To expect the night to come peacefully was to be stupid and naive. With the shadows scratching at their door, Zero's eyes soon opened to spy the lithe form outside their cabin's door. Making not a sound, he didn't move from the bed. He half-hoping that whatever lurked outside their door would leave the second his eyes opened. However, such was not the case. If anything, it seemed more interested, itching to come instead.

The katana at his side sensed the threat. It's hilt began to glow, drawing Zero's attention. The next few seconds would be telling.

Creeeeeaaak. The door moaned as the shadow outside pushed it open. With the door opening more, the a darkness began to crawl along the floor. Tentacles, no whisks of darkness, rolled into the room. Soon plume-like clouds rose, secreting an ominous lime glow.

"Poison," a foreign male's voice called.

Instinctively, Zero unsheathed the sword and rushed the intruder. Cutting through the toxic cloud, a red aura took over. It quelled the acid that twirled within the darkness before the blackness fell to the ground as nothing but ash.

With each swing of the weapon, the redness within the room continued to glow. It wasn't until a pentagram burned within the wood that Zero's action became explained.

Then, in a burst of deep red flames, a body rose from the star etched in the ground. The weapon that once was in Zero's hand seemed to vanish. No, it didn't vanish. It was... within the flames?

Slowly, ever so slowly, a shape other than a sword began to form. Soon limbs grew. Then a mess of vivid red hair. And then, then came the smile.

"Seal off the room," Zero instructed.

"As you wish, my master." Nodding his head in a bow, the being summoned from the pentagram lifted his arms into the air. A red paint splashed against the wall. As the red sweep down, the darkness outside seemed to crawl away.

At this point, Reno was awake and gleefully gnawing on her arm. "Oooh," she awed with admiration. It wasn't the first time she had feasted her eyes upon Zero's familiar (of sorts), but it was the first time in a long time she had seen him. Hell, what had it been? At least five years.

When the red hit red, a droning sound rolled over the room. Then, like the ripping of paper came the cracking of the red. As the color fell, ancient text rose up and swirled around the room. Soon, all the windows and doors were plastered with black paint with words of warning. "Enter, and you shall die."

"It is done," the man with red hair spoke. "Still, with your permission, I would like to keep watch outside." Hand phasing through the wall, his equally red eyes flickered back to the one he called master--Zero.

"Do not pursue," he instructed calmly.

"Why would I? I am far too lazy for such things." A small smirk played on his face. "But you know this, my lord."

Body slipping past the cabin's walls, the room fell dark again. Only, unlike the previous darkness, this was softer, more inviting. Whoever the red haired man was, he purged the room of the evil that once lingered in the corners.

Not saying a word, Zero retreated to his bed and nonchalantly flopped in it. Exhaustion in his eyes, he let out a sigh before falling into a deep sleep.

Reno, now pouting, rolled over the edge of the bed. The glow from the lanterns just enough to make her facial expression visible.

"Ryna," she chirped softly, "did you see him!"

"Yes, Reno. I did. Now go to bed. We have a long day ahead of it if we need to rely on him to protect us."

---

When morning rolled around, Ryna was surprised to find the room undisturbed. There were no signs of a summoning nor were there signs of an intruder. Her eyes slipped past the Unai and made their way to Zero, still asleep, likely from spending half the night awake.

Wasting no time, Ryna walked around to blow out the lanterns. From there, she pulled open the door and slipped out into the morning sunshine.

It was a gorgeous start to a long day. The sky above was cyan with large white clouds. A fresh dew still clung to the grass and the canopy of green surrounded her. All around her chirped the the sweet melodies of the birds. Why, somewhere off in the distance she heard the familiar cry of a hound. A light rustling to the right caught her attention, but the beautiful fawn caused her little to no alarm.

Inhaling, a gentle smile crossed her usually stern face. It was refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It was also nice to soak in the sun and sounds of nature. This trip, though likely a trap, was just what she needed.

Rolling back her shoulders, she eased into the day. The light popping of disks and blades slipping back into place caused her to just her neck too. Funny how cheap beds could ruin a perfect back, she thought.

After another shoulder roll, Ryna moved to the cabin nearby. It was undisturbed, exactly how they left it the night before. Making quick work of of the fire pit, she soon had a tame fire fueled of dried logs she found in that same cabin. While schlepping the logs around, she happened to discover some pots and pans, ideal for cooking over the fire with.

With the tap-tap, crack-crack of the eggs on the pan, she began to cook their morning meals. Some of the other campers wandered off, which caused Ryna to cringe. Although they were not her responsibility, she knew she should at least warn them.

"Don't stray too far. These woods lust for victims." Her voice was stone-cold and very snake-like. None trusted her and would rather stomach the forest and whatever it held over her venomous stare.

"Fine," she said curtly, "it's your funeral."

At around that time, Reno started to stir. Only, not quite as one would expect. A loud thud echoed in the cabin, which shook Zero from his deep sleep.

"Reno," he growled while attempting to peel open his eyes, "why did you fall from the bunk?"

"I don't know," she squealed in her usual, high-pitched and kiddish voice. "But it was fun! Imma go do it again!" Sure enough, she was up the ladder and rolling off the edge.

THUD!

"Wee hee hee heee!" She giggled loud enough that even Ryna, who was outside by a fire, could hear. Not wasting another second, the blonde jolted from the room and went flying down the stairs. Seconds later, she was smooshing her face into Ryna's. Cooing and purring, she continued to nuzzle her twin.

"Reee-no," Ryna's gaze shifted to the woman who was literally attached to her.

"Yeeeessss, Ry?" She blinked while grinning.

"Would you mind getting your ass out of the fire?"

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