The very next day, it seemed, Allen was sent with Kanda on a mission. Ever since Allen arrived at the Order, Lavi began to act strange. He was much quieter than usual, like he had something very heavy on his mind, so I just gave him some space and continued to train. The day after that, Bookman returned and pulled Lavi aside. I didn't see either of them until dinner time that night when they both sat with me, Lavi bringing an extra plate of yakiniku, his favorite meal.

"Eh? Thank you, Lavi," I said as he sank into the seat next to me.

"Don't mention it. I figured you'd be hungry and hadn't decided on what you wanted yet," he said with a smile.

"And this is... normal?" Bookman asked as he sat across the table from me. A pink glow came to my cheeks and I hung my head slightly as I reached for my food.

"I told you, Gramps, I look out for her. Emi is my friend," Lavi said as if he were challenging the old man to dispute the issue. Bookman just gave him a droll stare and looked down at his own plate of grilled meat. The only difference was that, next to Bookman's plate was a large bowl of vanilla pudding. There was an odd tension between the two of them. I had to wonder if Bookman really was Lavi's grandfather or not. I didn't know much about the Bookman clan. Maybe I would ask Lavi to explain things later, or find someone else, like Komui or Lenalee, who could explain things to me. Still, I felt odd eating with Bookman there.

"So it seems the three of us are being dispatched on a mission in the morning," Bookman said in his old gruff voice suddenly.

"The... three of us?" I repeated. I felt my heart sink. Lavi had been right about assuming we'd be sent out.

"Sounds like fun," Lavi beamed. I looked up at him and gulped, an uneasy smile finding its way to my lips. "Where we headed?"

"Poland," Bookman said simply.

"What's in Poland?" I asked, trying to just stay involved in the conversation.

"Akuma activity, of course," Bookman replied. Boy, did I feel like an idiot. I felt like I was shrinking as my golden eyes once more gave their attention to my dinner, an idle hand moving up to twirl some of my dark curly hair that was sitting on my shoulder. If I could have morphed into a mouse, I would have, and run as far away as possible.

"Don't be like that, you old crusty Panda," Lavi scolded. For a moment, I thought the tiny Bookman was going to leap over the table and strangle his grandson, but he calmed himself and took a large bite of food to chew his rage away on.

"The people there are afraid that a succubus is plaguing their town. We have reason to believe that it's actually a well-evolved akuma preying on men, young and old. I requested to go along with you on this mission because I know my idiot grandson will wind up getting his ass killed."

"Why you-"

"A succubus?" I questioned. "You mean the female demon that eats the souls of men? Hmm... Well, yeah, I'm definitely glad you requested to go with us. I don't know if I'd be able to save Lavi from that fate," I said with a big smile. Bookman gave Lavi a triumphant grin.

"Charming friend you have, Lavi," he chuckled. Lavi pouted at me, but I just smiled at him. He couldn't help it and grinned back. Maybe I would survive Bookman's wrath just yet. I guess I would find out when we headed out in the morning.

We reached our destination about four days later. Traveling with Lavi and Bookman wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Both of them liked to give the other a hard time. It was everything I'd expected from Lavi, but Bookman was a complete surprise to me. Any time Lavi teased him, the old man resorted to violence without a second thought. It shocked me that Lavi continued to pester him, even after such severe beatings, but then again, it only supported my theory that my red-haired friend was a glutton for pain.

The town was of moderate size as the sun beat down on us from high in the sky. The streets were busy as people went about their day. Nothing seemed to be at all out of the ordinary. Still, I was keeping an open eye out, just in case. I had to remind myself that akuma hid in crowds pretending to be humans. Even the weakest akuma had this ability. It was just my luck that the past ones I'd encountered were enjoying their monster status. Those that were like Amaury were the most dangerous kind.

"Bookman," I questioned, stepping up next to the old man. "How do we know what we're looking for?"

"We're to meet up with a Finder named Joshua at the inn. He's already been here for a few days gathering information and he will brief us and give us his leads."

"Ah," I blinked. I hadn't really been on any missions that involved Finders yet. Well, at least we would be given some leads to follow, and that alone took some of the stress off my shoulders.

"So we're headed to an inn then?" Lavi questioned. "Good, because I'm so damn thirsty," I sighed.

"Lavi," I scowled. "Watch your mouth."

"Sorry, Emi," he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and Bookman shook his head slightly. The old man cursed more than Lavi did, but I wasn't going to get onto him for it. I wanted him to like me, after all. Plus, I figured he was old enough to be stuck in his ways. I didn't know exactly how old he was, but I knew he was old enough that he'd prefer to continue doing things as he had always been doing them throughout his life.

We found the inn with relative ease, and Joshua was even easier to find because of his long tan overcoat that all the Finders wore. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, kind brown eyes and short tawny hair. Under his left eye, he had a small black triangle tattooed which reminded me of a beauty mark of sorts. We decided to retreat to one of the rooms he'd already booked for us to hear the information he'd gathered.

"So, this succubus thing?" Lavi questioned.

"I'm almost certain it's an akuma," Joshua said as he lowered his hood.

"Mm," Bookman nodded.

"Witnesses have stated that men have been lured away from this town at night by the sound of a woman's voice," Joshua explained.

"Like a siren?" I asked.

"Precisely," he replied. "I believe it's a level two akuma with hypnotic abilities. It tends to target young and strong men, though, so I advice you proceed with caution from here, especially you," he went on, looking at Lavi as he finished.

"As if I'd let some akuma hypnotize me. I know the different between a beautiful woman and a horrid demon," Lavi waved off.

"Is that why you cried like a baby on our last mission?" I muttered quietly. Lavi shot me an evil glare, but I just grinned back at him.

"That doesn't count!" he argued.

"Sure sure, quello che dicono,*" I waved him off, rolling my eyes.

"There's something else," Joshua added.

"Eh?" I asked as both Bookmen turned to look at the Finder expectantly.

"Within the past few days, reports of women- normal townswomen- have been coming in. Instead of following a voice, men have been led out of town by familiar women and both of them have vanished in each instance."

"Why didn't you say that before?" I asked, feeling my skin drain of color.

"So, the akuma is becoming stronger then... I suppose the men in this town began to wise up and avoid venturing out at night to avoid the supposed succubus... Instead, it's switched its target to the women, using its abilities on them to lure the men away from safety," Bookman began to speculate.

"Yes, that's what I was also thinking," Joshua nodded. "Stay together and stay alert. That's the only advice I can give to you at this point."

That night, after dinner, Lavi and Bookman retreated back to their room leaving me alone with Joshua for a little while. I didn't mind it; I knew that, as Bookmen, the two of them had some important business to review. Lavi had been waiting for a chance to get alone with his grandfather ever since we'd left headquarters. My assumption was that it was to tell Bookman everything he'd experienced since we left headquarters over two months prior, so you can imagine how shocked I was when I went upstairs to retire to my room and overheard the two men talking, not about the events that had transpired, but about Allen Walker.

"Hevlaska really determined that the boy is the Destroyer of Time?" Bookman's voice sounded through the door.

"Yeah, that's what Komui's report said, anyway. What'd ya think about that?" Lavi's bored tone responded.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure. You know a well as I do that many cultures across the globe have predicted the destruction of mankind. It almost seems inevitable, but it's also possible that Allen Walker could be a key to all those predictions. It could be metaphoric, or very literal."

"As in, Destroyer of Time, like a time period, or Destroyer of Time as in existence as a whole?" Lavi inquired.

"Both, it's far too early to even begin speculating what the title could mean. You've seen how quickly mankind moves to destroy itself. The boy could put a stop to war and bring a time of peace upon us, or he could very well turn the last page of our existence. After we return from this mission, I think it would be very much in our best interest to keep an eye on him."

"For the sake of recording the true history of the world?"

"Precisely."

"There's something else that I find to be quite troublesome," Bookman said suddenly.

"Eh? What's that?"

"This war between the exorcists and the Earl... I believe it may very well climax soon."

"Why do you say that, Gramps?"

"Because sightings of the Noah Clan have started coming in. That's what I was investigating in Portugal."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Lavi exclaimed, suddenly sounding worked up when he had been bored with the conversation only moments ago.

"Do I look like the type of person to be making jokes!" Bookman growled back.

"I don't know... Pandas can be pretty funny sometimes!"

"Idiot!" came Bookman's roar. The next thing I knew, there was a loud crash and Lavi came flying out of the door, head first, before crashing into the wall opposite of his room.

"L-Lavi!" I stammered, my amber eyes bugging out of my head. I was utterly shocked by the sudden crash, but I also didn't want him to think I was eavesdropping.

"Gyah~! What a grouchy old man!" Lavi whined, clenching his head.

"You need to learn when to be serious!" Bookman barked from inside the room. Lavi just grumbled some more before he looked up at me as if he'd just realized I was standing there.

"Eh? Emi? Is something the matter?" he asked.

"N-no," I stammered. "I was just headed to shower and get some sleep when you crashed through the door. Are you alright?" I quickly lied.

"Uuuh, yup! I think I'm okay!" he grinned as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "That old Panda never does any permanent damage, so don't worry," he chuckled, patting me on top of my head. I quickly side stepped around him and began to back up towards my room, a nervous laugh bubbling in my throat as I waved to him.

"Alright! Well, I'm very tired, so I'm going to go to sleep now. Try not to pester your grandfather so much and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning! Goodnight!" I said very quickly before slipping into my room and shutting the door. My heart was pounding in my ears as my mind raced, trying to process everything I'd just heard. Allen was what? The war was escalating? Who were the Noah Clan? I didn't understand any of it, but, as I shed off my uniform and stood, surrounded by steam in my shower, my mind soon began to calm itself and all those thoughts were pushed aside. By the time I got out, dried off, and crawled into bed, I was daydreaming about the war being over, the Earl being defeated, and finally getting a chance to live my life in peace with the red-haired man of my dreams...

I was asleep not two minutes after my head hit my pillow, and I guess I must have been in the deepest slumber I could manage. It felt like, just as I drifted off, I was suddenly awake again, my eyes extending to the size of fine china. If I had been a cat, the hairs along my spine would have been completely on end as I jolted upright with my jaw clenched, half expecting to be attacked.

"EMI! WAKE UP, QUICK! THE INN IS BURNING DOWN!" shouted Lavi's voice from the doorway.

"AAAYYEEE~!" I screamed before losing my balance and toppling over out of my bed. I was about to panic, like lose my mind entirely, but the sound of Lavi's evil cackling slithered into my ear canal causing me to sigh the heaviest sigh that I've probably ever exhaled.

"Ahahaha! You should have seen your face!" he began to tease. My face, if I could see it, I bet was beet red as I sat up on the floor, clad in my tank top and shorts. My hair was loose for once and in a matted mess surrounding my already large head (or forehead, more specifically). I scowled at Lavi and crossed my arms.

"That's not funny, Lavi," I pouted. Really, it was a little insensitive on his part. The night we'd first met, I had, after all, woken up to my house burning down around me. How had he forgotten that.

"Aw, Emi, I didn't mean it like that," he cooed at me, walking across the threshold of my room to extend me a hand to help me rise to my feet. I gave him a flat stare before taking his hand and rising, dusting the exposed flesh of my shins of dirt. "I just thought I'd get you back for waking me up like that the other day."

"I didn't run in your room screaming the Order was being attacked by vampires," I said, a hint of spite in my words.

"True," Lavi agreed with a small nod. "So, how about to make up for being suuuch an idiot, I take you out for breakfast?" he asked. I gave him a puzzled look and glanced out my window. It really was morning. Lavi was awake before lunch. I was shocked. Maybe Bookman had something to do with it, but I just shrugged the mystery off and turned back to blink up at him.

"Don't we have a mission we're supposed to be taking care of?" I asked.

"Eh, we can't really do anything until something 'supernatural' happens. Until then, we just 'patrol' the streets," he said with a grin and a thumbs up.

"And by that you mean aimlessly wander around and goof off?" I asked.

"See, now you're getting the idea! Now get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs in twenty!"

Half an hour later, Lavi and I were walking down the street looking for a nice cafe to have breakfast in. The town was very much the way it had been the day before. The streets were busy and the people were going about their business as if they hadn't any problems in the world. For a moment, I almost thought I was on vacation. I had no idea that Lavi and I were even being followed as we sat down and ordered some delicious pastries for breakfast.

"U-um, excuse me," came a small feminine voice. Lavi and I both looked up from our drinks to see a girl, possibly fifteen years old or so, with long orange-yellow hair and green eyes. Freckles spotted her face, which wore a nervous expression as she blinked over at us. "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your meal, but, you two aren't from around here, are you?"

"No," I responded, wondering whether or not a large question mark was hanging above my head. The girl looked alarmed suddenly and she bowed her head in a quick apology.

"Eh! I'm so sorry! My name is Lidia! I was just wondering because rumors have been going around town that people were going to be arriving soon to investigate the vanishing people!" she said very quickly.

"Ah, yeah, that would be us," Lavi said with a proud smirk on his face.

"Eeeeh! Really?" Lidia asked, her eyes shining with hope. I couldn't help but smile.

"Yup, we're here to get to the bottom of things," I reassured her happily. Then something occurred to me. "Don't tell me you're related to one of the victims," I said with a small frown. The girl's happiness withered away suddenly and she gave me a small sorrowful nod. "Ah, I'm so sorry," I said, my eyebrows caving in with sympathy.

"N-no! It's alright! Actually, I have some things I'd like to share with you, but I don't have time to talk now. You're staying at the inn down the street?" she asked. Lavi and I both nodded. "Then I'll come by this evening when I'm threw with work!" she declared.

"Okay, I'm Lavi, by the way, and this is Emi," Lavi quickly introduced us. Lidia was already headed out the door.

"Alright! Nice meeting you! I'll see you later!" she peeped quickly before disappearing from our line of view.

"Odd girl," Lavi said with a shrug.

"Hmm," I mused back. She was odd, but if she had a lead for us, I had no problems talking to her later.

Nothing spectacular really happened the rest of the day. Night time was upon us once more. Bookman had spent all day with Joshua interviewing people about the recent "attacks" that had happened and Lavi and I just wandered around the town the rest of the day, aside from when Lavi decided it was time for a nap and we returned to the inn for a couple of hours. I didn't nap, though, because I knew that if I did, I wouldn't sleep that night. Little did I know that my night wasn't going to welcome much sleep, anyway.

I was downstairs reading a book while Lavi was still napping away. I was starting to wonder if Lidia was even going to show up at all. The cafe part of the inn was nearly empty and I began debating whether or not to go to sleep for the night when the door finally opened and the girl with the pale orange hair wandered in with the same shy expression on her freckled face she'd worn earlier that day. When she saw me, Lidia beamed and wandered over.

"Sorry I'm so late! I had a hard time closing shop tonight because my co-worker took the evening off," she said as she sat down across from me.

"Oh, no worries," I smiled back.

"What happened to your friend?" she asked, looking around to discover that the two of us were essentially alone.

"He wore himself out and had to lay down for a bit," I chortled. "You can talk to me, though. I can always just re-cap it for him in the morning."

"Ah, okay then," she continued to smile. Then, I noticed that her smile turned more into a sneer. I blinked in surprise as her eyes began to shift into a yellow color. "I'd much rather have you alone for now, exorcist," her voice said, becoming almost hollow as she spoke. I went to rise to my feet. I was going to activate my Innocence- I couldn't believe I'd been caught alone with an akuma like this! However, before I could even raise my fist, my body froze.

"I sensed your Innocence this morning and decided you'd make a lovely addition to my team of soulless humans. The Earl will be so pleased with me when he finds out I've caught, not one, but two of you exorcist scum in my grasp."

"L-Lidia-!" I stammered, but my body was still frozen in place. Then, the akuma's lips stopped moving and my body started to relax. I tried to move my arms, but I couldn't do it. Lidia's voice laughed inside my head.

"Don't you see now, exorcist? I've got you in my trap. Your body is mine to control and all you can do is helplessly float inside your own head and watch me destroy everything you love. I think I'll start with that red-haired boy I saw you with this morning. What was his name- Lavi?"

"N-no!" my voice screamed, but it only echoed in my ears. I couldn't make my lips move, but my body was already turning to walk upstairs. "Stop it! Please!" I begged. I walked forward, stopping outside Lavi's bedroom door. My knuckles rose to give the door a light tap.

"Lavi? Are you alright? You've been asleep forever," my body began to speak in my voice. A moment passed before the door opened, and when it did, Lavi emerged, rubbing the sleep from his eye, his bandana hanging from around his neck.

"E-Emi...?" Lavi questioned. As if I was looking at myself from above, I saw a grin spread across my face.

"LAVI! Non date retta a lei, idiota!*"

Author's Note

Alright so I had a LOT of fun coming up with the plot for this entire mission. I don't know how many chapters it will extend. I'm hoping to keep it going until I get into chapter 16, though. I've been re-watching the anime, so you'll find that all of the CC's personalities have been put back into character (if I strayed too far, that is). Now that my fic is caught up to the anime, you'll see a lot of the actual plot from DGM entering into play. I know that lately, Emi's character has been sort of here and there, so I'm going to be working on reflecting on the character she should be over the next few chapters. She's going to do a sort of self-evaluation so that I can get her back on track along with the CC's.

• This chapter breaks 50,000 words!

If you read this, PLEASE submit a review! I'd like to know which characters readers would like to see more of and what sort of scenes people are interested in seeing Emi involved in (I know Arista and I were talking about when our OC's have their first run in with Sir Komurin!). I'd also like to extend another thank you to all of those readers of mine who have read all 14 chapters up to this point. Your support means the world to me!

If you didn't see my updated profile page by now, the picture is one Arista edited for me to resemble Emi. I also announced that updates will now be posted on Monday and/or Thursday evenings, if I have an update ready to be posted. I'm planning on writing chapters ahead of time so that I always have something to post, at least one day a week.

• If you have a DGM story, just send me a PM and I'll see about adding it to my and Arista's DGM C2! Welcome to the Black Order.

[Aug 04, 2011]

Translations:
*quello che dicono - whatever you say (Italian)
* Non date retta a lei, idiota! - Don't listen to her, idiot! (Italian)

Word Count:
Ch 14 - 3583
Total - 50,910