Welcome back lovely readers!

First of all, thank you for all of you who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed my story, it really means a lot to me. Please refer to the end of the chapter for my reply to the reviews!

About the chapter: This time, it is from Emilia's POV, and you guys get to know her a little bit more. I tried to give more depth to her personality, and I really do want her to be a strong, badass female character. Especially because I personally don't see Lenalee as being particularly strong, and I kinda think DGM needs one. I would also like to apologize if I have offended anyone with my portrayal of France and French people. However, this is a fictional universe and everything in it is fictional even if it is rooted in reality. So I would urge my readers to treat it as such. I tried to explain certain aspects of her personality that did not necessarily come through in the first chapter (especially since it was Kanda's POV). Also, I tried to be funny (sorta), and I hope I didn't fail miserably. In general, there is not much that actually happens in this chapter, but I think it is important for character development.

Disclaimer: Still have not acquired any rights to D. Gray-man, unfortunately.

Warnings: A few bad words, I guess.

Song: Kelly Clarkson - Miss Independent

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Dinner (date?)

Emilia hated her name. It sounded weak and helpless, and much too feminine for her liking. Coupled with her looks, her bright green eyes, blonde hair, and thin frame, people always treated her like a fragile, little flower. No matter how she spoke, how loud she was, and how she dressed, people only saw what they wanted to see, always forcing her into a role she never wanted. When she didn't act accordingly, they blamed it on the lack of a mother-figure in her life and proceeded to reprimand her and explain how she was supposed to act. Yet, each time it only made her resolve to go against them and to be different stronger, and Emilia made it her goal to excel in everything women weren't supposed to be doing.

The government, the courts, the scientific societies, the military, and the police force, among many other professions, were all full of men, and Emilia absolutely hated the fact that women were not allowed to join them no matter how talented they were. From a very young age, she wanted to change the system desperately, and despite later on realizing how naïve that dream was, she never gave up on proving society wrong. Even if she was not going to be able to change the whole country, she could still empower other women and teach men to recognize the value in their female counterparts. Eventually, she understood that lasting change could not happen overnight, but she did not let that stop her. Little by little, she was going to help pave the way to gender equality.

When the akuma attacked the orphanage, despite being frightened to her very core, she didn't hesitate to fight and protect what was important to her. Emilia was proud of herself for standing up against such a powerful creature, and even though there was no way she could defeat such a foe, running away was still against all her beliefs.

Women shouldn't have to run. We can fight.

However, she had to admit to herself that there were certain dangers in this world that even she was not ready to face. The attack on the orphanage was the very first time that her life was truly in danger, and she could not forget the chill that had run to her bones the moment before the akuma slashed her arm open and knocked her off her feet. In that moment, Emilia was sure she was going to die.

I am not scared to die. Then why can't I just forget this and move on?

She felt weak and powerless against her own mind that tortured her with exaggerated images of the akuma and the doll-like children from the orphanage, all crushed and dead. She often saw her father pierced through by the demon's blade, looking at her with blame and disappointment in his eyes. Based on how she was raised, Emilia had thought her father would be proud of her for being brave and ready to sacrifice her life to protect others, yet, she felt immense guilt when she remembered her father's reaction to the events and her involvement. It all kept replaying in her head, over and over again, and Emilia was starting to get tired of waking up in cold sweat, with her hand trembling and her arm throbbing where she was hit. Was one akuma really her undoing? Was she really so weak?

When the exorcist, Yuu Kanda, showed up at the hospital, Emilia naïvely hoped that he would distract her from her predicament. If her memories served her right, Kanda was not exactly a joy to be around; he could be quite rude and stubborn and someone who did not care about others' feelings at all, but maybe that was exactly what she needed. A hard slap on the face, reminding her that life went on and dwelling in the past was not going to do anyone any good. That was the worst part about it, the constant inner fight with herself, because Emilia knew exactly what was going on in her head, but she was powerless to change it. Her resolve was still there, the will to protect those important to her did not fade, and she knew she would not hesitate to risk her life again for the sake of others. At the same time, she found herself profoundly and irreversibly affected by the akuma attack and without a way to cope.

It really was selfish to use Kanda as a distraction, and Lord did he play right in her hand with that attitude of his. The Japanese man was exactly what she was expecting from the very beginning, not even asking her how she was doing and threatening her the first opportunity he got. Emilia thought it would feel invigorating to banter with the exorcist, yet somehow, she could not find the energy to snap at the samurai for his attitude. It wasn't that she was scared of Kanda or that she particularly wanted to be friends with him; they were just colleagues as far as she was concerned. At the same time, she didn't realize how much of a reminder of the attack he would be.

I'm just so tired. I'm becoming a shadow of myself…and I can't let this go on.

Emilia felt guilty for not saying goodbye to her father on her last day in Paris, but she couldn't bear to look at her father in this state. He would have known immediately that something was off and worried about her. The letter she wrote the night before and left on his nightstand hopefully would ease all of his worries, at least for a while. She promised him that she would only work at the Black Order as Timothy's tutor when the boy wasn't on missions, but Emilia knew that she wanted more; something that mattered, something that changed lives for the better. One akuma attack was not going to stop her, even if she had to shoulder the consequences. Emilia swore that she was going to be strong, like her father taught her to be, even if that meant being plagued by nightmares for the rest of her life.

"Papa, teach me how to be strong!" The 10-year-old Emilia asked with bright eyes, catching the police captain off guard, and he almost tipped over the ink holder.

"Why do you ask, Em?" He looked at her curiously, placing the quill carefully next to his report.

"At school, the boys told me that I can't be strong because I am a girl and because I can't lift big rocks. But I want to be strong! It's unfair!" She stomped angrily, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Being strong is not about lifting heavy things. It is about being able to stand up and fight for what you believe in, to protect those who can't protect themselves, to be able overcome hardships, to shoulder the burden others can't, and to always keep going with your head held high. You don't have to lift the rock, just to make it move." He explained and couldn't help but smile at the confusion in the little girl's eyes.

"I am not sure I understand, Papa." She answered quietly.

"That's okay, Em. Just remember these words and believe me, you are already strong."

"Then I am going to be even stronger!" She exclaimed pumping her first to the air, smiling. Captain Galmar let out a deep laugh and in that moment, he realized that his daughter was going to become one hell of a woman.

After leaving Emilia's house, she followed Kanda into the first restaurant that was open and watched him glare at the menu like he was about the slice it up with his precious sword any moment. No wonder why the waitress had not come back to their table to take their order.

"Do you need help ordering?" Emilia asked him after the third loud grunt. The Japanese man just slammed the menu down on the table and crossed his arms.

"Che. I want soba." He stated flatly, which made the girl laugh quietly. Emilia could already tell that nothing was ever simple with the man in front of her.

"Come on, Kanda, there must be something else you like. Or you can try new things?" She asked while searching for something on the menu that might suffice. If they wanted to catch the last train going up north, Kanda was going to have to decide what he wanted to eat soon.

"Don't tell me what to do, frenchie. Your food sucks." He stated angrily.

"Our cuisine can be strange for visitors, I will admit that, but we have some very simple dishes that you might like. Like this, "pâtes à la sauce Provençale"." Emilia secretly wanted to pat herself on the back for not slapping Kanda across the face for being so immature about something as simple as food, but she was better than to make a scene in a crowded restaurant. They were already drawing too much attention as it was.

"Che. Whatever." Kanda said, and Emilia wondered whether that was "yes" in Kanda (since figuring him out was like learning a new language).

When the waitress finally found the courage to come back to their table, the exorcist did not move to order anything for himself, so Emilia figured that she was supposed to order for him as well. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of ordering something that the Japanese man would definitely find inedible, but she eventually decided that she didn't want to deal with the public scene that would have resulted from it. Especially because Kanda was the only one that knew the address of the Black Order, and she had a feeling that he was keeping it a secret on purpose to keep her in check.

Emilia turned back to the samurai when the waitress left to put in their order, only to find Kanda with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest, clearly signaling that he did not want to interact with her the least bit. Letting out a small sigh, she instead turned to study Kanda's face; he was really the first Japanese person she ever met, and she couldn't help but be fascinated by him. Even with his eyes closed, the exorcist's face was settled in a frown with his eyebrows drawn close to each other. For a moment, she wondered if the other ever looked peaceful or content. Emilia wouldn't have been surprised if this was exactly how Kanda looked in his sleep. Despite the animosity in his expression, she had to admit that Kanda looked sort of beautiful in an exotic way. He was just so different from the men she had encountered before in her life and she found it truly refreshing. Since she had never left France before, meeting Kanda was like getting a glimpse of the outside world she only had read about.

Even though it was clear Kanda didn't want to talk, Emilia was bored and found it extremely awkward to sit silently while waiting for their food to be ready.

"Say Kanda, did you grow up in Japan?" She asked after clearing her throat.

"No." The exorcist answered shortly after a few moments (probably of contemplation whether he should even entertain her with a reply) without opening his eyes.

"Oh, but you've certainly have been there. Forgive me if I am wrong, but you are of Japanese descent, are you not?"

"Never had a mission in Japan." He grunted out almost like it pained him to answer, but Emilia found it funnier than alarming.

She opened her mouth for a follow-up question, but the words died in her throat when a man walked up to their table and placed his large hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Sorry, Miss, but is this man bothering you?" He asked in English, and Emilia immediately knew that he wanted trouble. If he was really concerned about her well-being, he would have asked in French. He clearly overheard them speaking in English, and she ordered in French, so he would have to know she spoke French. From the corner or her eyes, she saw Kanda tense immediately, but the exorcist remained unmoving.

If there is a God, please don't let Kanda slice this man into little pieces. Scratch that. Give me patience to not kick him.

"Not at all, sir. In fact, you are bothering us right now." Emilia responded sharply, shaking the man's hand off her shoulder. Her green orbs were thundering with contempt, but the man didn't even flinch. There was nothing the blonde girl found more aggravating than this man using her as an excuse to start something with Kanda, because she was a woman and therefore she could not protect herself if in fact Kanda was holding her hostage. Why would she be dining with her captor? It was all just a disgusting excuse to fight the Japanese exorcist, only because he looked different.

She could see Kanda's hand rest on top of his sword already, which only added to her panic. A part of her knew that Kanda would not attack the man unless he was directly provoked, but she also knew that was exactly what the man wanted, and that Kanda would not hesitate to protect himself, rightfully so. Emilia wondered if the Black Order was powerful enough to get Kanda out of jail.

"Miss, you don't need to be scared, I am with the police force and…" He continued, but Emilia interrupted him by jumping up and digging her index finger into the man's chest angrily.

"Oh, really? Then you can go back and report to Captain Galmar how rudely you interrupted his daughter's dinner with your xenophobic bullshit, looking to stir up trouble with peaceful visitors. Now, get out of my sight!" She pressed between her teeth angrily. It took a lot of effort to not yell at the man and educate him further about his idiocy, but enough people were watching them already and she didn't want to add to it.

"Hah, I would have never guessed the Captain had such an unrefined daughter." The man laughed dryly and turned on his heel to walk back to his table.

Emilia let out a deep sigh as she sat back down and flashed an innocent smile at Kanda like nothing had happened. In reality, it bothered her greatly that the man called her unrefined, but only because it reflected bad on her father. She was proud of who she was and her beliefs, but she never wanted it to affect how other people viewed her father.

"Hiding behind daddy's badge, I see." Kanda remarked with a sly smirk on his face, catching her off-guard with that comment for a second. It angered her that the exorcist was right; when she heard the man mention that he was a police officer, her response to mention who her dad was came almost like a reflex. Although she let that man walk away with having the last word, Emilia was not going to let Kanda have it this time.

"And I guess some would say you were hiding behind my skirt." She smiled at him innocently once again, thanking the heavens that the waitress appeared with their food that exact moment. Emilia didn't think Kanda was insecure about his manhood at all, but he was clearly a proud person who would not like strangers like her taking jabs at him.

"Che. Whatever." Kanda said with a scowl, then turned to the plate in front of him. "What is this?"

"It's the pâtes à la sauce Provençale. It's not poisonous." Emilia responded lightly and pretended to be engulfed in her own dish because she had a feeling that Kanda would never touch his food if she was watching.

"Che." The blonde girl heard the exorcist after the first bite, concluding that it probably meant "it's edible" in Kanda.

That's 2 points to me, but who is keeping score.

They finished the rest of their dinner in silence, and Emilia decided that she would only gloat inwardly over Kanda finishing his entire dish. Small victories, right?

"Put it on the Black Order's tab." Emilia heard Kanda say in perfect French to their waitress when she came back, causing her to almost choke on her food.

That bastard!

"What the hell? You speak French?" She exclaimed a little louder than she was supposed to, earning a few glares from other diners.

"Never said I didn't. And to be clear, that doesn't mean that I like speaking it, so don't try it." Kanda responded coolly as he stood up and strode towards the exit.

"And that makes us even…" Emilia muttered under her breath and rushed to catch up with the exorcist.

The train ride to Calais was absolutely uneventful. Since it was an overnight trip, Emilia tried to sleep as much as she could, but she only managed to fall into a light slumber towards the morning. However, she had to admit, it was nice being under the Black Order's wings and having an entire cabin to themselves, so they could both lay down on the seats. Not a lady-like behavior, but it was not like Kanda expected her to be one, thankfully.

What was much less nice was being woken up by the Japanese samurai's angry voice.

"Hey, fenchie, wake up."

"It's so lovely waking up to your pretty voice, Kanda." She grunted sleepily and tried to rub the fatigue out of her eyes. "Just give me one second to get ready."

"Che. Just hurry up." He said and turned away when the girl started straightening out her clothes and her hair. Emilia wished she had some time to go brush her teeth but looking at Kanda, she doubted that the other would wait for her.

"Alright, let's go!" The blonde girl said excitedly and jumped up from her seat. "I hope it's going to be nice in England, I've never been."

"It rains all the time." Kanda offered a dull response, but it didn't curb Emilia's mood the slightest.

"You don't like the rain?" She inquired as she followed him out of the train cab into the station.

"I don't care about the rain. It's better than the stupid blue sky." The samurai noted as a matter-of-factly. Emilia really didn't know what to do with that answer, so she opted out of answering and they fell into a comfortable silence.

Who does not like the blue sky? So strange.

Emilia learned four things about Kanda in 12 hours: he was angry, arrogant, strange, and exotically beautiful.

Calais was a small port town to the north of Paris where all ships left from to go to Britain. The harbor was only a short 30-minute walk from the train station and they were able to buy tickets to the next boat leaving. Emilia took a deep breath, inhaling the distinct air of the ocean, fish, and smoke. Some people really hated the mix of those odors, but she really didn't mind it. It was unique and she associated it with the liveliness of harbors.

It was a bright, sunny day with clear, blue skies and Emilia couldn't help but smile at the thought of how much displeasure such a common occurrence must bring to Kanda. They were standing outside a small waiting area and to Emilia's greatest surprise, Kanda was people-watching.

"Do you think there can be akuma around here?" The blonde girl asked him, steadying her voice as much as she could. She had to resist touching the bandage on her arm where the akuma wounded her.

"Any of these people can be one. You could be one for all I know." He answered dryly.

"You can't tell?" She asked, surprised, which made Kanda grunt angrily.

"Only the beansprout can tell with that cursed eye of his." He pressed between his teeth, clearly not wanting to give credit to this "beansprout". Emilia wanted to ask who he was referring to, but Kanda clearly disliked this person a lot, and she really wanted to learn more about the akuma.

"Low level akuma are stupid. You can usually pick them out based on how they behave. Especially right before they transform." Kanda continued, and Emilia wished she had a notebook at hand to write these things down. She figured it would be useful for her future lessons with Timothy.

"I see. So, humanity is really just millions of sitting ducks." She said pensively, and Kanda didn't answer. It really made the blonde girl wonder how during her 18 years, a week and a half ago was the first time she ever encountered an akuma. It didn't seem like her father knew anything about them either, which meant that they were either extremely lucky or that her father was lying. Being a police captain she had to say it was definitely the second, although she couldn't really blame him for not telling her about the akuma.

Emilia wondered how she would react if an akuma showed up in that second. Would she scream? Would she faint? Would she beg Kanda to save her? Would she freeze? Would she try to fight back? Would she be able to get over her fear once and for all?

How could I not fear them when I am so powerless against them?

The Japanese man at her side was everything she ever wanted to be, yet it was impossible. Kanda was chosen by the innocence to be a savior of humanity, and she was only a tutor. Even if she was the best damned tutor in the world, how could that compare to the difference exorcists were making in the world? Emilia hated the bitter taste of jealously in her mouth as she looked at Kanda, and silently vowed that she would find a way to make a difference with her own bare hands.

Emilia Galmar was a strong woman who did not need an innocence to prove her worth.

Thank you for reading! Thoughts?

Again thank you for everyone who reviewed!

/Spooky/: Thanks for the review and I am glad you liked it. Yes, she is the blonde girl from Hollow who joins the Order to become Tim's tutor. Good point, I made sure I added a quick note about that for this chapter; I really don't want to offend anyone. I also checked and no one from France have clicked on my story yet, whew. But if they do, I hope they make it to chapter 2!

/PinkROmantic/: Thank you so much for your extremely thoughtful review and for taking the time to actually think about the chapter and provide great, constructive criticism. Really, that's what helps the most. I think the limitation of first chapters is that it is really just a quick glance and there is a lot that is unsaid yet. I do agree that the scene with Kanda might seem a little too extra, but my reasoning behind it was that he was just so fed up with people getting on his nerves all the time that he wanted to make sure that he scares her off before she can become one and he overdid it a little bit. I guess I overdid it a little bit too, haha. And yes, she is pretty tough but I think this chapter revealed a little bit why she might have been a little too tame. I think encountering akuma as a normal civilian must be terrifying and I wanted her to actually go through the trauma of it. Awh, I am glad you liked that part, and wow, I am humbled that it even caught your attention. Anyways, thank you again for your review and I hope you will keep on reading this story!

/Lady Serai/: Again, thank you for showing love and again thank for your thoughtful PM! I really hope you like this chapter too!