1901
The little bird fluttered weakly in my hands. Kuri held it gently and placed it on the windowsill.
"Come on little bird," Kuri whispered. "Today is the day, I'm sure of it. Today you can fly home to your family."
If only I could go home to mine, Kuri thought as she closed her eyes, remembering her dream.
It had been a good one. There was a large boat, and plenty of water.
Reiko, her sister, came in from the garden. Her tanned skin offset her red hair and green eyes, and everyone said she looked like one of her famous roses. Kuri thought that in comparison, she herself looked more like a hydrangea, with her bright blue eyes and her dark hair and pale skin.
"Kuri you've been talking to that bird all morning," Reiko said. "Don't you think if it wanted to fly it would have taken off already?"
She smoothed out her soft cotton dress. Reiko was the elder sister in our family, and she had actually grown the entire garden from one strange seed that had appeared out of nowhere. She had an amazing green thumb and great skills with plants. Everything she grew was now at harvest state, completely out of season. Her skill was their livelihood.
"I just know he can do it!" Kuri responded, frustrated. "I believe in Nio."
"Nio? Is that his name?" Reiko laughed, a light sound blending in with their windchimes.
Kuri screamed in pain and collapsed, blood pouring from her eyes. Her eyes flashed bright red.
Reiko swallowed the strawberry she had been eating and ran to her sister, but Kuri grabbed her by the head and Reiko levitated in the air and then slumped to the ground, eyes vacant, lost to the world.
Kuri flicked a hand out to help her and Rei flew off into the garden.
"NO!" Kuri screamed.
Kuri screamed again, but there was nothing she could do. Kuri was standing on a high tree. Whenever Kuri tried to get down she levitated back into the tree. Kuri's blue eyes were filled with tears that quickly froze in the cold thin air. She could see, really see, for the first time.
And what did she see? Everything. Human beings had an aura surrounding them. Some big, some small. Rei's was big. And the colors changed with their feelings, which, Kuri noticed, had great effect on her, as she could feel Rei's pain, her fear, her panic. That was why Kuri's screams did not stop.
Kuri saw one final thing with these new eyes. The desires, the dreams of the humans. In essence she saw into the heart of her sister. She saw courage, protectiveness, yearning for love and knowledge.
It was truly a mirror of her own heart.
Kuri realized she could hardly breathe and my chest was tight with fear and low oxygen.
Kuri heard something from far away—a familiar sound, her sister's voice—screaming. Kuri climbed down, close enough to see.
Kuri's heart filled with fear at what she saw. Her sister was changing. A tail sprang from behind her, and ears on her head. Reiko was curled up in the garden, pained, looking as if every sound frightened her, every whoosh of wind, the tinkle of the windchimes.
Suddenly the garden came alive. Without warning the vines flew up into the storm.
"IMOUTO!" screamed Reiko, blood from the new ears flowing down her face and mixing with her tears.
Kuri didn't know why this was happening, but she knew no matter what she was becoming she had to protect her big sister.
Calm. Kuri thought carefully, attempting this new power, blanketing it over the area.
Rei stiffened, then relaxed, and the vines lowered, slowly, and the garden returned to normal.
I controlled it, Kuri thought. The power listened to my wish. They protected her.
xxx
Deno was in town on his way to the Order after his recent assignment when he saw the storm. It wasn't just the storm either, it was the whirlwind of vegetation everywhere. It was far to the south of the town, situated just over a small farmhouse.
Deno knew what it had to be. It was an Innocence. And the Earl must have known too, because there were six level two Akuma heading for the house. The Finder pulled out his Golem and attached it to the phone.
"Headquarters! I have at least one Innocence being bombarded by Akuma out here! I need an Exorcist!"
There was static on the line, and then a calming response from Komui. "Allen and Kanda are on their way. They just finished a mission."
Deno confirmed the location and disconnected. Help was on the way.
xxx
Allen Walker hated working with Yu Kanda. He also didn't much like going on a mission. He pulled his jacket closer. Was it this cold before?
"Moyashi, pay attention," Kanda said in his typical annoying tone. "The akuma are trying to get to it. We have to beat them to the innocence."
"It's Allen!" Allen said, irritated. "Deno said it shot at something in the farmhouse garden. Why would it do that?"
"Che. Innocence are mysterious."
Allen headed through the Gate and into the storm with Kanda, staring up at the eye of the storm. Suddenly lightning struck at the two of them.
A girl was hovering in the sky with lightning in her fingertips, and though her body was unconscious, her innocence was holding her aloft and attacking the akuma and shooting some kind of barrier around a certain area in the forest.
Kanda took off to find out what was inside the barrier in the forest.
Innocence, Activate. He thought, activating his left arm into a giant claw. He figured the first thing to do would be to pull the poor girl down.
Just then, her mouth opened in a scream. "NEE-SAN!"
She had been stationary before, but now she moved very quickly and flew faster than he could chase to where Kanda was helping a young woman out of a tornado.
Kanda held the girl tightly and destroyed the last of the akuma that were on the edge of the tornado.
Allen noticed that the girl obviously didn't like Kanda having his hands on her sister. She was going to attack, and he had to stop her! He grabbed her with his claw and pulled her down to earth, pinning her down.
"No! Those monsters are after Nee-san and me! Let me go!" she cried and begged but he held firm.
"Those monsters can't get you if Kanda and I are here," Allen tried to explain, but still she struggled. "Please stay down, and I can destroy the monsters for you."
The wind died down and she looked into his grey eyes with her blue ones, tears still frozen in her eyelashes, and whispered. "Please…save us, Exorcist."
Allen looked over to the west and his eye activated, revealing three akuma left to defeat. "Stay here and I will protect you."
His arm became more like a giant gun, and he ran forward to destroy the akuma.
xxx
Yu Kanda held the strange girl in his arms. She was still crying softly, and clung to him weakly when he tried to leave to fight. He had noticed a tail and ears, and the plants had parted for him to come rescue her from the tornado.
She must have innocence as well, he thought.
"You have to go, don't you," she whispered.
"I—" he began. He didn't want to leave her behind alone. But those akuma were too much for the Moyashi alone.
"It's alright," the girl whispered. "Go on. Protect imouto…onegai…"
The redheaded girl fell into a limp faint at his feet. Kanda didn't have time to waste. He unsheathed Mugen and leapt forward at Allen's side. The Moyashi was shooting at the akuma on his left and Kanda attacked the other two with First Illusion: Netherworld Insects. He had to attack five times before finally bringing down the two akuma.
Allen had just finished his battle and ran past Kanda as the storm had started up again.
The dark haired girl flew into the air and lightning struck from her hands as she limply spun around, her innocence completely in control of her unconscious body.
"Moyashi! Get her deactivated you idiot!" Kanda yelled, heading through the storm to the fainted fox-like girl.
Her innocence is still active as well, Kanda knelt at her side and shook her. "Wake up. You need to deactivate your innocence. The threat is gone. Your imouto is fine."
She opened her eyes weakly. "My name's Reiko Hikawa. But you can call me Rei."
Rei closed her eyes, looking like she was concentrating hard, and then the ears and tail vanished, and the garden receded back to normal.
"My name is Yu Kanda," he surprised himself by giving his full name to her. "Call me Yu."
xxx
Kuri felt herself flying again, dodging the Exorcist below. Kuri couldn't allow him to take her and Nee-san to the Black Order. Something terrible awaited her there; she could sense it. Kuri's feelings were never wrong.
Kuri's dark hair fanned out with the wind and my hand stretched out and struck the white-haired exorcist with lightning. Kuri watched as he collapsed, and felt a pang in her heart.
What does his life matter to me? Kuri wondered. I don't even know him. What is this I remember?
Kuri closed her eyes, hearing the sounds of a circus around me, and further back, to my friends from the before-time.
BAM! Kuri was struck from the sky by that annoying claw. Her Innocence deactivated instantly to prevent damage as she hit the earth. The storm stopped and the exorcist glared at her.
"Stop this now," he growled, blood on the edge of his lips. "There is a town down there. If you keep going this way you will hurt people. And so will the Akuma that will hunt you down. You want to be with your Nee-san, right? Come to the Black Order. Fight with her. You don't have to be separated; you both have innocence!"
"But I…" Kuri's voice died out. She had no fight left in her. Kuri didn't even remember why she was fighting him to begin with.
"My name's Allen Walker," he held out a hand to help her up, deactivating the Innocence that was pinning her. "Let's be friends."
"Kuri Hikawa," Kuri whispered, voice hoarse from screaming. "I'll be an exorcist. To protect Nee-san."