CHAPTER 6

Rose Cross' temporary new headquarters had to go through many corrections and additions. Still, it was far from being appropriate to shelter the members of the organization. This building had been owned by a cookie factory that was closed years ago, and remained abandoned until it finally became property of the government.

"Bah! With cookies this bad, I know why they had to close," gasped assistant Masen, amidst a coughing fit. He then proceeded to throw the remaining cookies on the floor and step over them.

"You're going to clean that," grumbled Reever, "and what did you expect? These have been bad for more than a decade. How can you eat the stuff?"

The other just mumbled bad humoredly, before going back to his exploration of the old building. They had already made use of most of the suitable rooms, even though they were lacking a great amount of equipment. In one of his many pessimist moments, Reever wondered whether this was the end of Rose Cross. Their previous headquarters had cost lots of money, favors, sweat, tears and blood – quite literary. For how long would they have to stay in such an unsuitable place?

"Chief Reever, we have finished the warding of room number five," informed one of the members as soon as she saw him. "Would you like to check it?"

"Thank you, Tokusa. I must admit magical barriers aren't my specialty, though," admitted Reever. "I will still take a look and you can explain how it works, alright?"

"Yes, sir. General Marian would be the one responsible for the supervision, but we couldn't find him."

Ah, Cross. One of the strongest Exorcists known to men, and the only one to manage the extraordinary feat of possessing two Innocence… even if one of them was terribly shady and had to be breaking many moral and ethical laws. More than that, the man was also a very knowledgeable scientist and a powerful user of old magic. It was overkill, really. He could be called the perfect soldier…

…if he wouldn't disappear all the time, of course. That and his questionable drinking and gambling habits.

"I can't believe him," Reever said in a pathetic voice, because the anger had dissipated long ago, only to be substituted by depressed acceptance. "Alright. I'm sure you guys did a great job. Let's go."

Madarao, Tewaku and Tokusa were young magic users who joined their organization years ago. Brought in by one of their youngest members by that time, Howard Link, they had no ties to any family or group and wanted to help the Exorcist cause. Not being particularly skilled in science and unable to become Exorcists, they, to everyone's surprise, became apprentices of Cross Marian, who offered of his own volition to share his knowledge in magic. Now, they were good battle reinforcements and effective in protecting the base against Akuma until the Exorcists could destroy them, among many other interesting abilities he had yet to learn of.

They finally reached the room. While Reever couldn't examine the magical symbols and manifestations by himself, an explanation from Tokusa was enough for him to be satisfied, for now. Room five was the current home of their most important Exorcist, after all.

"How are you, Hevlaska?" he asked curiously, seeing as she stood in a floor also covered in many symbols, these ones familiar to him – they were used to store Innocence.

"Much better," answered the ethereal woman, "I was finally able to remove most of the Innocence pieces from my body and can now watch over them instead."

A human whose body was consumed by Innocence, until one didn't know whether to call her an Exorcist or an Innocence itself. Hevlaska was an unique member capable of protecting, examining and nurturing the precious dormant anti Akuma weapons. That came at a heavy price, though. Her habits were far from human. She didn't wear any clothes, her humanoid features not showing anything a woman would want to hide. She also never ate and slept only for very short periods.

He wondered if she missed being a normal woman, but never broached the subject.

"I think I can say everything is fine for now, Tokusa," Concluded Reever. "Of course, when the General comes back, he should take a look, too."

"Reever, there you are!"

The man in question turned to the agitated cook who called him, surprised. "Jerry? It's good to see you," he said, and was very honest about that. Their food stocks were ending and they reached a point where he almost wanted to try one of the ten years old cookies himself.

"There is no kitchen here!" the boisterous man exclaimed, "no kitchen! When I was told this used to be a cookie industry, I was very happy, as I expected to find at least basic supplies and equipment, but they just gave me a dark room with so many unrecognizable burnt stuff, I wouldn't mind betting it used to be a crematorium!"

"I'm sorry, Jerry, but it's been only a week since we started settling here, and it will take a… little while," he said, staring dubiously at the precarious construction, "to set things up close to what they used to be."

"That's very fascinating, but do you want to eat, or not? You could as well have told me to cook in the crater that used to be our home!" Jerry said angrily, and then sniffed at that last part.

Reever rolled his eyes, praying for patience. "I understand, but the thing is, we are currently setting up the laboratories, now."

"The kitchen, man, the kitchen! Set your priorities straight, please."

Reever was going to make a run for it, but was interrupted by a voice that was very welcomed and hated at the same time. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"General! You…" Jerry stopped midsentence, and then narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Where is my Allen?" he demanded angrily, and Reever started retreating slowly.

"She died while trying to protect us using a Love Shield," the redhead explained, to the distress of the cook and the exasperation of the scientist. Did the General have to provoke everyone?

Jerry's wails could be heard in the whole building, to the point where some people came to see if everything was alright. Even Klaud Nyne came. Upon seeing the other General, she calmed down. It was as if she thought it was perfectly normal for an adult to be crying because of Cross.

"What is it now, Marian?" she asked impatiently.

"We won't have to stay here for long, dear. Some 'friends' jumped at the opportunity to give our organization a new place and funding. Will take some time to be what it once was, but money isn't a problem."

Klaud thought it was a joke, but her eyes brightened when she saw it was for real. "I will want to take a look at these files before we proceed. We cannot accept help from just about anyone, and we know what is the standard of friends you keep."

Cross feigned a hurt look, but his face was so used to being set in a smug expression it was mostly ineffective.

::::::::::::::::::::

Blue everywhere, from north, south, east and west moving in small waves. Allen had been excited about being on the watch post for about two minutes, before her enthusiasm drained out and she noticed that watching unchanging blue ocean was incredibly boring.

"How long do I have to stay here, anyway?"

Lavi, who was steering the ship, laughed from his position far below her. "I knew you wouldn't last for long! Five hours, me beauty. But pay attention! You never know when enemies will come."

"You seem awfully eager for the possibility of an attack."

"You will, too, after the first couple of hours up there. Just you wait."

Her arms were completely healed in a matter of days. Fortunately, she rarely got sick, so the cold Kanda expected her to develop never happened and they left the city, much to the crew's relief. With her Innocence having done the job of healing its host, Allen was once more allowed to help in the ship, starting today.

So she remained in her post, Lavi breaking the silence sometimes and making her feel better, but she still wished she could be doing anything else. Lavi left after an hour, being substituted by Laboun. Timcanpy eventually flew towards her. She smiled and let him stay over her head. To be honest, she worried about him flying to the sea and disappearing, never to be found.

Bothered by the prospect, she patted him as he lay nested in her hair. The golden golem flew and started floating in front of her. She stared at him wistfully. He was the last thing she had remaining of Rose Cross. There was no way she was ever going to let him disappear. She had created him long ago, and he was one of her greatest friends –

Allen frowned and shook her head, as if awakening from a state of confusion. What was she thinking? She didn't create Timcanpy. Maybe insanity was one of the side effects of staring at the horizon for so long.

::::::::::::::::::::

Like most members of the crew, Daisya was happy to leave the city. He never had a problem with living in the sea, and Kanda's tension had been killing him. The man was never relaxed for long, but he seemed about to explode back there.

He walked the stairs up to the deck so he could look for the watch he had lost, but there was someone up there blocking the exit – just the man he had been thinking about.

"Hey, Kanda," he greeted, and the captain took a step to the side so the other could pass.

Daisya was going to leave him, but was curious about what was keeping the Japanese here. Looking in the same direction the other was staring at, he saw Allen on the watching post. She dutifully observed the sea, her strange golem flying around.

"Is it really ok for her to be working already?"

"Komui said she is fully healed. I had my doubts, so I tried to avoid giving her any job that would require physical labor."

"Are we free of the terrible watching post for a while, then?"

"Not only now. Her ability to detect Akuma make that place all the best suited for her."

"That's right, you said her strange eye can feel the enemy's presence. Does that mean she could even detect them if they are underwater?"

Kanda's mouth tightened at that. He could still remember that attack; even attentive watchers couldn't detect subaquatic Akuma and only a couple of level twos were enough to almost sink their ship. Komui had joined them recently, and did a incredibly fast job of repairing that helped them navigate with a very damaged ship until they reached the nearest shoreline. Kanda stopped telling the scientist to leave the crew after that.

"I don't know. It seems like a very useful ability, but it is clearly limited. Walker detected the Akuma only when they were twenty meters away or so. Very useful in a crowded city, but not so much in the sea."

"You could just ask her for details about her eye," he pointed out.

Kanda growled, and Daisya raised an eyebrow. "She's a… very difficult person to deal with," the Japanese explained.

Daisya laughed so loud Laboun waved to him from his position by the helm. "Really? I think she's alright. Kinda blue when we talk about Tyki Mikk, but other than that, no problems with her."

Rolling his eyes, the captain stopped staring at her, now turning his attention to Daisya. "Times like these make me wish Marie was here. Blind, yet the best at feeling the enemy's presence. Plus he would listen to the beansprout's bullshit and then soothe her with calming words and other nonsense."

The younger man stared at him in surprise. Kanda usually refrained from talking about their comrades of years ago. For him to mention one of them… could Daisya risk mentioning the other? "I wonder where they are… Marie and Tiedoll, I mean."

The response was immediate. "I don't care about what that old man is doing!"

"Fine, fine!" Daisya said hastily, surrendering before a true fight could start. Kanda stormed off angrily, and Daisya sighed. The Japanese was like a brother to him, but he could be a pain when family was mentioned.

::::::::::::::::::::

Kanda wanted to hit Daisya. That guy was an idiot. The past should stay in the past, and there was no reason to mention that barmy old man.

"It is not that I can't understand that you're hurt, that you feel like correcting your mistake. But that is it; it is your mistake only. Yuu… to use others, to risk their lives in order to accomplish your own goal without even telling them about it is… extremely egotistical."

"You know nothing!" he snapped at the Tiedoll that existed in his mind, always reprimanding him for his errors. Kanda couldn't forget the other Exorcist's last words to him before he departed to who knows where. Marie followed their mentor, clearly also condemning Kanda for his choice.

Despising himself for yet again dwelling in such a topic, the captain decided to take another look at the many data provided to them by Sheril Kamelot. While he had painstakingly studied it all, they had yet to explore the many advantages that came with owning such documents. On his way to his cabin, he stopped when he saw light coming from the crack below a particular door that was rarely opened this time of the day. Deciding to take a look, he opened it and went inside.

Lavi was leaning over the desk, carefully studying maps and old calendars. Books were open all around him. Kanda glanced at it all, but it took a while for him to understand what it meant.

"Is it time?" This was bad, they would have to change all of their plans. Gone would be the chance of looking for new Exorcists. They would have to navigate very far away to a most dangerous location, with many Innocence in their ship…

"No," said Lavi, in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "It was time to check the island, though. Who knows, with how peculiar this wild Innocence is?"

"If it's Innocence to start with," said Kanda. One of their greatest worries, and they didn't even know what it was for sure.

"Doubt it isn't. If this was a trap from the Earl, everyone would be dead already. We would have given him two easy chances to kill us."

"Don't tell me…" no matter how hard their worked, their vulnerability was inevitable and very disturbing. It was difficult to admit it, but it was a miracle the crew was still alive. "What time will it happen?"

"In a few months. I would say three, but there's no way to be too sure. You know we only get precise when it's a month or so away."

"Fine. Keep monitoring," said Kanda, and then he left the room with one more worry to occupy his mind. This pending mission of theirs had been bothering him for years. Who knew what could happen there? Would they experience the first death of a crew member?

Back in his room, he opened one of his drawers to pull the first of the documents from Kamelot out, but even before he could open it Kanda already knew he was in no state of mind to study it all. Exasperated, he threw the folder back in the drawer and closed it with a kick. He then sat in the bed, covering his eyes with his hands.

Find and protect the most precious items in the world, and also the most important people – Exorcists. Destroy the greatest killing machines that existed and their creator. Deal with brokers, the traitorous humans who decided to side with the Earl. Travel through the world to the most dangerous locations, including that island that devoured everyone who came too close to it. All of that, while trying to choose the right path in order to keep everyone alive.

The captain thought of every person in the ship, the people who somehow became his responsibility. The objective he had been chasing in secret… was he being fair to them?

::::::::::::::::::::

Japan, 1869

There was no dramatic event that ended Yuu Kanda's family and inserted him in the orphanage. He lived there since he was a baby, and its light blue walls were part of his life for as long as he could remember.

It was a nice habitation, maintained by the government's money and generous donations as well. The children there hardly ever missed anything, being raised with good food, clothing, education and a decent amount of entertainment. The orphans lived in better conditions than many youngsters who still had their family members alive. It was the place where well to do families would look for children to adopt, as there they would find healthy, educated boys ready to live in society.

"You are very lucky to be here, children," one of the caretakers, Hori, would always say. "There are places outside which are very difficult to live in. Here you have everything you need, so you'll grow healthy and happy – a luxury nowadays."

Five years old Yuu took her words to heart, and decided he was quite fine where he was, thank you very much. Thus devoid of any desire to join a happy family, he would always find a way to be left alone by the prospective parents who made visits. Be it through rude manners, pretending to be absolutely stupid or faking a disease, any adults wishing to take him home would eventually decide to choose another child.

"Exorcists are special people with magical powers to destroy evil," once said an outsider who sported a black suit and a black tie, and had a crest of some sorts on his chest. He had interrupted their morning class, and the children were happy to close their Math books for now and listen to him.

"We are in a great fight against the monsters created by the devil – um, the bad enemies," the stranger corrected himself, after a sharp glare from the teacher. "Exorcists are the only ones capable of helping us, thanks to their special weapons. So it is our duty to serve them well. Have any of you ever seen an Exorcist?"

The class stayed silent until one boy, six years old, raised his hand.

"Me, me, mister!" said him, "I think I saw one once, because he could jump really high, and had a cool cloak. And it looked like he was flying!"

Most of the children stared with wide eyes and some even said Ooh. Yuu glowered. He never liked Haruo, because the older boy would always mock his blue eyes.

"Maybe he was real, indeed. You were quite lucky to see one," the stranger said. "Exorcists are really great people."

The man then proceeded to talk about these Exorcists, tips on how to identify one and how to know who the bad enemies were too, but Yuu remembered the words monsters and devil more clearly than anything else he said. Unfortunately, the officer eventually left, so they started studying Math once again. But they would eventually receive some books about Exorcists, from the government, the teachers said, and there they read some really great adventures. His favorite one was that of the really, really strong Exorcist who had an enormous sword and killed lots of the bad enemies with a single swing, freeing a village and becoming the guardian of the people there.

Hideki the Exorcist carried only his clothes and his magical sword. He didn't need any money, because people always have to help Exorcists whenever they can.

Below these words was the drawing of the cool Exorcist in his white armor, great sword strapped to his back. Around him, people smiled and offered things.

Slowly but surely, the orphanage children started knowing more and more about Exorcists. There would be an extra class every week to talk about the topic, and they were told they should always be willing to aid them. A true Exorcist visited the orphanage once, but the children were so hysterical Yuu never managed to talk to him. He would be sore about that for years.

I will talk to a real Exorcist some day, he thought many times, dreaming of adventures and saving the world. Exorcists were different and superior, and you couldn't study and work to be one like a doctor or lawyer. So he only dreamed of being an Exorcist, as he hadn't been born magical.

1871

Alma Karma's family died when she was seven. It was really messy and fast, and the sobbing but unscathed girl was dragged to a new home, an orphanage, in the blink of an eye. It was a really scary and ugly place, and the adults were irritated all the time. But the children were nice and they all became friends, before she and a couple of other girls were transferred to another place.

It was a month since she joined this new orphanage, even if she found it difficult to call the place that, because it was too big and beautiful. Orphanages weren't like that, she believed. They usually had broken walls, ugly floors and angry people.

Then again, the angry people were there, still.

The director, who wasn't very friendly but wasn't evil either, explained that this place used to be only for boys, but now they would take girls too, and she was one of the chosen. More girls from other orphanages would come, and also from the streets and from families that were gone. They were all blessed, he said, and should study very hard and always be good children, so they could find a great new family and everything.

But it didn't take long for Alma to realize no one really liked her. She never felt comfortable there and almost hoped to go back to the unpleasant place she was in before, because at least there the other children would want to speak. She knew she was different, with her wavy blond hair and her wide eyes. When they first saw her, they would widen their eyes with their fingers and laugh, and would also pull her ponytail when the teacher wasn't looking. Even the two girls who were her friends back at the first orphanage stopped talking to her, because they had a normal appearance and were fine.

It was Sunday, and the children could do whatever they wanted after visiting the church. Alma went to the gardens. The other girls were there, with the blue dresses everyone wore. She tried to approach them but, as per usual, they would all leave at once, whispering and laughing. Already used to it, she walked to the lake, wishing her brother was here. Or maybe dad or mom. They looked like her and if they were here, everything would be alright.

She stared at the muddy earth near the water. It was almost the same color as everyone else's hair. Alma picked some with her hand and, after some indecision, splattered it over one of her yellow locks. It became brown, but didn't seem normal. Perhaps it would be the right color after it dried?

"What are you doing?" asked someone behind her, and she jumped in alarm, and then reddened. It was a boy from the orphanage who looked the same age as her. He was dressed in the white shirt and blue trousers of the uniform. He also held a pointy stick. She finally looked him in the eyes, and was surprised at what she saw. They were blue, like her own!

"What is it?" asked the boy, when he felt her curious stare.

"Ah… er… your eyes. They're blue."

He scowled and crossed his arms. "Yeah. So are yours. Is there a problem?"

"Um, no. They're… beautiful."

The blue eyed boy looked sceptic, but didn't answer that. Instead, he said, "So, what were you doing?"

Alma finally remembered her now dirty hair. "I… I…" she didn't want to say she was trying to look normal. Maybe he would understand, because he also had blue eyes. But they weren't big and strange like hers, and his hair was dark and straight as it should be, so maybe he would think she was weird too.

Seeing as he was becoming impatient, she blabbered the first thing that came to mind. "I'm playing a game."

"What game?" he asked suspiciously, and then his eyes widened. "Are you playing the Exorcist game, too?"

Alma wasn't, really, and she didn't know what game that was, but she had three classes about Exorcists already and knew what they were. "Yes," she answered, because if she said no, he would ask what she was playing instead.

"Good," he said, finally giving her a smile, "I am, too. Let's play it together."

The blond girl was thrilled. "Really?"

"Of course. No one else wants to play right now. They're all stupid," he said, looking at a group of boys in white and blue far away. "So it will be the two of us. I'm the Exorcist, though," he said firmly, as if to leave no space for arguments.

"Um, what am I, then?" she asked, scared he would discover she lied and go away. This could be her first friend!

"You're the Akuma, of course."

"A-akuma?"

A torrent of images, sounds and feelings invaded her mind. A broken door, screams, a fight. Mom and dad hiding her together with her brother in the small cupboard. More noises, and then her brother, who was scared for their parents, left their secret place. He screamed, and never came back. Then something opened the door, and she saw the ugliest thing ever, a monster from Hell, from the worst nightmares ever, with blood on its claws and a disturbing smile she still saw in her dreams.

"I'm not Akuma!" she screamed, and then covered her mouth. The boy looked shocked.

"Well… I'm not, either," he said, but seemed more disturbed than angry. Uncomfortable, he started poking the soil with his stick. Then, he finally looked up. "It's okay if you don't want to be Akuma. I hate them, too. Let us both be Exorcists, then, and we will destroy Akuma together."

She was still trying to control her emotions, but nodded. "Alright."

His name was Yuu Kanda, she would learn, and she told him she was Alma Karma. Like everyone else, he would say her name in a funny way, but he eventually started pronouncing it correctly. His favorite pastime was the Exorcist game, where he would replay scenes from the school book about Exorcists.

"There it is," Yuu pointed from where they hid in the foliage. A boy, slightly taller than them, stood below an apple tree, looking at the fruits longingly. "The evil Akuma! It will become a monster if we don't destroy it very fast, and will eat the other boys. We will…" he then stared at her empty hands. "What is your magical weapon?"

"I don't know," said Alma. "What's yours?"

"This, of course," the boy answered, waving his stick. "My magical sword, like Hideki's! You need a weapon, too, or you're just a boring, normal person. Let me see…"

After a while, he came back with a bunch of small, round stones. "Here," he said, and she obligingly opened her hands, accepting them.

"Natsu is an Exorcist from the book, too. He's not my favorite like Hideki but he's great. He can touch stuff that will become kind of, bombs, and explode Akuma. So these are your magical weapons and you're going to help me kill Haru – I mean, the Akuma, with them, alright?"

Alma nodded eagerly, even if she didn't understand very well. She was very excited about playing with her new friend. Not long after, the two left their hiding place and attacked, intent on exorcising the monster.

Half an hour later, being scolded together with Yuu in the teacher's office, she realized it wasn't really nice of them to run after the other child throwing stones and hitting him with a stick. Their victim's name was Haruo, and he exploded in anger and immediately told the caretaker, who wasn't happy with them at all.

Still, there was something about being grounded together that brought some sense of camaraderie between the two miscreants. Yuu became a close friend, and they would always play together. She learned he was really, really obsessive about Exorcists and insisted to play with the others, but would end all by himself because he wanted to be the Exorcist in every turn. Tired of playing alone, he was happy to have a partner now. She eventually convinced him to imagine the Akuma in their adventures instead of attacking other people, and she didn't care about the other girls not liking her, anymore. One friend was enough.

1874

It was a rainy afternoon and he was in the library trying to finish a very annoying piece of homework he had been avoiding for days, but even the rain outside seemed much more interesting than the exercises on syntax.

"Yuu!" exclaimed Alma, and he looked worriedly around, but the librarian was nowhere to be seen.

"Shh, Alma!" he said, not wanting to be scolded. If they got expelled from the library, he would have to do his homework in the dorms, and the other boys were making a mess there.

"We are going to travel!" she said, ignoring his reprimand.

The boy looked incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"It's true! Mrs. Junko told me," she said, looking excited, "we are going to travel, far away, in some Exorcist related trip!"

Alma's news were confirmed soon. According to the announcement made the next morning, the entire orphanage would be taken to this mysterious place, so they could have their first chance to help the Exorcist cause. There was no specification of where and how, nor how long it would take. Some adults looked uncomfortable, and the older children and the teenagers were a little more suspicious than their younger counterparts.

Now, many people would say Yuu Kanda was a peculiar child. He wasn't very extroverted and, after getting attached to the foreign girl, he closed off to the others even more. A very pretty boy, yes, but not exactly Japan's brightest. Add to that his fascination with Exorcists and he would lose his marbles when the heroes of the nation were the subject of a conversation.

That is why he, very much like Alma – not famous for being sly and cunning either – didn't even think about how strange such news were. The children had trips, yes, but they were few and never to very far away. Instead of reminiscing on such strange matters, though, they almost screamed in happiness, already wondering what awesome quests they would be part of.

::::::::::::::::::::

Exorcists are evil, thought Yuu as he trudged in the forest in the cold afternoon, not really knowing where he was going to. The heroes he always loved were wicked people. They killed everyone.

Alma is so fat, too, he supposed, because even missing two limbs she was very heavy to carry. But he wouldn't stop. Everyone had gotten very hurt and lost body parts and blood, but Alma was alive. He just needed to take her to a hospital… somewhere.

So he walked through this place he didn't know anything about, the blonde girl awkwardly carried on his back, waiting for Alma to wake up so he could scream at her for being stupid, for getting hit like an idiot and washing him in her smelly red body juice, because that wasn't blood. Still, he was hurt and tired, too, so he stopped to catch some air.

Alma fell from his back, and he didn't manage to hold her before she hit the floor. With a wince, he hurriedly tried to see if she was alright. There was no warm liquid seeping from her body anymore. Actually, she was very cold. Terribly so. And she didn't move an inch. He growled at her wide open eyes, and closed them with his hand. Who slept with their eyes open?

Wanting to pick her up, but still feeling too tired to do so, he laid on the rocky earth by her side, trying to rest for a minute or so.

When he woke up it was dark, and the moon was already up and shining in the sky. Disorientated for a couple of seconds, he sat up trembling and with his heart beating fast, after memories of the past days hit him fully. Sure enough, Alma was there, by his side. He quickly went towards her, but stopped at what he saw. Alma's skin had a reddish-blue color. She was dreadfully cold to the touch, and he found it impossible to move her, as her body was horribly stiff.

It could have been her unresponsive body, ripped apart from hours ago and rigid in the ground, or maybe her now dried blood that coated his clothes and his body. Or maybe it was just that the few hours of sleep returned his sanity, but he finally realized that his friend wasn't alive anymore.

:::::

"Hello, boy," sang a inappropriately happy voice, interrupting his mourning. He looked up from the floor where he sat holding Alma. Her body became pliable again after a few hours, but he didn't try to carry it anymore. There was no point.

"Who are you?" asked Yuu, staring at the ridiculous man… thing with odd clothes and a bizarre smile. "Are you an… an… Exorcist?" he spat the last word with a mixture of hate and fear.

"No, no, I'm none of these wretched people," he assured the nine years old, watching as some tension left his small shoulders, even if he still watched the strange gentleman carefully. "You know… if you lend me your cooperation and your voice," said the grotesque person, "I can bring Alma back."

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Present

Kanda got up from the bed, his eyes replete of the same determination that made him start his organization years ago.

It was too late to ponder whether he was being fair or not. He made a promise, and he would see it fulfilled.