Hell on Earth

[Iƪƪia]

The darkness. It was always easier to hide in the darkness. People naturally feared it. They wouldn't willingly travel outside at night, and when they did they simply went directly to wherever they had to go. Those who thrived in the darkness depended upon this. They would be able to safely conduct their business, unseen, under the veil of darkness.

This town, however, was quite different. Daylight and there was virtually no activity on the streets. This could prove to be an even bigger advantage. Much like they feared the dark, humans felt safe in the light. People just don't get hurt in broad daylight. Because of this, there was no reason to worry, no need to be on guard.

This was what Hendrix was depending on as he rested one hand on the side of a building, smiling down at the girl in front of him, her back against the wall. She continuously bit her lip nervously, blushing every time she met his gaze. They stood at the far end of an alley, away from the main street. After all, Hendrix was confident but he wasn't stupid enough to do this right in the middle of the street.

"So... You like my music?" He asked casually.

She glanced into his eyes momentarily before looking back down at her feet and saying quietly, "Yeah... You're really good."

He only nodded, glancing down the alley. She was such an impressionable chick. Probably never got much attention from mom and dad. He had just met her a few days ago in a coffee shop a few towns over and after only about an hour of talking, he had managed to convince her that it'd be good for her to get away from her parents; away from her town. It was actually even a surprise to him when he found out that she had already taken his advice and fled. That was precisely why it had taken him awhile to locate her again. And he found her in an old, backwater town miles away from any well-known cities.

It was a bit of a travel, but of course he'd go after her. After all, it was because of him that she left home. He now felt obligated to take care of her.

"Ya know, you've got really pretty hair," He said, running his free hand through her long, blond locks.

"Oh, th-thanks..." She stammered, blushing madly.

"Yeah... Actually," He began, chuckling at her discomfort, "I have a thing for blonds."

"Oh..." Was her only response as she raised a hand and began nervously twirling her hair.

He placed his other hand against the wall on the other side of her, blocking her escape. When he lowered his head to her eye level, his expression was completely serious. "Mm... I think... That we should do something."

There was a sharp intake of breath as she froze and stared at him. "R-really?" She whispered before swallowing nervously, "Like... Like what..?"

He only smiled in response, watching her hungrily.

For some reason, he always found the naive ones to be the most fun. And this girl was as good as they came. Giving up her life after just a few gentle persuasions. And after that she had fled right into a town infested with vampires, of all things. Hell, she probably didn't even believe in mythical creatures like most of the other humans on this planet. Though he couldn't understand how they could be so stupid. Take the vampires, for instance, they gave off such a disgusting scent... Like decaying flesh. How could humans not notice?

Well, he decided that it was best not to question it.

With that, he walked casually out of the alley, whistling a cheerful tune. As he adjusted the guitar case strapped onto his back he looked up and down the street, wondering if there was anymore fun to be had around here. He was rolling some object around in his mouth as he began to trot down the street, looking around at the shops.

Catching sight of himself in one of the windows, he stopped and walked closer to his reflection where he then busied himself with putting several rogue strands of hair back into their places. Finishing this task, he frowned at the window, apparently having decided that the item in his mouth didn't taste good at all.

Turning his head, he spat the white, spherical object out, where it rolled for a short distance before coming to a stop against the wall of the building. Hendrix looked at the blue circle on the top of the object for a moment before turning back to the window to inspect his teeth, momentarily wondering if different colored irises tasted any different.

[Oren]

Yama looked down upon the couple twenty feet below. He sighed. So Hendrix was now playing with that girl he had come all this way for, 'dragging' Yama with him. She was such a naive and fragile thing. He couldn't see Hendrix's obsession with the vulnerable ones. It was such a waste of time and effort, not that the vain Nocturne actually tried half the time. Most girls he went after were a piece of cake that he had eaten by midnight, sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically, sometimes both. It was almost disgusting to watch him flirting with a girl and then tearing her to pieces. But, he would always tell himself, he had done much worse... much, much worse. Being an assassin was always a dirty job, so he couldn't condemn someone because they kill for joy.

After all, he killed for money. Still does.

Lifting a small apple to his mouth, he took a large bite. Mmm. Fruit was so enjoyable. Much better than anything his species would originally eat. Some were juicy and crunchy and others were soft and savory, all without the messy blood to deal with. Blood was so ... so hard to clean off soft surfaces, too. Frowning at the apple, he tossed it away and watched as it rolled from the roof. Closing his ears momentarily, he listened closely. When the sound he was listening for didn't reach his ears, he glared at Hendrix and the random blond. They were being too loud. Then again, maybe it was just his hearing picking up more than he wanted it to. Either way, their sounds had been louder than the soft thump that the apple would have made when it hit the hard dirt below. Literally, the apple had still made that wonderful thump, he had simply not been able to hear it. What a pity. Natural sounds were so pretty...

Sighing, he walked over to the edge of the roof to see Hendrix slowly walking away from a mutilated body with bloodied blond hair, now covered with hungry Nocturnni. So the deed was done. Finally! Maybe they could get out of this vampire-infested town and go find a better place to live, or at least a safer place to say at for a few nights. He was definitely not sleeping in or near this town! That was asking to die! Only an idiot like that blond would live here.

Smirking, he stood from the chimney and launched himself in the air, landing next to Hendrix as he was studying himself in a window. He shook his head as he straightened. He could never understand why he traveled with such a self absorbed guy. Oh wait. Yes he did. It was amusing.

Raising his eyebrows at the small sphere now rolling across the ground was simply for his own benefit. He didn't really want Hendrix to explain. He knew exactly what was the matter: the iris was the wrong color. It was one of those sour ones. He always hated when that happened. You would find a supposedly good tasting part only to find out that it was too sour or too salty or something to that effect. It was truly annoying, though it seemed to completely not effect how Hendrix was acting.

A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Unconsciously stepping into the shadows, he watched as a short, pretty girl exited a shop from along the row of buildings. It was a cafe, if he wasn't mistaken, which he usually wasn't. Pointedly bumping Hendrix in the shoulder, he pointed towards her. It wasn't often that a girl of her age was walking out in the middle of no where for no reason.

"A girl," he said. Inhaling, he caught her scent on the soft wind that plagued the darkness. "A Phoenix." Taking in another breath filled with her scent, he smiled. "A scared Phoenix..." He slowly smiled, knowing Hendrix had just found his next target. What a fickle guy. It was just too hilarious! Glancing at the Nocturne, he asked himself a question, more for Hendrix's sake than his own. "Now, what would a small, frightened Phoenix be doing on the streets of a vampire's town all alone under the blanket of night? I wonder..."

Was he really that curious? Not particularly. Did Hendrix need the bait? No, but he offered it anyway. While he couldn't understand the Nocturne's fascination with girls, he still found it amusing how he went from one to the other without a second thought. The man's pool was so shallow it wasn't even a puddle. It didn't even make the ground soggy. He chuckled and slowly started towards the girl.

[areyna]

Areyna stared at her only exit from the quite vacant café at this time of hour. It was late, very late, and very dark outside. She was hesitant to leave the light of the café to the unknown shadowy streets waiting for her. Though, the emptiness of the café complemented the creepiness of the night and the specific reason why she’d rather not stay. She knew coming alone was a bad idea. She knew her anxiety would sky rocket, her attentiveness increased higher than it should. Or was being over cautious the right move to take in a town like this? She held her locket close to her chest. How completely irresponsible of her to have left it here. She should have been more careful. But she couldn’t leave it alone unattended for a whole day. She had to come back to retrieve her special trinket after leaving it there in the first place during the morning. They only piece of her parents she had left, she had to come back. Except, it would’ve been wise to tag along with a friend instead of acting impulsively, going alone. She knew Nami wouldn’t think twice about coming along, though she was so exhausted today. She knocked out cold once her head hit her soft pillow. Areyna couldn't force herself to wakimg Nami up…she needed rest and Areyna preferred she didn’t disturb. Skyler and Areon would have come also, but it was prohibited for a girl to enter the boy’s dorm late at night. Plus, they failed to answer their phone. Her remaining option was to head over herself which now she began to regret.

She didn’t know why she felt this way but a knot formed in her stomach, she felt a little sick. All the more motivated to return back to her safe little dorm under the protection of her covers dreaming the hours of darkness away. In order to accomplish her goal she would have to move instead of standing behind the door like a nervous puppy. Breathing in a gust of confidence she willed her legs budge forward stretching her right arm out pushing the door open. It swung shut behind her leaving a small breeze as it closed. She breathed again a tiny cloud formed from her mouth due to tonight’s chilly air. Searching her surrounding she notices how empty the town was compared with the café. The fact made sense for how late it was. Here and there would she spot movement of a person gliding down the streets. Now she herself was a wander on the streets recapping her steps. The possibility of losing her direction frightened her more than being alone. What a nightmare that would be. Just the thought picked her feet up from its normal pace. Then, abruptly, she stopped. An icy shiver ran up her spine with vengeance. She felt them. Eyes, eyes staring straight at her. Her hands quivered, her heart pumping it way to her throat. She paused her emotions for a second to consider she was overreacting. She had a tendency to do so often yet no matter how hard she tried to convince herself the feeling in her stomach grew stronger. What in the world would someone want with her? Why would they be watching her?

She barely knew anyone outside of her friend and cousins. Why couldn’t she have waited to come when the sun shone light instead of the moon casting shadows? Here it comes the anxiety, here it come the worry, panic and questions. She placed a hand over her mouth. All the mixed emotions churned her stomach threatening to release today’s dinner. They eyes, they did not cease its glare on her back. She felt terribly uncomfortable debating whether to look back. Should I? Should I? Is this a smart thing do? Again her stomach protested yet in the end she slowly turned her body laying eyes the one who stared.Her blue eyes widened and the color in her face flushed as the stranger, unhesitant, stalked toward her.

[Iƪƪia]

Having decided his appearance was perfect, Hendrix now focused his attention on a single strand of hair and was compulsively shifting it from one side to the other, trying to decide on which side it looked better. It was perfect either way, but on which side was it even more perfect? He was so consumed with this task that he didn't even bother to look up as Yama, his self-proclaimed traveling companion, landed upon the sidewalk next to him.

Finally deciding that his left side was better, he set his hair just so before straightening up and adjusting his jacket so that it too was just right.

"Done showing off?" He asked, still not taking his eyes off of his reflection.

It was a strange situation, traveling alongside someone. It was something Hendrix wasn't accustomed to at all. Though it wasn't like this was entirely new. There were always those people who had tried to follow him. Girls mostly. Groupies in love with him and his music. But this was different. The cat knew exactly who he was.

Throughout his long life anyone who realized just what Hendrix was had either stayed out of his way or died. Yama did neither. What's more, he chose to travel with this ungodly good-looking monster of his own free will. At first, Hendrix was sure the guy was a freak, but now he knew that he was only partly right.

The cat was an assassin, wasn't he? That means he's probably seen things that were far worse than what Hendrix had done. Hell, he probably did things that were way worse! In some weird way, he must be used to seeing stuff like that. Although, Hendrix was still unsure about why the cat seemed to have an obsession with him. Yeah, Hendrix was cool, but didn't the cat have anything better to do?

Well, that didn't matter much to him, anyway. After all, for some reason, he didn't seem to mind having this guy tagging along. He didn't have to keep up that facade when he was around him, and the guy would just look the other way when he was engaging in one of his... Activities. Perhaps this was why he had a respect for him. Wait... Respect? For the cat? No... Hell no! More like he respected his usefulness. He was nice enough to point out other targets for the Nocturne, and he wasn't too bad at fighting either, so he doubled as a sort of personal bodyguard if he needed one.

At a tap on the shoulder, Hendrix turned his head to follow Yama's gaze. He was looking toward a cafe and, more importantly, at the person exiting the cafe.

A girl. A cute girl, at that. And pretty young too. He was confident that she was no more than 16. He licked his lips in anticipation at that thought. He did enjoy minors, and he hadn't had one in quite some time. The fact that Yama stated that she was a phoenix only delighted him more. The human girls were getting quite boring.

Glancing back toward Yama, he didn't attempt to conceal his satisfied grin.

"Good point. We should go make sure that she's safe."

Turning on his heel, he sauntered over to her, smiling pleasantly. The closer he got, the more obvious it was that she was completely unnerved about being in this town after dark. Not that he could blame her. The town was infested with vampires. Couple that with a natural fear of the dark and... Poor kid. He had better go comfort her.

"Excuse me... Miss?" He called, stopping a few feet from her, "Hey... I was just wondering if you were all right? You know, it's dangerous to be out alone after dark." Clasping his hands behind his back, he focused on appearing as non-threatening as possible, "It should be a crime for someone as pretty as you to be out all by herself, anyway."

Normally, he would have come on much stronger than that, but this girl appeared to be even more insecure as that blond he had just been playing with. Not to mention that this girl was a phoenix, and right now she looked as though she would fly away at any minute.

[Oren]

Yama smirked and stopped trailing Hendrix. What was the point? The girl was going to be freaked out just by one of them talking to her. Why rush her at once? The night was young. Very young. Which meant... He glanced around from side to side, looking for something. When he saw it, he smiled. Walking towards it then lightly picking it up, he studied the bruised apple. Maybe... would it have the same effect falling from a shorter distance? He had never tried before. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he raised the apple above his head before allowing it to slip from ins fingers. His closed eyes and open ears awaited the sound, and when the perfect thumb echoed its sound throughout the corridors of his mind, he smiled slightly. That was more like it.

Now in a slightly better mood, not that he had been upset before, he walked over to Hendrix and the girl, hearing him finish his pick-up line. What a cheap phrase. It was obvious that he was hitting on her. She seemed to not really care about his fancy words, and the nervous look on her face invoked Yama to comment.

"He looks scary, I know, but he's a nice guy if you appease him..."

He let his words fade into the night. Was Hendrix really a nice guy? No. Was he remotely decent towards you if you 'appeased' him? No, you were typically dead by the time he was appeased. Would he tolerate you, bad-mouth you, and mostly just ignore you if you were quite useful? Yeah. That was his version of 'friendship'. It was more of a mutual understanding. Yama could get all the amusement out of Hendrix's relationships and would... eh, what did it matter? It was simply a mutual understanding. Who really cared what exactly they understood? It was what it was. That was that, not to mention it was all that mattered.

Turning his attention back to the girl, he smiled charmingly. After all, why shouldn’t he see just how good he was? He hadn’t tested it in a while, and it wasn’t like Hendrix was going to lose a girl to him. Hendrix always got the girl. His reckless ways always attracted the girls, and if Yama was completely honest with himself, he wasn’t the least bit interested in girls. He just thought it was slightly odd that he didn’t like either gender, male or female. Therefore he never really dwelled on the fact, preferring to amuse himself with the endless drama that surrounded his ‘companion’. It was a dangerous game to play, hanging around the Nocturne, but he had been given a good hand, so why not gamble?

Putting a hand on Hendrix’s shoulder like a good friend would, he laughed in a friendly way, not betraying anything that he knew was on Hendrix’s mind or the thoughts that plagued his own. Of course he would get it later for acting so ‘friendly’ towards the Nocturne, but it was helping his image. He just hoped he could explain that to Hendrix before being reprimanded too badly.

He made sure his tone was light and friendly when he continued. “But Hendrix, here, brings up a good point. Why are you here by yourself? There are creatures here that could kill you. It’s a dangerous place to be at night.”

Did he mention, or even hint, that they were among the dangerous ones? Nope! Not a chance! An assassin could lie through their teeth any day, any time, any where, to anyone. It was their job, and Yama did his especially well. Though he wasn’t obsessed like the many other killers he knew. The reason he had become an assassin was to study the workings of life versus death. Growing up, he had always wondered what made something living. Was it the precious blood that ran through a creature’s body? Was it water? Was it food? None of this made someone alive. It simply sustained the spark that was already there. That was why he studied it. He would watch as Hendrix killed people and creatures alike, studying what exactly was the cause of their death. He had taken classes as apart of his training that showed the vital organs of a Human body. Then he had gone on to study the vital organs in animals, and finally to the ‘mythical’ creatures. None of this had helped in his search, and he had almost given up.

Then he met Hendrix. Hendrix had been such a crazed person, more obsessed with death than any other creature he had ever seen before or since. He had seen opportunity. He had seen the possibility of accomplishing his task, of answering his question. Has he found it? Not yet. He wasn’t even sure if he would ever know, but he was willing to bet his life that Hendrix was apart of the process. In fact, he had already made that bet; it was a risk he was willing to take.

[areyna]

O no, o no, o no. Closer he came, the stranger drawing near to hear. A shadow moved. What was that? Areyna’s eyes left the one figure landing on a second. Her heart picked up. There are two. Why does there have to be two, she whined to herself. No I don’t want to talk. Go away. Go away please. Yet, her silent please were useless in the moment, that’s all they were, silent and unheard. Closer. Closer. Only a few measly feet away, such a short, small, unwanted distance. Stop, please stop. Unconsciously her feet slowly began to descend backwards, dragging away from the strangers, heading back for the creepy café. Though, she herself was quite confused as to why she chose the creepy café as her refuge, but if it gave her the slight chance of hiding and evading these two then she didn’t mind where she was going. Left, right, left right, occasionionaly she glanced behind her to reassure there was noing to run into. She wondered if she looked foolish randomly walking backwards in the middle of town. Hopefully, the few beings crossing in and out understood her situation. Did they notice the two following?

There it was, that weird, silent, empty café. Her thoughts and senses we so scrambled she hadn’t considered hinding in the other buildings surrounding her. No, she went to what was familiar to her, what she already knew about, what she was already used to. This is how she worked. This is how she lived, with the well known. Relizing she took her attention completely from the trouble she was ecaping from, she focused in on the two strangers wishing in the end she had never looked away. Abruplty stopping she grasp how they were only inches away, literally……maybe that was overexaggerating but they are closer than before! Had she dawdled while her mind traveled elswhere? Not good, not good.She took in the two strangers, analyzing them , trying to find anything recognizable about them. Nope, nothing, she had never seen these two before. Guess they were purely strangers. The one with long wavy hair neatly brushed and put into place, spoke up first. His words were kind taking Areyna abcack for a moment. He illustrated concern in his voice, concern for her safty yet why was he worried? Who was he? Has she met him before, did she forget? It’s horrible to forget about someone you’ve met even if only once. She decided to finally speak, her silence resulted in uncomfprtable air.

“O-oh, umm…” She studdered “I’ I’m alright, umm, I know I’ll make it back safe but-“

Her eyes which unconscously fell to the floor brought themselves up to look into the strangers. She blinked, breathed and blinked again. Did he just call her pretty? Her blues eyes were big were and round, the unexpected complement brought forth a warm wave of red to her cheecks. She took her eyes off of his once more turning her head to the side attempting to distract herself with the surrounding building.

“Th-th-thank you, ummm…sir.” She really never did acquire complements so well, even though they were words of kindess she could’t help but blush or studder and get all nerrvous from the attention.

A voice spoke breaking her awkward moment. She followed the sound landing upon the second stanger whom folllowed the first. In all honesty she had utterly forgotten about the other being standing there so quietly, until now that is. Just like the first man she took in the appearance of the new one. He was oriental she could tell thet much, just like her. His words settled into her skull though she said nothing, if she as so much tried to converse anymore her words would scramble like they always have. Though, the next question leaving from the foreigner’s tounge was a question pure quiet could not answer. She fidgeted with the locket, the cause of her problematic night. It swayed back and forth rubbing the golden chain against one another creating a barely audible clanking sound. At last, she held the locket up for the men to see, again the neckalace vibrated within her shaking hands.

“I left this in a café during the morning. I came back to retrieve it because now was my only chance too……”

Once more she regretted her irresponsibility. Grabbing both ends her special trinket she pleced her hands behing her neck interlocking the ends together letting the jewelry fall. Out of habit she bowed to the gentlemen speaking as she completed her gesture.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, but now I have to go.”

The last half of the sentence trampled over eachother in rush. In one smoothe movement Areyna rounded a one eighty power walking across the strrets of the town in her desperation to escape from the strangers. She tried to make her intention unobvious though she was positive her effort at secrecy was futile.

(OOC: Im so sorry this took so painfully long!!!! I've been so busy, its horrible!!! )

[Iƪƪia]

The moment the girl took her eyes off of them, Hendrix shrugged off Yama's hand, giving him a quick, annoyed sideways glance. Just what the **** was that about? That stupid cat should know better than to interrupt him. What's more, he should know by now to avoid any physical contact with him. There were only several instances where Hendrix would tolerate someone touching him... And none of them involved another guy.

He turned back to the girl just as she stuttered some response to their questions before turning on her heel and hurrying down the street. It was obvious that she was trying to get away from them. She did seem scared to death... And even after he had acted so nice toward her. Perhaps she just wasn't used to that kind of attention.

"Maybe I came on too strong..." He muttered to himself.

Taking a step in the direction that his girl had run in, he looked back toward Yama, giving him a glare that said 'I just know this was somehow your fault.' Just who the **** did he think he was?! No one interfered in Hendrix's "business." Well, he'd take care of him later. With a shrug, he then turned away and watched the girl's retreating form.

"Oh, c'mon, babe!" He whined, knowing full well that she couldn't possibly hear him, "Don't be like that..."

Letting his words trail off, he continued to watch her as she only got farther and farther away. It almost appeared as though he was simply letting her get away. Or perhaps he was just waiting for her to realize how stupid it was to run from a guy as gorgeous as he was and come running back. Whatever it looked like, there was only one truth, and that was that he wasn't planning on letting her escape.

A tremor went through his body. Barely a second later, he was gone, appearing to have become invisible. Nothing remained to give away his position, save for an obscure shadow upon that ground that was only visible due to the pale light of the moon.

Once in the Shadow Plane, Hendrix immediately sped off toward the girl, his surroundings becoming nothing more than a mesh of indistinct hues of gold. Here he was able to travel at a speed far greater than any normal Earth creature could, and even better, there was nothing to slow him down. It wasn't as if he could run into anything.

He soon sensed the girl just above him on the main plane. So she thought she could get away so easily? No one just walks away from Hendrix. And he decided he was going to teach her that as he shifted back onto the other plane, materializing right in front of the girl.

[Oren]

As suspected, Hendrix almost immediately shrugged off his hand and gave him a death glare, unnoticed by the girl. This was good. Such a statement did depend on one's perception of 'good', but in this case it was so. At least the girl wasn't reeling backward in fright like he had seen some do. Sure, she was probably scared, but that was simple because of the nighttime backdrop. Hopefully he had succeeded in giving Hendrix and himself a decent first impression. Knowing the Nocturne, he would probably shatter that within the next few minutes. So why did he even try? Why did he create thin ice in front of the blundering oaf? That was simple. Sometimes Hendrix actually didn't break it, didn't mess up the thin strands that had been carefully thought through and placed. Whether by purpose or accident Yama knew not, but what did it matter? If something was done on purpose or by accident, it still happened, did it not?

With growing amusement, he watched as the girl quickly answered their questions before turning and walking off as fast as she could. Somehow, he almost found her actions cute.

He took his time in following, still walking fast but not so fast as to catch up to her before Hendrix did. Then again, he reasoned as the Nocturne almost vanished into his own realm, that task would be impossible. Keeping his pace, he let his mind wander. This encounter was one he wanted to see, but first, in the few seconds it would take Hendrix to reach her, he wanted to figure out why he was so intrigued this time around.

As far as he could tell, it had to do with the fact that not many girls would run from Hendrix like this one was, and even those that did run never did so out of nervous embarrassment at people talking to her. A rare girl for Hendrix to be pursuing indeed, but again, was that of any importance? No, not particularly. Yama might try to convince him to go a little slower, but not likely. Then again, something in him didn't want this poor girl to die. Typically he didn't mind the death of others. Those dumb enough to become wooed by the Nocturne were usually the scum of the earth, willing to go with anyone who knocked on the door and those that weren't scum were weak-minded and wouldn't have offered much to society. Take, for example, the idiotic blond that Hendrix had mutilated only minutes ago. She moved away from her family on a whim and, even worse, found her way into this town where she would have been killed sooner than later anyway.

This, though... this was different. She was innocent and shy, not in the least an idiot, and seemed to have quite a bit of potential if she could become detached from the shyness that made her so innocent. Then again, they shyness made her cute as well, and just because one doesn't like to be around new people doesn't nix their potential. In fact, it might even help, for there were people out there like Hendrix—the Nocturne himself was proof of that—that would tear the bold and lackadaisical to little bitty pieces... literally.

This girl, this phoenix, was different. In other words, he wasn't quite sure how this was going to end. At least she was smart enough to not trust random men, no matter how friendly they seemed...

[areyna]

Walking faster from her normal pace caused Areyna’s heart rate to pick up at the unconscious exercise. In result, adrenaline kicked in evening out her breathing in unison with her heart beat. The locket resting on her chest bounced with the jerky movements of her power walk. She never considered her night would end like this. She believed she was simply going to arrive at the town during the hours of sleep, retrieve her lost item and leave just like that. So easy, no distractions, no interruptions but horribly wrong she was. Her mind raced back to the two men, hoping with everything she had, begging and pleading that they weren’t following. O please, just let me go. I’m not important; I’m just an average, shy, little school girl. How special can I be? She thought to herself. Apparently those few characteristics were enough to seize the attention of those men. She shook her head eliminating them from her mind, repressing her fretting. Wait until she told Nami about her unfortunate night. She could already picture the curiosity gleam in her eyes, her worry replaced with the excitement of Areyna’s story yet exciting wasn’t the word fitting Areyna’s situation. She also imagined what Areon’s reaction might be like. She had a pretty good idea. His black, cold, stern eyes glaring at her speaking more of a scolding than physical words would. They would tell her how much of an idiot she was going out alone so late; his eyes narrowing, protective, once she came across the harassing from the strangers. Strangely enough, the thought brought a smile to her face. She gladly awaited her cousin’s reprimand, he cared and that was all that mattered.

The shops and other buildings around her slowly began to fade; she was lost in her cloud of thoughts, her legs moving on their own without a leader. Regrettably, her lack of attentiveness effortlessly brought her three steps away to her own demise. One…two…three…SMACK! Suddenly, everything disappeared; black replaced what should have been. Where was she? What happened! Her mind ran slow, incomprehensive to what exactly was going on. Had she run into a wall? The object remained sturdy, unmoved. Finally, her vision began to focus in a picture, defining the object as a body, leaving her, dumbfounded, staring at a chest of someone. Vigilantly, her head craned upward into a familiar face! She remembered those long perfectly wavy strands of hair. No, it was one of those men! Right there! Right in front of her! How?! How did he-?! She hadn’t escaped!? She thought for sure she had a chance!

Areyna’s eyed bulged; she jumped back accompanied with a frightened scream, her hand pushing the stranger away as she flew backwards. Her ankles twisted under her, balance left her stumbling over her own feet. It seemed time moved in slow motion from then on; falling, falling back, anticipating the painful impact a hard floor naturally gave. As she fell her elbow jammed into something, a something that wasn’t at all the material of the ground. A stomach? Before she had the slightest chance to look behind she felt the impact she awaited earlier though pain ceased to shoot up her body like she expected. Laying on what she believed was the concrete ground her eyes spotted two legs spread apart, her own in the middle. She was moving up and down in breathing like rhythm, but why was the floor moving? Taking the opportunity to glance behind she found herself lying on top of non-other than the partner in crime. He groaned slightly from the sudden fall, Areyna’s face flushed such a red she could feel her cheeks burning with the blood rushing towards them, or was her skin about to give way releasing her disguise as a human.

Quickly pushing her body of off his she bowed continuously with a never ending apology. She brought her attention to the other bowing once more with the “I’m sorry!!!” attached.

“Are you alright?” she asked the one on the concrete in a small, weak, startled voice.

What other ill-fated events does she have to encounter tonight? How much worse can they get?

[Iƪƪia]

Though his intent had been to stop her retreat, it would be a lie to claim that he hadn't been at all startled when she collided with him. If one was stupid enough to come down to a vampire-infested town alone, at night, then you'd think they would at least try to stay aware of their surroundings! But then again, if that were always true it'd make his job just a little bit harder. Maybe he shouldn't complain after all.

The startled scream that the girl let out as she jumped back, falling backwards onto the ground only served to further annoy Hendrix, and he let out a snarl despite himself. Why did they always have to be so ******* loud?! He did understand it somewhat, that they would often scream for help, but did she really think (or want) anyone from that town would hear her and come running? Probably not, which meant her screams were just a gut reaction. And that was just plain annoying.

Straightening out his jacket, he muttered a string of curses under his breath before glancing toward where the girl had fallen. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he felt another snarl begin building up in his chest. So, Yama had gotten the bright idea to follow him. Again. How ******* fantastic! The guy needed to find his own life or just drop dead. Either one would work just fine.

Although, in all honesty, Yama was actually a decent guy to hang around, even if he was rather strange. However, the fact that he was almost constantly shadowing him got to be a bit much at times. Just about the only way to get some privacy was to shift onto the Shadow Plane on a very dark night, but those were few and far between. For some reason, the guy was practically obsessed with him! That just couldn't be healthy.

Almost as suddenly as she had fallen, the phoenix-girl sprang to her feet and rapidly began bowing and apologizing to the both of them. Rolling his eyes, he just nodded impatiently. He was far too annoyed at the moment to fake a polite response. And then something quite strange happened...

Hendrix only watched with a mixture of shock and curiosity as the girl seemed to be giving more attention to Yama. Just what the **** was that about?! Did she know who he was?! Had she looked at him at all?! Hendrix was... Well, Hendrix! And Yama was... How could anyone even compare the two? Was she ******* blind?! Sure, Hendrix could be a little intimidating at times, but that never stopped a girl from giving him one of those quick, embarrassed, "Oh, I really shouldn't be attracted to you, but I can't help it" glances. And yet this girl.... Nothing! What the **** was wrong with her?!

He had to take in several deep breaths and clench his teeth together just to keep himself from growling in disgust. Then, a soft noise captured his attention. Almost forgetting his anger, he tipped his head as he listened for the sound again. There it was: a quiet, hurried sort of whisper. No, but it wasn't just one whisper. Rather there were many voices echoing inside of his head. They all spoke at once, and they were all still so quiet that it was impossible to hear them perfectly well. It almost sounded like a small gust of wind, but Hendrix knew better. He knew just what they were.

His attention turning toward the two in front of him just slightly, he suddenly became aware of his surroundings once again. Hurriedly, he hushed the voices simply by running a hand through his hair, as if he were forcing them to the back of his mind. Then, swallowing his annoyance, he once again put on that oh-so-pleasant smile of his as he quickly stepped in between Yama and the girl, focusing his attention solely on her.

"Oh, he's fine!" He assured her, dismissing her concern with a wave of his hand, "See, no harm done!"

Casting a quick glance at the town before looking back toward her, he gave a slight chuckle, as if he found the entire situation to be hilarious.

"But come now... You just walked all the way out to a dangerous town like that - and all alone too! And yet you're afraid of us- of me?" He shook his head sadly, "My only concern is for your safety! Believe that."

Satisfied with his lie, he took a step closer to the girl, glancing up the path she had been walking on before he stopped her.

"At least let me walk you home. You'll be safer that way."

Here, he glanced back at Yama, giving him another one of his death glares. If he knew what was good for him, he'd just stay behind and let Hendrix do his thing. If he did, it'd be perfect. It was dark out and this area looked pretty much abandoned (save for the town, though he doubted anyone would give a **** if they heard screaming). Though this girl lived out here, didn't she? Perhaps there were more people out here as well. However, that seemed rather stupid. Who would actually choose to live all the way out in a place like this?[/color]

[Oren]

Sometimes things just weren’t fair. Tonight was one of those times. How in the world had he managed this?! It was like he wanted it or tried to get it! All this attention was making him sick! He was literally feeling nauseated! At first it hadn’t been this bad. A few comments thrown his direction for the cause of getting Hendrix a toy was something he could handle. Now, the ‘toy’ turning and paying attention to him instead? That he couldn’t stand! How did Hendrix, or anyone else, for that matter, stand this? How could they deal with all the attention?!

It was making him shake!

He only vaguely heard the girl as she apologized. He couldn’t even understand her anymore he was so disoriented! He laughed at himself. How long had it been since he’d been so flustered that he forgot English? It was his second language, but still! He’d been speaking it fluently for years! This situation definitely called for a plan! But what could he do? He couldn’t just disappear—well, yes, he could, but that would draw more attention to himself, and not only would that make him more wacked, but it would cause Hendrix’s beating sentence to become a death sentence. He might be infatuated with death, but not his own!

He didn’t even try to stand up. What was the point? It was unnecessary movement. As he suspected, and anticipated, Hendrix stole her attention quickly. He didn’t quite know how, didn’t care, and was quite thankful, for once, that Hendrix would make sure she wouldn’t pay attention to him for the rest of her life. Disappearing, he reappeared on the top of a roof. He sighed to calm his nerves. Much better! It was dark. It was quiet, relatively. He could still hear Hendrix talking, but that didn’t count anymore. Hendrix talking in the background was officially a part of his version of quiet he’d been in situations like this so often. If anyone else’s voice were to interrupt this perfect stillness, it would be annoying. So much talking called for ten times as much silence, right? Wasn’t that how it worked?

Not wanting to make any noise, he teleported from rooftop to rooftop, quietly stalking Hendrix and the Phoenix girl. More times than less, he caught himself looking at her, but not like he would usually look at the girls his friend preyed upon. She was actually quite… pretty. Her shy look gave her a bit of cuteness and her innocent face made her almost attractive. Almost. She was still one of Hendrix’s targets, and that made her disgusting. Anything that Hendrix wanted didn’t deserve to live. Anything that didn’t deserve to live shouldn’t live. Anything that shouldn’t be living should be killed. That was how life should be. That was what Hendrix was doing, unconsciously, of course, but he was still ridding the world of idiots. He was doing the world a favor. If the Nocturne ever found this out... there was a fifty/fifty chance he’d stop messing with just idiots.

It only took about thirty seconds of his ‘stalking’ to get bored. He needed to get closer. It was only interesting if he was right there for some of the conversations. This was one of those times. He vaporized himself again, gently floating down to where they were walking. He stayed invisible, of course. There was no reason to draw attention to himself again. Hendrix attention, that is. He might actually appreciate a little bit of attention from this Phoenix. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. What was wrong with him? He was actually saying he wouldn’t mind attention from someone, and a girl, no less? Something was definitely wrong with him. Perhaps all the attention had messed with his mind? If so, it shouldn’t take long for him to get back to normal. If not…

[areyna]

Areyna’s concerns for the young oriental man chose the course of completely flying over his head. He remained on the ground, supporting his weight on his elbows. He seemed dazed, like in a deep thought in tune with his slightly perplexed expression. Areyna’s hands folded in front of her while her eyes slowly retreated for the ground. Look at what you’ve; he doesn’t seem happy at all…why are you clumsy…? All it brings is misfortune to others around you. But, no one is at all perfect, this she knew, yet sometimes she felt she was near to imperfection.

So worthless….she can barely stand up for herself! Yet, others tolerated her. A characteristic some people contained, tolerance because they understood. She was grateful for these kinds of people. What would the world be like if they never existed? How many times would ridicule meet her like a pesky bug? Doesn’t matter, the whole world refused to be like this so there was no worth in worrying either way. But, even if she sought to encourage more ongoing thoughts they would face the interruption of the other man named Hendrix stepping in front of her reassuring, confidently, there was no harm done to his friend. Areyna bit her lip nodding with understanding when she noticed something from the corner off her eyes. She focused in on her findings while the man momentarily released her from his concentration.

Though instead of noticing a particular “something” she caught a peek of a disappearing act instead, or the ending glimpse. Out of nowhere the human being clearly sitting inches from her a moment ago vanished into thin air! The only logical explanation she devised would simply be…he wasn’t “human” after all, which meant maybe his companion carried inhuman traits as well. The new information brought a fresh wave of nausea. Why didn’t she sense their inhumanness!? She should have! How can she been so air headed?! Areyna felt extra caution stretch throughout her common sense, keeping her on her toes, boosting her awareness. She swallowed a bubble of air activating the sound of a tiny gulp. Why couldn’t they be just mere humans? Yes, she was a phoenix…….but a weak one at that. Hendrix chuckled and shared extra words of concern for her safety, another reminder. Again she couldn’t help but wonder why he would fret over her. He…he doesn’t even know her. In a way it’s sweet but why?

Why with the sudden kindness to a complete stranger like her? He took a step closer and she instinctively took a step back while Hendrix made another offer. He-he wants to walk me home? She blushed a little bringing her folded hands up to her face. She turned to gaze at the path from which she came. Home. Home wasn’t here….home was far from here. Miles away. She began to shake her head till a no finally slipped from her lips.

“Th-thank you sir, but I……you really don’t have to go through the trouble. I….um…..I’ll be ok. Thank you.”

Yes, she refused once again but in all honesty she rather him not go through the trouble. Although she once again turned the offer down she held a strong gut feeling that he would persist like the time before. It’s like opening a door to freedom only to find herself trapped in the same room she tried to escape from. How many doors will she have to open? On that note, she bowed, turned and began to walking down the path. A few seconds, a few seconds was what it felt like before she paused. Hesitantly, she glanced behind expecting the man to be following. She mentally prepared herself that he would. She held her glance just for a moment longer here eyes almost giving permission for him to follow for her mouth refused to say so out loud. With a nervous sigh she continued her journey back to the school stuck in a worried fight with herself if letting the stranger follow her into campus grounds was pure stupidity. What could she do? Pray they were harmless? Her gut rejected that notion as well and she whined quietly. Another shiver ran up her spin…..she was being watched again…….where did the man that disappeared go?

[Iƪƪia]

Once again, he watched her leave, his eyes half-open. He had grown bored of this cat-and-mouse game. Well, it always was a cat-and-mouse game with him, but the mice were usually pretty open-minded and willing. And yet this girl! Her self-confidence was nonexistent. She should be throwing herself at the first guy to say something nice about her, so why wasn't she?

Hendrix was willing to bet that in someway, somehow, it had something to do with a certain other cat. A snarl contorted his face as he looked around for where Yama had gone to. Probably hanging back somewhere, invisible. The cat must know the hell that he was in for. When you traveled with Hendrix, there were just a few rules you had to follow, and if you broke one of those rules, the punishment would be severe. Well hey, if you had to die to be taught a lesson, then so be it.

He tipped his head to the side slightly, confident that Yama was still nearby, even if he couldn't see him.

"I am going to ******* kill you," He muttered through bared teeth.

Turning his attention back to the phoenix, he noticed her glance back at him and took that as an invitation to follow her. That made him feel just a little better, at least. It showed that she was somewhat interested in him, and that was all it would take. If he played his cards just right he could still have her by morning.

He kept a few feet of distance between her before slowly and steadily closing the gap until he was right beside her. He glanced over at her, smiling, though he didn't speak just yet. He could just attack her right now. After all, who was here to stop him? Or he could keep up this game. It was a bit more fun to actually win, whereas rushing her right now would be like cheating.

"I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you," He said, shaking his head sadly, before glancing up and carefully placing a hand on her back, "And it's no trouble, really!"

He glanced around at their surroundings once more. If something was going to happen, it had better happen soon. Wherever the girl was going, there was sure to be a few others, at least, so he had to take care of her while they were still unseen. Otherwise, he'd get much unneeded attention. Although it didn't really matter too much, as he could easily escape from wherever-

"Just where are we going anyway?"

Far be it from him to ask such an unnecessary question, though he was just the slightest bit curious. What if there were more than a few others. He had never heard of that town before, so perhaps there was another place just up ahead, full of mythicals like her. Just imagine the type of trouble he could stir up if such a place really existed. Yes, but he shouldn't get his hopes up. After all, what were the odds?