She would have wrapped her arms around him if her back wasn't hurting so much. As it was, Max kissed Izo back softly, savoring the sensation of actually knowing that someone cared for her so much. The orange haired woman didn't dare think of love, not so soon even with the constant danger and unpredictability of the Inn. A gasp left her as Izo hugged her though, the scratches upon her back weren't close to getting any better. In fact they might have been getting worse, with blood oozing out of the wounds slowly.

Wincing as Izo pulled her up to stand, Max leaned against him heavily. "No ... Maybe you could carry me, and check my back too?" She didn't like this, having to rely on another so strongly, but .... The young woman was relieved beyond belief that Izo was safe and sound.

----------------------------

A content sigh left the white haired man as Corrine relaxed against him. Soon enough though it was time to stand, or force his tired body to do so. The once clean wood floors of the Inn were covered with dust and debris. And yet the place seemed unusually calm, even to Dyaus who had lived there for so long. It felt like a regular Inn for once, without any hint of magic.

Looking questioningly at Corrine, Dyaus began walking towards the other two after grabbing hold of her hand. He knew they weren't going to welcome him. Trust was definitely going to have to be worked for. It wouldn't be easy, but it was going to be necessary.

Izo smiled down at Max when she asked him to check on her back, "Of course I will," he said as he began to turn her around. "I'll always be here to check-" his words were cut short as he caught sight of the wounds across her back. She wasn't losing an excessive amount of blood all at once, but the cuts were deep, and if she didn't receive medical attention soon, she would lose too much blood. Even if there was a medical kit here that they could stitch her up with, they risked infection.

He stared at it, unsure how to tell Max how serious the situation really was. When out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dyaus approaching, his emotions flipped like a light switch. He went from being worried, to being infuriated. He moved towards Dyaus, grabbing his shirt as he got into his face. "You! This is all YOUR fault."

~~~*~~~*~~~

Huh? Corrine looked down questioningly as their hands interlocked. After a moment, she smiled and continued following Dyaus as they approached the others. Max didn't look well and Corrine wondered why. In the next moment, Izo was grabbing hold of Dyaus and yelling at him. Confused, Corrine grabbed onto Izo's arm, "Let go!" she said, "What's your problem!?"

She wondered why Izo was so silent all of a sudden. That wasn't like him, he always had something to say .. Or he was as close to her as he could get, kind of like an infatuated puppy. Despite the serious situation the thought brought a smile to Max's face. It disappeared soon enough the moment she heard a familiar voice raised in anger. Turning to catch sight of the scene going on before her, she struggled to go and hug Izo tightly in her arms. "Calm down Izo, this is not his fault. The Inn's been corrupted by some other force! And so was he for that matter..." Wincing as another wave of pain throbbed trough her back, the young woman tried not to let it slip into her voice.

---------------------

Dyaus automatically let a shock of magic run trough the other man's hand. It was a warning, nothing more. The bolt could have hurt more then it had, but for Corrine's sake he didn't want to aggravate the man even more. Animosity .. That was one of the reasons why he'd turned from the good in the first place. People misunderstood people like him so quickly, judged without knowing or having any basis to form that judgment on."Careful now, you might be facing more then you can handle." The words couldn't be mistaken as anything other then a threat. One which Dyaus intended to carry out after moving both young women to safety. They weren't the ones who'd harmed him with their judgment, only the silver haired man had done that.

Izo looked to Corrine, "He tried to kill you, we both saw it. The Inn showed us. Why are you protecting him now?" Izo asked her angrily. When Max spoke, he ignored her. It was Dyaus' fault and now he could lose Max and it scared him, and made him angry. When the shock of magic ran through Izo's hand, he yelled out, as he jumped back to cradle his hand.

He stared Dyaus in his eyes, as his werewolf form began to slowly mutate through him. He was growing larger, his arms were becoming furry and more muscular than they already were, with large razor sharp claws. He was a truly terrifying sight now. If killing Dyaus is what it would take to get Max to safety then that's what he would do.

~~~*~~~*~~~

"No, that wasn't Dyaus," Corrine said as she tried to defend him. When Max spoke, Corrine looked to her worriedly before moving to stand beside her as she reached out to help hold her up. "Are you ok?" she asked before glancing up to see the scary looking beast Izo had become. At that moment, she became worried for everyone. For Dyaus, Izo and Max, who something was obviously seriously wrong with.

She was terrified as Corrine came to her aid. For a few moments, Max thought it was because of Izo's new appearance. He'd changed so completely, turning into this growling monster! But really, the young woman was more afraid of losing the Izo she knew. What if he never returned to who he had been when he'd protected her, kissed her? The thought brought tears to her eyes. What he pain shooting trough her back had been unable to this thought achieved.

Shaking off Corrine's aid, the orange haired woman walked stoically to the werewolf. Taking deep breaths as she walked, she leaned against him and wrapped her arms around the man. Max refused to let Izo do this, for selfish reasons perhaps. "Please turn back! Izo please ... I'm scared that you aren't you anymore, and that you'll never be you again." The only thing keeping her awake and able to speak was a driving need to have her Izo back. Yes, she thought of him as hers despite the short time they'd known each other. What did time matter when the heart knew it's mind!

-------------------------

Backing away from the werewolf with wide eyes, Dyaus watched in shock as Max moved. That, more then anything else, seemed to bring home to the white haired man what he wanted. Turning his eyes to Corrine, he felt a pang of sorrow. She needed to be happy and free from the Inn. How to free her? Was there any way at all? There had to be ... And he would find it for her, if it was the very last thing he did because he wanted her to be happy. The emotion was one he'd forgotten, this caring for someone else in such a great degree. It had disappeared when Dyaus had lost himself the first time, but now it had returned.

((Should the Inn turn into a relatively normal place now? Curse gone? With Dyaus as the owner?))

Izo's eyes had darkedned, beyond a point of return. He hadn't planned to let his rage control him, but it did now. He didn't hear a word that came from Max, he only felt something on his arm, which he swiftly knocked away from him, sending Max to floor. A low growl escaped Izo now as he showed his fangs. "What's the matter," he spoke to Dyaus, "Can't back yourself up now that a fight is staring you in the face?" His words were cold and his blackened eyes never left Dyaus'.

~~~*~~~*~~~

((I'm sorry Pap - I just received some really bad news. Please remind me later to update.))

Darkness engulfed the young woman's mind as she lost consciousness. Loss of blood plus the sudden pain of being thrown upon her wound made her lost consciousness. Dyaus noted it absentmindedly as he tried to frantically think of some way to appease the werewolf. Or at least draw the man away from Corrine. Mumbling to himself the man hefted his staff and created a wall of flames between the wolf and Corrine. He was unable to exclude Max, though he was careful to make sure the flames would not harm the woman. "I would rather not harm anyone." The words ran with truth, though Dyaus doubted the wolf would realize that.

When Max moved away from Corrine to Izo, she looked down at the mess of blood on her hand and shirt, before looking back towards Max. They had a serious problem. If Max didn't get help soon, she would die. When she saw Izo knock Max to the ground, Corrine frowned as she clenched her fists and moved towards them. How dare he push her down, couldn't he see how horribly injured she was!?

Corrine disregarded the man's change. She too was a freak, so it was nothing new to her. Before she could make it to Max, Dyaus blocked her path with a wall of fire. She frowned again, he couldn't leave Max there with that crazy man, why had he done that!? Then she had an idea. Corrine stepped forward, near the fire, close enough to feel the heat warming her skin at an alarming rate as she closed her eyes. How she wished she'd practiced this more before hand.

In the next moment, her appearance faded into a ghostly figure as she moved through the flames, unharmed, before returning to her solid form. She knelt beside Max with a worried look. The girl was unconscious now, and that wasn't a good sign. Looking over her shoulder, she saw no change in the werewolf and knew a fight was imminent, and though she wanted to help Dyaus, she needed to get Max to the other side of that wall. But she'd never tried to bring someone with her through an object, and quite frankly, wasn't sure it was possible.

Corrine and Max were about the same size, so lifting Max would probably prove very hard, but Corrine needed to try. Putting one arm under Max's legs and one arm behind her back, Corrine managed to stand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, trying to use her power on the both of them to move through the wall of fire.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Izo's eyes flashed to the wall of flames as they appeared. What a silly thing to do, start a fire like that inside of the Inn. A twisted smile stayed plastered across his face. Either way, this was going to end badly for them all. "But I want to hurt you," he replied to Dyaus as his claws seemed to grow. Then something caught his eye. Corrine was moving through the fire. That was interesting, but even more so what caught his interest, was the realization that she must have been the reason Dyaus put up that wall of fire in the first place.

The Izo Max had known was lost for the time being, consumed with rage, a problem that he had from time to time. His eyes flashed again to Dyaus as his smile widened. In the next moment, his super speed had him standing in front of Corrine, smiling wickedly down at her. Grabbing her by the collar, he jerked her to the side, causing her to drop Max, before stepping over the body and moving to stand in front of Dyaus, towing Corrine along with him.

"I'm going to destroy you," he said to Dyaus, "and I'm going to start by destroying the things you care most about." By that time he had hold of Corrine's arm, and his grasp was growing ever tighter until suddenly, his claws speared through the soft flesh of her upper arm, causing her to scream out in pain as his smile grew wider. The only person who could pull him out of this now was Max, and unless Dyaus could do something to wake her, their odds were starting to look really grim.

Events unfolded too quickly for Dyaus to come up with. His heart stopped as the other man caught Corrine in his claws. Amber eyes wide, he thought frantically of something, anything, that might help avert this disaster. The man simply couldn't lose Corrine after finally meeting her. Thoughts flying trough every glimpse he<d had of Izo, he remember suddenly and clearly the reason why this attack had begun in the first place. The orange haired woman, that Max ... She was the key to this werewolf!

Moving with a magically enhanced speed, the mage ran to Max's side and rolled her onto her stomach. The man was tired already from all his energy going into that wall of fire. It would take everything he had to save Max from the brink of death. Glancing over at Corrine with an anguished expression, he knew that this was their only hope. Quickly placing his hands on the woman`s back, he bent his will to her healing.

Under such ministrations, Max's back healed quickly though a few scars would remain. Her brown eyes fluttered open and a low moan escaped her as she looked around blearily. Then she was standing and throwing herself upon Izo`s back with an angry yell. "Let her go! Izo! Listen to me, this isn't you... Don't you remember?" Letting go of the werewolf, she scrambled to face him squarely. If she was quick enough, Max would leap forward to place a kiss on the angered werewolf's lips. It was the only thing she could think of that might get trough to him, when words didn't seem to work one iota.

When Dyaus disappeared, Izo laughed cynically. Running like a coward, of course. His claws began to retract slowly, moving back through Corrine's arm as she yelled out again. When they were free, she dropped to the ground, clutching her arm as she fought back tears of pain. Izo reached down and grabbed onto her shirt, lifting her to her feet. "You're coming with me until you're friend decides to show his face again."

Then something slammed into the back of him causing him to release Corrine. When the person moved to stand in front of him, he found himself looking into the familiar eyes of his Max, but they weren't familiar to him now. When she kissed him, he began to kiss her back until the kiss became more of an aggressive attack. His arm moved up around her waist to keep her from pulling away and when he stopped kissing her, his eyes showed no change. She hadn't gotten through to him after all.

He grinned wickedly down at her. "So that fool healed you. It seems you're both important." Glancing over to Corrine, he decided he would keep the one who hadn't been injured, as she seemed to have a thing for him anyway. Winking at Corrine, he knelt down to pull Max over his shoulder before kicking his werewolf speed into high gear and disappearing into another part of the Inn where he would hold this girl captive, torturing her slowly until Dyaus came to her rescue, at which point, he would kill them all.

For a hopeful moment, she actually thought the man kissing her was the Izo she knew. Max was quickly disillusioned though as the kiss became far too aggressive. Though, even if Izo hadn't put an arm around her she wouldn't have run. There had to be a way to break trough to him... Fear had no place in the heart of someone bent completely and utterly on one simply task. Getting trough that thick skull of his was going to be hard, but Max was stubborn. More then stubborn, she was determined and even just a little angry.

Especially when the werewolf slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground again, Max glared at Izo with her hands on her hips. Then, with a deep bracing breath, she punched him squarely on the jaw with the ease of what martial arts practice she had. "You're really getting on my nerves! Snap out of it already so we can figure a way out of this Inn." Annoyance, more then anything else, dripped from Max's velvety voice.

Meanwhile, Dyaus had scrambled over to Corrine's side the moment Izo had captured Max. Pouring what energy he had left into healing the young woman, he sighed softly. Pulling himself close to her, Dyaus closed his amber eyes. "I'm glad you're safe Corrine." And he truly was. She was the first person in a terribly long time that he cared for. More importantly, she was the one who had inspired him to change despite the shortness of their acquaintance.

"Wait!" Corrine tried to say to Izo, but it was too late. He had already disappeared with Max. Looking to Dyaus, tears filled her eyes as she held onto her injured arm, not so much from the pain, but from the fear of what might happen to that poor girl. When Dyaus reached out to heal her, she watched in amazement. Had that been how Max had been healed? Probably.

Admiring the spot where she had been hurt, Corrine couldn't believe it. The wounds were gone entirely, no pains, not even a scar. The only blood that lingered was the blood that managed to get on her white t-shirt, other than that, her skin was perfectly clear. She blinked up at Dyaus. "That's amazing," she said before realizing Dyaus looked completely drained. "Thank you, Dyaus," she replied. Then her thoughts fled to Max and Izo as worry filled her again.

"Dyaus, we need to find them, that guy is bad news and I have a bad feeling something awful is going to happen," she said as she moved to stand. Putting her hands under one of his arms, she pulled, trying to help him to his feet. "I have a feeling we don't have a lot of time."

~~~*~~~*~~~

Izo found himself in front of a set of stairs that lead down to a door. Descending them, he pushed the door open to find a dim and grimy cellar, perfect. Moving to around crates and other objects, Izo put Max down to look around the room. He wasn't worried about her running, he was at least twice as fast as she'd ever be. He spotted exactly what he was looking for before the girl started to speak.

He turned his head to look down at her, just as she punched him. The punch hadn't even made Izo flinch, instead it had only pissed him off even worse. Glaring down at her in disgust, Izo reached up and backhanded her, hard enough to send her to the floor. There was a good chance he'd busted her lip, but he had already turned to collect the chair and rope instead of waiting to see. He didn't care, he planned to kill her anyway.

Making his way back, he set the chair beside her, reaching down to yank her to her feet, before pushing her into the chair. His face was expressionless now as he worked to tie her to the chair with little effort. "Just sit still," he said, "You're only making this harder on yourself." When he was finished, he stepped back, staring down at her with another twisted smile. "It's only a matter of time now before your boyfriend shows up, and I kill you both," he said cynically. "Now go ahead and yell for help so he knows where to come, and you'll do it if you know what's good for you."

Words blurred together as Dyaus tried to listen to what Corrine said. Even with her help he had a hard time standing up. All he could seem to focus on was the fact that the Inn seemed to have broken down, or a part of it anyway. That sense of frightening menace was gone now. Instead a loving, welcoming presence seemed to be pushing Dyaus forward, urging him on and lending him what strength he needed. Was this then, what remained of his friends?

That was a question for later. The sudden image of Izo and Maz filled his mind, and probably Corrine's too. There was a pull coming from below, where the two probably were. It was enough to guide them. "The Inn's changed.... It will help us find them." As Dyaus spoke the words, he was certain they were true.

--------------

She didn't scream when he hit her. Max had kind of been expecting it. She let herself fall limply to the floor, and didn't move or struggle as Izo moved to tie her up. With every second she was becoming just a little bit more frightened, just as her determination grew. What a trial! For someone who'd always wanted adventure, this was certainly it. In reality, this situation was a little more then Maxine could handle. Though ... Maybe she was enjoying the adrenalin rushing trough her veins just a little bit.

A laugh escaped her as the werewolf called Dyaus her boyfriend. "You've got to be kidding me! Him, my boyfriend? No way, you're insulting yourself by saying that. C'mon Izo, I thought we were going out. " Well they hadn't necessarily discussed the matter, it had seemed like a silent agreement. It was obvious enough to Max anyway. The guy must really have been angry, or out of it, to forget about her.

Max's words fell on deaf ears. The Izo she knew was lost in the darkness, and this Izo was pissed off that she wasn't listening. He leaned down to her level in the chair she was tied to, giving the ropes a harsh tug to tighten them, hoping to add to her discomfort level. As hard as he tugged, Max would surely have rope burns in various places if she hadn't formed any already.

"I warned you," he said simply, referring to when he told her to yell for her friends. In the next moment, Izo shoved a razor sharp claw into Max's shoulder. "Now scream!" he yelled as he did it. If she didn't, he would pull the claw out of her shoulder and proceed to add one with the next stab.

Wincing at the sudden cutting of her bounds, the young woman finally realized that this was not the man she knew. Well, she didn't know Izo all that well in the first place. That fact was becoming all the more obvious because of the current events. What did she really know about him? That thought brought tears to her eyes, when nothing else had.

Then Izo was stabbing at her with his claws. With tears falling down her face, Maxine managed to stop from screaming. No, instead she let out sharp breaths and small whimpers. She wouldn't scream. If she couldn't save Izo from himself, then Max was determined to make sure the others were safe. Or at least, that Dyaus had some time to recover. She remembered how exhausted he'd looked after healing her.

Frowning down at Max, Izo's face showed obvious annoyance. Didn't she realize he could kill her and still find and kill the others? He just wanted them all in the same room so they could see it together. After-all that's what friendship is for. The thought brought a twisted smile to his face. Slowly, Izo pulled the claw from her shoulder. "I'm going to enjoy killing you and then going after your friends. I'm only sad that they couldn't be here to see this." His smile faded as he shoved four of the claws into her shoulder. If she didn't start screaming now, the next stab would be into her heart.

Whimpering softly, Max shook her head vehemently. No, there was no way she would die at his hands. She wouldn't let Izo kill her! He was her friend, and he was definitely not in his right mind. Then she felt unbearable pain rip trough her, making the young woman scream involuntarily. Blood seeped slowly from her wounds as she forced herself to quiet down. Sweat made strands of orange stick to Max's teary cheeks as she looked up to Izo. "Kiss me again before you kill me. Then, when you're yourself again you'll have a last memory of me that's relatively happy. Filthy bastard, why did you do this to me?" Her words were wracked with sobs, and the last sentence made nearly no sense at all. Max was so angry with herself! If it had been anyone but Izo, she would have been fighting tooth and nail to free herself. But as it was, the young woman didn't want to hurt him, even if it meant being hurt in return.

((I know what will snap Izo out of it, but I want you to figure it out :P Lol One of two things could snap him out of it. If your characters don't figure it out in the next few posts I'll tell you! Teeheehee :angel:))

Corrine was following close behind Dyaus, who seemed to have more of an idea where they were headed than she. She was certain that Izo couldn't have gotten too far, when she heard a scream. "Dyaus!" she said as the sound made her worried, but happy at the same time, to know the girl was still alive. The scream was close, very close. But there were so many doors everywhere. She looked to Dyaus, hoping he would know where to go.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Another twisted smile formed on Izo's face when Max screamed. When she spoke, he looked at her questioningly. In the next moment, he pulled the claws from her shoulder, letting them retract back into place as he frowned down at her. She wanted him to kiss her? This girl was kinky. But hey, if that's what she wanted, Izo would be glad to have his way with her before he killed her. Twisted thoughts formed as he decided to wait until the other two arrived.

(( Oh great ... I have absolutely no idea you know. XD))

A sense of urgency pushed Dyaus towards the doors on the left side of the hall. Somewhere down there, that was where the two were. If only they could reach them before Max died at Izo's hands! To think that all of this was his fault. This wasn't the first time friends had put their lives on the line or Dyaus. That was how the Inn had come about in the first place. "Try the doors on the left side Corrine. The Inn can't seem to find out which one exactly, but it's on this side!" Frantically leaping into action, the male began pulling open every door.

--------------

Letting out another small scream as Izo pulled his nails from her flesh, the young woman slumped forward. Her eyes fluttered open and closed as tears fell. She looked like a mess, and felt like one too. This wasn't the first time she'd lost blood that night, even if she had been healed after the last. That meant that less was within her then usual, and it was taking a terrible toll on the young woman. Max found herself wanting to just give up, and let darkness over take her. But ... She couldn't, not before she knew Izo was back to normal! Despite that want, her body did not want to cooperate. Shuddering, Max smiled wryly while fighting to stay awake. "You i-idiot Izo, I already lost a lot of blood earlier." She supposed that want wouldn't happen.

Nodding in response to Dyaus' orders, Corrine began pulling open doors with no luck, until finally she found herself standing in front of a set of stairs that descended to what was probably a cellar door. That had to be it. It had creepy psycho guy written all over it. Another scream confirmed her assumptions as she hurried down the stairs, calling to Dyaus over her shoulder, "Over here!"

Flinging the door open, Corrine gasped at the site of Max slumped forward in the chair she was tied to, blood running down the front of her shirt. Then she frowned, as she clenched her fists. "What have you done!?" she yelled angrily as she rushed to Max, lifting her head to see that she was still breathing as she pushed orange hair from the girls face. A relieved sigh left her as she turned, hoping Dyaus was right behind her to heal Max again.

Before her hands even had the chance to release Max, she felt felt someone grab onto the back of shirt as she was lifted to her feet to stare up at Izo. Anger overcame her. "Who do you think you are?" she shoved him, "You can't just go around beating up on helpless girls, why don't you pick on someone your own size!?" She knew it was a little cliche, but she was angry and nothing else came to mind.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Izo sneered. He didn't know who she was calling an idiot, he was the one in control here and she was the one going to die. Izo turned when he heard the door open, surprised to see Corrine before Dyaus, but none the less, happy they had finally decided to join his murderous fest. His eyes followed Corrine angrily as she moved to Max, not hesitating to lift her away from the girl. In the next moment, he grabbed Corrine by the front of the shirt and threw her, watching as her body hit the floor and slid into a stone pillar. He then focused his eyes on the door. It was Dyaus that he wanted to get his hands on first.

It was so frustrating! Every door led to another room, another empty area or unlikely place. He might not have really known Max, but he still felt horrid for all of this. The Inn had drawn them in, and the Inn had wreaked so much havoc between them all! The white haired male shuffled from yet another empty room to another when he heard calling for him. Moving quickly, he slipped into the doorway behind her.

It was a hard task, keeping up with Corrine when he was so exhausted. Dyaus barely had enough energy to function, let alone heal anyone! So when he stepped trough the door at the bottom of the narrow stairs, he sighed. Panic ran trough the man upon seeing Corrine, but he did not let it show. If he used any more magic he would die. That was the price of going over one's limits. "You can have me if you'll set them free." That was the only thing he could do. Dyaus would not let the two young women die for something he had caused, whether directly or not. His amber eyes shone with his determination for this to be so.

------------

Max sobbed when Corrine came to her side, only to scream out when Izo flung her away. Her friends, they were going to die! Dyaus was even giving himself up for them. "Izo I love you, but you've turned into a monster! I can't ... I just can't ..." She couldn't deal with him, not like this. She was on her deathbed and she was saying that she could not love a man who tried to kill her. How wonderful. Maxine had never imagined she'd end up dying in such a strange situation. A man she barely knew, but who had captured her heart was going to kill her. Blood soaked her shirt, and it was all she could see at the moment. Her head was slumped forward, and her whole demeanor was that of someone who had given up.

Izo didn't really care for her. How could he, when he was about to kill her?

Corrine felt her body being flung through the room. She was in motion with no way to stop it. She hit the ground on her side and didn't stop until she slid into a stone pillar. Her head hit and it sent a sharp pain down through her ears and into her back. She tried to look towards the group, but her vision blurred and before she knew it, she was unconscious.

~~~*~~~*~~~

'I love you... I love you... I love you....' The words echoed in Izo's ears. He blinked down at Max as the blackness faded from his eyes. The fur that had appeared on his body disappeared, and he shrunk back to his normal size. "Max?" He knelt down in front of her, lifting her chin so that he could look her in the eyes. "Max, what happened here?" he asked with great concern. Unfortunately, Izo's mind didn't allow him to remember the awful things that happened each time he snapped and changed. His heart seemed to wrench as he had the idea that this was his doing. As he reached down to untie her, he prayed that she would say otherwise.

Dyaus rushed to Corrine's side the moment he knew that Izo had returned to himself. Cradling the young woman close, he checked her skull and sighed in relief when he realized that she was safe. Safe and sound in an Inn gone good. Slumping against the wall, Dyaus let his eyes close. Everything was going to be perfectly fine. They would leave the Inn, but he couldn't. It was the only place he'd known for years ... But those were thoughts for later, after he'd rested.

-------

A sob of relief escaped Max when Izo lifted her chin. His eyes, they weren't black anymore! The silver haired male was himself again! But, all of that relief was tempered by what he had done, and the sudden onslaught of fatigue which plagued Max. Her shoulder was throbbing with pain, and she was still loosing blood. The orange haired woman was like a rag doll, and fell into Izo's arms when he untied her when she tried to hug him. "You went crazy ..." It was the only thing she could say. What had happened had shaken Max and instilled within her a fear of Izo that was only just beginning to surface. She was trapped in his arms, trapped! But no, he wasn't going to hurt her , was he?

Max had confirmed what he'd feared most. Izo wanted to protect Max with his very life, but had been the one who'd almost killed her. When she fell into his arms, he held her tightly, so happy that she was still alive. "I'm so sorry Max," he managed, "I don't know why that happens." He was holding her mostly limp body close, and moved to lean her against the chair. "I can't control it," he said as he wiped the tears from her face.

Izo pulled his shirt off, ripping it into long shreds that he proceeded to wrap around Max's shoulder. "That should slow the bleeding until we can make it out of here. I'll carry you," he said, "But, I think it's best we go our separate ways, when this is all over." He hated to say it, and he wished there was another way. But Izo was dangerous, and he didn't want to end up harming Max again.

~~~*~~~*~~~

((Eh, we'll let Corrine and Dyaus rest. Lol))

"Does it happen often?" She knew he hadn't meant it ... That it hadn't even really been him. So Max shoved her fear aside with determination. Her face took on the expression as Izo whipped her tears away. Sighing a little, the drained young woman let her weight rest against the chair as her brown eyes traveled over Izo. It was so hard to believe that this man had been that monster. It was like some strange fair tale.

Upon hearing that he wanted them to go separate ways, Max cried out. "No! If you think that after all this I'm going to let you walk away from me, you're a fool. Didn't you hear me say that I love you?" It appeared that despite her wounds and lack of energy, Max still had some spunk left.