Écarlate (Kanda x OC)

Cinq

"Lenalee..." Komui whined tiredly, reaching for his sister that was up much too late in evening. "Get Kanda, Lavi, and Zion." He begged.  Lenalee displayed a stern expression on her face, ready to get to bed.

"Why don't you get them yourself, brother?" She suggested, knowing he wouldn't budge. 

"But Lenalee..." He whined, twirling his empty feminine coffee cup.  The young Exorcist stubbornly stood from her seat and stalked to the rooms of each individual, asking them to go to Komui's office.  Each of the three of them were rather irritated with being woken up from their peaceful sleep.  They trudged to Komui's office as Lenalee proceeded to the kitchen to make more coffee for her brother.

It had been a week since they returned from Asia, and a week since Zion made her comeback.  None of the Exorcists that journeyed on the boat together had been sent on any missions.  They were all resting, practicing, and preparing for their next adventure.

And here it was.  Zion tiredly opened the door to the Head's office, sliding through piles of unread, crumpled papers, documents, and letters.  She yawned, and as she finally blinked the blurriness from her sleepy eyes, she saw two others in the room, all gathered in front of Komui's desk.

"Oh, look! The lovely Zion is here too!" A bright-haired Exorcist exclaimed. The brunette groaned, not particularly in the mood to deal with Lavi's teasing.  It was accompanied by a conceded snort from the dark-haired Exorcist in the room.

"Now, now, you three.  We have business to take care of." Komui seemed to have become a different, falsely responsible person in that moment.

"What business in the middle of the night?" Zion questioned, not up for any 'business' at this hour.

"Probably the same business that you and I have in the middle of the night." Lavi whispered into the girl's ears, earning a heel in his toe.  He winced, causing a barely audible snicker from Kanda. "Ouch! Yu's rubbing off on you, Zion." The young man whined, holding his swollen foot.

"Not true!  I don't think he has a bright-haired flirt trying to get into his bed." Zion retorted.  Komui clapped, getting the attention of the tired young adults again.

"Anyway! You three have a mission!" He exclaimed.  

"Geez, Komui.  You couldn't have waited until morning?" The female Exorcist whined, rubbing her temples.

"There is no morning for me!" The Chinese man yelled, most likely trying to wake himself up as well.  "You three will be going to southern France.  There have been rumors of a swarm of Level Two Akuma residing in a small rural town.  And we know that that means there is probably Innocence there."  He tried to drink from his empty mug and ended up unsatisfied.

"What's this place called?" Lavi asked, not noticing how pale Zion had gotten.

"It's called Veyras." Komui folded his hands on the desk, eyeing the girl in particular.  At the mention of this name, her eyes grew hollow as she became lost in thought.  She was staring, but not particularly at anything.  Both the Head and Kanda noticed this change in personality, but Lavi was still oblivious. "Zion?" Komui asked, now getting Lavi to become aware of her aura.  He placed a sturdy, warm hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Zion, you there?" He asked, waving his other hand in front of her blurred hazel eyes.

"Hm? Oh, yes." She finally responded quietly. "Anything else about this mission?"

"Kanda and Lavi's Innocence manages to wipe out more Akuma at a time, and Zion knows the area, so that's why I chose you three.  Keep a golem on you at all times." Komui instructed.  "You will be leaving in an hour.  Go get something to eat, then get on that train." He then shooed the three out of his cluttered office as they proceeded towards the kitchen for a midnight snack.