[[ my family.. mainly. it's a long story that i don't feel comfortable sharing over the internet where everyone can see it... ya know? :o ]]

Michael kept his gaze on Seth. "Krystal told her to go back to Marcia's... She wants to protect us, her riders." He said quietly, taking a complete guess at what Seth was thinking then he looked up at Krystal who nodded her head and nuzzled her boys gently. Michael wasn't all for it, who could see it in his eyes, but he wasn't about to argue with a full grown dragon. Nu-uh. Michael sighed softly under his breath and sat with his back against her scales, keeping his hand in Seth's.

A girl's scream of pain could be heard not too far from their position, but it didn't belong to Ariel. Oh no, Ariel was perfectly safe with her new mommy, Marcia. Michael lifted his head a little and Krystal growled again. She could feel the little she-devil's presence as Susie had her way closer and closer to their position. the large, and quite angry, dragon slowly shifted so she was standing and the two boys were on her back, she would chew the girl up and spit her out in a matter of seconds if/when she had the chance to. And she couldn't wait for that chance.

[[ ah, i got cha. c: ]]

Seth glanced at Michael for a second before he looked off into the distance. He couldn't see anything, but he was starting to feel it. Again, a chill stunned Seth after Krystal grumbled again. He was starting to get cold, but it wasn't just from the gloominess in the air. As the silence settled in once again, Seth didn't know if he should utter a word or do anything for the matter.

"Michael," he said in a hushed, worried tone after a few moments. Seth's heart was racing at a pretty decent rate. That was taking into fact that he was on top of a dragon, probably safe from most things in life. 'Why don't we just run?' he thought to himself. "This..--" He stopped short, unsure exactly of who or what their attacker was. "What does it want?"

[[ i'm not sure why but i feel like it could start to rain any second in this scene. ]]

[[ -nods, huggles- --- yes, yes it does o.o let's make it rain! XD ]]

Michael thought a moment before answering, if it was indeed Susie he knew exactly what she wanted.. himself dead so she could have Krystal for herself. A dragon rider's fight over a dragon. That's why Krystal wanted to protect Seth and Michael. A dragon in Krystal's position could also decide just who they wanted as a rider and Susie wouldn't touch them. Michael subconsciously placed a lightly hand over the largest wound inflected the first run-in with Susie. "Me..." Michael finally answered in a quiet voice.

It wasn't long before the white haired child was in front of them with an all too innocent face but the smell of death lingered around her. "Tracking you down two times in one day was way too easy... I would think you would've ran for the hills by now." She spoke, which was her first mistake. Krystal growled in her face, which didn't seem to phase the little she devil. Susie just hovered off the ground a few feet and formed a plasma ball in her hands. "I'll just kill both of you so you can die together. Isn't that nice of me?" She giggled manically. She fired the same time Krystal used her ice-breath that no one knew she had and the two attacks cancelled. Michael was silent, which was scary.

Seth gritted his teeth tighter than he normally did in stressful circumstances. He was, for lack of any better word to describe himself in his mind, pissed. He was surely enough angry, furious, upset, and frustrated, but nothing could put together the exact scenario he was in other than simply being ticked off. I swear, this is at least the third time we've been cornered like this!' he thought before Susie started to go off about how powerful she was. He wanted to reach out and smack her, but Seth knew that doing so would most likely get him blasted to pieces.

His thoughts were cut off short when Krystal blew ice at Susie. It was a marvelous sight but also a cold blade in Seth's heart. He wanted to be able to protect Michael but he wouldn't have stood a chance against anything except hand-to-hand combat and diplomacy. Those were his only skills as a purist. 'Unlike some people-' Seth stopped short and looked down at his dark tattoo-like markings. The limitless power was so tempting at such an hour of despair that it called out to him much louder than it usually did. Seth glanced back up at Michael, a strange expression forming. He understood that Krystal could obviously fend off Susie by her demonstration, no doubt, but he still wondered about the what-if's; the possibilities of not being quite as pure as he once considered himself. 'If I could protect you like that...'

Susie growled under her breath then blinked and started giggling. "I've never met a dragon with two riders. A strange one you are..." Krystal snorted at her before firing her ice-breath at her again. Susie was caught off guard and barely managed to dodge it, getting hit on the arm. That one little spot of ice on the she-devils arm slowly grew into a bigger spot that would eventually cover her entire arm, but she had time before that happened. Susia looked at her arm then back at Krystal with nothing but anger in her eyes before being brought to the ground by Krystal's mace-tail. "You dirty dragon!" Susie yelled. Krystal lowered her head to Susie's level and snarled with her teeth showing. It was clear she wanted to rip this girl apart limb from limb until there was nothing left. This caused Susie's eyes to widen and she whimpered quietly.

Michael remained silent, his hair covering his eyes as his blood began to boil with mixed emotions. He was for one tired of running and fighting. Michael slowly took his hand off of the bandaged wound and glanced at Seth with an apathetic face.

Seth cringed upon hearing even his enemy be crushed by Krystal's mace-like tail. It was hard enough to hang onto the dragon while it was in the middle of a battle, not to mention how distracted Seth was by Michael's expression. For some reason, he was taken back to that day where Alexander had thrashed out at him. Seth could see a similarity between the two faces, even if it was only on an internal level. 'After that.. He...' "Michael-" Seth said abruptly. He wanted to break that strain of consciousness that could have injured his comrade. Maybe it was just him afraid of heights and not interested in clinging for dear life to a dragon. Maybe it was just Seth wanting to say Michael's name again and the look he received wasn't anything pleasant. It scared him.

Michael's head began to spin with all that was going on. Hearing his name come out of his lover's mouth helped stop the spinning and he was able to focus. No words came to his mouth though. Susie was still so Krystal did not "eat her", as if waiting for the order or as if she could feel the discomfort of her riders but she did not let up.

A look blended of daze and anticipation made up Seth's eyes at the same time he locked his sight on Michael. That time, though, it caused something inside of him to wilt. It wasn't the kind of seasonal sway his emotions felt each time the universe pressed at him, or the tidal rot of depression that ebbed and flowed as life moved on; it was the sharp feel of being bathed in a liquid that was ever so slowly being concentrated with acid. Or was that just the same kind of pain that had been there all along? "--This is ridiculous," Seth declared, his muscles relaxing from a high-stress tension. "Krystal, do what you want with the girl. We're leaving." As a side note, Seth intentionally avoided making his group look vulnerable by trying to get Michael away from any kind of battle. 'His injuries are even worse than mine were..' On note of the side note, Seth unintentionally left out the fact that he was ticked that some girl had tormented his love interest so sadistically that he was content on calling it flirting.

[[ Mm, it's been a while; I feel like I may have lost touch with my characters. Gomenasai if these posts are totally irrelevant. ]]

[[ it's alright ^-^ sorry i'm just getting around replying to the role plays- haven't been on Mene in awhile ;~; ]]

Michael blinked a few times then nodded. The clouds began to darken and it wasn't long before the sky started to rumbled and lightning made the clouds light up. the smell of rain lingered in the air. Krystal laid a wing out so the boys could use it at a slide, still keeping Susie where she had her. Krystal made a snorting sound, her way of agreeing with what Seth had told her. Susie whimpered quietly. Michael smirked lightly at Seth. "Let's get out of here." He said, sounding like his old self again before positioning himself to slide down the lowered wing, waiting for his love at the bottom of the wing.

[[ Then, how great to have you back! n.n I've been tied up in real life myself.. I don't know how anyone convinced me that signing up for killer classes was a good idea. *short sigh* How have you been? ]]

A few seconds after the first rumble of thunder, Seth was sliding down Krystal's wing to meet Michael on the ground. He turned his head a bit in the direction of the wind and Susie, almost as if to say something, but quickly dismissed whatever it was with a dose of apathy and distaste. In Seth's mind, Susie would have been given a second chance simply due to the nature of how mistakes were to be dealt with. 'She caused so much damage, though..' his thoughts protested as he reached out to take Michael's hand in his. A drop of rain splashed against his cheek; an inaccurate substitute for dry tears. "Alright," he replied as a few more raindrops hit his clothes. It was unlike Seth to intentionally leave such a problem to unfold for itself, but he did it anyway.

[[ thanks! it's good to be back ^0^ -- aww, lolz. killer classes are never a good idea x.x -- i've been the same as always. life does not treat me kindly @-@ ]]

Michael gently gripped Seth's hand and began to walk away from scene as if it were a bad dream he wanted to run away from. A loud scream could be heard by the time the boys were a mere three feet from wherever it was they were going and then it was silent ((marcia's or the tree house? O.o)) As the rain slowly became harder and the wind started to pick up after the victorious howl from Krystal was sounded, Michael's hair covered his eyes which burned when tears brimmed his lower eyelids, despite the effort to hold them back. He felt sympathy deep within his 40% darkness-consumed heart for the girl, even though she tried to kill him. She was a child after all, and children just turn into killer over night..they have to be raised to be a killer..by someone or something.

[[ Hmm. .-. You need to come out and visit me sometime- maybe not now, since I'm bound by family and school, but definitely in the future. We could cosplay together n.n You can't go wrong with cosplay~!.. Or, I need to stop being so emotionally unreliable. ; A;'' All of the above, nya? ]]

Seth didn't look back- not once. Not even after he heard the scream of someone's life being erased, or torn apart, or incinerated, or-- however Krystal managed to put an end to Susie. In one moment, Seth was curious to know the answer to that, but in the next second that concept was already past-tense and no longer weighed any interest in Seth's head. He kept walking, his new strange sense of awareness rapidly switching his viewpoints back and forth. He could tell that Michael might have been a little more upset about the scenario. Seth tilted his head a bit- he wanted to hug Michael. Really, he wanted to be some kind of god and mend everything that had ever broken inside of who he now called his partner. Again, the second passed the same way wind shifted direction and Seth was suddenly curious to know what would happen if he let himself become that kind of god. 'Tainted, but so powerful..' The silence carried on for some time. "Tch-" Seth half-cried as the wind and rain caught him just right in the eye, stopping him irately in his tracks. "I can't even tell where we are anymore- and since when did clouds roll in this quickly?"

[[ I'unno, maybe the lake (if that's even where they were x=x, gosh I need to re-read this RP so badly<3) is at a triangle point between Marcia's house and the tree house.. if that even makes sense >//< Or they could be going somewhere else and getting lost-- I'll leave that part up to you~ ]]

[[ haha, i'll keep an opening for that invitation ^-^ and i've never cosplayed before... .x. and another thing; when i actually get to talk to you, it helps a lot so don't say something like that alright? -huggles- --- it's been awhile since they gotten lost... -grin- they're gettin' lost! xD ]]

Michael stopped walking when Seth stopped and he looked around after wiping his eyes with his free hand. With all the lower clouds and wind, the are was starting to get foggy as well. Michael shakes his head a little. "Maybe we angered a God or something...?" He questioned curiously, shrugging lightly.

[[ Ahh, but cosplaying is so much fun! I went to Nan Desu Kan this year as Grell (Kuroshitsuji for the win) and, seriously, experienced the best three days of my life at that convention. It goes hand-in-hand with low-esteemed people like me- you can disguise yourself and look awesome at the same time! n.n -- And, if you insist, then I won't talk "like that." ]]

Seth took his hand off of his own eye and blinked a few times in the falling rain. More so it was pouring rain- through the fog, even- so Seth couldn't see any farther than about a 50-yard radius. Worst of all, that number was diminishing rapidly with the changing weather. "Angered a God," he repeated, seriously considering that note. "..So that's how you get their attention.."

Seth caught a glimpse of Michael's expression shortly afterwards; it pained him worse than a blade ever did- and that was speaking from experience. However, Seth would take an upset Michael over a tortured one any day. "I think I see trees over that way-" he interjected with an arm extended in the direction of a large bunch of dark shapes. They seemed to form the outline of a forest, but Seth could tell it wasn't the one he'd already been through. "-We should take shelter before you freeze."

[[ sounds like a blast! ^0^ we'll have to cosplay together sometime :D ]]

Michael looked in the direction Seth's arm was extended in and he smirked lightly, blinking a few times at his lovers last little side note "-we should take shelter before you freeze." and looked down at himself. He had almost forgot he was shirtless due to his blood boiling just minutes ago. Michael was still warm, but the more he calmed down the more his body temperature dropped. He nodded to Seth's words and let him lead since he was the one who pointed out the forest.

[[ n.n Definitely~ (Oh! Just in case you're bored- I found this Really Awesome Song and these guys who do a Really Awesome Dance to it.) ]]

Seth considered taking Michael's hand for a moment, but he didn't want to overuse that gesture so he simply walked towards the dark shapes. As time kept passing and the shapes got bigger, Seth noticed that the sky was also getting a little darker. Whether or not that was actually from the clouds or the simple time of day was more or less up to the interpretation of imagination. Nevertheless, Seth checked back for Michael every so often to make sure he wasn't lost in the fog. Finally, the shapes revealed to be tall, sturdy trees whose upper leaves provided a near-perfect umbrella. 'Dry, foggy, dark, calm,' Seth's mind echoed into the dull light that emitted from wherever. 'Nothing like this has ever been on the maps..'

[[ Hmm.. How tempting would it be to incorporate "you"/"me" characters in this story? ]]

[[ <(^-^)> (i'll check them out later, promise! :D) ]]

Michael slowly lifted his hand to reach for Seth's as he began to 'walk away' to take the lead towards the dark shapes, feeling a little like a lost puppy or child for that matter. He let his arm fall back to his side and continued to follow Seth deeper into the night. As he followed behind Seth, the fog making it difficult to keep his eyes on his leading love and the bitterness of the cold was making it harder for him to breathe as if it were beginning to eat him alive. His skin began to feel like ice to the touch and even his covered wound began to feel like it was being pierced by needles, the feeling was not at all pleasant. Course it was the pain of the wound that kept him from keeling over.

He walked beside Seth with a calm face as they got closer to the trees.

[[ very tempting... but it's a little late in the plot.. hmmm... how would we go about that plan? O.o ]]

[[ You're awake! <3 (I literally just got a facetime from my sis complaining about my homework noise so I was going to go to bed early but you're here~ --Edit: And you left as I posted, shoot- I'll see you later n.n--) ]]

At some point, Seth realized that the temperature was getting dangerously cold. Under normal circumstances- had either of them been properly dressed for such weather- the night would have felt pleasant to be in. Considering that the two of them were wearing single-layered outfits that weren't even complete to begin with, the aspect of beauty was drained completely. So, Seth decided to give up the shirt on his back. Literally. He stopped a few yards into the treeline and slipped his shirt off over his head before turning to face Michael. Seth quickly wrung the bit of water that accumulated from the rain onto the ground. "Here," he offered kindly with a small smile. Until that moment, he had truly forgotten about his infectious problem, since the long sleeves had failed to remind Seth of the death designs that leaped across various parts of his body. Between the adrenaline and all the other natural pains, that acid-bath wasn't standing out at all. Seth remained at least partly positive, though; he ignored the illustrations like they never existed. "The shirt's not too wet, either."

[[ I don't know- and I completely agree that it's extremely late in the plot- temporary NPC characters could work if Michi and Seth came across another setting. ]]

[[ lol n.n ]]

Michael blinked a few times when Seth offered him his shirt, smiled, and put the shirt on after giving Seth a warm kiss. He then interlaced his fingers with Seth's then lightly tugged Seth along with him as he walked over to sit against one of the trees, still not letting go, so Seth was gently pulled down with him when he sat with his back to the tree he had picked.

[[ i like it! hehe ^-^ after they rest and stuff :3 ya? ]]

Seth felt a wave of heat flush behind his cheeks once Michael kissed him. It wasn't the kind of short, dry burst of hot wind that one would recognize as opening a hot oven. It was the soft, cradling feeling of being warmed from the inside by a candle in the dark. That same warmth remained with him even when he sat down next to Michael. After some time of pondering that idea, Seth sighed, rested his head on the colorless bark of the tree, and closed his eyes. In his mind, there were watered-down pictures of familiar scenes- light, darkness, wings, fear- but they never surfaced above the blanket of exhaustion that conveniently muffled them all. "It's still raining, isn't it?" he asked plainly into the air. He still held Michael's hand tight, but Seth wanted to know more than one way that Michael was right next to him.

Michael chuckled lightly and rested his head on the bark of the tree. "Yep, still raining... But we're safe in here." He murmured in a tired voice as he slowly drifted off to sleep. He would've stayed asleep if it weren't for the pain jolting through him when he barely moved an inch just to get a little bit more comfortable. His nap lasted a rough twenty minutes. Michael grit his teeth and his muscles tightened, keeping his eyes closed.

As the rain continued to fall outside, Seth became more or less aware of his surroundings. A part of him slipped into slumber and began to dream, but the other remained wide-awake (or so to speak). Seth couldn't actually see anything around him, but he could sense its presence. Every tad detail reflected a dark light in such a way that Seth was looking through an infra-red, see-through night vision all at once. 'Why am I doing this....?' Seth wondered as he listened to Michael breathe. It was as if that infra-red part of his mind were reading through his memories like a scrapbook, viciously challenging his core reasoning. 'Destroying Onyx.. Who am I kidding..' The dreaming shifted and Seth found himself gently leaning- no, Seth was definitely cuddling- against Michael. For some reason, between the rain and the chaos, Seth found peace at heart when Michael was in the picture.

Michael glanced at Seth, a soft smile coming to his face. He slowly took his free hand and very gently brushed some hair out of Seth's face- careful not to wake him up. Michael just stared into the distance, watching as the rain fall since it was clear he wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon.

[[ Hey! Sorry for the late reply x.x ]]

[[ Daijobu, it's no worries. Life has beauties that can't be missed. n.n ]]

Just as Seth started to drift off- the moment after Michael reinforced peace- a sudden need to be conscious numbed all of his dreaming. He couldn't afford to sleep. So, Seth opened his eyes and kept his cuddling composure of leaning on Michael. "This is all going to end," he said just barely loud enough to broadcast a few feet away. He let the drizzling silence reign in for a few seconds before he continued in a more clear tone. "You know that, right?" Seth gazed upwards just a little to see Michael's reaction. "We'll awake, one day, to nothing."

Michael blinked and glanced at Seth, his face confused and a little concerned. He didn't quite get it...but he soon understood and he nodded lightly. His midnight blue eyes watched the rain steadily fade. "Why're we trying to save the world again?" He asked in a quite voice that almost seemed distant. Yeah sure, at first he couldn't wait to save Crystal Moon, now he was ready to run. Because the closer they got to figuring the onyx out, or to stop it- something else life-threatening happened. It took a plasma ball through his stomach to realize that he couldn't play hero and expect to live much longer, he didn't want to dig himself an early grave if he could avoid it- mostly for Seth's sake. Nothing could explain how much he loved Seth, he didn't want anything to happen to him, especially if he himself caused it...