Disclaimer: I do not own -Man, only Dana and my other OCs.
A/N: In honor of the return of the manga, here is the first chapter of my first ever -Man fanfiction. Already this story is promising to be my most interesting and challenging one yet as I strive to keep to the dark mood, not to mention subject matter, that Hoshino gives us. So sit back, relax, and let's see what happens. Enjoy!
If you're expecting this to be some kind of sappy fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, you're about to be sorely disappointed. To be an exorcist is to encounter horrors that normal humans experience only in their nightmare. We soldiers of the Black Order, however, lay our lives down on the line in order to protect our world from being overrun by Akuma. Our mission is to gather Innocence before the Millennium Earl so that we can finally end this holy war once and for all. Believe me when I say that's easier said than done. My name? My name is…
"Dana," called a familiar voice. "Dana Elizabeth Caldon, where are you?"
I sighed, coming to a halt as I turned to face my mother, Layla Caldon. Originally from England, she had long blond hair which she meticulously braided every morning and round blue eyes. "I was just going to go for a walk, Mother, that's all."
She frowned, crossing her arms. "You shouldn't waste what little energy you have. We barely have enough food as it is."
"I know," I murmured. "I just wanted to check the fields. I promised Father I would, after all."
For about a year now our town had been suffering from famine after the water dried up causing our crops to wither and die. While everyone else quickly lost hope, my father, Thomas Caldon, refused to give up. Every day he would go out to the fields and try to keep his crops alive but in the end the crops failed. All my father accomplished in doing was over exhausting himself to death. That was five months ago. My mother had never been the same since. Meanwhile I had been striving to keep the promise I had made to my father on his deathbed. I swore that I would continue to try to keep at least one of our crops alive but without any water I wasn't having much success. Nevertheless I was still going to try.
My mother smiled sadly. "Alright, but don't overexert yourself and be home before dark."
"I will," I promised before I turned back around and headed to the fields. Needless to say, the results weren't encouraging. My crops had failed once again. I sighed as I reached out my left hand and touched a leaf of a potato plant that had fallen to the ground. That's when something incredible happened.
Two vines suddenly shot out of the earth and wrapped themselves around my left arm, shredding the sleeve of my dress in the process. I cried out in pain. The vines released me leaving black circles on my arm in their place.
To make things even odder, the potato plant had somehow come back to life and was now suddenly thriving. What in God's name was going on?
~ To Be An Exorcist ~
It didn't take long for word of my suddenly prospering garden to get around. Soon people from near and far began showing up on our doorstep asking how we had done it when there was still no water. When I tried to explain, however, everyone would become quick to call me a freak and a monster. Eventually no one came to visit though they still took the time to muster 'monster' every time they passed me outside.
If it had not been for the promise I had made my father, I never would have gone outside again. Perhaps it was a good thing I did; otherwise I never would have met the man I would come to call Suman-nii.
~ To Be An Exorcist ~
"You must be the one everyone's been talking about," mused a deep voice coming from above me.
I wiped my eyes and looked up to find a tall man with dark brown hair and matching brown eyes staring at me with a grimace on his face. He wore a black coat with a strange star pinned on it and wore what appeared to be a gauntlet on his right arm.
"Who are you?" I asked as I rose to my feet and dusted off my dress.
"My name is Suman Dark," he replied. "I am an exorcist works for an organization known as the Black Order."
"Exorcist?" I repeated. "What's that?"
"An exorcist is someone who can wield Innocence," he explained, holding up a hand as he anticipated my next question before I could even ask it. "Innocence was originally a cube that was dispersed by Noah's Flood. It is able to bond with certain humans known as Accommodators to form Anti-Akuma Weapons, the only weapons on Earth that can purify Akuma."
"Akuma?"
"Akuma are souls that are forced by Dark Matter to obey the Millennium Earl who plans to use them to destroy the world," he clarified, still grimacing. "Exorcists use Innocence to fight the Earl in the hopes of ending this holy war once and for all."
"This is all very interesting," I said honestly after a few moments. "But what does any of it have to do with me?"
"Though it may sleep for centuries, once awaken the Innocence shard will cause unexplained phenomena," he told me, glancing pointedly at my garden. "Another duty of an exorcist is to investigate these phenomena and collect the Innocence. Though some phenomena can be the result of something else entirely."
"That's why you're here," I murmured. "Because you think the sudden prosperity of my crops was caused by Innocence."
Suman nodded. "I also believe that you are the one who awakened it, making you the Innocence's Accommodator."
"M-me?" I stuttered, taking a step backward. I crossed my left arm behind my back even though I knew he couldn't see its dark markings under my long dark sleeve. "That's ridiculous."
"Oh? Then why are you suddenly hiding your arm behind your back?" he inquired.
"That's because," I replied slowly as I tried to think of a good reason. Thankfully I was saved.
"What's going on here?" My mother demanded as she walked towards us. She stopped when she noticed Suman. Her blue eyes narrowed, her lips pursing into a frown. "Dana, who is this man?"
"His name is Suman Dark," I told her, taken aback by the sudden coldness in her tone. "He says he's an exorcist."
"But you know that already, don't you Akuma?" said Suman, turning around. A deadly glint shined in his dark eyes.
"Akuma?" I stared at him. "What are you talking about? My mother's not an Akuma."
"Of course I'm not," my mother said with a chilly laugh.
"Your father died a few months ago, did he not?" Suman asked me, ignoring my mother. "And your mother hasn't been the same since, correct?"
"Yes," I confirmed, nodding slightly. How did you-?"
He smirked. "It's my job to know, remember?"
"Oh, right," I murmured. "I still don't understand though. How could my mother be an Akuma?"
"When a person loses someone they care about, they can become depressed," He explained, turning somber. "When a human being is at their lowest, that is when he appears."
"He?" I cocked my head as I suddenly understood. "The Millennium Earl."
Suman nodded. "The Millennium Earl appears before the griever and promises them that he can bring their loved one back to life. All they have to do is call out their name and their loved one's soul will be summoned and become attached to a skeleton provided by the Earl."
"Then what happens?" I whispered, fearing the answer. My whole body was shaking and covered in sweat.
"The soul is then forced to kill whoever called their name and dons their skin," Suman informed me as he watched the color drain out of my face.
"So what you're telling me," I said once I regained my voice. "Is that my mother made a deal with the Earl, brought my father back to life, and then was killed by him. Now he wears her skin and is a weapon controlled by the Earl."
I suddenly realized tears were running down my cheeks. I quickly brushed them away. Why? Why was this happening?
The Akuma made an odd noise as something burst out of it like a hideous butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Its body looked like a giant gray ball with cannons sticking out of it. Its face was a white mask with black makeup that made it look like it was crying.
I swallowed, resisting the urge to throw up as my left arm suddenly began to burn. I pushed my sleeve up to see that the black rings the vines had left were moving and thickening. It was as if they were trying to leap off my flesh. The pain was excruciating. I gripped my arm and fell to my knees as I cried out in pain.
"Dana," it was Suman. He was kneeling in front of me. He placed his left hand on my shoulder. "Don't fight the pain. It will only make it worse."
"What do you want me to do then?" I demanded through gritted teeth. "I'm open to suggestions."
"Let the pain run its course," he advised me.
I stared at him. "Are you insane?"
He smiled. "Trust me.
I sighed and did as I was told, watching the black rings on my arm as I let the pain run its course. The rings were thickening even faster now. Not only that but, after a few moments, the rings lifted off my arm except they weren't rings I realized, they were vines.
The vines stretched out in front of me and headed towards the Akuma with incredible speed. They pierced straight through the monster causing it to explode. The vines then returned to my arm becoming black rings once more.
"What just happened?" I breathed, realizing belatedly that the pain had stopped.
"You activated your Anti-Akuma weapon," he replied calmly, staring at my arm. The vines had destroyed my sleeve, leaving my decorated skin bare. "A parasite type by the look of it."
I didn't even bother to ask what a parasite type was. I had far more pressing things on my mind. "Then I really am an Exorcist."
Suman nodded, watching me carefully as if he expected me to go into shock at any moment but all I felt was numb.
"So what happens now?" I asked once I could breathe again. "Are you going to take me to that Black Order you mentioned before?"
"Yes," he confirmed slowly. "But not tonight. It's getting late and you need food and rest."
I glanced up at him. Even with both of us kneeling, I still had to crane my neck back so that I could look at him more fully. His dark eyes were warm and gentle, a surprising contrast to his moody looks from before. I suddenly wondered if this was what having an older brother felt like.
"Some food and rest does sound good," I admitted with a smile. "Would you care to join me, Suman-nii?"
Suman-nii quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as we headed back to my house. The next morning we were on our way to the Black Order and my life as an Exorcist.
~ To Be An Exorcist ~
"This is the Black Order?" I murmured as we stood on top of a ridiculously high cliff facing a massive black building. "Isn't it a little, I don't know, overdramatic? I mean, are they compensating or something?"
Suman-nii smirked as the door suddenly came alive and scanned us to make sure we were not servants of the Earl.
"What have I gotten myself into?" I murmured as the door opened revealing a girl a couple of years younger than me. She had long black hair pulled up into two ponytails and wore tall black boots.
"Welcome to the Black Order," She greeted me with a bright smile. "My name's Lenalee Lee. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," I replied honestly, a smile spreading easily across my face. "My name's Dana, Dana Caldon."
"Well come on in you two," Lenalee said, stepping aside. "Brother's expecting you."
"Of course he is," I heard Suman-nii mutter, making me stare up at him curiously. He sighed. "You'll understand shortly, Dana."
"Okay then," I murmured thoroughly confused as I walked inside. The interior was even bigger than the exterior. "Why is this place so big?"
"This place is our home," Lenalee explained. "We live here together as a family."
"How many exorcists live here?" I inquired.
Lenalee sighed. "Honestly? Not many."
"Then why are there so many rooms?" I asked, glancing at the floors above.
"Exorcists are not the only ones who live here," She told me. "Finders do too."
"Finders?"
"Finders are volunteers who work alongside us and do not use Innocence," replied Suman-nii before Lenalee could. "And unlike us there are quite a few of them who help us to gather information."
"How come a Finder wasn't helping you?" I asked quietly, noting how his jaw clenched.
"He died," he said. "Killed by an Akuma before we reached your town."
"Oh," I lowered my head, not knowing what else to say.
"Here we are," Lenalee announced suddenly as we halted in front of a large wooden door. "This is my brother Komui's office. He's the one in charge of the Order."
"And crazy as hell," Suman-nii muttered as Lenalee swung the door open.
A man with black hair and glasses glanced up from his desk that was covered in papers so much that they spilled onto the floor. You couldn't see the carpet at all. Komui didn't seem to mind as he pushed back his chair, leapt to his feet, and jumped over his desk causing even more paper to fall to the ground as he ran over o us.
"This must be Dana-chan!" He gushed, grabbing my left arm as he pushed up my sleeve.
I was completely taken aback. All I could do was stare helplessly at Suman-nii.
"Komui," Suman-nii murmured in a warning tone.
"A parasite type, how interesting," Komui said, ignoring him completely as he ran his fingers up and down my arm. "These black rings are particularly intriguing."
Even though he was really starting to creep me out, I couldn't help but be curious. "Suman-nii said the same thing before. What is a parasite type?"
"There are two kinds of Innocence," Komui replied, letting my arm go. "Equip type and Parasite type. Equip type is the most common form of Innocence. It usually takes the form of a common item such as Lenalee's Dark Boots. It is also the most difficult to control.
"The Parasite type is rarer and is formed from part of the Exorcist's body such as your arm. Though the Innocence-infused area is not made of human tissue, the body still recognizes them as part of the human body's structure. Parasite Exorcists also require a large amount of food for the Innocence drains their energy rapidly. It also puts a great strain on their bodies and…"
"And what?" I asked as everyone looked away. "And what, Chief Komui?"
Komui sighed. "They shorten the Exorcist's lifespan as a result."
A/N: And there you have it. Hope you enjoyed. Until next time read, review, and show the love! Also WELCOME BACK HOSHI!