Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone! I am happy to say that I am actually coming out with something that isn't Yugioh and wasn't co-written by one of my friends when we were high on sugar!

Allen: Well, it's nice of you to write a story about us.

Sadistic-neko: KWAII!!!! (squeezes Allen in bone crushing hug) You're even more adorable in person!

Kanda: (glares and rips Allen away from author) He's my moyashi bitch!

Sadistic-neko: of course he is! I wouldn't want it any other way!

Allen: (pats Kanda's arm) I know I'm yours. (gives Kanda a quick peck on the cheeks)

Kanda: (Hns contently)

Sadistic-neko: Do you guys want to help me with the disclaimer?

Both: Why not?

All: Sadistic-neko does not own -man and we hope you like her newest story!

Tou-san?

Kanda POV

Walking off the train, I gave a quick glance at the town that I was sent to. From what the crazy scientist that was the head of the Black Order branch I was stationed in, otherwise known as Komui Lee, was able to tell me, there had been reports of a monster in the area. We were also able to confirm that akuma had been gathering there.

This was my first mission since the incident with the Noah and Alma Karma. I wasn't nervous, but I just wanted to get the mission done and over with. I was all the way out in the middle of nowhere and it seemed unlikely that I would find innocence in a run down little down like what was before me.

"Kanda, sir!" I heard called out and I looked in the direction the voice had come from. I was greeted by the only finder that I didn't have the urge to kill most of the time, Toma. He was wearing the typical garb of a white tunic and had most of his face covered. "Have you been well?"

"Hn," was the only reply I felt obliged to give. It wasn't like it mattered since he was used to my monosyllable responses anyway.

"I see that you are as disagreeable as ever. The inn that we're staying at is not too far from here. Would you like to go there directly or gather some information first?"

"Take this to the inn," I said, throwing him my stuff. "I want to get to know the town better before any akuma can attack."

"Of course."

With that we went our separate ways.

The town was just as pathetic as it looked from the station. No, it was even worse than I had first thought. Even the most extravagant buildings were dilapidated huts that barely counted as houses. It disgusted me to have to be stuck in that dump of a town.

Be that as it may, though, it was still a mission and I was going to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. After all, completing missions, killing akuma and finding innocence was all that I was created for, if you could call it that. Those damn scientists did bring me back to life for that reason at least. So I could be their little puppet soldier.

I was pulled out of my musing when I felt the presence of someone coming towards me. As inconspicuously as possible, I inspected the fool that thought it wise to try and sneak up on me. He was a lanky man that wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell if he were to jump me. At least, if he were human. Working as an exorcist for as long as I could remember taught me that nothing is as it seems.

On minute, there was a man stalking me, looking as though he wanted to attempt to mug me, the next it was a giant sphere with a human's face, a reverse pentacle on its forehead, a gun pointed at the back of my head. Before it could shoot, I had my innocence, a sword by the name of Mugen, out and sliced it in half. Not even a second later, all of the huts around me exploded as other level one akuma sprang from them and surrounded me.

A quick scan of the area told me that I just so happened to be in the shitiest place possible to fight, so I ran. Destroying any akuma that got in my way, I weaved in and out of debris and searched for anything that could be innocence. With the number of akuma that were around, there was a good chance that some really was hidden somewhere close by. They always gathered around it by order of their creator, the Millennium Earl.

I had been fighting for, at least, a good twenty minutes when I went to turn a corner only to find that it led to a dead end!

Shit I thought as I skidded to a stop. Figures that I would get caught with my back to a damn wall while I was trying to map out the town in my head so this wouldn't happen. I swore that the moyashi's bad luck was rubbing off on me.

Killing off as many akuma as I could, I finally created an opening, and was going to use it to use Mugen's first illusion and take out the wall that was blocking my way and destroy any of the abominable creatures that so happened to be in the way. I raised my and, just as I was beginning the swing that would bring forth the attack when I heard a sound that caused me to change my method of attack and took out the creatures that were closest to me.

The sound was that of whimpering. It was so small that it could only have come from a child as the dust cleared, I could make out a flash of blonde hiding in a large crack in the wall. Knowing that there was no way that I couldn't just let the kid die, especially if it was because of being crushed by some ruble that I caused to collapse, I positioned myself in the best way that I could to protect them.

At last, after I didn't know how long, I could no longer see any enemies and sheathed Mugen, slowly making my way to the child that was still shivering in their hole. The crack was large, but only if you were about the size the kid was, so I couldn't reach them.

"Come on, kid," I said, honestly trying not to scare them. I wasn't sure hoe successful that was. "The bad things are gone now. It's safe to come out."

"N-no," came the scared little voice that I assumed was female. "They're still here."

I didn't even have time to question her on what she meant before I felt the pain in my abdomen. Not even bothering to look and see what had run me through, I grabbed Mugen and swung at whatever it was that attacked me from behind. The swing came up just short of some kind of tentacle like appendage covered with my blood. It disappeared in the shadow of some building.

"Kuku," I heard the maniacal cackle surrounding me. I couldn't place it, but it was so loud and low that the earth beneath me. The moyashi and his damn cursed eye would have really come in handy right about then. I closed my eyes, trying to find the source of the annoying as hell laughing.

"Aaaaaaah!" I snapped my eyes open again and felt my blood begin to boil as I saw the little girl flying through the air courtesy of the tentacle thing wrapped around her ankle. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a level two akuma sprung forth out of the ground.

"Well, well," the filthy thing said, obviously trying to mock me. "What a cute little girl. Just look at her adorable terrified face!"

I bit back a growl, fighting every nerve in my body that demanded that I pull a moyashi and let my emotions govern my decisions. The little bastard thought that it could get to me through a little girl? Ha!

I was doing a good job keeping my composure too. That is, until she began crying and gave me the most desperate, pleading look that I had ever seen with the biggest, greenest eyes that you could imagine. It almost undid me, but I lost it when the beast hit her.

"Shut up you little brat!" it yelled. Those were its last words. I couldn't remember how I killed it. All I knew was that it crossed the line and pissed me off to the point of no return and next left of it was dust and the little girl was in my arms crying her heat out into my chest. It didn't take long for her to weep herself to sleep.

It was then that I was able to get my first good look at her. She was a strange, yet, in a way, beautiful child. Her hair was matted and dirty. The tangles were so severe that it seemed that it had never been introduced to a comb. The only thing that was covering her slender, too light frame was rags that, even at their best, they wouldn't have done much to protect her from the elements. All of this left me to believe that she was all alone.

Her face still had the remnants of baby fat and seemed cherubic. Every feature was soft and there couldn't have been two square inches of skin on her that wasn't covered in dirt and grime. She couldn't have been more than four years old.

There was something odd about her though. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I examined her again, more carefully. It hit me like a bag of bricks.

Damn it! I thought, cursing in my native tongue too. It was so obvious!

On her little fingers, her nails were long and pointed. A quick poke proved the tiny claws to be wicked sharp. I could see elongated fangs peeking out from where her mouth hung limply open as she slept. She had to be an exorcist, chosen by innocence. There was no doubt about it.

So much made sense now. The reports of the "monster", the increase in akuma in the area and the reason she was in a crack in the wall all had to do with it. The akuma were after her innocence to see it she had the heart and the villagers were afraid of her because she was different. She was in a crack in the wall because she probably lived there. It wouldn't be surprising if she was like Leenali, whose parents were just gone, of, worse, like the moyashi whose parents abandoned him as soon as they saw his arm.

I was pulled out of my contemplations when she shivered. It was getting dark out and was also cold, which was to be expected of late November. Taking in her meager outfit again, I shrugged out of my coat the best I could while still holding her and wrapped her in it. I still had a long-sleeve shirt on and was made to pretty much be able to hardly notice extreme heat or cold, so I was fine without it.

Knowing that everything that the damn mission called for was done, I began venturing back to the populated area of town, making sure that the girl was carefully covered so the townspeople wouldn't freak out. I couldn't help but wonder of this was good of bad for her. Being a child exorcist was traumatizing and, more times than not, led to a life of nothing but pain. She would have to risk her life constantly in a war that she probably wouldn't really understand.

Even though she would have to go through that hell, she would have a home. She would know why she was different and be around other people just like her. Food, medicine and clothes would never be a problem any more either. All I could think about was what the moyashi and Leenali went through, and my own past. Was taking her to the Black Order really for the best.

Figuring that I was getting nowhere with such thoughts, I shoved them aside, contenting myself with the fact that she would be taken care of. Komui wouldn't be stupid enough to send her on solo missions until she was older and there wasn't a single exorcist that wouldn't take care of her if they were paired together. I would make sure of that. I was antisocial, but I wasn't a total barbarian that would let a child as small as her get hurt if I could help it.

Trying to just clear my mind and return to my typical emotionless state, I continued my journey until I ran into Toma just outside of the inn. It looked like he was just leaving to search for me. He was surprised when he noticed the bundle in my arms.

"Kanda?" he asked. "What's that?"

"What we're looking for," I answered simply. He gave me a look of understanding and held the door open for me, rushing us to the room I was to stay in. Once inside, I put the girl on the bed and Toma locked the door.

"She's an exorcist?"

"The innocence chose her. I would say that she's also the monster that the villagers were talking about too." I looked her over again and walked to the door, unlocking and opening it. "She looks like she hasn't had anything to eat in days. You watch her while I get some food. We can't have her dying before we get back to headquarters."

I didn't even wait for him to answer before stomping out of the room.