"We've got an assignment for you."

In the dark alleyways, in the dead of night, monsters lurk. Demons from the deepest pits of hell roam the nights, stalking the innocent. You never know if your going to be the next person to become their prey- hell, you don't even know that they're out there, stalking you until the right moment comes, until you're all alone...

That's where we come in. You don't know who we are- we could be your co-worker, your neighbor, your wife, your son. You don't even know we exist. But we're out here, waiting.

Because when things go bump in the night, we're the ones who bump back.


[[Introduction fail]]

[IMGRIGHT]http://i26.tinypic.com/35b5ji8.jpg[/IMGRIGHT]

--- Lzerrah Chaos ---
"the Aloof Knight"

"One cup o' water, two teaspoons of cinniminion, two eggs, two... what the hell is a cinniminion? MIMI! WHERE EVER DID YOU GET THIS RECIPE!" His blue eyes fluttered over toward the corner of the book. "Ahhh!" Flinging the book from his arms, Lzerrah Chaos retreated away into the living room. "MIMI ARE YOU TRYING T- who the hell are you?"

His royal blue hair flopped down into his face as he peered at this person before him. "Okay you're not Mimi. So who are you?" Poking at her cheek, he let loose a little cheery giggle. "D'awwwz, you is so kawaii!" The pinching of cheeks followed.

Just as he did that, a loud KA-BOOM came from the kitchen. "Oopsie! I guess I forgot to shut the stove off, again." Shrugging, he went to peek at the mess he would have most likely caused, but the closer he got, the more he realized getting that close would ruin his nose. The house stunk. Another attempt at cooking gone wrong.

[[Hope you don't mind this odd post. Lzerrah Chaos is really an aloof guy.]]

[IMGLEFT]http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af111/Valkyrie_wright/RP/Anime%20girls/Black%20hair/dragonslayer2-1-1.jpg[/IMGLEFT]

Renata Yokuru
~~"The Silent Killer"~~

Renata had been minding her business, reading a magazine on the couch, when she heard the yelling. Mimi? Casually she looked up, just in time to have her cheeks pinched. A fire sparked in her eyes, and she was about to give the boy a sound slap when something blew up in the kitchen.

"Goodness, you make quite the mess," she said flatly, standing up and dropping the magazine in her chair. She brushed her dark hair out of her eyes, staring up at the boy. The girl was rather diminutive- she stood at only about 5'3". But if it bothered her, she didn't let it show. "I'm surprised you don't know who I am, Lzerrah, but then again you hardly ever-- what is that smell?"

The young girl scowled and tugged her sleeve down over her hand, covering her mouth. She made a face at the terrible odor that wafted from the kitchen, squinting her eyes. "Should we do something about that," she asked, trying not to cough. "Anyways, that's not important," she said, shaking her head irrately. Grief, this boy was supposed to be a top class demon hunter? He couldn't even cook his own food.

"Lzerrah Chaos, I have a mission for you," she managed to choke out, a frown on her face and her voice muffled by her sleeve.

[[Haha no, it's okay I love him! Hope my post works for you ^.^]]

"A mission? For me? Whoa, miss, whoa. You do realize I am the WORST person to hire. Ever! I can't do anything right. Why would someone hire me? I mean, seriously. Just look at this house. It's not my own and I completely ruined it."

"The furniture is torn and ripped because I used a chainsaw in the house to cut wood. The kitchen is plagued by black smoke and the scent of death. The toilet was blown up when I tossed C4 into it. The shower only gives out hot water because I turned the cold water tank into a fish tank." Frowing, Lzerrah placed his hands behind his head. "I might not look like a threat, but trust me. I'm the worst assassin out there."

His frown turned upright and became a large, heart warming smile. "Are you my stalker?" Blushing, we shifted closer to her. "If you are, you're cute." Pinks now completely pink, the male cringed when he recalled her say 'you make quite the mess.' Looking about, he took in the horrific sights again. Yup. He was a messy one. The best part was, it wasn't supposed to be like this. It just became a bad habit.

Being a natural born genius, Lzerrah took it upon himself to act stupid so no one would find out he was really a prince gone knight. Not even those who hired him knew this secret. Well, they did, but no one believed it. How could he be a prince? Seriously! He was just too... special.

Renata sighed irately; she herself had been wondering the same thing. The boy's file had been less then impressive; very few actual kills, and he made a mess of the area he had done any banishings in. Still, he was the one the boss had picked (The reason was still beyond her) and she wasn't one to argue orders.

"And believe me, I'm more then surprised by this," she continued. "But I-- what? Stalker?" She stared at him in disbelief, unsure if she was hearing correctly. Did he just ask if she was his stalker?!? "No," she said, sounding extremely exasperated. "I am not your stalker!"

She sighed, taking a deep, shaky breath- anger was not becoming, and she was going to need a cool head here. "Thank you for the compliment," she said, her voice showing that she was a little less then grateful. "But let's try and focus, shall we?" She ran a hand through her dark hair, tryng to gather her thoughts. "I guess it would be best to start with who I am," she finally said, nodding to herself. "I'm Renata Yokuru. I'll be your partner on this mission." The last words stung a bit- Renata had never been asked to partner up before, and she felt like this was going to be more of a babysitting mission then anything. Did they still not trust her? It had been one rogue demon, just one, and she had found him again later- that is, after he had killed enough to make himself noticeable again. It was the one black mark on Renata's otherwise spotless file, but it had been a hard, long fight just to be allowed to go out again.

"Focus. Focus. Focus. FOCUS DAMMIT FOCUS!" Falling onto the floor, he shrugged. "Not sure I can focus. There is too much mess to focus. You should clean it up. You did leave it after all." A cheeky grin followed and then he skipped away.

Hitting up the kitchen again, he called back to her, "Would you be interested in some Ramen Noodles? I have my own secret recipe!" A fit of giggles exploded from where he stood. His Ramen Noodles were more like spicy hot curry noodles soaked in a bitter-sweet tangy sauce. It just so happened to be the only meal he could cook. It was also the one he used to feed demons he was hunting. It was a one way ticket to a hospital for some serious heart burn and indigestion. Lzerrah never understood how they hated it as he loved it, but it was his ultimate secret weapon.

He reached forward on his tippy-toes to grab a bottle of white powder. A grin was plastered over his face as he came down and sifted it over the boiling pot of noodles and spices. Taking in a nice whiff, he smiled a delightful white grin. It looked and smelled wonderful. Pouring it out into square dishes that had golden leaves for trim about the black plate's edges, Lzerrah hopped his way back to the female left in his living room.

"For you, my stalker... erm partner." A light bow followed and then he danced back to a black glass bench. Resting his behind on it, he hungrily slurped down the spicy meal he'd prepared. It really hit the spot. It was warm, delicious, and filling, exactly what the young demon assassin needed.

"No, it's okay... really," she said, her voice trailing off as he went to the kitchen anyways. "Very well, I'll just get the files out," she grumbled, shaking her hair out of her eyes. For someone who was supposed to be her partner, this boy sure got under her skin- and it usually took a lot to get under Renata's skin. She pulled a dark gray file out of her jacket, setting it on the table (Or what she assumed to be a table; there was so much junk on it that she couldn't be sure.) On the side facing upwards was a blood red stamp, her company's logo. It was a goat demon's skull with arcane symbols dancing around it; she had always found the stamp kind of creepy.

She had just opened the file when he came back in, holding two bowls. She shot him a rather nasty look before peering at the contents of the bowl, her expression curious. She was actually surprised that he had brought something out instead of blowing up the kitchen... again.

She inhaled, trying to figure out what exactly it was, and immediately sat back, coughing. The smell was spicy enough to make her eyes water; there would be no telling what it would do to her stomach. "You seem pretty hungry, why don't you take my bowl, too," she said, pushing the bowl towards him in a manner that suggested she didn't want to be anywhere near the contents of the bowl.

"Anyways, on to business," she said slowly, eying the bowl warily as she pulled some stuff out of the folder. "We've been assigned to take out a coven of demons in on the western regions of the river," she said, laying a map down on the table. She pointed to a red dot on the map; it was carefully layered "abandoned docks." "We believe that they've set up camp here," she said, then pulled out several pictures and spread them out. "These are some pictures our scouts managed to get. Evidence points to goat demons, worshipers of Kain, to be exact."

She scowled at the pictures, leaning forward to examine them even though she had seen them a hundred times. This particular group worshiped the bloody god Kain, and the strict rituals called for a blood sacrifice every other night. "This one is the one we think is the leader," she said, pointing to a picture of a towering goat demon. He had a goat's leg and head, his massive horns covered in runes that had no doubt been done in blood. His torso was that of a man's, and black tattoos curled up over his body in an intricate maze. None of the other demons had markings anywhere close to that.

Upon hearing her say he could have her share, the slender hunter roofed down the rest of the noodles. Ahhh, that hit the spot. Now to say something. But what to tell her? I just can't seem to pay attention. She's too pretty. Gah crap! She was talking again. Oh, guy goat man. What'd she say about him? He was... beastly? Well, duh. He's a demon. Wait, I heard the word licorice. Or maybe she said leader. Erm, maybe I should ask? Nah, I'm sure she said he was a fan of licorice.

Standing, he rested his hand on the butt of a sword. Drawing it up, he swung the large thing around to a sheath on his back. Lzerrah then walked over toward his table. Tugging at something tapped to the bottom, a pair of shinny daggers became visible in his hands. With a quick few steps, he stood before his lamp. Taking off the shade, he then turned the knob to turn the light on. But rather than illuminating the room, the lamp's slender rod collapsed onto one another and revealed a glowing spear. Pulling it from its holster, he bucked it to his backside opposite his sword.

That very spear was legendary. Just about everyone knew about it. It was the great spear that slew Paizo, a nasty demon that ravished the Earth not too long ago. According to the rumors, Lzerrah slew him. How he did it, to this day no one knows. Either way, because of his great accomplishment, Lzerrah was allowed to keep the monster's weapon. He also earned himself some rewards and the title of chief exorcist.

Lzerrah walked over toward his female partner and loomed over her. "Any thoughts on how we'll be taking him down? Well, I guess I should ask, just how are you going to distract him when I go in for the kill?" The expression on his face was one that would easily enrage anyone. He looked smug and arrogant, and for those that knew the fool they would be pissed that such an idiot could come up with a master plan on how to defeat the monster.

Renata raised one eyebrow as he went around the apartment collecting his weapons- clever little thing he was, she'd have to admit. She instantly suspected someone had helped him with all that- no way could a boy with his attention span actually manage to do all of that himself. She wasn't even sure a boy with that kind of attention span could do any of it himself, but she had a feeling that there was more to him then he let on.

When the spear came out, Renata actually gaped at it- so there it was, the spear that had belonged to the dreadful demon Paizo. She remembered, with sudden clarity, that rumor had it a hunter named Lzerrah had slain the beast. It only strengthened her suspicions that this boy was something more then he seemed.

Renata had her own arsenal of weaponry, hidden cleverly on her person. Her pride and joy were her twin guns, Luna and Solaris. Each came with specialized bullets as well as regular demon hunting ones; Luna had bullets filled with liquid nitrogen, and Solaris had bullets filled with two different chemicals. The chemicals were seperated until impact; when they hit the target, the two chemicals would mix, and the reaction would result in an explosion. When she mixed those with her regular bullets (blessed by the priest, the standard for all gun-toting hunters), the results were rather satisfying. She also had an array of knives on her, each dipped in holy water and blessed several times.

When Lzerrah stood before her and asked her how she planned on distracting him, his expression was enough to eat at the last of her ever-dwindling patience. She slowly rose to her feet, her eyes narrowing as they met his- she was shorter then him by a good deal, but that didn't make her any less imposing. "I'm going to take out the leader while you watch my back and take out any of his followers that challenge us," she said, her voice soft and low. "I'm sure you can manage at least that much," she added, her gaze challenging him to defy her. If there was one thing that just about every hunter out there knew about Renata, it was not to cross her- previous partners from her apprenticeship days had enough horror stories to fill a novel. She wouldn't stand to have this boy mess up this assignment.

Ignoring her altogether, Lzerrah wrapped a cloak around himself. It draped lightly over his slender shoulders and looked surprisingly elegant on him. Standing at exactly six feet tall, he bent at the waste to look Renata in the eyes. "Sorry cutie, but I can't just let you do all the work. There is a reason I work solo. I hate partners. You cannot depend on them. Now, you can either hand this mission over to me, or you can heed my words. The choice is yours."

Dropping to his knees, he laced up his boots (more or less tightened them) and then rose. Towering over her again, he pivoted on the heels of his boots and moved over toward his television set. Touching the glass screen, an alchemy circle appear and the glass vanished. Behind the glass was not the technical objects one would suspect to function the TV. No, instead it wasn't even a real TV. Behind it was a tiara. His hands gracefully swept it up and placed it neatly atop his head.

"Had you read my record," he said flashing a sealed envelope before her face "you'd have discovered I am of royal blood." He yanked at the string and untied the package. Slipping his gloved hands between the hole he created, he pulled out a document that was bound at the sides. Lzerrah Chaos spun it around and pushed it toward Renata. "See," he pointed to a royal seal. Unlatching his cloak, he let it fall to the ground. Turning around, he lifted up his shirt and then pulled his pants down some (just enough so that he didn't reveal anything). There, about an inch up from his behind, was the same crest inked into his skin.

Lzerrah then turned around and lifted up his shirt to show off his abs (or so most would have assumed). His eyes hinted otherwise as they shot down to yet another tattoo. Part of this one was hidden by his boxers still, but had he wanted to he could have show more of it. With his blue eyes still on her, he pulled down his right-hand glove and turned his hand palm-side up. There on his palm in red ink to match his hip tattoo was another more demonic tattoo. He held up a finger to say, wait, one more. Pushing his hair off to the side some, he revealed his last tattoo that was on the left side of his neck.

"Before you insult me again and demand that I take orders from the likes of you, I recommend you do your research on me." Re-dressing himself, he stepped down the three steps before him that lead to the front door. "Come now. We've wasted too much time here. We need to head out and stop this beast before he does anyth- ... oof! Ouchie! Mmmmm, that hurt!" Rubbing his butt from tripping on the rug, Lzerrah looked back up at his partner. "Will you kiss my butt?" His devious smile came onto his face. "Just kidding! But seriously. That hurt. Will you carry me?"

----------

[[Hope you don't mind Lzerrah's royal blood and alchemist lifestyle. XD]]

Ren stared at him, her cheeks slowly turning a delicious shade of pink. Of course, it was a slap of a face to have the fact that she hadn't read his file thrown in her face, but for him to be royalty on top of it (And therefore her superior) was the worst hit to her ego ever. She snapped out of it then, and her dark eyes narrowed, as she went down and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. That had been the straw to break the camel's back, or in this case, the straw to break Ren's control.

"Look here," she said, pushing him against the wall. "I don't care if your the Emperor of the world- if you interfere with my job, I will kill you," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "If we have to work together- and believe me, we have no choice- you better not order me around." She let him go and turned away from him, taking a deep breath and trying to reign her emotions in. She wanted to hit herself- did she seriously just loose it?

She turned back to him, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. She had to swallow her ego- there was a lot more at stake here then her sanity, after all. "I'm sorry, Lzerrah," she said, forcing the words out. "I-I shouldn't have lost my control like that. Let's just go." She turned her back to him then, pulling her hair off of her back to mess with it, as a way to calm herself down- and unknowingly revealed the demonic brand burned onto her back. "How are we getting there," she asked, still messing with her hair as she went to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him, her face carefully neutral. She was half expecting him to go prince mode on her again and kick her ass- but then again, she kind of deserved it.

[[No, I loved it XD sorry, my post is kind of crappy @[email protected] There's a reason Ren keeps such tight control over herself XD]]

The wall pinning, well it more or less triggered a different side of Lzerrah. He himself was a fan of dominate females and her little attitude was just the key to unlocking a very submissive prince.

Even seeing her mark flashed before him couldn't shake him from his mood. Being a guy after all, it was only natural that he wonder just how far he could push her buttons before she snapped at left him. The look in her eyes suggested that he might be able to pull some wool over her eyes for the time being, but he saw no point in hiding his true nature.

Hand reaching forward, Lzerrah took her slender palm into his own. Gently pulling her back, he hooked one arm around her hips while the other continued to hold her right hand. With her now up against his body, Lzerrah held his head up high. He smiled some when he felt his pulse jump some. She was incredibly beautiful and he greatly admired her spunk. When he stepped back, his finger broke free from hers and a light kiss was placed on the backside of her right hand. "Very well." Standing back up from his bow, he rose his hand up toward his brows. Massaging them, a smirk came over him. A quick finger snap and then Renata was being dragged out the door.

Whistling, a hellish fiend trotted up to them. "Here," he said offering Ren a hand to get onto the demonic horse. He pulled her up and then 'kissed his teeth.' The horse snorted and then rode off down a path. The dark forest that surrounded them whooshed past, but not fast enough. Red eyes could still be seen peering out hungrily at the two riding by. Lzerrah looked over his shoulder to make sure she was still okay.

Surprisingly, the ride was smooth. Now outside the forest, he slid off his horse and helped her off. Nodding before the horse, he waved it a farewell. "From here, we walk. If we ride, we'd be spotted. Walking is safer. But here," reaching into a pack on his hip he pulled out a small bottle. "Rub this on your forehead, chest, and hands. It will mask our scent. Without it, we'll be dead before we even reach the inner circle."

Pouring some of the blue liquid into his hands, he made an "x" on his head and then wiped off the excess foul smelling scent onto his chest. "I know it sticks, but if we don't use it... or something similar to it... we'll be sitting ducks. I'd rather not die now." Turning away he muttered, "But if you wish to kill me know, I might reconsider."



----------

[[Hope you like Lzerrah now. Ha ha ha. Ren did a no-no by pinning him to the wall. Don't worry, it'll get better later. MUWAH HA HA HA HA HA! xD]]

[[*laughs* Oh... god... can't stop.... laughing XD Not at what Lzerrah did, exactly, but the image I have of Ren's expression..... XDDDDD]]

Ren's face went completely blank as he drew her body against him, kissing her hand. Demons, Ren could handle. Pain in the ass boys, Ren could handle. But a boy making moves on her..... Ren didn't know how to react. Mostly because Ren had spent most of her life being too scary to have boys making any kinds of moves on her. Her expression was still blank, maybe even a little dazed, as he dragged her out the door, her heart hammering out of her chest.

She managed to pull out of the shock a little bit as he offered her his hand; she took it and let him pull her up onto the beast of a horse (No way could she have gotten up there by herself.... The horse could have probably eaten her if it wanted to.) She clung to his back, the shock skipping away as they rode- she was terrified of heights. When he helped her off, she was more then overjoyed to be back on the ground- but the foul smelling bottle chased away any joy that might have been.

She raised one eyebrow at the container, taking it and examining it carefully. "This isn't protocol," she stated flatly, uncapping it and sniffing it. She instantly drew back- the stench was easily worse then that of the noodles. "I am not putting this on," she said, capping it and offering it back to him (At arm's length, of course.) "Is there an option B? Besides dying, I mean." She shot him a glare at his muttered comment, her mind instantly jumping back to the little fiasco in the apartment- she blushed furiously, violently shooing the thoughts away. She made a note for later- kill him for that. Then feed his body to the horse. "I-I might take you up on that," she threatened weakly, frowning in an attempt to fend off the lingering blush.

[[Ren's a mess when it comes to boys XD this'll be fun.]]

[[D'awww! She's adorable. Poor Ren though. Lzerrah is just going to continue to mess with her.]]

A large grim smirk was now on his face. Her blushing was just perfect. Well, perfect for him, terrible for her. The only issue that was before him now was knowing the truth. Was she blushing because she was flustered? Or was she blushing because she found him... attractive.

Well, I guess there is one way to find out. But... do I do it now? Or should I wait? Hmmmm. Stepping closer to her, he held tightly onto her hands. "Sorry Renny. I'm not really sure you'd like the second option before the option of death. I mean, I guess if that's what you want you can do it." He pulled out one of his knives and held it over her hand which he was now squeezing. "It's called a blood bond. We'll have twenty-four hours before it wears off. It pretty much means I have to slice my palm open... this one with the alchemy mark... and then you have to drink my blood. It more or less masks your scent so you smell like me. Only issue is... if I die, you die as well."

Dropping to his knees, the blue-haired male looked longingly up at her. "You'll also act as my puppet. You can move at your own free will, but should my life ever be threatened you... you automatically protect me. I can... I can also hear your thoughts. You're pretty much just an open vessel for me to use at my own disposal. It's not the best bargain in the world, but it's better than death. I guess." His eyes dipped toward her feet as he leaned in toward her. With his head resting against her stomach, Lzerrah felt bad. "I honestly can't think of another way that doesn't involve becoming my puppet or smelling nasty. I mean, I guess you could travel as you are. I can always summon back my horse and have him be on the look out. But I'll wear fast. When I'm doing anything blood related, my defense goes to zero and my stamina is cut in half. Not sure I'll be of any use at that point."

Now standing, he put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll do that. I don't want to do any blood bonding with you. I also would prefer that you not lose your sense of smell. But please, should we get in any danger, run. I shall hold them off. You mission is to stay alive. My mission is to keep you alive." Just as he stepped forward, he stepped back. "Here," he said holding out his cloak. "I can't tell you what it does as I'm swore to secrecy with it, but, when the time comes, you shall discover its power."

----------

[[Tis so sad! Lzerrah would die for her! XD]]

[[XD She's so going to loose it......]]

Ren blushed again as he touched her, freezing up when he dropped to his knees and rested his head on her stomach. "B-Blood bond," she said weakly, testing it on her lips. NO, the rational part of her brain screamed, fighting through the daze he was (she'd like to believe it was unintentionally) putting her in. "I-I don't think that's such a good idea," she managed weakly, pushing him away from her.

"Look, Lzerrah, I'll just use the stupid ointment," she breathed, leaning against a tree. Her legs suddenly felt weak now that she was standing on her own, and her face felt hot. She wasn't sick, but her face was still red from the contact. She raised an eyebrow at the cloak, shaking her head.

"No, it's alright," she said, her mind clearing now that he wasn't touching her. "Really, keep it for yourself. I'm used to fighting in my own skin." She picked the bottle up from out of his hands and uncapped it, dipping one slender finger in before she could change her mind and drawing it across her chest. "Keep me alive," she questioned, raising an eyebrow as she put the ointment on. Funny how roles had reversed in, oh, thirty minutes. "Last time I checked, that was my job. Don't worry about me so much, Lzerrah, or you'll get yourself killed." And I'd really rather not have that happen to you, she thought out of the blue. She frowned and blushed, applying the liquid with more fervor. She drew a crescent moon shape on her forehead, and marked the inside of her elbows. She pulled her hair to one side and reached back over her shoulder, remembering her brand, and tried to smear some of the foul-smelling liquid onto it as well.

It had originally been a curse on her, more or less, from the first mission she had ever gone on as an apprentice. They had been ambushed, and Ren had been captured and taken away from the two people she had gone with. They had tortured her, trying to get any information out of her- and when she didn't say a word, they had brought out the white-hot brand, pressing it to her skin and causing her intense agony. Still, she wouldn't talk, and a curse was placed on the brand- if the demon who had placed it ever crossed her again, all he had to do was place his blood on it and she'd be under his control. She had somehow managed to kill the demon who had placed it (how she did it was a mystery, even to her) before she passed out, only to be found by her two partners hours later.

She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw tightly, still struggling to get the ointment on the burn- that was why she worked alone. She hadn't been able to depend on her partners back then, and it had scarred the girl, emotionally and physically. While the brand was no more then a nasty scar now, it still had a faint scent of demonic power, and would give her away in an instant. "Dammit," she breathed, sticking her tongue out a little as she tried to smear the stuff onto it so they could get going. She didn't want to ask him for help- now that they weren't touching, she was almost terrified of letting him touch her again. What he did to her... it was kind of scary, she had to admit. Besides, she needed to be in her right mind, and he obviously didn't help her when it came to that (whether he was driving her insane or making her feel like Jello.)

[[Aww, he's too cute! Poor boy, Ren's such an idiot when it comes to liking someone XD]]

[[Yup. She's going to lose it after you read this post. ^_^]]


"Does it really matter if I die saving such a beautiful woman as yourself?" Stepping up to her, he rubbed the disgusting ointment onto his hands and helped smooth it out over her soft skin. Here and there her hair would get caught up in it, but he would lightly pull it to the side and make sure it went back to being lively and not stuck to her skin.

As he half-massaged and half-applied the ointment, he noticed her demonic curse again. "I know what it's like to be betrayed" he said whispering into her ears. With how close he was standing, he could feel his own breath bounce back at him from her cute little ears. As his lips brushed against them, he felt her shudder some. She sure is a jumpy woman. He thought but immediately erased the thoughts as he was attempting to calm her nerves another way.

"It's sad you won't take my cloak. We're going into a frozen wasteland. I can't have you freezing to death on me. You'll do the team no good being passed out. I'm used to the cold. I grew up in place that was attacked constantly by blizzards." Clasping the hooks of his cloak before her neck, he carefully draped his cloak over her narrow figure. Moving his hands away, he noticed that she was still wound up some. "Is something... wrong?" Lzerrah stepped around he cupped her cheeks in his hands. "You really don't have to worry about me. I swear, I'll be f-" his eyes narrowed and darted over to a rustling bush. Leaves flaking off one by one, Lzerrah braced himself for the attack.

His hand wormed down to hips. Slipping into her clothing, he fingered the butt of one of her guns. Lzerrah's eyes were now locked onto hers. Without blinking or even hesitating, he drew out her gun and with a single, accurate shot, blew the head off of a lesser demon. Still keeping his eyes on Renata, he slowly walked her back up against a tree. More or less forcing his hand back to her underwear line, he slid the gun back into its spot.

"Thank you." His hands dropped down to their sides and he walked over to the demon. Moving to his knees, he traced the miniature beast's outline. "May your soul find peace, my friend." Bending over, he placed a kiss on the demon's neck. It glowed a freakishly colored blue and then, within seconds, the demon turned to dust. "We shall meet again in the afterlife."

Bowing, he took the powder into his right hand. His alchemy mark glowed and the powder was absorber into his skin. "Your strength is now my strength. Please guide me to victory." Lzerrah turned his head looked over at Ren. "Come, let us move onward. We've a long journey ahead of us." A friendly smile came to his face and his blue eye slit up.


[[Okay, maybe I lied. XD But he is cute! >////<]]

[XD I nearly died reading that. So, maybe she won't loose it, but it was still cuuuuute)

"It matters to me,"she said with a frown, trying to stave off the blush. "If you die for me by doing something stupid, I swear I'll--" you'll what, Ren, hate him forever? So how do you feel for him now? She shut her mouth, shaking hair out of her eyes.

She flinched when she felt him touching her mark, a soft hiss slipping from her lips. It didn't hurt, but she hated people touching the mark- she hardly ever touched it herself. It was so easy to forget about if she didn't touch it, and forgetting was the one thing she wanted most in the world. She closed her eyes and turned her face away from him when his breath tickled her ear, a frown on her face.

She made an irritated noise in the back of her throat, but she guessed that she had no choice but to take the stupid cloak. She looked up at him as he touched her face, at a loss for words- there was something wrong, but it was something wrong with her, and she didn't understand it enough to even try and talk about it with him. "Well, if you keep talking like some stupid brave knight, I'm going to--" she began, and then stopped when his hand slipped into her clothing, her eyes widening. What the hell?! Her breathe caught in her throat, luckily for them, or she would have murdered him.

The gunshot was enough to make her jump, and she nearly tripped over her own feet as he forced her against the tree. Her heart hammering in her throat, she fought to stay upright as he let go of her and went the the demon, doing some odd ritual or something. Ren was barely in any condition to pay attention- she was still trying to regain the composure that she had just gotten back, and was trying to keep her heart from crawling out of her throat.

"W-wait," she said, forcing the words out. Her breathing was too fast, her breaths deep and shuddery as she tried to calm herself down. "Just wait a damn minute!" She sounded on the verge of tears, and whether it was from fury or something else not even she could tell. "You.... stop doing this to me," she said, feeling her control slipping. No, no, no, she refused to loose it again, not here, not now. She closed her eyes and lifted her hand, pressing her palm to her eye.

[[Poor girl XD she's so hopeless. It seems all my characters are like that ._.;]]

[[Oh teh noes! What will Lzerrah do? OMG I should make him cry! He'd look like this: --x-- or this --x-- Adorable. Sad. Yup and yup. XD]]


"Seriously?" Lzerrah's eyes narrowed. "I haven't fucking done anything. Name one thing I've done that is so downright disgusting and terrible. Oh, I'm sorry I was raised with manners. Would you rather I abuse you and abandon you like your past teammates? I think not. So just shut up and deal with it."

Walking on, he didn't even look back or stammer as he yelled at her. He was pissed. Here he was trying to help comfort her and show her he wasn't like the other members and there she was attacking him. Yeah, that was a great way to push him away. Storming forward, he stopped when he noticed she wasn't following. His head turned slightly, but barely enough to let him see Ren.

"Listen," he said standing there "I'm sorry if I'm not your ideal person to work with. I'm sorry my methods of killing, hunting, and defeating demons are extremely unorthodox, but if I am really that much of a burden, I will leave per your orders." Pivoting on his toes, he faced her now. "I'm not the greatest exorcist. I'm the best alchemist. I live in the middle of nowhere because I'm pathetic and bad at every job I'm assigned. There is a reason I'm no longer on file at headquarters. There is a reason I'm not even working there. Will I share it with you? No. I don't want or need your pity. So just laugh at me like everyone else. Point and mock me. Look, it's Lzerrah the worst assassin ever. I've heard it a million times. I'm used to it. Nothing you say or do will crack my shield. I've been called names and have had sticks and stones thrown at me. I know I'm worthless, but I really don't need it from you too. I thought you were different... but I guess you're just like them."

Twisting his head away to hide his tear filled eyes, Lzerrah just stood there waiting for orders. He would leave if that's really wanted. But he could tell just by the way she was breathing, cutting herself off, and acting that she really didn't want him to go. So, he used her jittery behavior to his own good. Turning around, he now stood about an inch fro Renata. "Kiss me," he cooed to her as he reached out to stroke her hair. His watery blue eyes hinted that he was unsure if he really wanted a kiss. But from the way she quivered around him, he figured it would be better to get it over and down with than prolong the inevitable.


[[Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn! What will happen?!?!]]

Renata looked down at her feet as he yelled at her, closing her eyes and flinching. Every word was like a slap to the face- did he really think she thought that way of him? Did she really come off as that much of a bitch? She had been spending too much time alone, she decided. Because, if she was honest (by god, did she hate being honest), she really didn't want him to go away. She just didn't know how to say it.

She stared up at him as he touched her hair, a torn expression breaking her normally blank facade. "I-I can't," she whispered, her hands coming up as if to push them away. Instead, she found them clinging to his shirt, as she struggled to fight back the tears that began to spring up at the sight of his own watery eyes, as she fought for control.

"Lzerrah," she said, her voice faltering. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Lzerrah, I don't....I don't think you're a burden." She closed her eyes and shook her head, tilting her chin back down. Her forehead was now pressed to his chest, which was for the best; she didn't want him to see the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I don't think that at all. But.... this is what you do to me," she said, her voice strained. "You make me feel weak, and dizzy, and I don't know what to do. It's all I can do to keep myself from loosing it whenever you touch me...." She shook her head again, biting on her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"I don't know what to do," she said again, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't know what to say, what to think-- I don't even know if I should kiss you or not. You're the only one who's ever been able to tangle me up so badly and its... its scary...."

I don't ever want to feel weak again, like I did that night, she thought, her throat closing up on her. I don't ever want to feel like I need someone ever again, just to have to depend on myself. But you just casually strolled into my life and here you are, making me so weak that I can barely stand. I'm terrified of you.

"I can't kiss you," she said again, shaking her head. She managed to raise her head up to look at him, done crying despite the wet tracks that still marked her cheeks. "You don't honestly want me to, do you?" It would be a slap to the ego if he said no, but by this point her pride had pretty much been torn to pieces and trampled on- it had taken her a lot just to admit that he made her weak, or to admit that she was weak at all. She slowly released his shirt, letting her hands fall to her side, but didn't step away from him as she awaited his answer, her blank mask stealing over her face once more.

[[What'll happen? Ren will loose it. Just in a sappy way, not in an oh-my-god-i'm-going-to-shoot-you way. Awww, look at Lzerrah, making Ren all cute and vulnerable FFFFF

EW. I just realized how much of a soap drama Renny sounds like. I'VE BEEN IN THE PHILIPPINES TOO LONG]]

It was sad how the look on her face caused the girl to question what he wanted. Yes, he only half wanted it, but now with her saying such things his mind thought otherwise. A kiss sounded nice. Well, the word that floated in his head as perfect. They were about to play with death. The odds of them both living when slim. Just that thought made him want her even more. If he were to meet his death, he wanted a kiss from this woman. But, she seemed to decline, and being the better man, he decided not to force her.

"I really should be the last person to scare you. I'm but a humble knight that can't do a thing right." He raised his hand to stroke her cheek, but suppressed the urge to do so. If Lzerrah wanted to keep her safe he would have to stop with the affection he was giving her.

Tugging at his shirt, he turned around to point toward the southeast. "I think this is the best path to follow. It's nasty down there, but I know the area. Any other way and I'm of no use. It might be safer, but I'd rather know where we are than be safe. I've also trapped along this way so I know some of the creatures as well as the death spots. It's the fastest way, too. But if you'd rather pick another path, I can lead. I'd rather not have you go through first. These monsters always attack the first person. I won't let them hurt you." Smiling, he rested his hands on her shoulders. "It's your call, boss."

Ren scoffed at his words, turning her face away from him. She was kind of glad he hadn't kissed her, but at the same time it had hurt. She drew back into herself- she needed to be alert for this mission, not tripping over her own feet after her partner.

She kneeled down and peered down the path, then turned to the path at her right. Up ahead it was easy to see that it broke into three branches, one continuing straight ahead while the other two went to either side.

"I've scouted this area before," she said, settling back into her skin. This was what Ren did; nothing could shake her now. She picked up a stick and carefully drew out a map, sticking her tongue out as she concentrated. "Let's see.... this one leads down through the river," she said, drawing a line for the river and extending the left line through it. "If I remember correctly, the stronghold is past there- I never got far enough to see for myself," she said, a cynical grin touching her lips for a moment.

"This center path leads straight into a trap. At least, that's what it looks like- didn't get close enough to that to see for myself, thank god." She drew a circle to indicate a clearing, parallel to where the left line crossed the "river." "This right one, here, might be our best bet. I've gotten pretty far down it without much opposition, maybe the occasional hell hound or two, but nothing major. The only problem is the last half of it is underground, and I couldn't get past the wards. You might be able to help there." She drew the right line longer, then turned it into two lines to indicate the tunnels. "I'm thinking that this tunnel leads to the heart of their base, where they do all the rituals."

She sat back and took a deep breathe, brushing dark hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him, nodding slowly. "So, that's what I've got. You're going to have to make the call on this one. But," she added, rising to her feet. She looked him dead on, taking a deep breathe. "But, if we choose my path, you have to let me lead, Lzerrah. You can't possibly get us there if you don't know the path." She blinked, prusing her lips. "If you can give me one thing, Lzerrah, let me lead." She would take the stupid cloak (which she was actually thankful for, her somewhat scant clothing was no match for the weather) and his protection. But she needed just this little bit of moving room.

She knew he was just trying to protect her, and make sure she didn't get hurt, and while she thought it to be sweet, it was a pain in the ass. She needed him to treat her like his partner, not his ward, or else things were going to get ugly real fast. She wouldn't get in a fight with him, nothing like that. But if he jumped in the way of a strike meant for her, that she could have deflected..... She wouldn't let it happen.

"Fine." His eyes went pale as if to match his emotionless tone. Dropping his spear, he drew something in his own blood around it. As it vanished, he moved his bleeding finger to his mouth. It was salty and coarse (from the dirt), but it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

Lzerrah knew better than to travel with his spear throughout the part of the woods she wished to travel. Frowning, he removed his gloves and cast them aside. "Let us go before I change my mind," his taunting eyes glazed cruelly at her. I cannot believe I'm doing this. This is suicide. Does she not know I cannot travel this path? Heh, what's it matter. She wouldn't listen anyways. There was a reason I left this trail off my list. It's really a pity. I'm useless now. I have no choice but to let her lead. If I go first, I'll just be a human fighting a demon. A human without powers.

Exhaling, he moved around behind Ren. "Let's go. The sooner we get there, the better." Hatred consumed his voice with each step he took closer toward the path. He hated this place. Hated with such a passion it wasn't even funny. Why so much hatred though? This is where his friend Mimi died. She was the youngest sister to his best friend Shalot. The two of them (Lzerrah and Mimi) were destined at birth to marry one another. But several years ago a demon slew her down that very spot they were going to. He attempted to bring her back to life, but recalled that doing such would curse him. Unable to take back what he started, all the monsters in the area were enchanted with a gift that made them resistant to alchemy. To make things worse, Lzerrah can only attach with alchemy. He must preform some sort of alchemist move every four hours (and it has to work) or he will die. This curse was something know one but himself knew.


[[YAY! Short post. ^^; I blame my bladder this time. *runs off to pee*]]

[[LOL]]

Renata frowned, blinking as he gave her that strange look. What was he doing?

"Hey," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back a little. "What's up? You.... Something's wrong." She wouldn't let him go until he gave her an answer she could accept- and she prided herself on picking up on bullshit. The way he was looking at her actually made her miss when he was fawning all over her- at least then he didn't look so.... dark.

"Is going down this path really such a big deal? I mean, we can go your way too, its just, this way doesn't have very many things for us to fight so we wouldn't have to waste our energy on lesser beings, since this is a big goat man we're talking about here-" she stopped and shut her mouth, wincing slightly- oh great. She had begun to ramble.

"Look, if you'd rather go the other way, it's no big deal," she finally said. She was beginning to get a little more then freaked out- he sounded so angry. "Lzerrah," she asked quietly, wondering if he had heard anything she had said at all.
[[UM. I blame my short post on my stomach *scurries off for munchies*]]

A smile came to his face. Placing his hand on his heart, Lzerrah spun around and looked Ren in the eyes. "Forgive me," he whispered softly to her. Creeping forward, his hands wrapped around the back of her neck. Lips pressing against hers, his blue eyes became hidden beneath his lids. A kiss that wasn't supposed to last that long, ended up doing the opposite. Rather than being just a quick peck, Lzerrah was able to lead Ren over toward a tree, pin her to it, and then continue to make out with the woman.

Running his hand through her hair, he finally wormed his hand down to her chin. Pulling his lips away from the intoxicating kiss, Lzerrah's eyes fluttered open. Starting off larger than normal, they shrunk down to their narrow width after several slow blinks.

"Heh, if we go your way, I can't attack. I'm cursed," he said looking down at his palm. "If we go my way, we're technically on another territory so I can actually use my alchemy. But if you're uncomfortable following my dark path, then I'll just flip from alchemy to being a knight. I can win with just a sword. It's in my blood. But please, don't let me little flaw make you pick something you don't want. I'd rather you be happy and not afraid." Shaking his hair off to the side, he wiggled his finger at her. "Come now, we don't have much time. We'll want to get there before the the sun vanishes. If we travel with the moon, we will meet our doom."

----------

[[Oh wow, that was short. Sorry about that. ^^;]]

Ren's heart nearly stopped when he grabbed her and kissed her, her eyes widening with shock and surprise. She found herself being pinned to a tree, and her first instinct was to fight it- but then, she found herself kissing him back, her small hands slipping up behind his neck. When he broke it off, her face was flushed red, and she couldn't help but shake her head free from his grasp and turn her face away from him, breathing heavily.

"I-I don't mind," she managed, drawing a shaky breathe. "We can go down your path; we need you at full strength. It was only a suggestion to preserve our energy and strength." She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised delicately. "But seeing how things are now, I'm sure keeping our energy up would be no problem." Then she gave him a cool grin and rose up onto her tiptoes, her lips to his ear. "And me, afraid? Perish the thought," she whispered. She gently freed herself and checked her guns, making sure nothing had happened to them in all the commotion (Of course, she wasn't exactly sure what would have happened to them- they'd been in their holsters the whole time. Or at least, one had.) She slid them back into their holsters and turned to face him, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, are you coming? Come on, Lzerrah, you just proved to me that you aren't the incompetent fool I originally thought you to be," she said, fighting back a smile. She was feeling lighter then she had in ages- sure, she was still confused as all hell. She didn't know what was going to happen after this mission, if there was even an after. But kissing Lzerrah had taken a lot of weight off of her, somehow. "Don't make me change my mind so soon."
[[its okay, mine is a little shorter too O.O]]