Every day, Tessa Summers is almost killed. She may have experience in hunting animals but she's no match for these odd creatures. Yet, somehow, she survives. No one knows why either. In fact, Tessa—the one who is being attacked—knows the least. She hasn't the slightest idea of what these creatures are; why they want to kill her; or even that her parents have hired a bodyguard for her.

Tessa walked down the large staircase that lead into the main entry way. "Father, can I please go outside? It's been days since I've gotten fresh air!" she said.

"No Tessa. You know what will happen if you leave. The only reason why you're not being attacked while you're inside is because of the Black Order's barrier," her father stated.

"I know…"

There was a knock at the door. Tessa opened it. People of black cloaks and red linings stood in front of her. She recognized the Black Order's crest on their jackets. "Um," she paused. "May I help you?"

"You're Tessa Summers, correct?" an up-beat, white-haired boy asked.

"That's correct…"

"Is your father home?" he asked politely.

"Yes I am," he said as he approached the door. "Tessa, why don't you go help your mother in the kitchen?"

"Alright," Tessa said before walking off.

"Please, come in," her father said to the exorcists.

They all walked into the large mansion and looked around in awe. "Wow, nice place you have here…," a short-haired girl said.

"Thank you miss. My name is Harold Summers. My wife, Katherine Summers is currently in the kitchen making our dinner. I'm assuming that one of you will be watching over my daughter?" Harold said.

"Yes, one of your pick. We all came to learn more about the situation to report back to headquarters," the white-haired boy said. "My name is Allen Walker. These are Lenalee, Lavi and Kanda."

"It's a pleasure to meet the four of you."

"The pleasure is all ours. So, what I've heard about the situation is that akuma have been appearing around your daughter and attempting to kill her but have not been successful?" the red-haired Lavi said.

"That's correct."

"How many appear in one time usually?" Lenalee asked.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to ask my daughter that."

"Can we see her then?" Lenalee asked.

"Of course. Please, follow me."

Harold Summers lead them into the kitchen where Tessa and her mother are cooking. "Oh, are these the exorcists?" Katherine asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, they are. Try not to kill them with your kindness dear. I'll leave them to you girls. I have some work I must take care of."

"Alright~" Katherine said. Harold walked out. "So, you all look like healthy young children. Care for some fruit?" Katherine asked swinging the knife in her hand around.

"Maybe you should put the knife down first mother," Tessa said taking the knife out of Katherine's hand. "We don't need any injured people, now do we?"

"Right, sorry~"

"You're really cute~" Lavi said in a daze.

"I was wondering when that was going to happen…," Allen stated.

"Oh Lavi…," Lenalee said.

"ha ha, thanks~" Tessa said.

"Well, looks like you have an admirer Tessa~" Katherine said.

"Really mom?"

"What? You're single!"

Lavi slid next to Tessa. "Oh really now~?" he said.

"Cut it out baka usagi. We don't need any of your crap," the long-haired Kanda said.

"Don't mind Kanda. He's not the friendliest," Lenalee stated.

"Shut it," Kanda said.

"I can tell~" Tessa said. Kanda glared at Tessa. "What? It's the truth," Tessa said.

"Che…"

"So what do you guys need from us?" Katherine asked.

"Actually, we just need to ask a few questions to Tessa," Allen said.

"Alright, I'm cool with that. Go ahead and do your business."

"What answers do you need?" Tessa asked.

"Do you want to go out with me?" Lavi said bluntly.

"Just ignore him. When those 'creatures' attack you, how many would you say come at you at once?" Lenalee said.

"I'm not completely sure… It's started off being only one or two but the numbers have rose to about eight or nine at a time I guess. What are those creatures anyways?"

"They're called akuma. They are designed and created by the Millenium Earl. Their purpose is to extinguish the human race. They're very dangerous and become stronger with each person they kill," Allen stated dramatically.

"I see…"

"It really isn't safe for you to be around them. That's why I'm going to be staying here to protect you!" Lavi said.

"No you're not!" Kanda shouted.

"I would stay but Komui doesn't really want me to," Lenalee said.

"The Director and Link have been watching me too much so it's probably a better idea for me not to stay…," Allen said.

"So then Kanda will stay and protect her until we figure out what's going on!" Lenalee said.

"No I'm not!" Kanda shouted.

"Direct order from my brother!" Lenalee said cheerfully.

"Tsk… Fine."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I never agreed to this! I never even heard about this!" Tessa stated.

"Hm," Allen started, "…I guess your parents didn't want you to know…"

Tessa suddenly froze. "MOTHER! FATHER! Get your asses in the kitchen! NOW!" she shouted.

Her parents cautiously walked into the kitchen. "I guess you found out, huh?" Katherine said.

"You think? I'm not agreeing to this!"

"You'll get to go outside," her father stated desperately.

"You think that's enough to convince me?!"

"You'll get to see people other than us~" her mother proposed.

"Stop trying to bribe me!"

"You'll get to stay alive so stop complaining. It's annoying," Kanda said grumpily.

Tessa stayed quiet. She turned around and walked out of the kitchen. "Fine. Whatever," she said.

"You can leave her alone while she's in the house. She's used to being alone so it's uncomfortable for her when she's surrounded by lots of people," Katherine stated.

"Kanda prefers being alone too. Hey, look! Something you both have in common!" Allen said in a mocking tone.

"Shut it moyashi," Kanda said. You could see the friction between the two.

"My name is Allen, ba-Kanda."

"Let's go before they kill each other," Lenalee said.

"Agreed," Lavi said. They left with Allen as he struggled in their grip.

The room fell silent.

"Where do you suppose I'll find the girl? I should—unfortunately—get to know her better," Kanda said.

"Fair enough. She's most likely to be found in the indoor shooting range," Harold stated.

"Indoor shooting range?"

"Yes. We built her one after we couldn't have her being outside anymore."

"I see. Where can I find it then?"

"Second floor to your right. She's upset so she'll be using the sniper riffle. Careful when you go in."

"I'm an exorcist. A little girl with a gun can't harm me."

Kanda exited the kitchen and walked up the stairs to the second floor. He looked to his right and found a large, double-door and signs which read "caution" and "enter at your own risk". He walked in as if they weren't there. He immediately pulled out his katana and deflected a bullet. "Your aim isn't too bad but you can't shoot me that easily," Kanda said in his deep voice.

"That's what you think," Tessa stated. She jumped off of the platform she was standing on. "I thought my dad would've told you to leave me alone while we're at the house," Tessa said.

"He told me that it would be a good idea. Not that I wasn't allowed to."

"Then leave me alone."

"Like I'll do that. I was hired to protect you, not sit around. Look at it like this, the sooner I can figure out why you're being targeted, the faster I can leave."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Figuring out from you, what had happened that caused the akuma to start targeting you."

"… Fine. Ask as many questions as you want," Tessa said then turned around to start shooting once again.

"Not here. You're too freaking distracted."

"I'll answer when I feel like answering."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room. "You'll pay attention to me when I want you to," he said strongly.

"You don't control me exorcist!"

"Do you want to stay alive or not?!"

"Fine! Alright! I'll pay freaking attention to you! GOD, you're controlling!"

"You're freaking stubborn."

"Shut up. Are you going to ask me questions or not?"

"Yes but not here. Your parents won't stop spying on us."

"… Right."

They walked up to the next floor and went into her bedroom. Tessa sat on her bed while Kanda sat on the floor. "So how long ago did the akuma start to show up?" Kanda asked.

"I don't know. Seven or eight years ago?"

Kanda paused as he thought about where he was seven or eight years ago. "How old are you now?"

"18."

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen around the time when you started to be a target?"

"Um," she paused nervously, "…no."

He began to remember vague pictures of his childhood friends. "There's no point in lying to me," he stated.

"It's personal."

"It could save your life."

"Or it could kill me."

"Why?"

"Because if THEY found out—nevermind."

"Who is this 'they'?"

"I'm not telling you."

Tessa began to feel vaguely familiar to Kanda. He started at her intensely for a few seconds. "What does the Black Order have against you?"

"I don't know!"

"Fine. Why were you at the Black Order? What branch?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Why not?!"

"Because!" she paused, "…I just can't."

"That's a pathetic excuse."

"Just shut up. You've asked enough questions for today."

"I've just started. Where there any certain people that you were close to at the time that may have triggered the akuma to target you?"

"No."

"Did you pass a synchronization test with innocence?"

Tessa realized that he was catching onto her past in which she wished for no one to know about. "That was never done to me," she said.

"You're a horrible liar."

"I know."

"What happened? Did you pass any of the tests?"

"No. I was unable to sync for some reason and it never killed me."

"Do you think that it's possible that you're already an accommodator?"

"What? Of course not. I think I'd know something like that."

"Maybe it's just hiding its self but the akuma can sense it."

"I… Don't know…"

"… You seem tired."

"I guess I am…"

"Then you should sleep. I'll stop asking questions."

"Yeah…"

Tessa changed into her pajamas then crawled under her blankets. Kanda slept on the floor next to her bed. They fell asleep without another word.

Kanda's eyes suddenly shot open. He sat up silently and looked at the clock. It read '3:29 A.M.' He wondered why he started dreaming about this childhood friends. It must have been because his memories came back.

He suddenly felt a large wave of dark matter rush over his body. "Shit!" he shouted. He jumped up and grabbed Tessa, pulling her under the bed. She woke up, startled. "What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted.

"Shhh!" He held her as close to her as he could.

"W-What's going on?" She whispered.

"Level four akuma," he stated. He pulled out his golem and whispered something she didn't understand to it. It then flew off.

"I thought that there were only three levels?" she said.

"There's recently been a forth level. They're stronger than the noah."

"W-What?"

"Keep your voice down."

The level four akuma walked by the bed. They could only see its feet. Tessa gripped onto Kanda's jacket even tighter than before. He felt her shake beneath him and pulled her into a closer embrace. "Breath easily," he whispered in her ear.

"Y-Yu…"

He turned at her and stared at her in shock. "What did you just call me?" he whispered.

"K-Kanda," she whispered.

"Don't give me that crap! How do you know my first name?!" he whispered.

"I-I—"

"Found you both~" the akuma said.

"Damn it!" Kanda shouted.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away, into safety. "We'll discuss this later," he said.

Kanda pulled out his katana and set Tessa on the side of the room. "Do not move unless I tell you to. Got it?" he said.

"Yes sir."

Kanda jumped away from her and started fighting with the level four. He wasn't doing too well and it was obvious that the odds were in the akuma's favor. They fought for a good five minutes before Kanda got a bad hit. He got right back up though and continued fighting.

Tessa could tell that there was no way that he could beat the akuma alone. She spotted a sniper riffle in the corner of her eye. She snuck over to it as quick as she could and loaded the closest bullet she could find. The akuma caught what she was doing before she finished loading it though. It grabbed onto Kanda as he was unable to move anymore and was about the throw the final blow. "Don't move!" Tessa shouted.

"Oh, as if normal bullets can do anything to me," it said.

"Damn it Tessa! I told you not to move!" Kanda shouted.

"And you really expect me to just sit there and watch you be killed?! You're really stupid sometimes, you know that?!"

"Shut up and get out of here!"

"You do not tell me what to do!" Tessa shouted as she fired the bullet at the akuma.

Instead of the bullet reflecting off of the akuma, it went right through it. The akuma started to inflate and get larger. It dropped Kanda. "But that's impossible!" the akuma yelled.

Tessa lunged forward and broke part of Kanda's fall. She loaded in another bullet and shot it right through the akuma's head. The akuma exploded. "I knew it…," Kanda said.

"You knew what?" Tessa asked.

"You're already an accommodator."

"But," Tessa paused, "these are just regular bullets I found…"

"You just destroyed an akuma with those bullets. They were not regular…"

Kanda held his side sharply. Tessa noticed blood coming from beneath his hand. "Forget about that right now Yu. We need to get you treated," Tessa said panicked.

"You said it again…"

"Said what again?"

"My first name."

"Do not bring that up right now. You're injured!"

"I'll let you take care of my wound only if you tell me how you know my name."

"…I can't."

"You can't, or you don't want to?"

"It would hurt you…"

"Or it could make me happier."

Tessa stared at him in shock. "You already know, don't you?"

"I figured it out a long time ago, Tessa. It's kind of hard to hide the fact that you're from my childhood when you know my name and you've never heard it before."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're not dead and that's what is important."

"Good. Now let me treat your wounds."

"Alright. Alright."

Tessa helped him up then carried him over to the kitchen where she wrapped up his injuries. "You've been healing slower, haven't you?" Tessa asked.

He didn't answer. "Ignoring me isn't going to do either of us any good, you know."

"Perhaps."

"Now you're the one who doesn't want to answer questions."

"Shut it."

"You know me well enough to know that I don't give up that easily."

"I know. It was worth a shot."

"You become softer with me Kanda. Why is that?"

"No reason in particular. I guess you've just left a soft spot with me when you left."

"Then why did you have a soft spot for me when we were children?"

He stared at her in shock. "And don't go pulling anything on me. I saw it."

"Fine. You and Alma were my only friends. That's why."

"You obviously didn't have the same 'soft spot' for him as you did for me…"

"You know," Kanda paused, "he's dead…"

"I know…"

"You should go back to bed."

"You should too."

"I'm not tired anymore. I'm going to eat something then I'll be right up, okay?"

"Okay…," Tessa said before walking off.

"I love you…," Kanda said in a low voice.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"No seriously, I didn't hear you."

"It's better that way."

"… Alright. I'm watching you though."

"Have fun with that."

"Perhaps I will."

"Good night!"

"Fine, alright. Good night," Tessa said then finally went up the stairs.

"What was I thinking..?" Kanda asked himself.