(I was in the hospital .-. I told you I wasn't feeling well and I would post when I could...I will work on a post and put it in this post right here when I am done)

Hex clenched his hands a bit, and narrowed his eyes a bit. "Hey! I never said any of that" he crossed his arms, turning his head away. Chi smiled a bit, placing a hand over his mouth to lightly laugh at the other. It was one of the first times he had felt Hex get flustered or such. Looking back at the female a bit, when she asked about questions, he thought a bit. There were many he could possibly ask, but then again, it was a bit hard to bring them to mind on the spot like this. He sighed a bit, running his fingers up into his hair, his head hurting a bit.

Haru watched the other begin to talk, then the two were dragged off. He sighed a bit, not much for conversation. Looking down at the snake, it was true. It was loyal, though it had been created by him and was an extention of him. Shaking his head, he moved off on his own to go to find the lions that he had sent on the wolves. They had been dealing with them and it was true that things were not many if any wolves still around. Now he would finish up, before going to meet up with the others.

Hikari watched the two interact, and couldn't help giving a tiny smile. She seemed to have hit the nail on the head, so to speak, but she wasn't about to rub it in. "You know, we could continue this later. There's food, and I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Wanna go see what they've got to eat?" She asked.

Chi's stomach growled at the mention of food. Being a blood bender, energy and health was important though not always easy to maintaine. They used their own blood as a weapon most of the time, which caused them to lose a lot of energy as well as weakened their systems if they were not careful. They tended to have a high matabolism, plus being paired with Hex, Chi was hungry. He could eat a lot for his size, Hex would eat at times to, though getting the food in that way was a bit painful. He could eat a lot all on his own, and not gain an ounce of weight. He was a stick so to speak, now and forever. Sighing a bit, he nodded to the woman. Hex seemed to like the idea of food as well, though getting out of this place was a bonus.

Hikari nodded. "Right then. Let's follow those servant people. They said there's a feast, so if we follow them, they'll lead us to it." She said hopefully. After the fight with the mad monk, and transforming as she did, she desperately needed an energy boost. Walking down the stairs, Hikari noticed the ink user walking in a different direction. She was curious where he was off to, but decided to leave him be for now. He seemed to like his privacy. She found a servant woman who was happy to lead them to the feast, but wanted them to rest first, and get new clothes. "Ugh, must we? I won't wear anything girly..." Hikari said tot he woman. "Chi-kun, if you don't want to go with them, you don't have to. But if you do, then I'll see you at dinner, okay?" She asked.

He looked up at the other hovering above him. Hex gave what sounded like a yawn, streatching. He gave a quick wave of his hand in a fashion that Chi knew ment he could not care less what was going on at the moment. The next moment, his body began to dissolve into a black mass once more, before sliding back into Chi. The male clenched his jaw a bit, closing his eyes as the rush of blood and Hex filling his body once more was painful for a few moments then passed, as he settled within him. Opening his eyes, he looked at the two women, unsure of really what to do. He doubted the others wanted to see him at all, but he had said he would stay. His hand lightly tightened around the new shards for a moment as he remembered they were there, before nodding a bit. "I do not look bad....do I?" he asks, suddenly feeling more self concious than he had been moments before. He glanced into a window, looking at his reflection. He tugged lightly at a bit of his hair, feeling like it was now a mess or something. He felt way out of place.

Hikari tried not to wince as Hex went back into Chi. It looked painful, and she could only imagine how it felt for the boy. When he asked weather he looked bad, she had to smile a little bit. "No, not at all. Actually, you may be the least messed up of all of us. No, Chi-kun looks just fine." She said to him.

((Gosh, I hardly even remember Suzume, lol. We have someone interested in playing one or two characters. It looks like we may salvage this thing after all. :)))

When Suzume finally arrived in the dining room, she was dressed in a kimono. It was nothing overly fancy. Nor was it as beautiful as her mother's kimono. It was fairly plain, with few cherry blossom designs around it's edges. It's colors were a pale pink and a navy mixture. A large pale pink bow tied it all together in the back.

Her raven black hair was pulled away from her face and tied back with a pale pink ribbon. The majority of it still hung freely down her back, and her bangs were held away from her face with a handmade band of small and medium pink and lavender flowers. Her face had been powdered and her cheeks rouged. Her naturally rosy lips were a darker shade of the pink she wore in her kimono, and her eyes had been darkened to stand out by blackening her lashes and adding a dark powder to the lids above them.

She wore koppori geta on her feet and she was kind of unhappy about it all. She did look amazing. Better than she probably ever had a day in her life. But she was uncomfortable. This had been what her father had wanted her to go off and dress like everyday? How could women move around and do things in outfits like these? How would they catch fish, and climb rocks and live? Still, all she planned to do was eat tonight, so she supposed it was okay.

Suzume stepped into the dining room and looked around. There was a ton of food here. She spotted Kitaru and moved across the room to sit next to him. She put a couple of random things on her plate as she talked to him. "How are your wounds?" she asked, genuinely concerned of course. Though she knew she probably didn't need to be. Kitaru was strong, that she knew. And he seemed to be able to take pain easier than most others would be able to.

She recalled him saying that he had been enslaved. She had see the scars on his body. Perhaps he handled pain seemingly so easily because he had had to for so long. There she was, staring at him once again, with that look of genuine concern and sympathy. His life had gotten so much worse since he'd met her, and that though made Suzume really sad.

((Kry, I assumed Kitaru took his spot at like one of the ends of the table, the spot farthest from the door where he could see the entrance/exit and everyone all at once. If I'm wrong just let me know and I'll change it. :)))

He stopped messing with his hair, looking over at the female. It was one of the first compliments he had ever recieved, at least, he thought it was one. Tilting his head a bit, a light blush formed on his cheeks for a moment, as well as a small smile. "I am glad..." he felt a bit better and lighter due to the comment, Hex slipping into his own rest state within his mind. He would not bother him for now, unless woken, which was fine with Chi. It would give him a chance to relax and think more for himself, making his own moves. Then again, without the other, he was a bit more nervous about being on his own. He did not want to make any mistakes.

When Suzume entered the room the world stopped. At least for Kitaru it seemed as if the world had stopped, there were no other sounds, sights, or smells. Everything else seemed to move in slow motion or not at all when he laid his eyes on her. Golden eyes drinking in every detail, and even his heart had seemed to pause a moment in it's beating, leaving him breathless. Suzume had quite literally taken Kitaru's breath from him, it was odd this feeling inside of him. Sure she was nice to look at, but not world stopping beautiful..though right now it seemed she was. A blush crept up to his cheeks the closer she got to him.

Just before she reached him, Kitaru got a hold of himself, shaking his head slightly and regaining his composure. The world seemed back to normal, but he was having a hard time taking his eyes off of her. How could he be so infatuated with a human, and he barely even knew her at that? A big part of it had to be the kindness she had shown him, and continued to show him. When she sat down next to him, he cleared his throat slightly. So much concern in her voice when she asked that question, his ears twitched slightly. "Better. My wounds are better." He had adverted his eyes to his plate when she sat next to him, but now he glanced at her.

"You..You look very nice." He spoke the words quietly, besides it was the least he could do. She had been kind to him, and he had been very rude to her almost constantly, he figured he owed her at least as much as a compliment. Those eyes dropped back down his plate, and he inhaled deeply. She even smelled nicer than before, though not being covered in dirt and muck did often make people smell better. Kitaru licked his lips, and went back to eating for a few moments.

After a couple more bites of food he set his fork down and looked at Suzume. "Kitaru. My name is Kitaru." He said that simple line slowly, almost cautiously, as if he were telling her a great secret. It wasn't a great secret, but Kitaru only gave his name to those he could trust, and never had willingly told a human his name before.

She was right though, in thinking he seemed to endure pain easily because he had had to. He could pretend that pain wasn't so bad, and that wounds weren't as terrible as they really were sometimes. But like when he first met Suzume, and that witches claws had been in his shoulder, he couldn't pretend or hide that at all. That had been terrible.

He blinked, she was staring at him, with a look of sympathy and concern. "Why you looking at me like that, something on my face?" His tone of voice was back to normal now, and he almost demanded to know if something was on his face. Though he knew that wasn't the reason she was staring at him, it was the only thing he could think of to say. She didn't need to look at him with such sympathy. What was she thinking anyway? Still Kitaru decided not to ask, he probably didn't really want to know, it might just make him angry.

He was not a creature that needed the sympathy of others. Still, that look on her face, it didn't help the odd feelings that were fluttering around inside him one bit. Feelings that only seemed to come to life when she was near him, or looking at him, or speaking to him. He needed to put a lid down on those feelings. He would hide those feelings away, he didn't understand them nor like them.

Hikari smiled. "Good. Then we might as well just go eat. I don't need to look pretty to eat food." She said. She wanted to reach out to him, touch his shoulder or squeeze his hand, to reassure him, but she got the feeling it wouldn't go over well. So instead she settled on a kind smile as she followed the servant woman towards the dining room. Suzume and the tiger demon were there already, and upon entering the room, Hikari could sense an awkwardness that thickened the air between them. Shrugging, she made her way to the food and started loading up her plate.

((BTW Kiyo, Wolfie recently started reading Soul Eater and is now slightly more acquainted with your character's origins. So far, he's one of her favorite characters ^-^* ))

(Lol, I have been watching it on tv but I wanna read the books to)

Following slowly, he kept a bit of distance between them. He was silent now, not saying a word as they entered the dining hall where the other two sat. He glanced in their direction, then away from them. Making his way to the far end away from them, his eyes stayed lowered. He was not used to being around others, especially when eating for that matter. He had met them in the forest when they were to eat, but now it was just even more awkward after everything. He glanced up a bit at a few servants moving around, avoiding one who was sitting things on the table. He looked at the fox girl, staying a bit closer to her for now then the others.

Suzume hadn't expected a compliment from the tiger demon. It rather shocked her. Before she could manage any words of thanks, he was telling her his name. She was shocked once again. He hadn't seemed to want to share his name and she had respected that of him. Though of course she'd wanted to know.

Suzume felt there was a stronger connection between people when they knew each other's names. It was as if you planned to know them for a long time. If you didn't exchange names it meant you probably would never see each other again. Now when she thought of him, she knew what to call him. Not that she thought about him a lot or anything. Though she did, at least since that strange dream of hers anyway.

Did this mean he was changing? Was he thinking differently of her? Of humans? She couldn't be sure. She couldn't understand how humans, or anyone for that matter could be so cruel to others and children especially. Kitaru was strangely cute, with those fuzzy ears and that tail... She'd never seen a person like him before they met, and she could only imagine how adorable he might have been as a child. Like a little pet.

That final thought brought that look of sympathy back to her features. Perhaps he had not only been a slave, but a pet, to someone cruel. How awful. Then he was asking if he had something on his face and her cheeks reddened the slightest bit. She must have been looking at him really strangely, how embarrassing! She shook her head and responded with a cheerful smile, "No, I just... thank you."

She was thanking him for the compliment, for finally offering his name, for protecting her, giving her courage, saving her life... The list went on and on. When the others came into the room, Suzume smiled a genuine smile. "Chi," she said happily, "You've decided to stay! And that mean thing you had on your back is gone!" She watched him for a moment. He looked uncomfortable, maybe embarrassed.

Suzume smiled brighter, trying to reassure him that he was welcome and that she, at least, wasn't judging him. "How did you get that thing in your back anyway? And where is your family?" she asked curiously, not realizing the questions may have been rude to ask.

Kitaru kept his eyes on her for a few moments, at least until she thanked him. He assumed she only meant the compliment and he answered her with a slight shrug as he returned to his food. He had been so hungry, normally he wouldn't eat so much food prepared by strangers, but the tiger had been famished. He looked up as Hikari and Chi entered, his body tensing for a moment. He trusted Hikari, but he didn't trust Chi.

He knew the boy and the demon attached to him were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, to kill them for their shards most likely. He glanced at Suzume as she spoke to Chi. She really was a naive girl, he would have to protect her from more than just physical harm it seemed. Right now though he was sure she would be fine, besides he was right beside her.

That cat eyed gaze slipped from Suzume to Chi, watching the boy for a few moments. He wouldn't trust Chi until the boy proved himself worthy of the trust, nor did Kitaru like the demon that was attached to Chi, or rather, inside of him. He was silent though, and looked to Hikari. She wasn't as naive as Suzume, but she too seemed like she wanted Chi around. Kitaru wasn't sure why, but then again, it was always good to keep enemies close. It was easier to watch them then.

The tip of his tail flicked lightly, and Kitaru proceeded to pretend like he was ignoring all of them as he returned to eating the food. Food, that he had to admit to himself, was very delicious and well prepared.

Hikari let Chi stay close to her. She sat over where he sat, so that he wouldn't be alone. When Suzume made her remark and started asking questions, Hikari winced. The girl was so naive, she probably had no idea what kind of damage she could be doing. "A man's past is his own, Suzume-chan. If Chi-kun wants to tell us things like that, then he'll do it when he's ready." She said diplomatically, trying to appease both sides. "As for Hex, he's not gone. He's just...resting, I believe. In which case, it would be best not to insult him. No one wants to be called a thing." She added the last part quietly, knowing it to be true from personal experience. She cleared her throat. "So...Suzume-chan, how are you feeling? You were rather weak last I saw you." She asked, now feeling awkward.

Chi glanced over as he was addressed. It was clear to see the pitty and the feelings within the other's eyes. She in a way was like so many..in a way so was the fox girl. People pittied him, looked down at him in ways, or hated him. Judging from the feelings he was getting from the tiger guy, he disliked him as well. Hearing Hex be called a thing did sting in a sense. Hex was a part of him, did that mean he was merely a 'thing' as well? He looked down a bit and when the question was asked about his family, his appetite suddenly vanished. He didn't touch the plate that was placed in front of him, not even bothering to sit. He glanced at Hikari for a moment as she spoke about it being his choice when to speak about his past, before changing the subject.

His past...A pain formed within Chi's heart, and he frlt Hex stir within his mind. Saying nothing, he turned and slipped out onto a balcony that joined to the dining hall. He walked to the railing. The rain had stopped, leaving the world around them wet and heavy in a sense. He did like the smell after rain though, it was clean and refreshing though it made him wanna sneeze a bit. Placing his hands on the cold wet rail, he sighed a bit and closed his eyes. A cool breeze flowed past, lightly making his hair sway with it. Would he ever honestly be ready to tell the full extent of that story? He looked out at the darkness of the approaching night. Darkness, how fitting. He folded his arms, resting his head on them on the rail, not caring his sleeves were getting wet.

Suzume blinked owlishly at Hikari. Hex wasn't Chi's past, it was his present, and clearly his future as well. And it didn't want to be called a thing, but Suzume wasn't allowed to ask about it, so what else would she call it? She didn't know what it was. And perhaps she would care more about not hurting it's feelings, if it tried harder not to make blatant statements about killing all of them.

Besides, Chi didn't appear to be a man, but a boy. She wasn't asking about his family in hopes of learning sad things about his past, but thinking that she could help find them. Not to mention, if Chi didn't want to share, he could have just said so. It sort of confused Suzume that Hikari spoke up for Chi, rather than letting him decide what he wanted to do on his own.

It was as if she was taking on some sort of motherly role in protecting him, or caring for him or something. It was rather sweet, and despite her confusion, Suzume found herself smiling a sweet smile at the thought. There was so much kindness in Hikari. Maybe she would be the one to save or at least help Chi.

When the fox demon spoke, Suzume frowned slightly. She'd forgotten about that. "Yes," she confirmed while appearing in thought, "The katana drained my energy so quickly." It was strange, but something that Suzume could possibly learn to control easier. Finally she was smiling again at the woman. "If it wasn't for you I would probably have slept for days!"

She laughed out loud at the very thought. People didn't sleep for days, that was silly. Then Chi was getting up and leaving. Suzume's laughter faded quickly and she stared after him as he walked out onto a balcony. Surely it wasn't something she had said? Probably it was, but Suzume was so oblivious to most things.

Suzume looked between Kitaru and Hikari as if to question what they should do. She had yet to ask about Hikari's pieces of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou and why she didn't seem to have them anymore, while Chi seemed to have more than before... But that seemed like something that could wait until after they had eaten. Surely Hikari would follow Chi and console him. They seemed to be making friendly, and Suzume felt it best she kept her big mouth out of things before she hurt his feelings any worse.

She sighed and started eating. She wondered how Niya was feeling and if any of the villagers had returned to tell the old woman that things were okay. Tomorrow they would travel to the monk who had a large artifact of the Ginzu. Asuka had felt he was in danger, but from what? Had Hanganji been prepared to travel there as well? Perhaps the danger was gone for the monk now.

Hikari bit her lip as Chi got up and walked out. She felt they had been insensitive, talking about him as if he weren't there. Glancing at Suzume and the tiger demon with an expression of apology, she stood and followed the boy. Out on the balcony, she found him with his head down, getting his sleeves wet on the railing. "Chi-kun...? I'm sorry if we upset you. I shouldn't have spoken for you. Is there...anything I can do?" She asked, carefully placing one hand on his shoulder. She was gentle so as not to startle him, and she made herself ready to remove her hand if he reacted badly to her touch.

He didn't react to her touch, staring out into the growing darkness. "I am fine...what people say and ask..I have herd it all before" he says slowly, "I do not mind it so much anymore but..." He looks up at the sky a bit, the rising moon hidden behind some clouds. He could imagine how Hex would have handled all this, he wouldn't have hesitated to get into their faces or something, but that wasn't Chi.

They were opposites in a sense, Hex the brain and Chi merely the power source as some used to call it. One without the other could not work properly. He placed a hand on the side of his head, closing his eyes tightly for a moment. People were so confusing and hard to deal with, why couldn't they all just be simple like animals or something. Sighing, he turned to the other, "I don't need to be babied...or pittied...I do not want to be looked down at...not anymore" he passes her, walking back inside.

He walked over to the female at the table, looking at her. "I am not a child...Hex is a he...at least from what I feel, I have no parents. They along with everyone else is dead. Hex will never be gone, he is a part of me now so if he is a 'thing' then I guess I am as well..." He then turned to the tiger demon, "I care little if you hate me or want me around, it is nothing new. I won't harm anyone and Hex won't either..I do not want to fight or kill if it can be avoided, so think what you want of me..it matters little."

He then turned to the doors, his stomach was hungry but he did not want to force them to be around him when it was clear he was not welcomed. He could not help times like these, when the colder stronger side came out. It was like all fear and such just melted away and was replaced with nothing... His body moved and acted on it's own in a sense, but it was times like these he was able to get out what he needed to say without his mind or heart stepping in.

Typically he felt bad or nervous about it after, when things settled down, but it was something that came with the years of his past and all that entailed. He noticed his hand shaking, as he reached out for the doorknob. That was odd, staring at it for a moment, he watched it without a word or move. Feelings, things he had been taught were a weakness and to push aside were never truly out of reach, and right now even in a more hollowed state, something as simple as a shaking hand was giving away the truth.

He took it with the other, pulling it to his chest. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment and thought about something his mother had tried to teach him. Peace and balance, the center of a person and finding their strength. Controling the fear and doubt or uncertain feelings one felt, but that took years of practice and his years had been anything but helpful with that.

Hikari watched Chi go inside, and followed him. "Chi-kun...I do not pity you. I will not look down on you, and I am not trying to mother you. I am only trying to be a friend. There is a difference, though I can see why it would seem the same to you. I..." She sighed. "But it's not about me, is it? Chi-kun, if you want a friend to talk to, then I'm here for you. I'm not going to keep following you around helplessly like some mother hen. If you want to, you can find me, okay?" She said, crossing the room to go back to her food. She wouldn't force him to stay with them, that would be cruel, but she couldn't help feel that she had done something wrong. What was it he needed? Was it something she could give? She stared at her plate, not quite so hungry anymore.

Kitaru had stopped eating, his fork lay against his plate and his hands rested on the edge of the table when Chi moved to stand on the balcony. His ears twitched, picking up parts of the conversation when Hikari followed the boy there, he glanced at Suzume once, but most of his attention was on what was going on out of sight, but still somewhat within hearing. He was sure the boy would be unpredictable, made worse by the demon inside of him, though nothing seemed about to happen.

When Chi left the balcony, returning to the dinning room Kitaru casually slipped his fingers around his fork, as if about to continue eating, his other hand slipped from the table's edge to his lap. Those cat like eyes watched Chi carefully as the youth approached them, ears twitching a moment and then turning towards the boy. The tiger's full attention was on Chi. He was silent, letting the young man say what he had to say to Suzume. Though when those words turned him, Kitaru scoffed at them. "Do you want to know what I think of you? I think you a liar."

Kitaru's chair slid back some as he stood. Watching Chi as he lingered by the door, and watching Hikari. Why was she trying so hard to be so kind to the boy? Kitaru didn't really understand it. "You want the shards, you want to kill us for the ones we have. I've heard you say it. Tell us, how much time did the fox buy us with her shards?" He glanced at Suzume for a moment, his fingers tightening around his fork. He intended it to be used as a weapon if something happened.

The tiger demon's body was slightly tense. He glanced at Hikari, briefly wondering if she might get angry at him, but it didn't matter. He had to do whatever it took to keep Suzume and her shards safe, so that he could take them from her and use them for his own wish when the time was right. Though there was some unexpected doubt at that thought, Suzume would hate him if he just used her like that and somehow that made him want to rethink his objective. Well, almost.

Those eyes had narrowed slightly. He was changing, he knew he was. He had been feeling it for a while now, and it was mostly Suzume's fault. He knew that as well, but he was fighting it off as much as he could, but if he was undergoing some kind of change due to Suzume's influence, or maybe it wasn't just Suzume though she seemed to be the biggest influence of this change, perhaps Chi and Hex could change as well. Though would the change be for the better or worse?

Kitaru set the fork down and his body relaxed. "Now you know what I think of you, I don't trust you at all. If you want trust, you must earn it from us. In return we would earn your trust. We could be allies, maybe even friends." Though for now Kitaru wasn't truly interested in friends, but strong allies were always nice to have. "Until then I will consider you a potential threat and enemy to my human and her shards." His tail swayed slightly behind him, barely moving.

Chi did not even flinch at the words, listening to the other as he spoke. "Your wrong....I do not want to harm anyone... I will do what I must though, just as I am sure you will as well....you desire the shards as well right? How long until you take them yourself?" He turned to look at the other, rubbing his arm lightly as the blood moved to his hand. Holding it up a bit, a cut slid over the surface and the crimson shade of blood appeared at the surface. "I am not a liar...I have no reason to lie....Nothing to hide" he watched the blood for a moment, his expression blank.

"I am not good with people, nor are people good with me...all of you think you understand me but you dont." His eyes lifted up, "you may see me however you wish..I don't mind, I'm used to it...no one trusts or cares about me so why push ourselves into what will end badly?" The blood moved up from his hand, slowly turning from a mass into a shape of a rose, looking at the flower for a moment he sighed a bit. The petals slowly began to fall off, one by one, turning back into drops of blood as they hit the floor.

((Sorry, I really don't mean to make these so long, it just kind of happens!))

She had stopped eating when Chi returned. He looked like he had something to say. He stopped in front of her and began to speak and Suzume nodded. She didn't understand completely, of course, but at least he had cleared some things up. Then he was speaking to Kitaru.

Hikari said what she wanted and returned to the table and Chi was trying to leave, but Kitaru finally spoke. Suzume looked to him in shock when he called the other a liar. Was that true? Somehow she trusted Kitaru, he must have known for sure to make such an accusation.

Then he asked how much time Hikari had bought them. Gray eyes looked at the fox demon in question, then at Chi. So that's why she didn't appear to have her shards anymore, and why Chi seemed to have more. She'd had to give hers to him to keep him from harming them?

Somehow she just didn't believe Chi would harm them, though maybe he would, Suzume didn't accept that. Then Kitaru was calling her his human again. Why did he keep doing that? At first it had made her angry, but since her strange dream and him saving her life and all, she was starting to feel strange about the words. Less angry, more, self conscious and awkward.

Chi denied the accusation, and Suzume breathed an internal sigh of relief. She knew he would hurt them. Of course, Suzume was gullible and would believe just about anything from anyone. He asked Kitaru when he would take the shards, but Suzume knew he couldn't. No one should if she merged them, right?

She wasn't sure. That's why they were traveling to see the monk tomorrow. He would know. She'd turned her head to look at Kitaru. He wouldn't try and take them from her anyway right? He'd realized humans weren't bad, right? Of course. He was protecting her after all.

When she looked back at Chi, he had some kind of crimson rose. The petals were falling from it, splashing little puddles of blood onto the floor. Suzume felt queasy. Less because of the blood itself and more because of how it had come to be, which she wasn't sure of anyway.

This whole conversation was getting too deep for her. She stood. "Excuse me," she said. She crossed the room to the door, careful to move around the blood. It was coming from Chi, but he was manipulating it somehow and she wasn't sure if he maybe needed it back or something.

She stopped beside him. She wanted to smile reassuringly, but the blood was still making her a little light headed. "Just so you know," she started quietly, not trying to make it a group conversation. "I don't judge anyone. I'm sure everyone here has reasons for wanting the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, as would anyone else. Why wouldn't they? We all have our desires and regrets." It would appear that she wasn't as naive as she always seemed.

She looked at the floor. "Maybe we can all find a way to use it so that everyone is happy in the end." And the naivety had returned. But that's what Suzume wanted. She wanted everyone to be happy. For the evil to be gone from the world. Would that mean that Hex would disappear? Was Hex evil? She recalled Chi's accusation and looked over her shoulder at Kitaru. Was Kitaru evil?

Suzume exited the room and a woman was already waiting outside the room to escort her to one of her own. Had she been a man, there would be entertainment waiting in the room as well. Of course men and women were looked at differently in this time, and such things wouldn't be wasted on a woman and male entertainment was unheard of.

She followed the woman for a couple of minutes. Up a set of stairs, around a corner or two, and there they were. She entered the room and the paper door slid closed behind her. It was a very large room lit by various wall candles. The bed was low to the floor but looked very cushioned. She'd never slept in something so comfy.

Across the room were double paper doors that opened outward to a balcony. She crossed the wood floor and stepped out onto the wooden deck of a balcony floor. The sky had cleared nearly completely with only a few straggling clouds here and there. The moon was almost full, and bright, high in the night sky. Stars covered the sky like someone had thrown a bag of glitter into the air.

She wanted to look at the view, but she couldn't take her eyes away from the stars. If the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou fell into the wrong hands, would anyone ever see such a beautiful sight again?

Kitaru kept his eyes on Chi, though he glanced at Suzume when she stood and walked over to the young man. "My shards are her shards. I will not steal the shards from Suzume." He spoke the words with sincerity, and it was true, wasn't it? He wouldn't take the shards from her, only the whole Maboroshi, once she had finished putting all the pieces back together. Somehow that felt very wrong, he pushed that feeling away.

He hated these new feelings that were creeping up in him. They were unwelcome, and he would fight them as much as he could. Kitaru frowned slightly as Suzume spoke and then left. "Humans have always been cruel to me, but Suzume has shown me nothing but kindness, she saved my life and for that I will protect her and every shard she holds." Truths and half truths blurred together, but those half truths were slowly becoming whole truths.

Kitaru would protect her and her shards. That didn't mean he wouldn't steal the Maboroshi once it was complete, his thoughts chased themselves in circles for a few moments. "Then go, do what you must. If that involves trying to harm us or stealing our shards, I will not hesitate to destroy you." Kitaru was moving now, stepping away from the table.

To follow in Suzume's footsteps, he moved past Chi, stepping over the blood that dripped to the floor. He paused there for a moment. Sniffing at the air and wrinkling his nose. "Your blood stinks of lies." Kitaru would linger there, to see what sort of reaction he would get from Chi.

He watched the blood fall, his expression unchanging. "Are you sure I am the one lying, or are you lying to yourself as well as those around you?" he says, before glancing at him. He turned away, walking out without giving him a second glance. The demon was a fool, very full of himself as well as pig headed.

He would destroy himself in time without anyone even needing to lift a finger. He was lying to himself, but all Chi had said was true. The demon was like all the others, viewing him as merely a monster out to kill everyone. Like he had no morals or mind or anything. He was the kind of people Chi hated, people like him were the reason he did not get along with people at all and could not deal with them.

People were so quick to judge him as well as Hex, seeing them for what was on the surface and for nothing more. They believed he wanted to slaughter them all like a heartless animal, but such was the way of a blood bender yes? He sighed, pausing in the darkness of the hall.

Even if the females spoke of not judging him, of wanting to help him...they were still afraid, they still doubted him. Why should they not? People were lost within their own worlds, losing touch with what was reality and fiction. All of this complicatedness was making his head spin. He sat down in the dark hall, pulling his legs close to his chest and clenching his hands.

Would anyone ever treat him as a eaqual? Rather than some helpless child who needed saving, or some monster? He wanted to be accepted, to for once not be judged or to be looked at the way he constantly was.

Hex desired the shards for power, to gain his own form, but what would happen if he succeeded? Then would he leave? Chi would be all alone then...Hex was the only one who was always there for him, a friend and family, no matter how disfuctional. If he left...Chi burried his face into his knees, the darkness and silence surrounding him.

In truth, he and the demon were not so different in many aspets. Both had been looked down upon, hurt and abused for what they were, what they could do. Chi had grown up being considered a monster by those outside his world and weak by those within.

When he had met that demon, the one who had come to his home. He had not known that it would change his life forever, that he would gain Hex, while losing everything else and everyone else he had ever known. The darkness and silence like this,,,,being along, were all to familiar to him indeed.


Raven

The people within the castle before the avian were more than odd. So far, all they had done was bicker and make it known that they did not trust eachother. For a group working towards similar goals, that was dangerous. He noticed the female leave, taking off on her own to be led to a room.

Moving from the branch he was on, a pair of large raven black wings unfurled from behind him, catching the wind and allowing his body to raise weightlessly into the air. The sceen below was quiet and still for now, betraying what had happened earlier and what was happening now. He followed from the side of the building, to the room where the other was taken, slowly hovering near the balcony for a moment, just out of sight as she came out onto it.

Watching the way she moved, as well as her expression, he could not help but feel the slight pureness from her actions and thoughts for the moment. She was not like the others, nor a threat at the moment. Alone, she would be easier to approach than with that demon hanging around.

He was more brash and hot headed, not seeming to be the one to listen to reason. He slowly lowered behind her, landing soundlessly onto the balcony, allowing the wings to shrink, melting into his back. He watched her in silence for a moment, the moon above them looked beautiful. Stepping closer, he was curious but cautious at the same time. This would be one of his first full on encounters with people.

He was used to keeping in secret and the shadows, but he could not merely stand by in the world and do nothing anymore. Crossing to her side, he looked up to the moon, choosing his opening words carefully. "You should not be so hard on yourself, or the others....just as there is darkness there is light, a balance and harmony..." he was sure he would surprise her, maybe scare her.

His appearance was not exactly that of a normal human. He loked more intimidating naturally than anything, and he knew it. He remained calm and where he was, his orange eyes seeming to catch the light of the moon a bit, giving them a slight glow to them.

Suzume had been lost in thought, staring up at the night sky when Raven landed behind her. She didn't hear him until he'd moved to stand next to her and spoke. She jumped at least three feet away, farther and higher than she ever had before, as she put her hands up in awkward positions. They wanted to look threatening but the fists never really formed as they also tried to shield her from an attack.

His words registered in her head at the same time and she relaxed. She'd thought he was Hanganji back from the dead here to kill her. She chuckled to herself. Not Hanganji, nope. Just another demon or something. She stayed where she was, but she mulled over his words. She wasn't sure she really understood. She didn't think she'd been hard on anyone.

Not to mention, there was no dark in Suzume. Suzume was only light. She thought about his words. Had he been watching them all inside the castle? Perhaps he saw more than she realized. Outsiders looking in tended to do that. To be able to see and understand a situation better than those in it.

She wasn't sure she should talk to the strange man who'd been watching them, but she did want to talk. "I just want to do the right thing," she finally said. "I want to please everyone." She shook her head as she looked back up at the moon. That was possible right? To please everyone? She could with the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, right?

She looked back at the man. He was really tall, and actually kind of scary now that she was thinking about it. Was he here for the pieces of the Ginzu? She didn't really think so. "I'm Suzume," she offered with her usually cheery smile. She wanted to ask him what he was, but she settled on asking what he was doing here instead. "Are you passing through?"