Well, this is an experiment on my part. I forget when and where I came up with this storyline exactly, but I needed a fanfiction idea, so this is what happened. I have no idea how good this will be, or even how it will turn out. Just for the record, this is not a yaoi. I know the potential is there, but this story is not intended to be one. Anyway, hope you enjoy and reviews are appreciated. I do not own D. Gray-Man.


Kanda sighed as the rain began to fall. He had come out here to train, since the training area in the Order was too crowded. Kanda hated being around people.

There was a good reason for that, contrary to what the other Exorcists might believe. However, he was not about to share with anyone his reasons for being so grumpy and antisocial. He had even almost forgotten it himself.

No, that was a lie. He could never forget what had been the center of his life, especially since every day he lived as an Exorcist, when being an Exorcist had ruined his life in the first place. But he would still never tell anyone else about it.

As the rain came down harder, he debated between practicing some more or just going in. Finally, as he brooded about his secret past, he decided to stay out. Even though it was raining, often the only thing that would take his mind off of sad things was Mugen.

As he practiced, with the rain slicking his hair and his breath coming in even, paced gasps, he thought some more over his life before he had become an Exorcist. He knew he would just torment himself that way, but couldn't help it. Sometimes those things just needed to be contemplated before they could be released, and he had been putting off the contemplation of them for years now.

I wonder how she's doing… He thought as a beautiful young woman's face flashed across his mind's eye. Then he shook his head sharply. He mustn't wonder how she was, or he would be tempted to go check on her, and that would only bring more pain and suffering to his life.

Finally he let his sword drop. It was useless to try to exhaust himself further. The best he could hope for was a dreamless sleep tonight. With a sigh, he turned and trooped back into the fortress that was the home of the Exorcists.

-----

The next morning, he was sitting cross-legged on his bed with a whetstone and a polishing cloth and oil, and was attending to his weekly ritual of maintaining Mugen. Just as he finished adding the last touches, there was a knock at the door. With an exasperated groan, he got up and answered it. It was Lenalee.

"Nii-san wants you in his office. I think he has a mission for you." She said.

"Fine," he responded curtly, and shut the door in her face. He heard her "humph!" in annoyance, and listened as her footsteps faded down the hall.

Another mission, finally. They distracted him from the life he had lost before, and it had been a while since his last private mission. It was about time he got away from people again.

After sheathing Mugen and strapping it on, he strode out the door and up to Komui's study.

When he reached the great door, he didn't even bother with knocking, just strode on in. If it had been locked, well, let's just say Komui would have needed to invest in a new door.

"So what'd you need me for?" He asked, flopping down on the half buried couch sitting before the large desk. There was a man sitting at the desk, though he was hidden behind the stacks of paper sitting on the surface of the desk. He shuffled some of those many papers around importantly before answering.

"I have a mission for you, actually. There have been some high levels of Akuma activity in Japan."

Kanda sat up with a start. Japan? He couldn't go back there, what if he ran into her? Komui, however, was not paying attention.

"I need you to go check it out, but keep your homicidal instincts under control please; we don't need any accidental deaths to occur and disrupt the society, now, do we?" He chuckled, thinking that Komui's sudden movement had been because of his eagerness to go kill some Akuma. "Just investigate, take care of the problem if there's one to take care of, and then come back. Should be a nice and short trip, and you can be back within a week or two."

Kanda nodded his understanding, took the file Komui handed him, and got up to leave.

"Oh, one more thing, Kanda," Komui said, sipping at his now cold coffee. "Take Allen with you, if you would, and give him some instruction about embarking on private missions. He needs to know sooner or later, wouldn't you say?"

Kanda's eyes went flat, and the knuckles on the hand that always gripped Mugen's hilt went white.

"Ah…if you wouldn't mind the company, that is, but it's your choice. All up to you. Now hurry, if you would, please, thank you." Komui hastily shooed the angry Kanda out of the room.

Once outside, Kanda allowed his temper to cool a bit. Why'd he have to take that damn Beansprout along? Just when he thought he might be able to relax and live a little bit that damn kid had to be thrown onto him. He wasn't a freakin' baby sitter, he was a warrior! He stalked down the hall, muttering curses at Allen under his breath.

-----

Sitting on the train to their destination, Kanda had to admit that Allen had improved much in the past few months. He now sat with the quiet alertness of a trained fighter, rather than being all-trusting and unsuspecting. Oh, he was still very trusting of his fellow man, but he at least was aware of what went on around him now.

Kanda smiled grimly. Beansprout had a long way to go, however. Kanda opened one of his closed eyes a crack. Allen was sitting quietly in the opposite seat, staring pensively out the window. Well, at least he wasn't talking, like that damn Lavi would undoubtedly be.

Kanda closed his eye again. Even without annoying carrot-head, it would still be a long trip.

-----

It was two days later when they reached Tokyo. The two young Exorcists stepped off of the train, blinking in the bright sunlight.

"Well, now what? Did Komui tell you what kind of "Akuma activity" we're looking for? Is there possibly an Innocence here?" Allen asked. Kanda shrugged.

"A bunch of people that have turned up missing or dead, I expect." He said in an acidic tone. Trust Allen to ask stupid questions. He suppressed a small smile of satisfaction as he saw Allen's nostrils flare in anger. It was always so much fun to make Beansprout mad.

"Quit standing around like an idiot, Beansprout, and let's go get this over with," he said impatiently, moving quickly into the crowd. Allen was forced to follow, lest he be left behind.