Chapter 1

Yukio Okumara stands in front of his Pharmaceuticals students, "Class this is Luna Wilk. She will be joining our class as a transfer student from America." He turns and looks at the new student. "Miss Wilk would you like to address the class?"

She nods her head and stands turning around to face the class. A thick strand of her brunette hair falls in her face covering one of her copper colored eyes. Twirling her finger at the base of her head and running her finger along the strand she pulls the unruly hairs back into place. She then looks toward the students. "My name is Luna Wilk; my surname is Polish but I was raised in America all my life. My father was Polish and my mother was a Native American. I have transferred over to the Tokyo branch through the True Cross Academy program to learn about exorcisms." She looks around quickly scanning the class as she turns to sit back down. Two tables behind her sit three young men, the first seems to be of a tall and muscular build with dark features except for a large blonde streak of highlighting at the front of his hair that forms a Mohawk. Sitting next to him is a small lanky teen with a shaved head and red glasses his soft features gave him a quiet thoughtful look. He smiled as Luna scanned his face. The last boy sitting at that table was a tall thin but fit teen with tinted pink hair. He stares back at her his elbow resting on the desk and his hand leaning against his chin. Directly to the right of them at the next table sat a slender girl with purple pigtails and an annoyed look on her face. Next to her in the adjacent seat a short haired brunette girl with soft quiet features. Behind them a boy in a hooded black sweatshirt and a kid holding a puppet of a pink bunny. As Luna turned toward the front of the classroom the last two students she saw were a boy and a girl sitting at the middle table. The girl wore a pink kimono her green eyes and blond hair were a stark contrast to the rest of the student's dark features. The boy that sat next to her had dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His ears were slightly pointed and his canine teeth were unusually long Luna thought as he smiled at her. She then looked up to the teacher, "Is there anything else I should address professor Okumura?"

"No, that should be just fine." Yukio nods his head, "Thank you Wilk you may sit. Alright class open your books to chapter fifteen on burns and skin lesions. Can anyone tell me what to put on a minor burn to the skin such as one caused from too much Coaltar exposure?" Luna and the blonde girl across from her shoot up their hands nearly simultaneously. "Miss Moryama."

"Mr. Sancho!"

Mr. Okumura arches an eyebrow behind his thick glasses, "Mr. Sancho… Could you elaborate Miss Moryama? I'm not sure that the rest of the class would know what that is as it sounds like a nickname for that plant."

"Um, well it's green and spiny and uh…" She looks down at the book her face begins to flush.

"Miss Moryama is on the right track she is just looking for a name can anyone help her? Miss Wilk?"

"I believe that she is referring to the aloe plant. Other plants that are useful for burns are stonecrop and noni fruit."

A scoff comes from behind and under someone's breath she hears, "How could she know that when she just got here? What a showoff."

"Izumo shh… She'll hear you."

Wilk lowers her head and flicks her pencil back and forth in her hand as she tries to ignore the comment.

Mr. Okumura Smiles, "Very good Wilk we have not gone over the other plants that you mentioned as they do not grow as plentiful here in Japan. If we ever were on a mission elsewhere it is good to know other plants that could be helpful."

Luna looked up from her book. Mr. Okumura seems nice she thought.

The class went on until, "Alright you may close your books now." Said Mr. Okumura. "I was asked to inform you that PE will be in training room 3 today at 1:00. Please do not be late. Class is dismissed."

All the students at the back of the class grab their books and head out the door. The three boys leaving together in a clique chatting amongst themselves. Luna over hears the pink haired one comment on her.

"I've never seen an American before, she's cute. Don't you think so Konekomeru?"

The shaved headed boy with glasses looks over to Luna as they leave the classroom, "I try not to look at peoples outside features as much as you do Shima, but yes she is cute."

Luna smiles to herself. 'It's nice to know that someone does.'

"I'm just amazed that she's not a blonde. I thought all girls from America were blonde." comments the third boy.

"You are obsessed with blonde lately Bon. I think that bleach leached into your brain." Said Shima laughing.

"You're one to talk your hair took three more hours than mine did."

"Mine doesn't take any time at all." Laughs Konekomaru as they walk out the door.

Luna stuffed her books into her messenger bag. All the students had left and it was just her and Mr. Okumura left in the class.

"How are you finding everything Miss Wilk?"

"Okay, for the most part. It's nice to have a key that leads directly to the cram school. I tend to be a little directionally challenged."

"You will figure it out soon I'm sure. I received the report on you and I wanted to inform you that your special case shouldn't be a problem."

She winced, "Thank you Mr. Okumura I hope not to be a burden on you or the rest of the faculty here in Tokyo."

"Not to worry I'll do my best to have my tests earlier in the day."

"Thank you Mr. Okumura. Do you think you could point me in the direction of the lunch room or at least show me which key to use?"

"Of course, come with me."

As Mr. Okumura opens the classroom door the boy and girl that sat next to each other in class step in.

"Yuki are you going to have lunch with us?" asked Shiemi. "Rin said he wanted to wait for you."

"Sure we can eat together. I need to show Miss Wilk to the lunch room anyway."

"Alright! Right this way." Rin says enthusiastically.

Shiemi looks at Wilk as they walk to the cafeteria, "It must be hard to be so far away from home. What's America like?"

"For the most part I haven't really thought about being so far away from home. Moving to Tokyo has certainly been its own adventure." Luna smiles, "America is an interesting place. It has many different climates and time zones. Much like Japan we have landscapes with mountain ranges and areas of vast flat land. The state I lived in had lots of trees. I like trees, they are good cover."

Mr. Okumura chimed in, "Yes, it's always nice to have shade from the sun."

"True if you get too much sun then you'll have to get out the Mr… Santo was it?"

Rin giggled, "Shiemi is a plant whisperer."

Shiemi blushes, "No I just came up with names for all the plants. I call Aloe Mr. Sancho."

They approach the lunch room. "Wilk do you want to eat with us?"

"If I wouldn't be intruding that would be nice. Thank you, Rin was it?"

"Yep, Rin Okumura and Yukio here is my little brother."

"Really, your little brother? Teaching the same class you are in!?" Luna eyes them both over, "I see a little resemblance though one of you must resemble your mother and the other your father."

"We didn't know our mom but our old man was the best exorcist in the business. Right Yukio."

"Our father was the late Paladin of the Japan branch." Said Mr. Okumura.

"So that makes the two of you celebrities of sorts. I've never had lunch with a celebrity before."

Shiemi laughs, Luna turns to her. "And you Moryama are you the daughter of an exorcist?"

"No, my mother owns the supply shop here at the school."

"Oh that's awesome! So if I need anything you can help me?"

"Sure anytime!" she pulls out a chair at an empty table, "Let's sit here."

Yukio's phone rings. He turns away from the table and answers it. "Okumura here! I see… very good I'll be there." He turns back toward the group, "Excuse me I need to go. I hope you enjoy your lunch and your first day Miss Wilk." He pushes up his glasses straitens his jacket and walks out the door they had come in.

"Your brother seems like a busy guy. How is it that he's teaching classes already?"

"Well I guess he and the old man went on missions together before he died. I was just trying to survive grade school."

"I know the feeling." Luna rattles her tongue between her lips. "So, what Meister are you going into?"

"I want to be a knight! That's why I carry around this baby." He points to the red sling on his back that obviously carried a sword or other weapon of that nature.

"What about you Moryama?"

"I'm not sure that I really want to be an exorcist yet."

"Really!? I thought you would be a shoe in for being a doctor. If you know plants well enough to be giving them nicknames." Luna looks puzzled at her.

"I've always wanted to be helpful to people."

"Well then maybe we can work hard to help people together. I want to be a doctor like my mother was and perhaps a dragoon like my father too."

"Yuki is a dragoon and doctor. Isn't he Rin?"

"Yeah, and so was our old man."

"Why do you call him that?" Luna turns to look at Rin her brows furrowed.

"What?"

"Why do you call your father old man? That seems disrespectful to someone who dedicated their whole life to your wellbeing."

He sneers, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I guess I've just been rebellious so long I didn't think about it." He gets up from the table and clears his throat. "I'll see you both in PE."

"Okay, see you in a little while Rin." Shiemi smiles.

"Rin! I'm sorry if I offended you."

"It's nothing I just realized that I left my gym clothes at home so I have to run to the dorm quickly." He walks out whispering to himself.

"The two of you seem really close Moryama. Have you known each other long?"

"I've known Yuki for about a year now but Rin I just met recently. He and Yuki saved me from a demon in my garden."

"You really do talk to plants then. Huh!" The two girls laugh. "Will you walk with me to PE? I brought some clothes to change into but don't know where to go to do it."

"Sure, it's probably time to head in that direction anyway." They stand and walk past the table with the three boys that sat behind Luna earlier in the day.

"Hey Moryama! What is the best remedy for mouth demons? Bon here has a potty-mouth."

"Well brushing your teeth might help." Luna smiles

"Oh Shima! She got you good, serves you right for making fun of Bon. That was witty new girl. What was your name again?"

She blushes, "Luna Wilk. I'm sorry I shouldn't kid with people I don't know. You just seemed like you could take a joke. The mint plant works for minor demons of the mouth but if you mix mint and spearmint in a tea it's much more potent and can cast out demons of the digestive tract."

Shiemi tilts her head, "I didn't know that Wilk."

"My parents and I used to go camping and my mother would teach me all she knew about plants."

"Sounds like you and your parents are close."

"We were a tight pack." Luna scratches her head. "See the three of you at PE?"

"Yeah like we have a choice. PE's the worst." Shima takes an exasperated breath.

The girls laugh and walk toward the cafeteria exit.

"Guys did you catch that she said they were tight?" Konekomaru slides his hand across the table to wipe away crumbs from it.

"Sounds like maybe she had a falling out with her folks. Just like my dad and I." Suguro grumbles

"Maybe, or maybe she's…" Konekomaru trails off as he watches the girls leave through the door way. "Maybe she's got more to her story."