Chapter 7: You Never Forget Your First Kill.

It took Harry all of 30 seconds to pack his bags. His heart was pounding and he couldn't stop fidgeting.

This was it, he thought, I'm finally getting to actually use these skills.

However, in addition to his excitement, Harry couldn't deny that he felt nervous. He had read about akuma, had seen pictures of the different forms one could take, and had heard the stories from exorcists, scientists and finders alike about the abominations, but Harry had never laid eyes on one himself. He hoped he could cope with it.

Don't worry about it, he told himself stubbornly, Allen will be with you. It'll be fine.

As many times as he told himself that, he found himself just not quite believing it.


"Here we are, Harry!" Allen stretched out his arms and gestured out at the bustling streets of Paris. "First time to France?"

Harry nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. Allen seemed to have noticed the other's unease.

"Don't worry, Harry. Everyone's first mission is the hardest. Fear of the unknown and all that. But it's just a routine mission. No one's first one is too horrible." Allen decided against telling Harry about his own first disastrous mission. Confidence is key after all.

As the duo walked the streets, Harry couldn't even take in the beauty of the place; his mind was too busy dwelling on tales of demons and blood.

At last, they reached the doorstep of an old and very run-down church. The stained glass windows were shattered to pieces and the doors' paint was stripped and worn off.

"Cheery," Allen said brightly. Harry glared back. "Oh come on Harry, it could be worse-" Allen tensed for a moment and looked both to his left and right before allowing himself to relax. "Sorry, it's just when I say that something bad almost always happens." He gave Harry one of his trademark smiles.

Harry was not reassured.

"Anyway, we'd best get started. Shall we? And remember: no magic. Komui will kill you, and then he'll kill me, most likely in some very creative way." Allen motioned for Harry to open the door. The wizard did so with much trepidation.

The old door creaked loudly, the noise echoing into the depths of the church. Harry found he couldn't open it completely due to the wonky positioning of the hinges. He took a deep breath and stepped into the dark, cavernous room.

At first, it looked empty. Then he noticed a small child knelling down at one of the pews up near the front. The child was muttering something in rapid French that Harry had no hope of understanding. He jumped slightly when he felt a soft hand on his back.

"That's our target, hard as it is to believe," Allen whispered. Harry gasped as he noticed the whirling monocle in front of his friend's left eye. He had heard about Allen's curse, but this was the first time he had ever seen it activated. "The soul is his mother…" Allen trailed off sadly.

Harry gulped and turned back to the child. He looked so helpless and innocent.

Harry took a hesitant step forward.

The child abruptly turned, his wide eyes boring into Harry's own. The child started to take slow deliberate steps towards the two exorcists. Then he spoke in the clear voice of a child. Harry thought he couldn't possibly be more than seven years old.

"Are you here to hurt me?" The child spoke in English now, his voice laced with fear. Harry noticed his eyes were a deep brown, much the same as Hermionie's. He wished he didn't notice.

"You have to strike now, Harry, when it's unarmed." Allen spoke urgently in his ear.

But Harry was frozen, too shocked to do anything. He trembled staring at the child that he was supposed to murder. He had prepared himself for a monster. What was in front of him seemed so human. So vulnerable. Harry couldn't bring himself to commit the violent act. The dagger clenched in his sweaty palm. He didn't make a move.

"Are you going to kill me?" The child looked close to tears.

"Harry, now." Allen crouched down into a defensive stance. It was clearly important that it was Harry who purified this demon.

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move. This isn't what he wanted to do. He wasn't a killer. He could not harm a defenceless child.

"Are you going to kill me, exorcist?" the little boy spit out the last word with menace. His eyes seemed to bulge and his body ballooned out in grotesque lumps. Harry had to stifle a yell as the boy's skin ripped open to reveal a round grey body with a smiling mask. Cannons whirled around the thing's head and positioned itself so it pointed straight at the boy wizard.

"Too late," Allen murmured.

Gunshots exploded throughout the church. It was only through Harry's months of training that he was able to dodge the bullets at the last second as he and Allen dived away in opposite directions. The remaining glass of the windows shattered to the ground and Harry had to bring his arms up over his head to avoid having his neck cut open. The price of this move was the large gashes that formed on his forearms.

Harry stared back at the abomination. This was good. He could move now. He could attack this monster. He could kill it.

"Are you going to hurt me?" The phrase was the same as before, but the voice was layered with a metallic tone that set the hairs on the back of Harry's neck on end.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Harry lunged for the creature, dagger armed out in front of him. The akuma laughed and sent out another spray of bullets. Harry dodged to his left and rolled into a graceful crouching position. Allen had jumped ahead and stopped most of the bullets with his arm.

The white haired boy nodded at Harry as he floated through the air, collecting the bullets with his claw, "You've got this, Harry."

Harry gritted his teeth and focused again on his target, ready to make a second attempt at an attack. It was one of the biggest annoyances of having an Innocence weapon that required such close range: no room for error.

He darted around the figure, pleased when he saw that it was much slower in turning then he was. He changed directions a number of times, disorienting and confusing the akuma until he make a dive right for it.

Everything moved as if in slow motion. He saw the masked face of the demon's eyes narrow as Harry ran straight for it. He saw how it grinned a wide smile and cocked its gun straight at Harry's forehead. He saw how he had a split second choice before he would be dead and gone for good.

He let his legs move out in front of him so he slid low to the dusty floor. His body glided underneath the akuma, and that was where Harry finally landed his strike.

He plunged his dagger into the underside of the akuma, using all the strength he had to destroy it. It let out a piercing scream and Harry had to flinch at the sound of it. The body shuddered and then exploded into a storm of dust, sending Harry flying and landing painfully on a pew.

Adrenaline pumping, Harry looked around the church warily. It was gone, right? It's dead?

It was then he heard clapping from above him. Looking up, he saw Allen perched up on one of the rafters.

"Well, I'd say that was a very good first outing for you, Harry. Could have been better, but not at all a bad effort. Though I stress to you that it's always best to attack when they're still in their human form – it tends to save a lot of time, effort and casualties."

"I- I know. Cloud Nine told me that in training. It's just…" Harry trailed off, the image of that little boy being ripped apart from the inside seemed burned into his eyes and he could still hear the child's voice clear in his mind, are you going to hurt me?

Harry shook his head, "It's just I guess I wasn't prepared enough for it."

Allen nodded in understanding, "That's perfectly ok, especially for your first mission. But be prepared for many similar occurrences in the future. You need to remember, they're not human anymore."

Harry lowered his head and nodded.

"Now, let's get you patched up. You're quite a mess if you don't mind me saying."

Harry looked down and saw his blood stained arms and his once pristine exorcist uniform covered in dust and debris. He put his hand to his face and saw he was coated in grime.

Allen laughed at the wizard's surprised expression, "Don't worry, it could be worse. Did I ever tell you about my first mission?" Harry shook his head, "Well, let me tell you about the Ghost or Matar…"

And as Harry listened to Allen's story as the white-haired boy wrapped his arms in bandages and wiped his face clean, he had to agree.

It really could have been worse.


At last, action!

Just so you guys know, there will be a fair few time skips in this fic. But only when Harry is at the Order. I'll put a chapter here and there every couple of months really to show how Harry is progressing, but I really want to show how Harry is getting stronger and growing more and more mature due to his time with the exorcists.

So what do you think? Reviews are always lovely :)