Shadow's Child (Kage X Staria)
 

Janu had limped into the town of Sureshire a few days ago with her raven hair half covering her face, her ivory skin still glistened faintly with sweat. This along with the sloppy bandage on her leg made the fact she was in pain very, very clear. The town was not large, but it wasn't small either so it seemed likely to have a healer.... or at least supplies she could use to stitch up the gashes a beast much like her had inflicted on her.

Her leg had not fully healed but it was stitched up and clean from the local healer, marianne's, skills. It was healing far faster then it would naturally due to the woman's herbal concoctions, something Janu was grateful for. Several of the muscles in her leg had been torn so only adrenalin had allowed her to even make it into town but now it felt merely a flesh wound. The healer was also friends with the local inn keeper had a room rented year round for any extra patients so Janu even had a place to stay for once.

She was walking down the street now, with a small gift in her hands for Marianne. The sun was setting but honestly she didn't mind and in fact loved the way the faint light felt on her ivory skin. The snow white skin was always a little to warm even when she had enough energy to limit her fur to her ears and tail as she did right now. Strong sunlight always felt to strong, like it was going to burn right through her. Janu did walk with her head bent forward, her hair hiding her face however. She didn't need to see how the people stared at her... her feline looks not always welcome. It was hard to blame them, however, with the recent outbreak of cat like monsters that looked like furrier, muscular, more masculine, versions of hers that had no problem killing anyone who so much as breathed in the direction. The monsters seemed to be looking for something....

She whimpered as she stumbled back, more because of the pressure it put on her leg then anything. She grabbed forward, barely catching the small package for Marianne before she looked up at the tall man before her. He was handsome, dark, but seemed to have scars from what skin she could see and he didn't smell quite human. Still he was not one of her enemies so she managed to give him a shy smile. The fact he was good looking despite his scars made her even more shy then she was by nature.... but then again it always reminded her that to many she looked like a monster.

"Y..yeah, i'm okay. M..my fault really, i was looking down...Are you okay?" She responded quietly, rubbing her ear that had slammed into him. Thankfully the flap of skin wasn't very sensitive, as shown by the earnings she wore in each. She bit her lip a moment as she gazed at him, watching the bow and the hesitation. That pause.... it made her a little nervous. Had there been a glint of recognition? No, how could that be? She would have remembered the intimidating but handsome man if she'd met him before...

She couldn't help but be a little mistrustful, people recognizing you when you didn't know them was NEVER a good sign. Then again perhaps she was mistaken... Perhaps it was simply he wasn't use to such a strange sight. Her kind were relatively rare... if you didn't count the monsters out killing people anyway. She bit her lip, not liking thinking about that as it always reminded her of her fear that she would one day become like that, not knowing if it was their race that made them like that or their nature.

His concern rang true enough...she thought absently but blushed a little and reached down to touch the bandage on her leg instinctively. It was barely visible as the wound was about mid thigh and much of it was covered by her black shorts, but it was still there if one had enough of an eye to distinguish the cloth from her smooth skin. She hadn't realized she had been so obvious. She might have to stay in this town longer then she thought if it still was this obvious. She could not afford for it to make her vulnerable...for though she didn't know why many people were looking for her or how many she knew enough to know she needed to have her strength.

"I was hurt a few days ago but it's not too bad.... nothing you need to be concerned over. Is there something else you need in town? I may be able to direct you, I've had to stay here since my injury...." She responded guardedly. She was trying to change the subject, get it off of her. She was still giving him that shy smile, unable to keep from wanting to trust him but that didn't mean she would too easily. A handsome face could hide lies just as simply as an ugly one, perhaps more easily.

Janu nodded, instantly about to answer she was staying at the inn so showing him would be easy when he spoke further. Safely indoors....her honor? What the hell was this guy talking about? She flushed, her tail swishing slightly in irritation and uncertainty. Part of her really was tempted to just bolt. The man was handsome but his manner was strange, too courtly. why would anyone waste such a thing on her unless they wanted something?

For a moment the Neko simply bit her lip, her clawed hands tensing around the package she held. Why would he want to talk to her so much? Perhaps he, like others, thought she knew something about the monster cats attacking everywhere? She lowered her ears slightly, if that was all it was he could go to hell as she was sick of it. Still... he had been genuine and if he was staying at the same inn she didn't want to make him angry or give him reason to pay her more attention.... no matter how sexy he was, he was equally scary for the shy and danger prone woman.

"... I am staying at the local inn as well and can show you the way but i need to drop my package off first ..." She finally answered quietly, her tail beginning to slow to a languid and comfortable motion once more. Her ears, however, were not quite as perky as before. She was uncertain, afraid, yet the shadows felt drawn to him as they were her and that made it hard to stay away. The shadows trusted him.... did that mean she should too? Quietly she started down the street again, expecting him to follow.

Ti's face started to fall as he watched her react, her body tensing and her tail betraying her annoyance... or was that fear? Waiting silently, he kept his dark eyes on her as the last light of the sun faded, twilight covering the sleepy town in a purple haze. Instantly he could feel the night come alive, the darkness weaving it's way around and over everything. The whispered sounds from the shadows became louder, almost a constant hum in his ears.

The spell was broken when the pale feline spoke again, her voice reaching him over the sounds of the night. Without meaning to, he let out a small sigh of relief, bowing slightly again as he gave a small smile. "Ariga- Forgive me, I mean to say thank you, and that is no problem." He said, catching himself before he fully slipped into Japanese. It only showed had been a while since he had a true conversation in English. He would have to watch himself better. As she turned away without another word, he spared a moment to glace around as the last of the shops closed down for the night, lanterns giving the area a soft glow of light. He could not help but feel uneasy, the same instinct that told him to push her was telling him time was running out, they would have to leave as soon as they could.

He then followed her, leather boots making barely a sound on the packed earth that served as a road. As they walked, he took the time to study her more closely. He allowed his hair to fall into his face, shielding his eyes from most of the townspeople, then focused on her aura, his eyes changing as he did. A rich gold color slowly bled into his irises as his pupils became silts. He could see now why they were called Shadow Cats, the darkness that he held so dear was with her as well, dark liquid-like forms swirling in her aura. He could also see now that the physical shadows seemed to cling to her much like they did him, not fading even as they walked closer to the lanterns hanging on the building fronts.

Suddenly he found himself much more interested in the race itself, his curiosity rising as he mulled over what information he had. How did they interact with the shadows? Could they possibly do some of the things he could? He had never before met a creature that had the kind of intimate connection to the shadows he had. Perhaps if all went well, he could talk to her about it. This hope quieted his curiosity... for now, at least.

((Sorry, all done now XD ))

Hmm....and he trusted the shadows too she thought absently as she glanced back at him. He seemed so relieved... just what did he want from her? Her ears flickered slightly downward but she still managed to give him a small polite smile and shrug her shoulders. So English was not his native tongue.... but just what was that? She had never traveled to the east so she did not recognize the sound of Japanese.

"Which ever suits you.... I don't mind either way..." She answered politely, tilting her head to the side in one of her cat like gestures. If he wanted to wait here that was fine even if it meant more walking for her. She didn't mind the pain in her leg to much, it only really hurt if it was strained anyway. She could also keep the healer from asking questions she could not yet answer that way too... but at the same time it meant more walking. There was pros and cons either way so she'd simply let him decide. Then again she usually let other people decide. She was a bit too much of a people pleaser at times...

As he followed her she nodded to acknowledge it before turning back to face the front once more. She could feel his eyes on her however, feel his intent study. She blushed faintly beneath that dark hair of hers and shivered. The shadows instinctively hugged a little tighter to her as if they were debating hiding her from his eyes. She was use to scrutiny but this was.... different somehow. It made her feel awkward and she almost tripped once. To nervous to speak she stayed silent until they reached the healer's home.

She knocked on the door gently after muttering 'we're here' to Ti. She didn't look at him, still feeling uncertain. Why did his study make her so nervous? It didn't feel like he was scorning her or rejecting her... and yet... it made the shy girl almost shake and she didn't know why. When Marianne called out she was with a patient and to just come in Janu sat the gift on the hallway table and shouted that she'd left something for her there. Marianne called out it'd only be a minute but Janu said she had to hurry back to the inn and that was the end of the quick visit. She closed the door behind her and turned to Ti, looking at his shirt instead of him in her shyness.

"Now that I'm done, the Inn's this way..." She said quietly, running a hand through her hair, careful not to let her claws break a single silky strand. She started walking again but began to bite her lip slightly. She'd been paying too little attention because of her nervousness and put a little to much weight on her leg. She rubbed just above the wound absently, telling herself it wasn't too much further.

Janu briefly wondered how she should feel as he checked in, by coincidence his room wasn't far from hers. Yes he was handsome but she could sense he was even more dangerous then he was good looking. Still... so far he was nothing but kind to her so perhaps it was time to give him a little faith. She relaxed a little, leaning on her unwounded leg to try and let her other leg relax. She had just been about to take her leave when he spoke which caused her to turn towards him. For a moment her pale eyes stared into his equally dark ones, as if she was trying to judge his motives.

"I am a little hungry... if..its not to much trouble...i suppose a meal would be nice...." She finally answered with a soft smile. She decided she saw nothing malicious there, nothing cruel so she would give him her trust for now... well as much trust as the cautious, shy creature could. She glanced down at her plain clothing feeling briefly under-dressed. Still she really only had such clothing... the nicest thing she had was her shrug and that was simply for warmth and had been a gift. Everything else was tattered and torn travelers clothing... oh well, it wasn't as if it mattered to much, it wasn't anything like that.... anything romantic so he shouldn't care right?

"fresh does usually taste better...so i guess that sounds good" She said cautiously as she watched him a moment. He was nearly holding his breath... he was nervous. Why was he nervous? What did it matter if she ate with him or not? If she spent time with him or not? He wanted something from her and the fact that he wouldn't just tell her made her think it might be something big. She bit her lip a little, too shy to say what she was thinking. Just say it already!

"where... do you want to eat" Was what she said instead, keeping her thoughts to herself as always. She managed to smile at him slightly however, forcing herself to relax. Perhaps he merely thought her exotic and interesting due to her appearance. He seemed to be someone who traveled wide and they often were on the look out for something different then what they had seen before. Of course he would be disappointed if this was the case, she was raised as a human girl and had suppressed her other half until she hit 16 so was a plain girl with an exotic coating and that was all....

Janu thought a moment, unfortunately unable to argue with his logic. She bit her lip, debating inwardly. If he turned on her at least in his room she'd have the option of trying to make a break for hers... and it was a lot easier to leave a room then to bodily remove someone from one. Yes, his room, definitely. It had been easier to trust him in the open town but a closed room was a little different... oh well, he probably was just curious and it was nothing personal anyway. She nodded to herself, satisfied with her reasoning and naive enough to believe it.

"Alright.... lets eat in your room I guess...since in the hallway we'd be in the way of other guests..." She finally answered innocently. She started towards the stairs slowly, and only paused to wave at the inn keeper. He still wasn't to happy she was there but he had grown to trust her well enough. It was hard not to trust someone as polite, naive, and innocent as she was. It probably helped he had two girls around her age of his own.

Janu rested her leg gratefully, releasing a soft sigh. She rubbed her upper thigh, thoughtless to what it might look like and stretched her toes to try and get the muscles to relax a little and lessen the pain. She didn't look at him at first, more interested in finding a comfortable position for her leg. She only then turned to the food, her stomach grumbled slightly at the smells. She flushed and glanced away briefly in sheer embarrassment. Softly she muttered an apology.

She then turned to the food, getting an apple, two slices of bread and a slice of cheese from the wheel. She made all but the apple into a sandwich, nibbling on it slightly. Absently she looked around the room, noting small differences between his and hers. She would finish the sandwich quickly, preferring vegan smells honestly. She'd eat fish when she had to but honestly didn't like it very much let alone what you had to do to get it, and the same went for meat. An irony considering what she was, and one of the reasons her father had chosen her. She was everything he hated.

"Thank you very much for the meal..." She said quietly as she held the apple in her hands a moment. She was gazing at him thoughtfully now. She was naive but she wasn't stupid. He had said things about prying ears and such, and been determined to get her alone. He must have something he wanted to say to her...