I thought I would 'treat' you to another chapter, since I got Story Alerts! I hope you like it.

Akage

Kanda picked at his favourite soba noodles, stifling every yawn that dared to pass by. Whoever came in next door wouldn't sleep until the first rays of the sun filtered through. After ten minutes of blissful sleep, the noise started up again. He was not in the mood at that time to slaughter whoever had had the nerve to constantly cause a racket, so he had just sighed and gone to the forest to practice. Annoyed at his own thoughts, Kanda rubbed his dark eyes. There it was again, that stupid red hair.

He studied the new recruit, who had just entered the dining hall. Her red hair, which chillingly reminded Kanda of blood, was cut short and her long bangs covered her right eye. The eye that wasn't covered shone emerald. As he peered closer, Kanda noticed that her lashes were not red, but black. That was why her eyes stood out so much. The long tail coat from last night was not in sight. Instead, she wore a blue and black striped shirt with a black tie. An undone waistcoat hung over dark trousers, which were covered with knee height boots. Her pale fingers were being run through her hair, black fingerless gloves covering the rest of her hands. He also noticed a necklace that wasn't there the last time. What was her name again? Oh yeah; it was Bryony. She was accompanied by the other girl, Manami, who was wearing the same attire as yesterday.

As though the red head knew that someone was watching her, she scanned the hall. Kanda hastily dropped his vision to his meal. If she found him staring at her, and if she was anything like her brother Lavi, she would never let him live it down.

Better just concentrate on the soba. It was way more interesting than Bryony, that's for sure.

Bryony covered up another yawn, and stretched her arms, taking care not to expose her arms. She felt sorry for the people staying next to her. She knew that with her insomnia, restlessness came packaged. It was daylight before she grabbed ten minutes of sleep. But that was all her mind allowed. Her routine was so hammered into her that she couldn't sleep a wink past sunrise. She had just sighed and started her yoga stretches.

Manami had appeared down the corridor, and seemed happy to see a familiar face. She explained her dilemma; she was utterly lost. The dining hall was her destination, but it was a true challenge to get there. Bryony had rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk with her to breakfast. Upon walking into the huge hall, various smells of food greeted her. As she walked to the counter, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She knew someone was looking at her. With a quick scan, Bryony found the culprit. It was Kanda, who was looking at his meal as if it was fascinating. There was no denying it – it was definitely Kanda. His aura betrayed him, being the colour of panic. The girl smirked. How she had gotten the indifferent samurai to panic, she had no idea.

All her thoughts were blown away when a man wearing sunglasses stuck his head into Bryony's personal space. Instinctively, she stepped back and narrowed her eyes. The man just laughed, swinging his twin braids. His aura was pink with radiant love. Bryony stared, incredibly confused by the explosion of happy colours.

The man started gushing, "Why, what a cutie! My name's Jerry! What can I make for you? You look like an eggs person! What do you think? Scrambled? Fried? Boiled? Omelette? Speak up, darlin', I don't know what you want!"

Bryony held her nerve and attempted to decipher the situation. This man Jerry was obviously the cook, and was asking what she wanted to eat. That was simple enough – but what did she actually want to eat? In all her travels, the choice of food was limited, so she had never acquired a taste for anything. Whatever was available, she would eat.

"Erm, can I have two buttered croissants with cappuccino, fourteen sugars?" she asked tentatively.

"Ooh, you have a sweet tooth when it comes to coffee!"Jerry beamed. He turned to Manami, who was a bit more prepared than Bryony.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Jerry-san! I'll take steamed rice with tamagoyaki, please," she said brightly.

"Oh, how polite!" Jerry said, "Another Japanese eater! Your orders will be ready momentarily, sweeties!"

After receiving their breakfast, the pair was stuck with finding a table. Bryony observed that no one was sitting on Kanda's table, but she had no desire to either. Prussian blue, the colour of moodiness, was emanating in tendrils. Next to the solitary samurai's table was a familiar face. Thank God, it was Lenalee. Bryony indicated to the seats, and Manami eagerly sat next to the other female exorcist.

Bryony set her plate and coffee mug next to a mound of food. She turned, trying to see why there was a mountain of food just sat there. Suddenly, the mountain began to move! Lenalee clicked her tongue, and talked to the mound.

"Allen-kun! At least stop eating long enough to see who have joined," she scolded softly.

"Nmph?" Allen's head popped out the dishes, mitarashi dango still stuffed in his mouth.

His silver eyes widened as he saw the two other girls that had come. The food in his mouth immediately disappeared and a kind smile graced his face. Bryony felt instantly cheered up by the warm aura around him. It was nice to know that not everyone was a vicious killer like Kanda. God, why was she still thinking about him? It would be better for her own sanity if Kanda was never mentioned again for the rest of the day.

That vow was instantly broken when a certain hyper Japanese girl greeted a certain sour Japanese man.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Kanda-san! That soba looks good!" Manami called across the table.

Kanda turned to her with a dark face, snatched his sword up and stood to leave. Before he walked past the table, he turned to Manami. The girl's eye seemed to twitch under his glare, though the rest of her face remained cheery. Her empathy thoughts confirmed her true feelings.

Oh no, he's going to kill me. Can you take revenge if he does?

"Che, I'm not an old man. Don't call me 'san', Arai. You're too polite," Kanda stated in the most bored voice ever.

"Just call me Manami, Kanda!" Manami responded, oblivious to the intended insult.

Bryony seized her chance to take a proper look at Kanda. His ridiculously long raven hair was tied into a high ponytail, leaving two strands to frame his face. Long straight cut bangs peppered stern stormy gray eyes. His exorcist's uniform had a wide collar and almost reached his feet. Bryony noticed a small beaded bracelet around his left wrist.

Kanda noticed her scrutiny and fixed his gaze on her. Bryony blinked, confused; usually, being able to read someone's aura meant that it was easier to figure one out. With this guy, it seemed harder. The overall essence was dark, but the colours swirled so much that it hurt Bryony to look. This was interesting – very interesting indeed.

"If you're finished staring at me, Akage," Kanda growled.

Now Bryony was really confused.

Kanda was really beginning to hate that red hair. Lavi, another red head, was already one source of annoyance. To see two of them snapped Kanda's nerve. The word slipped from his tongue before he'd even registered the use.

"Akage?" she said, "Did you really mean that?"

Her tone had become silky smooth. Kanda was not stupid (no matter what anyone else said); he knew danger signs when he saw them. Her eye had hardened, but her speech was soft. Any idiot could see that the girl was going to pick a fight.

"Yes, I meant it," Kanda retorted, "I wouldn't say it if I didn't."

"Wait a minute," Manami said, "One of my servants was called Akage. She was Chinese. Her grandmother had named her that for her red hair and the red sunset. What are you trying to say, Kanda?"

At the mention of 'the red sunset', Moyashi started laughing so hard that he started choking on air. Whilst Lenalee thumped him on the back, Bryony and Kanda looked at Manami in confusion. The younger Japanese girl just smiled and nodded her head. Moyashi regained his breath, and spoke between sniggers.

"Kanda, why did you call her a 'red sunset'? I never knew you were the flirtatious type!"

Moyashi barely dodged Mugen swinging to his neck, the blade singing in its wake. The motion, though, caused him to fall off the seat. Kanda scoffed, taking that as a victory. But apparently, it wasn't enough payment. He grabbed the scruff of the shorter teen's coat and hauled him up to eye level.

"You call me that again, Moyashi, and we'll see just how small your brain really is," Kanda spat.

Akage smirked, and said, "As much fun as this is, I'm afraid that I must burst the bubble. 'Akage' is a derogatory word meaning 'red head'. I think your servant's grandmother was not aware of the meaning, unfortunately. Now, put Allen down, Kanda – I'm pretty sure he won't call you flirtatious again."

"Che."

Kanda kept his hold around Moyashi's throat. Like hell he was going to take orders from a newbie. Akage frowned as stepped towards the two. As quick as lightning, her hand shot out and grabbed Kanda's. Did she have a death wish? It squeezed the hand restraining Moyashi, and Kanda inwardly winced. God, Akage had a ferocious grip. The fingers kept digging into his pressure point until Moyashi was deposited on the floor, none too gently. Kanda's hand muscles were screaming, but he has too much of a reputation to show the pain. There was only one thought running through his head – What the hell?

"I asked you to let go of him," Akage said quietly, slipping a piece of venom into every word, "Why did you not listen? Why did you force me to use violence?"

"I don't take orders from anyone but Komui. Get used to it, Akage," Kanda replied.

"You had better not call me that name again."

"Or what?"

"Now, now, why would I threaten you? It's a lot more fun to carry out the deed than to throw empty words."

"Che, you talk too much, Akage."

"There it is again. My name is Bryony."

All the raised tones had resulted in all eyes in the dining hall on the arguing pair. Kanda realized that Akage still had an iron clutch on his hand. Snatching it away, he spoke a few parting words.

"Listen here," he hissed, "I've seen exorcists come and go. Your type will be lucky to survive the first mission. If you don't die within a month, I might consider learning your name."

And with that, Kanda stormed out of the stunned dining hall.

Not long after, Bryony emerged from breakfast, accompanied with Manami. She softly grabbed a fistful of hair and sighed. She had never intended to make a rival out of Kanda, but it seemed inevitable. That guy was just God curst aggravating. She felt like punching through a brick wall after that dispute. Akage, indeed!

It looks like he pushed your buttons, Bryony-chan.

Don't call me 'chan'. I'm not that close to you. He may have won that battle, but the war rages on.

Wait, so this is a war now?

Whatever. God, I never thought I'd have to use Kyusho Jutsu on my first day.

Well, it worked! I could also see his aura in pain. Did you mean to hurt him that much?

No, as a matter of fact, I – wait. What was that?

What?

Bryony had spotted a wisp of red hair disappearing down the long corridor. She clenched her teeth – it was all too obvious who that was. She immediately took off in a sprint, Manami keeping up but becoming increasingly perplexed. Once Bryony had turned the corner, her target had turned to see who was tearing down the hall so fast.

His crimson hair stuck up wildly, some of the strands resting on the green bandanna keeping it all up. A black eye-patch covered his right eye, and his green left eye glittered mischievously. If one was to describe this tall boy with piercings and a long, orange scarf, one would definitely call him a pirate. But no, he was an exorcist. Then again, he was more than that – he was Lavi, Bookman Junior and also Bryony's older brother.

"Br-Bryony?" Lavi asked. His eye shone even brighter and a huge grin plastered his face.

The same could not be said about Bryony. She ground her teeth, and clenched her fists. It seemed that fire was emanating from her eye. Lavi's smile shrunk a little, sensing the tension.

"Lavi…" Bryony said quietly, radiating fury, "You…bastard…"

WHACK! Bryony tackled her brother to the ground. After some scuffling, Lavi was pinned to the floor with a boot pressing his face into the stone. An odd strangled noise was coming out of his mouth, much to the glee of Bryony. She spoke through a sadistic grin, kicking him with every sentence.

"You really are the king of idiots! – KICK! – Has your damn brain become so small – KICK! – that you can't remember your own sister? I got freaking attacked by a sword happy – KICK! – maniac because of you! – KICK!"

The last kick was delivered with extra violence, mostly because Bryony was thinking about Kanda again. She stepped back, panting slightly from her rant. Lavi just gave a weak, apologetic smile. Damn it – that little sincere smile that he gives to say sorry makes her soft. Although, she was allowed to be soft with him – they're related! Bryony sighed and helped Lavi to his feet.

"Man, I'm gonna feel those kicks in the morning," he said, "You learn that on your journey?"

The younger sister gave a small smile before she was subject to a bone crushing hug. She punched his shoulder affectionately when he ruffled her hair. Bryony's grin gained another millimetre. She liked 'Lavi'. He was a lot more laidback than the others.

"It wasn't something I learned, but I could always show you what I did in a one-on-one," Bryony said.

It was only then that Bryony noticed Manami. She just stood there, with a shell-shocked look on her face. Bryony almost laughed at her state – it was the same mouth agape expression everyone wore when they saw Lavi and her fighting. Lavi seemed to notice her too, because he instantly zoomed over and got right into her face. Bryony smacked a palm to her face. God, sometimes it was really hard to admit that she really was related to that guy.

"Hi! The name's Lavi! Some people call me Junior, cuz I'm a Bookman Junior! Did you know that you're really pretty? What's your name?" Lavi said, bouncing up and down like a rabbit.

She's really pretty? Bryony closed her eyes in despair, and waited for the shout.

"Strike!"

Yeah, that was it.

Manami tilted her head in confusion. Strike? Lavi-san's usage of English was peculiar. Nevertheless, Manami bowed, gave a smile and introduced herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bryony repeatedly whacking the wall. Lavi bowed and then shook her hand vigorously, almost taking it out of its socket.

"Manami, that's a sweet name! 'Manami' can either mean 'affectionate beauty' or 'love sea'. Judging by the attire, you're the sea one, am I right?"

Manami agreed. Most of her life was spent on the water, ever since her parents had to flee Japan because of the Millennium Earl. A nostalgic glaze covered her eyes. What was Kyoto like? Were her aunt and uncle still in Nagasaki? She was brought back to earth when Lavi clicked his fingers in front of her eyes. She blinked in surprise, mostly because Lavi had been hit again.

"You don't do that to someone you just met!" Bryony yelled, "And what was with the 'Strike!'? You ain't goin' after her!"

Lavi held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, truce!" he said, "I just said that cuz she is pretty, there's no denyin' it."

"Arigato, Lavi-san," Manami quickly said before Bryony hit him, "No one has ever called me pretty before, it is quite flattering."

Lavi threw on a huge smile of victory. Bryony just shook her head and helped Lavi stand again. Manami smiled too. It must be nice for Bryony to have a sibling. Manami was an only child, and she hardly ever got to play with her cousins. She was particularly close to her cousin Tatsuya though, who was a master at archery. Manami always had more skill with swords, and that had got her here today.

Don't let that comment get to your head, Manami. Lavi's just a pervert.

The thought almost sent Manami into tears of laughter. She watched Bryony and Lavi talk with intent. Bryony acted so different with her brother – she smiled more and her body relaxed. She could see their family resemblance…or could she? Manami peered closer, and studied each detail. Bryony's hair and eyes were darker than Lavi's and Lavi had red lashes. She couldn't tell what race Lavi was, but Bryony was blatantly European.

The two siblings…actually didn't look like siblings at all.

"So, how old are you?" Lavi said, hands behind his head as the trio walked down the corridor.

"Fourteen, Lavi-san," Manami replied. Lavi's eyes widened.

Manami Arai.

Japanese.

Fourteen years old.

Definitely noble.

"Fourteen? Geez, with that scar, ya look way older! But you're cute, so it doesn't matter!" he said.

"I never asked, Bryony – how old are you?" Manami asked.

Likes to ask questions. Curious mind.

"Sixteen," Bryony said simply. Lavi noticed that she was back on high alert.

They soon parted with Manami, since she wanted to make a map of the Order.

Can get lost easily.

Lavi continued walking in silence with his sister. The signature grin had dropped, and he took off his 'Lavi' mask. Lavi started to walk with more purpose, mirroring Bryony. She turned and surveyed the change.

"How much recorded?" she asked.

Lavi smirked. "What? You think I've lost touch?"

Bryony stopped walking and faced him. They stared in silence in the empty corridor. Lavi became suddenly serious.

"It doesn't matter how much I've recorded. What matters is that she has spotted," he said.

Bryony nodded. "So you did see. And here I was thinking you'd forgotten your duties."

The siblings started to walk again, and Lavi fell into deep thought. It was true that he was glad that Bryony had finally joined, but even he had to be careful of her hawk like eyes. When the various masks slipped, it was Bryony who noticed first. She would reprimand him; tell him to focus on recording. He admired her determination to protect him.

Yes, Lavi was proud of his adopted sister, Bryony – Bookman Protector turned exorcist.

OMAKE

Lavi stifled a snigger when he heard Bryony's absurd nickname for the first time. There was no way in hell he was going to let the opportunity slip from him. He spotted Bryony walking alongside Yuu, obviously bickering about something. He smiled mischievously, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Oi, Yuu! Akage!"

Wait for it…

The pair spun around with the most furious yet priceless faces.

"Don't call me that, you stupid rabbit!" they said in unison.

This was kind of just a filler chapter. The real action begins in the next one, with Manami's and Bryony's first mission. Oh, what is Bookman Protector, you ask? All will be revealed later. By the way, the italics in Lavi's POV was him recording. Hope you liked it and reviews are great things to receive! Random info: On Friday, I went to see Paramore in concert, and today I went to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1! Both were EPIC! :)

Kyusho Jutsu – Pressure Point fighting
Ohayo gozaimasu – 'Good morning'
Tamagoyaki – Rolled omelette