Chapter 14- A New Mission- Arisa's P.O.V

Kanda and I stood outside Komui's office, waiting to be let in. Neither of us said anything, which was fine with me. I did not want to go on a mission with Kanda.

I heard yelling coming from inside the office. I could only make out Daisya's voice, and Komui's high- pitched squeal. There was a third voice, but I couldn't make out whom it belonged to.

Finally, Daisya stomped out of the room. He looked angry. I grabbed his arm.

"Calm down," I whispered. He just looked at me, and then trudged off.

Kanda and I entered the cluttered office. In the far side of the room, there was a heap of smoking metal. Komui was hunched over it, crying his eyes out. I eyed the scene carefully as I sat on the purple couch.

"Ignore what's going on over there," A man said. It took me a moment to place a name to his face. Malcolm C. Leverrier stood at the desk, dressed in his usual, purple suit. "We had a bit of a commotion a few minutes ago, if you can't tell."

Neither Kanda nor I spoke. I'd only met the inspector once, and I hated his guts. He scared Lenalee so much, that she stayed near Kanda for the last three days of Leverrier's visit.

"Your mission is to go to the Asian Branch," Leverrier explained. "Zhu needs to talk with you, Kanda, and the others want to meet you, Ms. Lane. I am truthfully surprised that after two years of being at the Order, you have not made any contact with the other braches of the Order. Your train leaves in an hour,"

I stood up, knowing that he wanted to say something like, "Get out of my sight, you filthy exorcists."

I followed Kanda out of the room. "Who's Zhu?" I asked.

Kanda didn't answer. He just kept walking.

"Zhu is the formal head of the Asian Branch," Marie said, walking beside me. "Even though Kanda doesn't admit it, he considers Zhu to be like his grandfather. Zhu was also the person who made Mugen."

I felt like he wasn't telling me everything. "What are you hiding?" I asked.

"Its none of your business, Circus Freak," Kanda snapped.

"My name's Arisa!" I snapped back. "Say it with me, you peanut brain! A-ri-sa!"

Kanda just ignored me.

"Don't ignore me!" I yelled.

Marie laughed, and stopped walking. "Have fun, you two."

"Shut up!" I snapped at him. Marie just continued to laugh.

The train ride was silent. I spent the whole time daydreaming, while Kanda slept. He only woke up when the conductor yelled. "This is our final stop. Everyone, please get off here.

Kanda stood up, grabbed his sword and his case, and walked out of the cart. I followed him off the train, and through a giant field.

We were on the top of a giant valley, with verdant, green hills, bushes, and trees surrounding us. The sight was amazing. I could see down into the rocky valley bellow us. It must have been deep, because I couldn't see to the bottom. The sight sent my stomach turning, and I looked away, trying not to let me fear of heights ruin the day.

"Wow," I said. "This place is beautiful!"

"We don't have time to stop and gaze around," Kanda said.

"Why not?" I asked. "Its not every day we get to see this sort of place."
Kanda gripped my arm. "Listen here," He said. "I don't like the thought of having to go back to the Asian Branch, but having you tag along isn't helping my mood. I just want to get there, talk to whomever I need to talk to, and leave.

"Let me go," I growled. I yanked my arm from his grip. "I don't like having to go on a mission with someone who clearly hates me, and won't give me a reason why."

I thought I saw Kanda's eyes flash with something I'd never seen in them before; regret. However, he quickly recovered his composure, and his eyes turned steely cold.

"Did I strike a nerve?" I asked. "Because it looks like I did."

"You might think that you'll get something out of me about who I am," Kanda said, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "But you're wrong. Not even Marie knows everything about me, and I've known him since I was a child. "

"I don't want to know anything about you," I said. "You're a jerk who only cares about himself!"

Kanda's face got so close to mine, that I could feel his breath on my face. "If I only care about myself, then how come I haven't killed everyone? I'm not the kind of person you think I am, Circus Freak. I don't kill people unless I absolutely have to. Those who are in the Order are the closest thing to a family that I have, and I don't plan on loosing them- not yet anyways."

I didn't know what to say. This side of Kanda was one that I had never seen. It scared me, yet it surprised me. I wasn't expecting Kanda to show me his emotions.

I don't know what came over me in that moment. I put my hand on Kanda's face, and kissed him.