Chapter Three –

Later that morning – since it was around five when Nadeshiko returned to her room – said brunette sat in Komui's office along with Lavi, Allen and Lenalee.

"Good morning you four!" Komui greeted cheerfully.

"Morning, big brother." Lenalee replied with a smile.

Nadeshiko, however, groaned. "Don't be so cheery. It's eight in the morning."

"I have to agree with Nade-chan here. I'm tired since the old panda kept me up late last night." Lavi added, glancing around to double check that said 'old panda' wasn't in the room.

Allen smiled sheepishly at his friends' behaviour. "Anyways… What did you need us for, Komui?"

"I'm sending you all on a mission to Rostov, Russia. You're train leaves in two hours, so you better go pack!"

"I just got back, and now you're sending me away again…" Nadeshiko muttered to herself. She was in a rather bad mood because she only got four hours of sleep last night with the storm.

Komui handed each of the Exorcists an information packet on their way out, and promptly fell asleep at his desk after they had gone.

-:-

After packing a few sets of clothes and other things including her mother's journal, Nadeshiko sat on her bed, thumbing through the information booklet. It had only taken her about half an hour to pack, and had an hour and an half before she and the others had to head over to the train station. She still had to eat some breakfast, but wanted to know what the mission was about first.

Turns out there were reports of 'monsters' often appearing at night and attacking some of the families that resided at the outskirts of Rostov, and were steadily getting closer to the center of town were Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy's castle was. Tonight, the prince would be celebrating his eighteenth birthday. A ball was being hosted as a celebration, and the Exorcists would attend to keep an eye on him. The Akuma had killed several of Yuri's closet friends and guards, so it was clear the prince was the Akuma's target. Innocence was suspected to be in his family's possession, and the group of four had to recover it and destroy the Akuma before they killed everyone in the town.

Yuri had so many family members that he didn't even know all of them, so Lenalee and Nadeshiko would be posing as distant cousins from different sides of the family.

The brunette was fine with all of that, but the rest bothered her. She stood up, booklet still in hand, and walked back to Komui's office.

When Nadeshiko slammed the door open, said supervisor was startled awake. He jumped up in his seat, and fixed his glasses. Seeing it was just Nadeshiko at the door, he smiled.

"Ah, Nade-chan! Is something wrong?"

"You must be insane, to think I'll go through with this." The brunette replied, throwing the packet of information at the dark-haired man's head. He grabbed it though, and frowned at her.

"Why not, Nade-chan?" He asked.

"I don't know where you found out I could sing, and I don't think I want to." She glared at Komui. "But I'm not singing for anyone, especially not some strangers."

"Your singing is so beautiful though!" Komui exclaimed. "Besides, you have to. That's part of the mission."

Nadeshiko strode over to the supervisor's desk, and tore the booklet from his hands. Opening it up to a page near the back, she placed it in front of the dark-haired man and pointed to a specific part. "What's with this part, then?"

"Is that what this is about?"

"Yes!"

"I don't see the problem…"

"Why are you making Lavi and Allen go as mine and Lenalee's dates? Why not make them cousins as well?" Nadeshiko questioned angrily. "I thought you would never let a male that wasn't yourself near Lenalee anyways."

"I trust Allen not to do anything to my precious Lenalee-chan!" Komui smiled brightly, seemingly oblivious to the murderous aura surrounding the brunette in front of him. "And what's wrong with Lavi?"

"…Nothing's wrong with him…" Nadeshiko muttered, taking a step back from the desk, dark aura disappearing as she got herself under control again. "I just don't see the reason behind including that part into the mission… As I said before, they easily could have been cousins too."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation before Komui could reply to the brunette. Both turned to look at the door, and saw Allen, Lavi and Lenalee standing there.

"…Is everything okay, you two?" Lenalee asked cautiously.

"Why are you guys here?" Nadeshiko questioned, ignoring what had been asked.

Allen looked between the still slightly angered Nadeshiko and the eccentric Komui. "…We went to your room so we could head out, but you weren't there…" He explained.

"Reever told us he heard you yelling at Komui about having something to do with the mission." Lavi added. "But he didn't say exactly what."

Nadeshiko sighed as she noticed it was ten o'clock and time to head to the train station. Without knowing it, she had spent all her time to eat arguing with Komui.

Grabbing her information booklet off of the supervisor's desk, she ignored the questioning looks the other three Exorcists were giving her. "It's nothing." She walked past the others and left the room, calling back over her shoulder, "I suggest you read your own booklets though."

-:-

Half an hour later, the group of four Exorcists sat in a first-class train cabin. Nadeshiko sat next to Lenalee, but she refused to look anywhere other than the window on her left. For once, the brunette was actually wearing her Exorcist uniform, which consisted of tight black pants with a white stripe down each side, a form-fitting white scoop-neck t-shirt, a black and white Exorcist jacket that went to her hips and had sleeves that went down to her elbows, and white knee-high boots. Her Innocence was hidden by her t-shirt, but the others new it was still there. Her jacket was left undone and she didn't seem to have a care in the world about the cold weather since it was late October. No one other than Lenalee had ever seen her in her Exorcist uniform before – not even Lavi since Nadeshiko had changed before she met him in the library a few days ago.

Across from the brunette was Lavi, who sat next to Allen. They – as well as Lenalee – were reading their own information booklets. Suddenly, Lenalee gasped, a light blush on her cheeks.

"B-Big brother! I can't believe he did this!"

Allen and Lavi looked up. "Did what?" The red-head asked curiously.

Lenalee shook her head mutely, blush burning slightly brighter. Seeing as they weren't getting an answer, the two males went back to reading. Allen seemed to choke on air a moment later.

"…Uh…" He coughed awkwardly, now knowing what Lenalee had been talking about. A faint pink blush covered his own cheeks.

"Okay, seriously guys! Tell me what's going on!" Lavi whined.

"Maybe you should read faster." Nadeshiko suggested in monotone.

"Aw, Nade-chan~! Don't be mean!" Lavi pouted playfully, but nobody laughed since they were too busy avoiding eye contact with anyone. "…Fine, I'll read faster…"

A minute later, Lavi too knew what had to happen on this mission.

AN/

Mwhahaha! Nadeshiko and Lavi have to act like a couple! And Allen and Lenalee!

Please review!