Hitomi: Finally… Finally… FINALLY!

SUMMER VACATION! *GLOAT* After being stressed with finals and stuff, I am officially done with school! Now, to really catch up on updating this AND Unravel on my break~ *is happy*

Although I still feel discouraged about this work again…

*smiles slightly* As long as you guys enjoy reading my work, mistakes and all, I'm happy. I feel like I can face anything, so I thank you for that too.

Disclaimer: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

Ice Flare

IV

First Impressions

[Ahhh, the first rendezvous between two people.

Isn't it fascinating?

The first opinions will change as the bond grows stronger…

But, not when you need to prove yourself out of the bad impression you made!]

"My name is Rafale Marucut and I am an Exorcist in the Tiedoll unit."

Once this sentence had been spoken, all Hell broke loose.

"WHAT DID HE SAY!?"

"That's impossible!"

"T-The Tiedoll division?! Aare you serious?! Oh Daisya, you got some explaining to do!"

"Riley, how long have you been hiding this?!"

"Oy, Kanda, Marie, you didn't tell us about this!"

The rest of the members of the Tiedoll unit had their own reactions upon the remarks that were for them. Of course, it wasn't so easy for them to explain of this situation, concerning the new student. Marie only sighed inwardly, not paying them any mind. Kanda looked quite annoyed from this, giving them quite a glower that had shut many of them up. All Daisya did was laugh himself silly while Riley just merely smiled (however, some can sense a dark aura from him, which made them keep quiet).

"Pardon my need to be blunt, but it wouldn't have been any of your business to know what division I'm under since I had a feeling that it would turn out to be like this, anyway. The reason why I felt the need to say it was because, of course, I've to be honest about it. But, I guess it was wrong for me to give away such information now, wasn't it?" Rue remarked coldly, lips pressed into a thin line as she frowned at the noisy class. "So, please, stop harassing my teammates about it for that none of them except for Riley knew I was going to attend Black Order Academy officially."

This had shut the entire class up; whether it was out of intimidation or embarrassment for themselves, she didn't know.

"Yes, that's right." Riley spoke up from his seat, a forced smile on his face as he addressed his classmates with a stern tone. "Only General Tiedoll and myself knew that Rafale was going to attend Black Order Academy, so it would do you guys good to shut up on the gossip, thanks, and leave the rest of our teammates out of it."

"It would've helped if you told us about this last night, you bastard." Kanda seethed through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at him and close to drawing Mugen out from its sheath. "For that, you're going to die when we go home. Why didn't you say anything about the shorty attending the academy?!"

"Well, it was General Tiedoll's idea to keep quiet about this, you know. I guess he wanted to give you guys a surprise." The other replied casually with a bright smile, causing the samurai Exorcist to turn pale at the mention of their fatherly figure. "So, I suggest you talk to him about it if you have issues about it."

"No thanks…" He muttered darkly with disgust, already knowing through his personal experience that the General was going to irritate him again to no end.

"So, if you're going to ask our dear 'brother' questions, go ahead!" Daisya clamored with a devious grin. Since he found the whole spectacle amusing, he decided on his own to suggest this. This earned him an unreadable look from Rue, which he couldn't tell whether that was good or bad. "Oh, don't give me that look, you! Vice Principal Reever would've said the same thing, anyway, because this is how it is for new Exorcists!"

"That's true." Reever said in between coughing. "So, if you're going to ask Rafale questions, go ahead. I'm sure he won't mind."

"No, I don't…" She mumbled under her breath, though she wasn't exactly overjoyed about it either.

And so, the Q & A session began after the atmosphere started to calm down from the earlier tension.

"Where are you from?" A student from the middle rows asked reluctantly.

"I don't quite remember, actually." Rue started slowly, her eyes questioning. She looked like she was recalling something, but that look had disappeared just as quickly. "I had traveled around a lot before going to Black Order Academy, even before being under General Tiedoll's guidance as an Exorcist in training."

"What is your Innocence?" With his right hand raised, Allen was the one who had asked.

"My Innocence…" At this question, the emotion in her eyes changed. Her teammates sensed that she may be still uncomfortable about this since she didn't feel ready to show it to the public. "I can't exactly say. Although I can still give away what type it is. It's an Equipment type. Other than that, though, it looks like you'll have to wait and see."

"Probably a gun or something… And with that uniform being designed like that, you may as well call him a military nut." Another student snickered under their breath. Riley shot a sharp, hateful look at the back of the classroom, silencing them at once.

"Do you have any family? Well, aside from the Tiedoll division, that is." So not to be suspicious, Lenalee decided to play along by asking a question of her own. Kanda, Daisya, Marie, and Riley all had a feeling about this too; after all, wouldn't want the beansprout and the rabbit to notice something was amiss with Lenalee.

Rue made a slight nod, perhaps telling her comrades silently that she knew Lenalee's intention. With a deep breath, she spoke with a calm reluctance, "…I do, actually. I've two parents, an older brother, and a younger sister. Of course…" There was a light in her eyes, if only faintly, and it faded as soon as it came. "There is Riley too."

All eyes were on said-male (with the exception of the Tiedoll unit and Lenalee, though they only knew vaguely of the relationship), who only responded to this with a warm smile.

"Of course," Riley commented softly, turning his gaze up front and smiling gently at the tomboy. "We're family, after all."

At this, however, there were a few female voices that were protesting at this.

"So wait, Rafale is blood-related to you, Riley?!"

"Kyaaaaah~ Why didn't you tell us that you have a cute, younger brother?!"

"Really! If not for the frown, I'd be pinching his cheeks right now!"

"Well, at least we know who's really related in the division. But, of course, there's no denying that the Tiedoll division has their share of good-looking guys, whether they're related or not~"

"If I may have a say in this, that's enough." Rue snapped curtly, her eyes showing the slightest hint of agitation. "I didn't come here to have girls fawn over me; I only came here to study and nothing else."

That and I can't forget the assignment I've been given from Sir Bookman.

"Don't be so hard on the ladies, Marucut!" A boisterous voice shot out from nowhere. Scanning her surroundings, the girl's gaze landed on a certain redheaded male, who was grinning in mirth. "Wouldn't kill you if you had a relationship in this school; in fact, it may help you to relax since I can already tell you're a person who takes things seriously."

So, that's him, right? Bookman Jr… Lavi Bookman Jr., the Bookman heir.

"My, my, I guess you've been hanging around Yuu for too long." He stated with a mock frown, shaking his head lightly. Then, he went back to grinning widely as like before, his voice fervent. "No worries, I think I can change that!"

"Stupid rabbit, I told you not to use my first name! And that includes in public too!" Kanda barked across the room, his face flushed with a dark red as he now unsheathed Mugen. "And don't compare me to the shorty, damn it!"

"Well, hey, it is your fault Rafale here looks like he has something up his a—"

A blur of black, a narrow miss, some strands of red fell onto his desk. There was a lot of panic in the classroom when witnessing on what was going on, and some were also shocked at the unexpected turn of events. Allen had dropped his dango in shock, his mouth hanging open at the sight. Lenalee looked alarmed as she turned her head this way and that, torn on whether to stay seated or to stop what was happening. Vice Principal Reever choked or spat out his soda in surprise. Daisya actually found this entertaining, jeering about the fight, while Marie only sighed. Riley was conflicted on how he felt about the situation at hand – he shouldn't be surprised about this, but he couldn't help but feel that way too.

Lavi's face went deathly pale with fear seconds later, perhaps having expected this scenario since this was how his relationship worked with Kanda. Then again, that routine changed in an instant. His one eye widened in astonishment when he saw who was in front of him. Said-person was practically sitting on his desk, no less.

"Kanda, don't do this." A cool, familiar voice reached the Bookman apprentice's ears. "It'll mean trouble for you."

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me right now, shorty?" The boy's voice was gruff with aggravation. "Step aside and let me kill the rabbit or I'll end up killing you instead."

And so, it turned out like this. Kanda and Rue were staring each other down, sparks in between their glares. Mugen was out, ready to strike its intended target, though it was a close call. Just when it was about to take down Lavi for a second time, guaranteeing to leave a mark on him, a shadow and a clash of metal indicated that the blade had been blocked. There, it was shown that a dagger had been taken out by none other than Rue herself.

"You know how General Tiedoll feels about our bond." The girl continued on placidly, still putting her strength in the dagger to keep Mugen from getting any closer. "If you kill me off, he'll be very disappointed in you."

"Like Hell I care if the old man has any say about that! He already knows that you and I don't get along at all, so what difference does it make?!"

"Then, I guess I've no choice." When seeing her teammate's eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion, her voice dropped to a faint whisper that only the two of them could hear. "Unless you want your reputation to be ruined… Try not to kill off this guy here, even if he does have a kick of teasing you too much, Yuuri."

With wide eyes at this statement, even just for a moment, Kanda withdrew himself away and reluctantly put Mugen back in its sheath. Whispered gossip had been summoned out of nowhere because of this action, but he had disregarded all but the tomboy in front of him. With a slanted look of caution and anger, he stormed back to his seat, but not before muttering something only for her to catch, "I'll get back at you for that, you fucker."

Ignoring this and turning around to meet the Bookman heir face-to-face, she examined his condition: wide-eyed, stark white in the face, and a few strands of his hair being cut off because of Mugen. Other than that, he seemed to be fine.

"Are you all right, Bookman Jr.?" Her voice was oddly calm and controlled, as if nothing happened.

And he had snapped out of his stupor of shock, feeling someone staring at him. Coming back to reality, he saw the sharp eyes of the new student.

"Y-Yeah, I'm all right." He sounded breathless, slowly feeling himself relax and going back to normal. "Thanks for saving my neck there, Marucut."

"It's no problem." Sliding off his desk, she sauntered over to the desk behind him, making it her seat from now onwards.

Looks like he knows you, after all, huh? Well, the Bookman clan is famous, so it's bound someone like Marucut would hear about you. This is going to be really interesting. Deak chuckled darkly at the back of his mind. What an intriguing Exorcist… How I can't wait to see what his Innocence is.

* * *

In the college square, Rue had decided to take her lunch alone on a bench under a tree. Digging into her bag, she took out a brown, paper bag and examined the contents inside: a water bottle, two breads rolls/sandwiches (the ingredients being smoked salmon, watercress, cream cheese, and baby spinach in poppy seed dinner rolls), assorted crackers and cheeses in a ziplock bag, and, to her surprise, four mini cinnamon buns.

"Riley…" She sighed, shaking her head lightly at the amount of food he packed in there.

He did it again, always packing a lot of food for me and using the best ingredients at his disposal. But, it's Riley, after all; even with only normal ingredients, he can really make cooking into a phenomenon. She thought absentmindedly, savoring the taste of the sandwiches as she took a bite. Then again, he's always worried about how I'm eating. He's always been doing this for me for as long as I can remember.

"He must've gotten up so early to make all of this for me too…" She muttered to herself, all the while eating her lunch with an unspoken contentment. "Makes me wonder why his Innocence turned out to be a deck of cards instead of something like a spatula or a frying pan. A steak knife would work wonders too."

"Rue!!!"

I know that voice…

Without turning around to see who it was, almost immediately, Rue felt someone next to her and hugging her tightly.

"L-Lenalee—"

"I'm so happy to see you!" Said-girl hugged her all the tighter, laughing as she did so. "If I had known you'd officially be attending the academy, I would've given you a warm welcome and showed you around!"

"Lenalee, I really can't breathe—"

"Ah, ooops!" She let go, seeing the other girl's face turning blue due to the suffocation. "I'm sorry! I was too excited to see you!"

"I can already tell." Rue grumbled a lukewarm protest, rubbing her neck to ease the pain of the other girl's strength. But, she sighed lightly, turning to meet Lenalee face-to-face with an almost gentle expression. "But, it really is good to see you too, Lenalee. I'm sorry I had not been able to contact you lately."

"It's all right!" She nodded in understanding, her voice dropping a softer tone, so not for the other students in the square to hear. "You had been busy training your Innocence with Kanda for quite some time, so it must've been very tiring. So, you being here must mean that your synchronization rate is sufficient enough for your Innocence's endurance to battle Akuma."

"Well…" She hesitated to continue talking about it, but it was as if she had forced herself to go on. "Yes. I won't lie to you, my synchronization rate has been better compared to before and I mean this by a long shot. But, even so…"

Like a thunder bolt, anger flashed into Rue's dark eyes.

"Ahhh, Kanda had been giving you a hard time about it again, right?" At this, Lenalee couldn't help but sigh sympathetically with a smile. For as long as she had known Kanda and Rue, the relationship between them was always an all-time rivalry.

"And he still does." Spitefully, she bit hard onto her wheat crackers, which she had eaten with assorted cheese slices such as Swiss, Bleu, Mozzarella, Fontina, Asiago, Feta, and Cheddar; just to name a few, of course.

"Something's up with you, Rue." Lenalee wrinkled her nose in confusion, perhaps an attempt to change the subject, which had Rue feel relieved, but at the same time giving the girl a questioning look of her own. "You decided to go under the name of Rafale instead of your real name. If you're using your male alias, there's a reason for it."

"I really can't tell you that." The tomboy turned away from her gaze, her expression solemn. "I don't want to leave you out of things, but this is something I can't tell you. It's classified information."

"But, to the point you're hiding it? Rue, Kanda shot me a look this morning when I was going to greet you after seeing you enter the classroom with Vice Principal Reever—"

"Ah, well, Kanda doesn't know about the thing I can't tell you about. Probably, he gave you such a look because he didn't want others to know that you and I have a friendship since, as you already heard around campus, I got sent to Principal Komui's office after what I did to Vice Principal Reever by accident." A faint shade of pink bloomed on her cheeks after remembering that. "And since you're Principal Komui's younger sister, people may think I've high connections with you guys since I didn't get in trouble for what happened this morning. I don't want people thinking that Principal Komui is playing favorites because I know he's not that kind of man."

"I see… But, can you, at least, tell me why you're going under your nickname?"

"Well, for one thing, I prefer to be seen as male instead of my true gender, especially when it's less of a hassle from the male population. And another thing, it's because I've been given an assignment concerning of what's going on in the White Chaos Institution. So, I've to be incognito about it."

Lenalee's face paled to milk white at the mention of this, now comprehending the situation clearly. Yes, it all made sense now. Komui had told her that the White Chaos Institution was planning to target specific Exorcists for either to extract information about the Heart Innocence (though, as many know, no such information had been recorded thus far) or, out of suspicion depending on the circumstances, believing that said-Exorcist(s) contain the Heart within them, whether they realize it or not; hence, the holy war.

"An assignment…" The girl murmured quietly with apprehension, wide eyes staring at her serious comrade. "So, you mean to say that the White Chaos Institution has already suspected someone and has made them their target."

"Correct," the other responded calmly, eating one of the mini cinnamon buns casually. "But, I've already said too much, so I can't say anymore on the matter, especially because there tends to be a lot of nosy people around here. If word of this gets out, it'll be the end of me. But, if you really want to know the full details, ask your brother about it in private. Few people have known about this, but I don't want anyone else to know; that includes Kanda, Daisya, and Marie since Riley is the only one in our group that knows about this."

"I understand, then. So, I'll have to keep your gender a secret." Lenalee started to smile, albeit sadly. "Does this mean I'll have to keep our friendship a secret too?"

"I don't think so." Rue's face looked soft again, the statement had Lenalee look at her again with surprise. "I think people will put two and two together, anyway, since I'm pretty sure most people know you grew up with the Tiedoll unit. Honestly, you're my next door neighbor. So, it's all right. Just… Keep my gender and what I've told you a secret. Okay?"

How it made Rue feel warm when seeing Lenalee smile brightly.

"Okay!"

* * *

"Like a stalker!" He groaned out loud, obviously vexed with the current dilemma at hand as he slumped into his desk. His hands were massaging his temples, as if trying to calm himself down.

But, how could he when the day turned out to be like this!

"What's wrong, Lavi?" With his mouth full, curious Allen took his seat, his arms filled with food that he had gotten from the canteen.

"What is wrong." He sighed, gazing up at the ceiling and lost in thought. The younger boy realized he had chosen his words poorly; now, the bookworm was distracted. There was incomprehensible burbling going about from him, something or another about insanity and mayhem. Take note that there were also other things that stood out in his self-rant, which included the following: "How erratic," "No limits whatsoever," "Always happening every time I'm around," and "What the Hell does he think he's doing?!"

"Oh, come on, you know I can't help you if you're like that!" Allen snapped at him, eating away at a slice of blueberry pie. "Why don't you tell me about it? You know I'm more than willing to hear you out."

"It's just too much." The Bookman heir replied grimly, helping himself to the other's pile of food. Out of stress, he gnawed on some beef jerky, really tearing up the meat.

"What's too much? Let it all out if you have to."

And so, it did. In the form of an explosive rage compared to no other.

"Marucut is abnormal!" Lavi snarled irritably, his right hand slamming hard onto his desk, which made Allen jolt in shock. "Marucut's seriously abnormal! Don't you notice it?!"

"Well, this is a surprise, you complaining about the new student. So, what makes you think he's unusual?"

"Everything about him is odd! You should know this because you're around too since we have the same classes! Between class breaks, he's always pacing back and forth outside the room, looking quite paranoid. In P.E., the smallest sounds sets him off; for example, if you hear a bush rustling, he takes out his pistol and shoots without hesitation. When I was in the library and reading, I didn't know someone was behind me and was going to lend me something. I've no idea who it was or what the item was, but Marucut suddenly came in crashing through the window and barely missed on hurling a throwing knife at the poor sap. And then, just moments ago, I had decided to go to the Science Dept. to get some vital information when someone whizzed pass by me and, moments later, there was a sudden explosion in the vicinity! From what Vice Principal Reever and Johnny told me about it, Marucut and one of Komui's Komurin inventions were in some sort of scuffle, perhaps seeing each other as threats for some reason or to see who was the powerful out of the two, I don't know. But, it turned out that Marucut had packed an explosive somewhere and used it to destroy the machine! You CANNOT tell me that's not insane because IT IS!"

And so, Lavi ended the vent with a theatrical flourish – well, that is, if one called throwing their hands up in the air out of sheer frustration theatrical. Slumping back down into his chair with another groan, he looked like he was glowering at his desk as if commanding it by his will to set on fire. Allen whistled lowly with wide eyes, patting the older boy's shoulder in sympathy.

"Well, look at it this way: you've already faced the every day oddity of Black Order Academy, so this shouldn't be new; bloody Hell, this may as well be considered as normal. After all, you got us as students—my mistake, I meant Exorcists—who are trained to combat the Akuma because of Innocence being their adversary, you got the Science Dept. who have endless piles of paperwork on an every day basis, you got the Generals who are more or less the sane bunch out of everyone (well, with General Cross and General Sokalo being with the way they are, it makes me wonder how they got into this profession in the first place; don't even get me started on General Tiedoll or General Yeegar either since, with their gentle dispositions, it's mind boggling to see them fight; General Nine seems to be the only one befitting in the role of Exorcist General, but even she seems to be odd in some way or another, but we don't know how), and, then… There's Komui."

At the last sentence, they both shuddered with foreboding thoughts. If there was anyone who was the most insane in the Black Order Academy, it would have to be none other than Principal Komui Lee. Despite the fact that he does have a serious side when circumstances call for it, the mad scientist side still lingered somewhere inside. Before Rue had entered the academy, there were always reports about robot inventions on the loose, causing chaos everywhere on campus. Luckily, since Lenalee happened to be related to him, she always kept him under control – to a certain extent, anyway. On the flip side, the principal can really make WWIII happen when it comes to boys fighting for his younger sister's affections. The poor suckers never got a shot at such an opportunity and the majority of the male population has been pretty much on the blacklist – yes, which also includes the guys she hangs out with. At least the occurrences weren't as frequent as before, but they still ensued from time to time.

"But, even if you're right, it still doesn't change the fact Marucut's like a stalker! Everywhere I go, he's always around!"

"Errrr…" Now, Allen was trying to think harder on this, but remembering what happened earlier in the morning… "Maybe he's just trying to watch your back. You never know, Kanda might give you living Hell if he finds you alone."

"Yeah… Maybe you're right." This was something to consider some thought on. Rue did save Lavi's neck, after all.

And then, a distant BOOM interrupted their thoughts. It seemed to have come from the college square. As both boys poked their heads out the window, the scenery that unfolded before them was like a battlefield.

"Kanda, if you don't quit planning ulterior motives towards Bookman Jr., it's off with your head." The cool voice of Rue-Rafale can be overheard amidst the noise as she set off another grenade in his direction. Another detonation went off.

"What's with you needing to watch over the stupid rabbit, anyway?!" Kanda shouted crossly, a wave of Mugen summoning Hell's Insects. "It's like you're a stalker!"

"None of your business, you nosy mongrel, as that's my prerogative and not yours. While it's true that I barely know him, given it's my first day here, there are some things you shouldn't do with someone who has a famous lineage. And that means killing them off for petty reasons."

Dodging a gunshot, the older boy glowered darkly at the tomboy, not holding back on his sword strokes as they aimed with the strong intention to cut her down.

"For someone who's been raised in a family before being an Exorcist, you're sure acting abnormal!"

"Don't even bring that up, you brute!"

And the clash continued on. As Allen and Lavi continued scanning their surroundings, they found a riled up Daisya, calm Marie (then again, when isn't he calm?), a sighing Riley, and a panicked Lenalee. Both sighed and shook their heads, deciding not to get involved with the catastrophe.

* * *

Throughout the day, everyone had been doing their own things. Daisya and Riley had been sent to a mission in France while Marie was assigned a task in Germany. Kanda, having just completed a mission the day before, was practicing his swordsmanship in the Kenjutsu club. Lenalee needed a break after recently completing a mission that was a week's work of time, so she started to do errands around the campus. Allen, having partnered up with her on that same mission, was taking a long vacation in the canteen, eating as much food as he wanted while thinking up of strategies in poker.

Lavi, having not gotten any of his sleep whatsoever, decided to head home to rest up.

It's been three days since getting any proper sleep whatsoever and I ended up not sleeping in the clinic, after all… He mused grimly, covering his mouth with a hand as a yawn escaped from him. So, I better head home and I don't care what the old man Panda has to say about this. Bookman heir or not, I need sleep!

Heading out of the Black Order Academy campus, he crossed the street and saw the stairs leading to the railway. Going up slowly, he made his way to the platform. While waiting for the train, he had purchased his ticket and sat onto a nearby bench, resting his eye. Hardly any people were at the high speed rail at this time today, the platform was fairly deserted.

What a long day, wasn't it, 49? Deak called him from the back of his mind, recalling all what's happened.

Deak… What do you think of the new Exorcist? In spite of his fatigued state, Lavi was still compelled to ask the alter ego. Knowing Deak being intrigued by new Exorcists that enter the academy, he would have to go into a full analysis on what information he has gathered through observation.

As I already said earlier, I still say that he's interesting. For all we know, we might as well label him as insane because of how he tends to handle situations. As you pointed out—rather grudgingly, might I add—Marucut is unpredictable. With a calm face like that, you can't read into his thoughts – but, what a surprise! It seems that he knows how to fight… As well as cause disasters around him. There was a wry chuckle from the alter ego, but the host could only agree with a grim assessment. There seems to be an aura of mystery around him too, though I can't quite pinpoint why that is. On top of that, we still don't know what his Innocence is, all we know is that it's an Equipment type and that could mean anything.

You'd think he'd be able to show it, but… Recalling the fight between Rue and Kanda in the college square, Lavi already knew that she hadn't taken out her Innocence – not even once, to retaliate against her teammate. It doesn't make sense. Why won't Marucut show his Innocence? He is an Exorcist… Isn't he?

There's no doubt he is one, 49, especially when it looks like he has experience in combat. However, there's more to him than meets the eye… Try to gather more data on him for the next couple of days and see where we'll go from there.

Lavi only nodded slightly at this, feeling himself dozing off as three days' worth of no sleep crashed down on him. However, there was a strong sense of foreboding just right behind him—

Jolting to alertness, he stood up quickly, and immediately whipped out his hammer as a means of defense against Akuma. And indeed, his senses were right as there was a young man who stood behind him and carrying a knife in hand. At either side were two cronies, who were also armed with guns.

"State your business." Lavi stated in a dark voice, the tiny hammer in front of him. "Unless, of course, you want to die; then, be my guest."

"Oh, no matter." The young man with the knife jumped over the bench, landing nimbly in front of the teenager. A wide, crazed sickle of a smile carved onto his face. "I am only a hired gun, nothing more. And these guys are my back up in case you do something suspicious."

"By whose authority are you all under? What do you want with me?"

"That would be telling now, wouldn't it?" The smile was seemingly innocent when he had said this; soon, the demented grin surfaced once more. Lifting up his knife in an offensive stance, he lunged towards Lavi as he screamed out, "You will die, Bookman Jr.!"

"Innocence, activate! Big Hammer, Little Hammer! GROW, GROW, GROW!"

The tiny hammer that was in Lavi's hands before had expanded to the size of a bus. Not knowing if the knife wielder was only a human or an Akuma was difficult, but he couldn't afford to take any chances. While he was busy battling it out with him, he didn't consider the two thugs that had tagged along in this. And they were just about to assault him from behind when—

Out of nowhere, a thick, white smoke surrounded the four, temporarily blinding them of their sight. The next thing Lavi knew, from behind him, he heard a zapping sound followed by loud thumps. Taking this as a good sign, he decided to pursue his knife holding opponent and take him down as quickly as possible. Deciding to use the smokescreen to his advantage, he began to summon the elements. Kanji signs in seal circles surrounded him, giving him a variety to choose from.

His hammer smacked on the seal for Fire, sending it down on the asphalt as the stamp glowed a very bright red.

"Fire Seal, Configuration of Ash!"

Out of the circle, Lavi had summoned a fire snake. The knife fighter looked around in utter bewilderment, unsure on which direction to go due to the smokescreen. But once he saw the fiery serpent greeting his eyes after the smoke vanished, he had already been vanquished. Lavi heard a faint voice afterwards, someone saying something like, "Thank you." So, the instinct of that guy being an Akuma was right.

Commanding the hammer to be small again, Lavi looked behind him to see what was left of the thugs. To his surprise and puzzlement, the poor suckers were knocked out cold. The smell of burning flesh made him wrinkle his nose.

So, the zapping sound I heard earlier… Was electricity?

Judging from the condition of the first brigand, it seemed that he was electrocuted. The other one, however, it was hard to tell how he got unconscious. But, he was foaming at the mouth.

"Who…?"

A figure shifted behind the Bookman heir.

"Mission accomplished."

With a wide eye, startled, he turned around quickly to see who it was. Then, he had backed away in surprise as he met familiar, sharp eyes.

"M-Marucut?" His dazed trance immediately turned into a shocked face, his finger pointing at her accusingly with horror. "Marucut the warmongering stalker!"

With a blank face, Rue looked at him straight in the eye. Despite the nonchalance, one could see a twinkle in her eye. What emotion it conveyed, he didn't know.

"So, we meet again, Bookman Jr. the lazy womanizer."

Hitomi: *falls over* There we go. Finally!

XD What a way to end the chapter, really, calling each other names. Not sure whether this is a good or a bad start to Lavi and Rue's friendship.

A lot of things happened here. And I'm sure some things are still keeping you guys curious. For instance, what Rue's Innocence is. Well, you're going to have to wait and see. And another one is how Kanda earned the nickname of Yuuri AGAIN. XD I bet some of you are thinking if it has something to do with Kanda crossdressing as female again. Now, why would I do that to poor Kanda? *whistles innocently*

And the rivalry between Kanda and Rue still lives on. *snickers, grinning* Let's see how that's going to turn out again.

And Riley being the ever loving, doting brother towards Rue in his cooking, hehe. Way to make a packed lunch, you. And whether they're really blood-related or not… Oh, the suspense!

Okay, as far as I'm concerned… The teachers would be…

General Cross – Science (well, hey, he WAS a scientist in his previous profession; plus, Reever is already Vice Principal and still head of the Science Dept., so he needs a break)

General Tiedoll – Art or English, not sure what fits better

General Sokalo – P.E. (XD yep, I'm making him the evil P.E. teacher)

Bookman – History (again, a scenario I'm amused about, concerning that his apprentice/grandson is one of his students… *snickers*)

As for what positions to give General Yeegar and General Nine… I'm not too sure about this. So, someone help me with that! Hmmm, considering Krory and Miranda are older Exorcists too, it makes me wonder if I should put them in the positions as professors as well. But, then again, that makes me question on Marie as well since he's twenty eight-years-old… Wonder if I should put him in a professor position or make him stay as a regular Exorcist.

What to do in this story, hm? Well, gotta reveal Rue's Innocence and give her a mission sooner or later, so to jumpstart things.

Let's see what's going to happen~