moment, the little girl noticed the geometric markings on her body and the large mitten-like appendages she had for hands.

"I thought I felt something . . ." The woman muttered to herself. Just then, she turned her head, her eyes widening as they fell upon the girl. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked, walking closer. The little girl's eyes seemed to bulge out of her head as she attempted to scoot away again. "Hey! Stop! What the hell are you doing? You're going to bleed out if you keep moving!"

"No! No, stay away from me!" The little girl whimpered. "I promise to leave the village! Just don't hurt me!"

"Easy, kid." The woman said in as soothing a voice as she could muster. "I won't hurt you. I want to help you."

"No. You're lying."

"You can believe that if you want, but I'm not." The girl didn't look convinced. "Now come on. Stop being ridiculous." The woman neared her.

"NO!" The girl screamed.

"Hey! Calm down you little shit!"

There was a slight altercation between them, though not much of one seeing as how the girl was injured, and the fight ended with the little girl cradled in the woman's arms. As she was being carried away, the little girl fought with what little strength she had left and beat her small fist against her captor.

"Stop that! Is this how you thank the person trying to save you?"

"But you're not! You just want to hurt me!"

"No one's gonna hurt you anymore, kid, and if they try, let's see them get passed me first." With that, she shifted the girl into one arm and freed up another. The girl stared at it as it morphed, turning into a long, curved blade. But her face wasn't full of fear this time, it was filled with awe.

With a smirk, the woman changed her blade back into a hand again and began to walk. It was quiet after that. But only for a brief moment until . . .

"Excuse me."

The woman looked down in surprise. "What?"

"Are you an alien?"

"What? No! What the hell kind of question is that?"

The girl seemed unfazed. "Well what are you?"

" . . . A guardian." She answered simply.

"Do you have a name?"

" . . . Fou."

The girl smiled. "Fou." She repeated softly before she passed out.

Fou just stared down at her, utterly perplexed. Who is this kid?


It was dark at first, and the girl couldn't figure out why. She could feel that she was laying on something that was comfortably soft, and she felt a pleasant warmth surrounding her. Her brain felt sluggish, so it took her a while to finally open her eyes. As her vision swam into focus, she was greeted by the sight of what looked like a hospital room. It was small and clean, mostly white in color. With large eyes, she glanced around until her gaze fell upon Fou, who was sleeping in a chair beside her bed.

The girl simply looked at her for a moment, not sure what to think. Then, she heard the creak of hinges and her head whipped in the direction the sound came from.

In came a man wearing a lab coat. He slowly walked up to the bed. "Hey there. My name is Ling. How are you feeling?"

The girl didn't answer. Instead she tried to scoot away. At the movement and the voice, Fou woke up and looked around bleary-eyed before she saw what was going on.

"Hey!" She said suddenly. The other people in the room looked at her sharply. "You" she said, pointing at the scientist, "back off. You're scaring her. And you," she turned to the girl, "calm down already. No one here is going to hurt you. And if they do, I'll kill 'em for you."

A sweat drop formed at the back of the scientist's head. He was hoping that that was a bluff, but knowing Fou, it probably wasn't. It got the job done though, because the girl visibly relaxed, if only slightly.

The scientist let out a sigh. "Now, can you tell me your name?"

"My name?"

The man nodded.

"I . . . don't have one."

Ling and Fou exchanged glances.

"But . . . there was that one time I had one." The other two looked at her again. "I was Thalia."

Ling smiled. "That's pretty. Thalia, when Fou found you, you were by yourself. Where are your parents? Can you tell us where they are? That way we can tell them that you're alright."

"Parents?"

"You know." Fou cut in. "Your mom and dad."

"Oh. I don't have those." Thalia said nonchalantly. Then she noticed the other two's expressions and ducked her head in shame. "Am I supposed to have them?"

"Do you have any family? A home?" Ling asked, instead of answering her. The girl just shook her head.

Just then, a nurse came in, peeking around the door with a smile. "Hello. Would you mind stepping out so that I can clean her wounds?"

Ling shook his head. "Of course not. Thalia, I'll be back to visit you, ok?" She gave him a small nod in answer before he left.

As the nurse began her work, Fou stood up from her chair causing Thalia's eyes to widen. "Relax, kid. I just need to talk to Ling about something. I'll be right back." Fou turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, she heard a small intake of breath from the nurse. The guardian glanced back, froze, then turned her head again, not sure that her eyes were telling her the truth.

The nurse had just started to pull back the bandages on Thalia's right arm to check for signs of infection. On that arm, a rather large burn covered her shoulder. But that's not what the most disturbing thing was. The burn had taken a shape: an open, inverted pentagram, the sign of an Akuma. A demon.


"What the hell was that?" Fou half screamed at Ling in the hallway. "Did you know about that mark on her arm?"

Ling looked afraid of her rage. "Yes, well, the nurse that bandaged it up the first time told me. That's one of the reasons why I came."

"But why is that on her? She's obviously not an Akuma! I would have known!"

"That's the thing. There have been rumors around the villages nearby of an 'Akuma child.' We thought it was just some superstition or a level two, but the rumors might just be referring to her." Fou looked like she was about to yell her head off at him for not answering her question so Ling continued in a hurry. "You noticed her eyes, right? She's a heterachromiac. Not many people know what that is and so, whenever someone like her is seen, they aren't accepted very warmly into society."

"And the burn?"

Ling was quiet for a minute. "I don't know. Someone must have branded her as a demon." Fou stared at him in contemplation. Then, she suddenly turned on her heel and stomped away. "Where are you going?"

"To talk with the chief! We can't just throw that girl back out there! It would be the same as shoving a knife between her ribs!"

"But you know we don't take in children!"

"I don't give a damn!"


There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Thalia said after a second.

The door opened with a creak. "Hello, Thalia." The same nurse who had treated her came in. "I brought lunch for you."

". . . Ok." The girl said distractedly as the nurse set the tray on her bedside table. "Hey, Riza-san, what does this say?" She asked, pointing at a piece of paper she was holding.

The nurse peered down at it. "The cat ate the mouse."

Thalia squinted at it. "Oh. Ok. Thank you."

"What are you doing with that paper?" Riza asked curiously.

" . . . I asked Ling-san to teach me how to read."

"Ah. I see." The nurse said with a laugh. Children usually didn't want to learn how to read in their spare time. "Well good luck and don't forget to eat before your food gets cold." Thalia hummed something that sounded like an agreement as the nurse left.

The raven-haired girl sat there for a while, squinting at the paper and moving her lips soundlessly, before the growling of her stomach interrupted. Thalia sighed and put her paper down. Then, she turned to her plate and scarfed down every last morsel.

She had been in the Asian Branch of the Black Order for a few weeks now, and already her malnourished frame was starting to fill out. Before, she hadn't really been used to seeing three square meals a day, so every time she was fed in her room, she ate it with gusto.

Once Thalia was done, she stilled for a second, as if to listen for something, before she sprang out of bed and rushed out the door. Usually she wasn't allowed out by herself, but the simple childish curiosity to explore had her sneaking out a few times.

Soon, the little girl was tiptoeing through the halls, glancing down hallways and inside caves. Every once in a while, she had to hide behind a pillar to avoid being seen, but she was greatly enjoying herself as she walked along. She was just turning a corner when a sharp voice caught her attention.

"Hey, kid!"

Thalia whirled around, both excited and frightened by that voice.

Fou was walking up to her from behind, looking angry. "What the hell are you doing out of your room again?"

". . . Exploring."

"Tch. Right. Well get back to your room, idiot. All this adventuring will just open your wounds again."

Thalia looked longingly at the corridor behind her. "But—."

"Now!"

"Y-yes ma'am." Thalia said in a hurry, before speeding past Fou and down the hallway. Fou watched her with narrowed eyes as she walked, a slight limp making her gait irregular. Then, Thalia paused halfway down the hall before turning on her heel to look a Fou, a guilty smile on her face.

"What now you little brat?"

". . . How do I get to my room again?"

"Ugh! You're so helpless! Fine, I'll take you back myself. Let's go." Fou growled as she sped past Thalia. The little girl jogged to keep up.

As they passed a pillar, Thalia pointed at it. "What are those markings on the walls for?" At first, Fou didn't answer. "Fou-san?"

Fou sighed. "They're gates."

"Gates?"

"They're my gates. They bind me to the Asian Branch so that I can protect it."

"Protect it?"

"Yeah. I told you I was a guardian deity, didn't I?"

"What do you guard us from?"

"Threats."

"Like what?"

"How many questions are you going to ask, kid?"

Thalia just looked at her, a smile on her face.

"Akuma."

". . . Like me?"

Fou gave her a sharp look. "No! They are souls brought back from the dead by the Millennium Earl. He uses people who have lost their loved ones to call the loved one from the grave. Then he makes the dead person kill the one who called them and wear their body as their own."

Thalia stared at Fou, eyes wide with fear. "'Are there a lot of those?"

Fou thought about it. "Yeah, but don't worry. There are exorcists chosen by God that use Innocence to kill Akuma."

It was quiet, and Fou was expecting another question any minute now. But then, the girl spoke in barely a whisper. "Exorcists sound really amazing . . . Fou-san? Do you think that I could ever be someone as important as them?" At this point, her hand absently went to touch her eyelid. "I might not be allowed to become an exorcist, but maybe I could be a scientist or something."

It was silent then, as Fou stared down at the girl, who had a small smile on her face. For some reason that ticked Fou off. Thalia opened her mouth to ask Fou why she was being silent.

"That's bullshit!" Fou said so loudly, it made Thalia jump. "What kind of lame-ass attitude is that? Who says you can't be an exorcist?"

Thalia blinked. "But—."

"I don't want to hear it you little shit! As of right now, you train with me every day and show those sons of bitches who tell you differently what for! Got that?"

"Uh. Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

After that, Fou led Thalia down numerous tunnels until finally, they reached a large cavern. Thalia stared around at it in awe until something smacked against her chest. Surprised, she automatically caught the thing and realized it was a wooden sword. She glanced at Fou with uncertainty, but the guardian was already in a fighting stance.

"Come on. Show me what you got."

Thalia nodded and got into a stance of her own, one that was weak and blatantly obvious of her ineptitude. She charged forward, her weapon above her head, but didn't get very far. Fou easily knocked the sword from her hands and flipped her over. Thalia landed hard on her back, stunned. She barely had enough time to recover before Fou attempted to land another blow on her head. Thalia rolled to the side and scrambled up.

"I'm waiting." Fou taunted.

Thalia kept her gaze on her as she grabbed her sword from the ground. Then, she charged again. The girl had left a large opening, so all Fou had to do was kick her in the stomach and she froze before collapsing on the ground and dropping her sword.

The fight continued for several hours, Fou throwing blow after blow. Thalia, though having great reflexes for someone her age, was getting knocked down so many times, she would have lost count if Fou hadn't been yelling the number at her every time she fell.

Fou knew that she was being a little hard on the kid, even though she definitely wasn't going her full strength, but this was her teaching style. Her student would either have to endure it or quit. But that was the thing about Thalia, after so many times of being beaten, one would expect a child to give up or throw a tantrum. Except Thalia didn't. Every time she got knocked down and Fou asked if she wanted to continue, the little girl would stagger to her feet, dragging her training sword with her. The most remarkable part was the determined look on her face and the nod that Fou received each time.

Finally Fou had to force Thalia to stop after they had gone at it several hours into the night and the number of times Thalia had been knocked down reached the eight thousands.

"You're dead on your feet." Fou deadpanned.

Thalia shook her head, panting and using her sword as a crutch. "No . . . I want to . . . keep going."

"You can't even hold up your sword."

To try to prove that she could, Thalia held her weapon up, but the lack of support made her stagger forward and she had to put the sword tip into the ground again.

Fou gave an annoyed sigh before she resorted to going over to the girl and, without breaking a stride, knocked the sword out of the girl's hand and scooped her up in her arms.

Thalia gave a surprised scream before looking up at Fou in determination. "Fou-san! No! I want to keep going."

"Shut up, brat! I'm trying to help you!"

Just then, a loud grumbling sound came from Thalia's stomach. Fou looked down at her in surprise before the little girl suddenly went limp.

Fou shook her slightly. "Hey. You dead?"

No words were spoken until Thalia's stomach gave another loud rumble. "I'm hungry" was all she was able to moan.

The guardian just stared at her. "Is that why you're like this?" There was a lot of groaning in response. Fou let out a "tch" sound as she continued walking. "See? You're starving, moron. You can't continue to train on an empty stomach."

It sounded as if Thalia were indeed dying as Fou carried her through the Asian Branch and to the mess hall. There, she set Thalia down so she could order what she wanted. Afterwards, Fou wondered if she had made a mistake because Thalia had ordered about fifty different dishes to take to her table. All the guardian could do was stare, speechless as Thalia wolfed it all down.

"You're going to be sick." Fou muttered, but she was proved wrong as Thalia sat back with a content sigh.

"Ok. Let's get back now." Thalia said as she stood up from the table.

"Oh no you don't. You need rest."

"But—!" The little girl began to complain.

"Now." Fou said sternly. She glared at Thalia, but was surprised to see her yawn.

"Yeah ok."

It was absolutely silent between them as Fou led Thalia back to her room. Fou wasn't sure why she was training Thalia, she couldn't even promise that she would be an exorcist someday. But something about the little brat just made it really hard to leave her alone without worrying about her.

Author's notes: Hey there! Thanks for reading this. It's been an idea for a really long time and all i needed was to think about details before i posted the first chapter. Well here it is! It is mainly an AU where i will be adding my own spin to a bunch of stuff, so the storyline will not exactly be the same to the anime/manga, but will be similar until a certain point. I will keep characters as close to canon as possible though. This will not be my main focus for a while because i promised to finish some other projects first, but i will try to update every so often. If you could leave a review, that would be great, and i will see you next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man. If i did, the anime would still be airing T-T