This is Monster, Part B. So be sure to read Part A first, neh? XD

~

~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Malba gritted his teeth as the bike jolted on the rocky road, suppressing a small pained gasp. That fucking hurts... Just his luck to run into Sefth. Sure and why not get another hole for the collection? How many damn times did this make? I really hate guns...

“You okay?” Rae shouted over the wind and Malba rolled his dark eyes, biting back another groan. --How many damn times do I have to tell you I’m fine? Will you shut up already? Idiot,-- he replied telepathically, annoyance tinting his tone. Not that the whole ‘fine’ thing was exactly true because... Er, actually, it hurt. Like really hurt. Been awhile since I’ve gotten shot like this... Sure, a shoulder wound, a bullet in the arm? No big deal. However taking a bullet right in the stomach? Now that hurt. Not to mention the whole blood loss thing...

Technically I guess I should do something about it but... It’s not like I can have her help me... No way in hell was he letting the human anywhere near his wound. He knew she had gotten pissed, but... Trust me Rae, I have my reasons.

The darkness elemental shrugged the thought off, focusing on the dark, muddy road. Eh, I’ll do something with it later... If I don’t bleed to death first. He really wasn’t too concerned. Sure it hurt and well, okay so he was a little lightheaded, but nothing he couldn’t handle, right? Yeah.

Besides, he definitely had more important things to be worrying about right now. I shouldn’t have used magick... But I didn’t exactly have a real choice. What else could I do? Malba frowned, his thoughts running over that Tevrra facility... Need to get out of here as soon as possible... I really don’t want to deal with him right now...

Okay, so maybe it had been just a little reckless to go to the Tevrra research base, but... There’s no way in hell I was going to take the time to go all the way to Asikea. Druu... Druu doesn’t have that kind of time. So it had been a little risky, but...

As much as the psychic could annoy him... He cared about the guy. A lot. Malba had known Druuvbin... For a long time now, and... It pissed him off. Not knowing what the fuck was happening to him, that freaking stupid... Disease or whatever. It doesn’t make any sense.

Another jolt of the bike brought the dark haired elemental from his thoughts as his right hand throbbed, his side burning... His eye twitched but he managed not to wince, biting back the pain. I really shouldn’t have broken my hand. That was stupid. He had been angry, and... Well... It seemed like a good idea at the time...

--We’ll be back in Laineka in about ten minutes,-- Malba telepathically informed the girl leaning on his shoulder, softening his tone a little. He could tell Rae was starting to get... Well. The human had been through quite a bit in the past forty-eight hours. He couldn’t really blame her for being discouraged. Um... Yeah. Okay. the girl responded, not moving her head.

Not to mention the whole neck breaking thing... I guess that wasn’t such a good idea... The look in the girl’s blue-green eyes as he snapped that idiot’s neck... Well... For some reason it had bothered him. Why the fuck should I care what she thinks? Stupid human. Though Rae had quickly gotten over it, but still... The look in her eyes... It had reminded him of a time from the past, when... Yeah, I bet that’s exactly the look I gave you, right Jinya? When I saw you break that guy’s neck... Malba mentally shook himself, attempting to drive the images from the past away. His first encounter with a human assassin named Jinya...

Why the hell am I thinking of that? Idiot... So many years ago. Jinya... Jinya had been a damn good assassin. For a human, anyway. He even taught me how to use my daggers... God that was so long ago. I was only sixteen when I met that stupid human...

Of course ironically, Malba’s first actual kill? Had in fact been Jinya. With the very daggers the human had taught him to use so well... Yeah. That’s definitely irony. A small bitter smile briefly appeared on his lips at the memories drifting through his mind. It’s not like I hadn’t been on some jobs with Druu, but I think I was actually more of a pain in the ass than any help... Druu did all the work. I was just a lame kid tagging along. Heh. So... So my first real kill? My first real kill was you, right Jinya? Not that killing Jinya had been a job. Far from it...

“God damn it,” the darkness sprite bit out, not able to keep back the small groan as the bike bounced, his side erupting in a spark of hot pain. “Fuck!” The elemental gritted his teeth, forcing himself to concentrate on the road. Which, wasn’t so easy as... It was getting dark, and the rain, not to mention the whole blood loss thing.

“You are so not alright! I knew you weren’t, you lying asshole!” Rae shouted over the wind, anger and apprehension in her voice.

--Okay, so it hurts a little. Shut up.-- he responded irritably, taking a deep shaky breath. --Stupid.--

Malba clenched the handle-bars tighter, his right hand throbbing at the movement. He’d rather focus on the pain in his hand... The pain in his stomach? That was worse. A lot worse. Stop thinking about it. Stupid Sefth. Stupid Tevrra...

Going to the Tevrra base had brought back some memories the darkness sprite really didn’t want to think on... Yet the images from the past wouldn’t fade, images of... Plus it makes it even worse that it’s raining like this. Just like that night... Meh. Stupid. Stop thinking about it. Yeah, definite bad memories.

Malba increased the motorcycle’s speed, biting his lip as the road grew rougher, jostling his wound. Doesn’t matter. I need to go faster... It was taking too long... Kits is in Teaja... She’s not going to be able to make it to Druu for at least an hour, and... Kopaka’s not going to be able to keep him alive for that long. I’ve got to get back there. Now. The sprite’s anxiety was steadily increasing as the time went by, knowing... Knowing that...

I didn’t think he was that bad yet. I knew he was getting worse, but... Damn it Druu. Why didn’t you say something? Why the fucking hell did I not notice? Stupid bastard. It really pissed him off. That stupid psychic and his... Mental defects or whatever. He’s even crazier than I am. ...That’s downright pathetic.

Back in Laineka, when Malba had seen that blood on Rae’s clothes, the look in her eyes... His heart had sunk. He could tell just by looking at the girl that Druu must be... He must be in fucking bad shape. She's got a lot of blood on her and... Kopaka had to be pretty desperate to risk sending her and the rooster here... Damn it.

Druu... Druu had been through a lot of shit, and... I’ve been through a lot of shit with him. The whole... When Jinya... Druu’s the one that came and got me that night. I... It would have been so easy to die then, but...

It would have been so much easier to just lie in that rainy forest and die. Jinya had shot him after all. Hah. Two firsts in one night. The first time I was ever shot and the first time I ever actually killed someone with my own hands...Eh, or blades. Whatever. Yet... I couldn’t just leave them. Right after the raid, Kopaka was so fucked up... I knew I couldn’t just leave them. Then Druu showed up... The psychic was half dead himself on that dark rainy night, suffering from one of those damn ‘attacks’...

You came anyway. You just knew. Stupid psychic. I still don’t know how you managed it... Malba frowned at the vague memory of the sickly elemental appearing in that rain soaked forest. The dark haired sprite had been nearly unconscious by that point, but...

--“...Malba. Malba, I’m so sorry. I should have come sooner... I’m so very sorry...I didn’t see it until... It was too late...”--

“Idiot,” the sprite muttered softly, his voice lost in the sounds of the wind and the hum of the motorcycle. Why the hell were you sorry? Wasn’t your fault. It was all me...

With an agitated sigh the darkness sprite shoved the memories away, noting the massive stone wall of Laineka in the distance. --About time,-- the elemental muttered telepathically, sending the bike racing towards the large stone encircled city.

So, um, do we have to walk back through Laineka to get to the forest? Rae questioned through the link Malba had created between their minds. --Sadly, yes. I’d just take the bike around the side wall, but the guards would stop us. It’s illegal to cut around the city or something stupid like that. Something to do with security. Laineka’s pretty fucking stupid... And this is the only nearby entrance to Kainitif, so...---

He really didn’t want to have to take the time to walk through the city, but there wasn’t any other option. The last thing the sprite needed was a fight with Gahlreyian guards. I pretty much zapped my magick with that fire... If I wasn’t shot I could handle more but... If worst came to worst he did have two daggers concealed in his coat pockets, but... I don’t want to fight unless I have to.

Can't you teleport us around the city or something? I mean I know you didn't want to use any magick at that facility place, but what about now? the girl then questioned through the mind-link.

--...Uh... Well...-- the darkness sprite trailed off, a small frown on his lips. --I would try to, but... I, uh... I don't think I really have enough energy left...-- he finally admitted, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. If he wasn't so damn dizzy and all, and hadn't used so much energy on that fire, he could try, but... His teleportation skills were pretty limited. Plus fairly draining and he couldn't really teleport that far, even when at full strength, so.... A few feet was one thing, but crossing an entire city? I really doubt I could get us completely through the city even at full power... Not that I'm telling her that.

Oh. Duh, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about that. Using magick to teleport and stuff takes a lot of energy, right? Yeah, we'll just walk. I don't want you to drain yourself anymore than what you already have. You're hurt... Rae replied, concern in her voice.

The two riders fell into silence for the remainder of the short ride, Malba biting his lip, trying to ignore the pain in his side. After a few quick minutes the darkness sprite slowed the bike, pulling it to a stop outside the immense wooden front gate of Laineka.

“Well. We’re here,” Malba commented flatly, killing the engine.

“Yeah. Um...” the girl trailed off, carefully standing from the bike, stretching her legs. Rae’s aqua colored eyes focused on Malba’s left side, worry on her face. “Um...”

The darkness sprite slowly dismounted the bike, cringing as a sharp wave of pain ripped through him. Damn... I think I can feel the bullet. Heh... “Alright. Let’s get Xzai to open the gate, find that idiot rooster and then we’re out of here,” he stated, turning his face up to the darkening sky. He let the cold rain drops hit his face for a moment, attempting to regain his senses. The lightheadedness was growing somewhat worse...

“Um... You, uh need any help or anything?” the pink haired human questioned unsurely, her hands nervously clutching the black medicine case, her knuckles white. “Um...”

Malba rolled his eyes, turning to face the girl. “Yeah, I need you to shut the hell up. Fucking idiot,” he responded irritably, allowing the bike to drop over with a thud. Honestly he didn’t give a damn if someone stole it or not. Piece of crap. I need to steal a new one anyway... He seriously didn’t feel like hiding the piece of junk.

Rae let out a small growl, anger flashing in her eyes. “Asshole.”

“Whatever,” he muttered, striding away from the human, forcing himself not to show any sign of pain as he strode. Actually his legs were feeling pretty weird and wobbly, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it.

The girl followed after the elemental with a small sigh, hugging the medicine case close to her chest, as if protecting a precious treasure.

“Open up, Xzai,” Malba ordered loudly, banging his uninjured hand on the closed gate-keep window. “Xzai! Open up!”

A moment later the wooden flap opened, revealing a startled Xzai. The ember haired demon raised an eyebrow, closing the book in his hands. “Mals? Man, I just let you out less then an hour ago and you’re already back? You’re going to get me fired,” the man whined, his orange eyes glancing over the soaked darkness sprite. “I’m not letting you in this time. I’ve already risked my neck for you once today... Can’t you give me a break?”

“Open the gate.”

“But--”

“Open. The. Gate.”

“Awww, Mals...”

“Open the god damn gate, or I’ll burn it down along with you!” Malba snapped, an angry growl escaping his lips. The darkness sprite clenched his fists, fighting away the sudden anger welling up inside. That... Dark feeling... Damn it. Not again... Stay in control moron, he berated himself, taking a deep breath, fighting to keep control. Stop it!

“Okay, okay. Damn,” Xzai replied, his eyes widening. “I was just kidding around, you know that. Hold on a sec.”

“Malba,” Rae stated softly, touching the dark haired sprite’s shoulder. “Calm down, okay? Your eyes are going all weird again.”

“Don’t touch me! Stupid fucking human!”

“Malba. Calm down.”

“I...” The dark haired elemental closed his eyes, fighting away the rapid rush of emotion surging through his very blood. Stop it. Stupid. Like he needed a repeat of earlier. I’ve already tried to kill Rae twice in the last two days, now I’m threatening to torch Xzai? I’m such an idiot. “...Sorry...” he muttered quietly, moving a hand to hold the aching left side of his stomach. “I’m... Just...”

“It’s okay Malba. Really,” the girl replied, not taking her hand away from the sprite. “Just try to stay calm... Okay?”

Heh... She might be a stupid human, but I think even she’s beginning to figure out there’s something wrong with me, he thought bitterly, noting the soothing, sympathetic tone that had entered the human’s voice. Not that he really minded exactly. It... He was just glad he hadn’t tried to kill her... Again. Yeah, there’s something wrong with me all right. I’m a stupid dangerous bastard. That’s what’s wrong with me...

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud creaking of the large gate and Malba opened his dark eyes, a weary sigh escaping his lips. He ran a hand over his wet face, still holding his side with his injured hand. That’s... Really starting to hurt.

“Well, get in here,” Xzai stated, stepping out of the gate-booth. He walked a few steps outside of the gate, meeting Malba’s eyes. “Wait. You’re hurt,” he stated, a concerned tone entering his voice. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll live,” Malba muttered, lowering his eyes. Sorry Xzai.... The demon really wasn’t a bad guy. He’d known the man for over seventy years and though a little annoying, he had been a good friend... “Uh... About the burning thing...”

“Hah, no problem,” the orange haired man smirked, putting his hands behind his head. “Rain’s coming down, huh?” the demon went on to say, effectively changing the subject. “I mean look, my uniform’s all wet and everything. Not fun. And I still have four more hours until my shift’s over,” he whined, glancing down at his soaked black and copper attire.

“Heh, well I’ve been wet longer than you, so you get no sympathy from me,” Rae commented lightly, giving the demon a smile. “Thanks for letting us in, by the way.”

“No problem, ‘Rae, not human girl’,” the man replied, winking an orange eye at the human. “Hahah.”

Malba rolled his eyes, wincing a bit as he moved through the gate, into the city of Laineka. “Moron...” he muttered, hand firmly gripping his side. Rae quickly followed, clutching the medicine case tightly in her left hand. “Looks like the crowds have cleared up,” the girl noted, taking in the nearly empty main square with a surprised look on her rain drenched face.

“Yeah, I guess folks around here don’t like rain or something,” Xzai replied with a small smile, shrugging his shoulders. He followed the two through the gate, moving back over to the gate-keep booth. The demon threw a switch, activating the gate to close. “So, Mals. Uh, that smells like a lot of blood. You want me to get a doctor? I know one that doesn’t ask any questions, if ya know what I mean.”

“No. Don’t have the time. I’ll take care of it later,” the sprite replied, shaking his head. A small strand of fallen black hair slipped into his face and he frowned, shoving the wet lock behind his ear. Yeah, like Druu has time for some idiot Lainekan doctor to look at me. Right.

“Hah, well I guess you can have Kitsune take care of it. Though she might just pull a vampire on ya and drink the blood instead of fix ya up,” Xzai commented, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Idiot,” Malba bit back, a small blush appearing on his wet cheeks. Though he does have a point. Kits really likes blood too much... Damn freak...

“So uh, I take it you must know Malba fairly well, huh?” Rae questioned with an eyebrow raised, a small smirk on her lips.

“Yeah well. I’ve helped him and his uh, business partners a few times... Though I’m trying to stay legit these days. Not that he’s making it easy,” the orange haired man replied melodramatically with an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh bite me,” Malba muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Nah, no thanks. No offense, but I’m not really into guys, even girlish ones like you. Besides, isn’t that what you have Kits for?” Xzai responded, an impish smile forming on his lips.

Rae let out a small laugh and Xzai winked at the girl, his grin widening.

Malba twitched angrily but said nothing, choosing not to even dignify that with a response. Fucking idiot. Maybe I should burn him after all... “Whatever. We need to go. Later, Xzai,” the dark haired elemental muttered irritably, turning to walk away from the ember haired demon... Not that he got very far, as his vision suddenly swam, his legs going weak.

“Hey! Watch out, Malba,” Xzai stated, catching the sprite’s elbow, keeping the dark haired man from falling. “Uh, you sure you don’t want a doctor?”

“Malba?” Rae questioned apprehensively, moving to hold the elemental’s other elbow, helping the demon to keep Malba steady. “Man... He’s bleeding like, really bad... I knew that wasn’t a freaking flesh wound.”

God damn it, the sprite thought, biting back a yelp as a sharp white-hot pain shot through his side, his vision momentarily fading. Hell no. There’s no way I’m blacking out right now. “I’m fine,” Malba responded, taking a deep breath, forcing his unsteady legs to work, pushing the pain away from his thoughts.

“Let me see at least,” the orange haired demon ordered, a serious look in his orange colored eyes. “Oh, damn. Malba, she’s right, that’s definitely not a flesh wound. You need to have someone look at that. As in right now,” Xzai went on to say, gingerly pulling the coat farther away from Malba’s wound, examining the heavily bleeding injury.

“I said I don’t have time,” Malba snapped in response, pulling away from the demon and human. He wavered but kept himself standing, a frown on his lips. “We need to hurry, Rae. Kopaka can’t keep Druu alive for that long without those meds.”

“Wait, is Druu sick again?” Xzai questioned, his eyes widening.

“Yeah. He is,” the sprite responded flatly. Or dead...

“Why the heck didn’t you tell me to start with? Damn. Anything I can do?” the demon inquired, a somber look on his attractive face.

“Not really,” Malba sighed, running a hand over his eyes. He was soaked, tired, dizzy and... Yeah. I just want to get that god damn medicine to Kopaka...

“So I take it he’s uh, in the uh, ‘other world’?” Xzai questioned, lowering his voice on the mention of the ‘other world’.

“Wait, he knows?” Rae blinked in surprise, turning to look at the demon. “Really? You know?”

“Yeah. I know. You’re from there, aren’t you? I can kind of tell. You’re lucky. You know, I’ve even been there once. Nice place. Lot better than here anyway,” the demon commented, a small somewhat bittersweet smile forming on his lips.

“Yeah well, I’ll take ya back there sometime. But right now we have to go,” the darkness elemental replied, pulling his hand away from his eyes, shaking his head. A few years back, on a certain ‘job’ that went a little... Wrong, he’d been forced to jump, taking Xzai with him... The guy had handled it pretty well. Of course Malba had told Xzai he’d kill him if he ever told anyone... He might be an idiot, but at least he turned out to be trustworthy.

“I’d go with ya right now, but I can’t leave my post here,” the demon frowned, his eyes focused on the darkness sprite's injured side. “Hey, but let me know how he’s doing later, alright?”

“Okay,” Malba nodded, giving Xzai a small smile. “I will.”

“Wait Mals, give me a sec,” Xzai suddenly stated, moving to rummage about in his booth. “Here,” he went on to say, pulling out a damp long sleeved purple shirt and a small white rag. “This isn’t going to help much but take your coat off for a sec,” the demon ordered, a frown on his lips. “Or take it off on that side anyway.”

I don’t have time for this! Malba rolled his eyes with an irritated sigh. “Damn it Xzai,” he muttered, slowly reaching to pull the long black coat off. “Ow! God damn it!” he bit out, suddenly letting go of the coat as a sharp pain ripped through his wound. Okay... That really fucking hurts.

“Here, let me,” Rae stated firmly, moving to gently pull the coat off of the lean sprite’s left arm. Malba bit his lip but said nothing, his eye twitching as another wave of pain shot through the entire left side of his stomach.

Xzai moved forward, gently nudging Malba’s hand away from the wound. “Here. Let’s at least wrap this thing a little. You’re going to bleed to death if you don’t get this stopped soon. This isn’t really going to help much but... Oh, and uh, this will probably hurt by the way,” the demon commented, carefully placing the rag against the sprite’s stomach. Malba flinched, clenching his fists as the demon pressed the cloth gently against the wound.

“God. That looks awful,” Rae remarked sympathetically, placing a hand on the sprite’s back. “That has got to hurt so much...”

Oh, you think? States the obvious...Ow... Damn.

“Hold that there for a sec, Mals,” the demon ordered and Malba complied, holding the rag as the man had said. Xzai nodded, focusing on the long sleeved shirt in his hands. “Okay...” he trailed off, wrapping the shirt around Malba’s thin torso. He then tightened it around the wound, holding the rag in place.

“Ngh. Damn,” Malba muttered, moving his hand away as Xzai further tightened the makeshift bandage. Stupid fucking Sefth... I always hated that bastard....

“You okay, Malba? I mean I know you’re not okay, but, uh...” Rae trailed off, concern in her voice as she kept her hand on the lean sprite’s back.

“...Yeah. I’m fine,” he responded, running his uninjured hand over his eyes. God damn... “Eh, help me put this damn thing back on,” he went on to say with a small wince.

“Sure,” the girl responded, helping the sprite put the long leather coat back on his left arm. “Here. There ya go,” she then stated, straightening it out a bit. “See, pretty as always,” Rae commented with a teasing smile.

“Fuck off,” he muttered, giving the girl a weak smile in return.

“Alright... That... Well, actually that isn’t much better but I guess it’ll do for now. I didn’t tie it too tight because I don’t think you’re supposed to put a lot of pressure on stomach wounds... But I guess that will help a little... Make sure you clean it up good too, because obviously that’s not exactly a sterile bandage,” Xzai stated, a frown on his lips.

“Whatever,” Malba replied, shrugging his shoulders. Right now he really couldn’t care less about his stupid wound. I just want to get the hell out of here.

“Okay, let me know how he’s doing, yeah?” the demon responded, a nervous look in his eyes as he glanced at the sprite’s left side. “Take care of yourself... And bring that shirt back! That’s my favorite shirt, you know.”

“Uh... Xzai, somehow I don’t think you’ll be able to get the blood-stains out,” the girl commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Damn... Yeah, you’re right. See what I do for you? Geeez, Mals... Now I’m stuck with my lame Lainekan uniform,” the man sighed melodramatically, looking down at his wet black and copper clothing.

“What, that’s the only shirt you have? Come on,” the human responded with a small smile.

“Well no, but... It was my favorite,” he pouted jokingly, winking at the girl. “And Laineka uniforms are so boring and... Completely unoriginal.”

“Hey, the whole black gold-coppery colors are are a lot better than brown, like those guys at...” Rae started, but trailed off with a blink. “Oh... I probably shouldn’t have said that,” the girl then stated, shooting an apologetic look to the sprite.

Great... The elemental rolled his eyes, giving the girl an aggravated glare. Idiot.

“Wait... What?! Brown?! Hey! Mals! Please don’t tell me you went to...” Xzai trailed off, raising an eyebrow at the darkness sprite. “That’s where you got shot? You went there? Are you completely insane? Man, Kitsune is gonna kill you.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Malba snapped, once again rolling his dark-blue eyes. He was really getting tired of this conversation. “I had to get those medicines and that was the quickest place to get them. What was I supposed to do? Drive all the way through Asikea?”

“Yeah well... You better get the hell out of here. If Kaine catches up with you, you’re beyond screwed,” the orange haired demon responded nervously, glancing about the dark rainy town square.

“Kaine?” Rae questioned uneasily, her eyes widening. “As in uber Kaine, that Kaine?” she then squeaked, aqua eyes filled with anxiety.

“Yes, that Kaine. Shut up, stupid. Don’t worry about it,” the elemental muttered, turning away from the human and demon. “Come on.” I guess Druu must have told her a little about Kaine or something. Uber? Yeah, well that’s one way to put it...

“Uh... If you say so...”

“I say so,” Malba snapped irritably. With that said he moved away, walking further into the city of Laineka.

“Um, thanks again, Xzai!” Rae called over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up with the darkness sprite.

“No problem. Be careful, you two!”

The human girl quickly caught up with Malba, her eyes focusing on his rain drenched face. “So, um...”

“It’s fine, so just shut up. We’ll be alright.”

“Okay...”

The two fell into silence as they made their way through the dark wet streets of Laineka, heading back into the slums...

Just a little bit longer, Druu... Malba was really starting to feel the effects of his blood loss, his head spinning, his legs weak... Yet his anxiety was far outweighing the pain. It’s been too long, and there’s no way Kits could have gotten out of Teaja yet... Plus we still have to find that idiotic rooster... God damn it. He was half tempted to just leave the idiot... Er, well okay, so that wasn’t really true, but still. Damn you Veenom. Making things even worse as usual.... Man I wish Druu would just let me kill you...

“So... How are we going to find Sanosuke?” Rae broke the silence, her eyes focused on the wet streets, the medicine case clutched firmly in her hands. “What if we can’t find him? What if he’s dead?”

“He’s not. And I’ll talk to Hanneke telepathically when we get in the forest... She’ll know where he is. She pretty much knows everything that happens in that stupid forest,” he commented with a shrug, rolling his eyes at the thought of communicating with the old pervert. Stupid bitch...

Rae nodded, falling back into silence. Malba let out a small sigh, moving a hand back to his side. He pressed the make-shift bandage a bit, applying pressure. Stop bleeding so much, stupid bullet-hole.

“...Malba?” the girl slowly questioned, running a hand through her wet, muddy hair. “Can I ask you something?”

“...What?” Malba responded, raising an eyebrow at the human.

“Why... Why does Veenom hate Druu so much? She keeps calling him a monster,” she stated softly, a small tremble entering her voice. “Druu-chan isn’t a monster.”

“No. He isn’t. Veenom is a fucking little bitch that blames Druu for things that aren’t his fault. Just like a lot of people,” Malba responded, clenching his fist. That stupid little ungrateful bitch...

“Malba... The last thing Druu said... Before he passed out...” the girl trailed off, a sigh escaping her lips. “He said... He wanted to know why Kopaka was trying to keep him alive. He... Druu called himself a monster. Why would he say something like that? Why wouldn’t we want to keep him alive? Why... Why would he say that?” Rae questioned, an angry look entering her aqua colored eyes.

...Damn it, Druu. Idiot. Malba clenched his fist tighter, yet he wasn’t surprised to hear that the psychic had said such a thing. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the guy had said something stupid like that. “Druu... Druuvbin has issues to put it mildly. He...” How much should he say? The dark haired elemental frowned, biting his lip as he contemplated exactly what to say. After all, the psychic hadn’t wanted Rae to know about his sickness and... And... It’s not like I have any room to talk. There’s a lot of stuff about myself I haven’t told her, but...

“Issues?”

“Druu... He seems nice and normal. All smiles and acting like an idiot, but... He’s fucked up, Rae. Really fucked up. The guy’s damaged. He’s old and... He lived a really long time without anyone who...” Malba trailed off, wincing as yet another sharp wave of pain coursed through him. “--He, he... He despises himself. So much so that... I don’t know. I don’t get it. Why people... He really believes it. All the crap he heard for so many years...” the darkness sprite once again let his sentence trail off, glancing up at the dark cloudy sky. A streak of lightening, a small rumble of thunder...

“Wh-Why? Why... Why would... I-I knew there was more to him than what he let on but... But... He... Why didn’t I know? I mean... I thought I could read people better but... Around you guys... I can’t read any of you. It... Druu-chan...” the girl’s voice shook and she clutched the medicine case tighter, holding it against her, a troubled look on her wet face, her eyes growing teary. “Druu... Hates himself? He... Damn... Why didn’t I know?” Rae stuttered with wide eyes, obviously growing rather upset at this revelation.

Eh, fuck it... Malba let out a small sigh, reaching over to briefly rest his uninjured hand on the girl’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. He was really just too fucking tired to be the ‘evil master of darkness’ at the moment. “Calm down, stupid. Reading humans and reading old elementals and demons? Way different things. Plus, Druu? Hell, I’ve known him for a long time and I still don’t get him. At all. He won’t let anyone in. Not really,” the sprite stated softly, giving Rae a small smile. I’ve known him longer than any of the others, and... I can’t read him at all... He...

“Malba... You... You might get pissed at me for saying this but... You’re not a bad guy. At all,” Rae whispered with a deep sigh, rubbing at her eyes a little with her free hand. “You may hate me but... I really like you. Even if you do occasionally try to kill me.”

Malba blinked, raising an eyebrow at the girl’s words. Not a bad guy? Hah... Yeah right. You wouldn’t be saying that if you really knew me. “Whatever... And... Uh... I don’t hate you, exactly. You just... Really annoy me...” he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh? Well. I guess that’s better than just plain hating me. I mean I annoy everyone,” she replied, a small smile on her lips.

“Heh.”

“Plus I’m a stupid human so that’s an automatic ten points subtracted right there, neh?” she added playfully with a small smirk.

“Ten? Try twenty. Or possibly thirty,” he remarked, a wry grin forming on his lips. “Maybe even fifty.”

“Ah. Okay. Fifty points subtracted for being a human, one hundred points subtracted for being annoying and lame.”

“Exactly.”

“Hah.”

The two once again fell into silence and Malba gritted his teeth, fighting away the urge to fall over flat on his face. I really should’ve been more careful at the base... That was stupid. Plus I probably shouldn’t have taken Rae in there... Kitsune’s right. I am reckless. And stupid.

“So, why... Why do people hate Druu so much? Why do they think he’s a monster?” Rae suddenly questioned, a frown once again on her lips.

Why? Well... What should I say? “He... Well, maybe you shouldn’t be asking me. I mean, it’s not exactly my story to tell,” the sprite responded vaguely, running a hand over his wet, knotted back hair. A few more strands had fallen, a bit of mud mixed in with that sopping water... Ugh. I bet I look great right now... Mud in my freaking hair...

“Oh come on. So I won’t tell him you told me,” she responded, shrugging her shoulders.

“Uh. He’s psychic,” Malba pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Well... Yeah, but, ah... Forget it...” the girl muttered, her shoulders slumping.

Ah, fuck... “Look... People are really stupid, regardless of whether they are human, elemental, demon or a mix of whatever. People are always looking for someone or something to blame. Druu, Druu was an easy target... People have been blaming him for things for thousands of years... Since... Since he was a kid... People have despised him. I mean sure he can definitely drop the 'innocent playful' act and kick ass, but... He’s no monster,” the sprite stated slowly, a frown on his lips.

Yeah, he can definitely kick ass, and when he’s mad he can be a hell of a lot scarier than even Kitsune, but... I think it’s because he... I don’t know. He’s been through a lot and he’s tired and... It’s hard to stay all smiles and stuff all the time I’m sure... He’s still not a ‘monster’. Fucking idiot.

“I’ve seen him get kind of serious once or twice, but only for a couple of seconds. Oh hey, like that one time he threatened to kill Hanneke. That was interesting. Not that I blamed him... She was being really annoying. Oh and he called my dad a fool. That was cool,” the girl commented thoughtfully. “I still don’t understand why people hate him so much... It doesn’t... I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair.”

Fair? Hah. Right, like anything is fair in this stupid world... Hell, even in her world. Life generally bites, regardless of what world you’re living in I guess.

“Look, I know you want me to tell you more but... Why don’t you ask him about it yourself once we fix him, okay?” the darkness elemental pulled his gaze away from the girl, instead focusing on the dark empty streets of Laineka. Once we fix him... Yeah...

“Hey. Wait...Did... A minute ago... Did you say thousands of years? As in thousands? As in Druu is thousands of years old?” the girl suddenly blinked, eyes widening. “Thousands?!”

Malba let a small smile play on his lips as he glanced about the slummish section of Laineka. “I told you he’s old...”

“Holy shit...Uh... Malba... How old are you?”

Heh...

“Not that old. But I’m not exactly young either.”

“Wow. That’s specific.”

Ah hell. Why not?

“...Fine, I’ll tell you. You know, after all these years I’m kind of surprised I even remember my birthday. October seventeenth, nine hundred and twenty two years ago,” Malba confessed, a small smile briefly appearing on his lips. Long time ago... Hah, I guess I’m kind of old, actually.

“Wha...Nine hundred? Nine hundred? Holy crap. How... How do... I mean... Uh... You know, you look really good for your age....” the girl trailed off, a shocked look on her face. “Wow... You don’t look much older than me...”

Malba grinned a bit at the girl’s reaction. “Yeah well lucky for me, elementals stop aging once we reach about twenty something or so. So do a lot of demons. Doesn’t stop me from feeling old sometimes though,” he replied, his hand still pressed against his bleeding stomach. Wonderful, it’s seeping through the rag now. Stupid fucking Sefth...

“...Well gee, who knew you were such an old geezer? Wow. No wonder you’re so bitchy,” the girl teased, casting a smile to the elemental.

“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Heh... So what about Kopaka?” the girl went on to question, curiosity in her voice. “How old is he?”

“I know he acts like a fucking two year old most of the time but he’s actually older than me,” he replied, a small smirk on his lips. “Kopaka’s about six years older than me, actually.”

“I can’t believe you guys are over nine hundred years old...” Rae commented with a blink, her voice still holding a surprised, taken aback tone. “Well, that would explain why he said he worked in a research lab hospital place for fifty years.”

“Yeah, Kopaka worked at the research hospital as the head of the experimental treatments lab or whatever for about eh, sixty years. It’s hard to believe, but he was the most respected doctor in the whole place. And he was really young, so yeah. That’s pretty impressive. Of course he kind of burned himself out,” he stated, shaking his head. “He’s always put too much pressure on himself. I think that’s why he acts like such an idiot and does the drugs and all. He acts crazy to keep from going crazy. Does that make any sense?” Malba questioned, raising an eyebrow at his own words.

Am I even making sense? Probably not... He really was starting to feel pretty weird, actually... Stay focused, stupid.

“No, that makes sense. I had figured that one out myself, and I’m pretty stupid, so yeah. I always thought there was way more to Kopaka than what he let on,” Rae replied with a nod, giving the darkness sprite a smile. “So... Uh how do you go from being a big shot doctor to an assassin mercenary type? That’s kind of a switch,” she went on to inquire, a thoughtful look passing through her aqua eyes.

Why? Because his idiot friend dragged him into it... “That’s my fault. I got him involved in stuff... I shouldn’t have. His hospital got blown up too... And then... Some stuff happened and he got dragged into it,” Malba admitted quietly, a somewhat self-reproachful tone entering his voice. “Though he still does the doctor thing too, just underground. He lost his license and all... So, yeah...” I guess I really screwed his life up. I’m good at fucking things up. Heh.

“Somehow I doubt you ‘dragged’ him into it,” Rae replied, a small frown appearing on her lips. “Kopaka wouldn’t do something he didn’t want to do. I don’t know the situation but I doubt it’s your fault... Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself, neh?” she then questioned, giving the sprite a knowing look.

Malba rolled his eyes at that comment, a frown on his lips. “Yeah well I still got him into it,” he shrugged, hand pressed against his side as he continued his fast pace. Yeah he got into it because he wanted to, but it was still because of me...

“Eh...Whatever,” the girl replied, obviously not wanting to argue with the sprite. She did give the elemental a small frown however. Don’t look at me like that. I know what I’m talking about. Stupid human, he thought irritably, rolling his dark eyes once again.

“So... What about Kitsune? How old is she?” Rae questioned after a few moments of silence, changing the subject. “She’s older, right?”

Older? Hah, you could say that...

“Kitsune... Well. She’s never said exactly but from what I can figure? She’s around seven thousand or so,” Malba admitted, shrugging his shoulders. Kits’ll get so pissed I told her...

“Wha-?! What? Nani? Seven freaking thousand?! Seven?... I always knew she had to be old but... God... How do you even live for seven thousand years? I mean that... That’s so long... And holy shit is she a cradle robber,” Rae blinked, eyeing Malba. “A total cradle robber.”

...Cradle robber?! “Wh-What?” he snapped, a blush appearing on his wet cheeks. “What are you talking about?!”

“You’re not even one thousand. You’re like, practically a little kid compared to her. She’s a freaking pedophile or something,” Rae grinned, a small laugh escaping her lips as she eyed the sprite’s reddening face.

“I... What the fuck are you talking about?!” he snapped angrily, increasing his pace, fighting down the blush erupting on his face. Considering how much he was bleeding, he was actually a little surprised he had any blood left to flood his face... Yet sadly, he could feel his cheeks heating up. Stupid...

“Oh please, Malba. Don’t even try to say you and her aren’t together,” the girl responded, grin widening.

“You’re fucking crazy,” he bit out, twitching angrily. Stupid human... Geh... I mean, well. Not that she’s exactly wrong, but....

“Heheh. Sure I am... Wow. So you’re into old chicks... Whoa. Who knew? You totally dig old people.”

“Will you SHUT UP?!?!”

“Ahem... Sorry. I won’t mention your love for old people anymore... Heh.”

“Idiot!” Malba let out an angry sigh, glancing about his surroundings with an irritated expression. They had almost cleared the slums of Laineka, quickly approaching the rear square... Only a few more minutes...

“So what about Druu?”

“...What about him?!” Malba blinked, turning to give the girl an irritated glare, his eyebrow raised.

“Huh? What? Oh, heh... Not... I just meant exactly how old is he, stupid. What did you think I meant?” she giggled, obviously amused by the look on the darkness sprite’s face.

“Oh,” Malba blinked again, turning his gaze away from the girl, aggravated by that stupid giggle. Idiot... “Actually, I’m not even sure... Old. A lot older than Kitsune even. Like... A lot, lot older,” he then replied, wincing as he abruptly stumbled, his legs almost giving out. Fuck.

“Whoa, careful, Malba!” Rae exclaimed, grabbing the sprite’s elbow, keeping him from losing his balance. “Are you okay?” she questioned softly, worried eyes focusing on the darkness elemental’s face.

...Not really... “Yeah. Just give me a sec,” Malba replied, stopping for a moment to take a few deep breaths. So... Is it a bad sign that my side’s starting to go numb? Well... At least it doesn’t hurt quite as much... With a small groan the sprite took a hold of the girl’s shoulder, trying to regain his sense of balance. Yeah, I hate guns. Definitely...

“You look like shit,” the girl commented, biting her lip.

“Gee. Thanks,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Um... Well, uh I didn’t mean it like that. I mean you’re still pretty and um, your make-up looks surprisingly good considering we’ve been out in the rain for like an hour,” the girl added, a small smile on her lips. “I just meant you look tired and um... Like you’re hurting, that’s all.”

“Oh shut up. Fucking idiot,” he grumbled, pulling away from her. “Let’s go,” the elemental went on to say, once again moving forward on shaky legs. Come on. Don’t be such a freaking wimp, he thought to himself, irritated by his own weakness. It’s just one lousy bullet wound.

“Okay, okay. Sorry,” the human replied, shaking her head. She quickly followed after the sprite, her boots clunking against the wet stone street. “Wait up!”

The two once again fell silent, rain pounding down on them as they continued their trek towards the rear gate. The two had reached the square, the rear-gate now visible in the distance. Finally.

“So... You said you’ve known Druu a long time... How long?” Rae questioned softly, her gaze set on the gate across the large square.

“I was seventeen when I first met him,” Malba replied softly, his mind slipping back to the memory... He... Wasn’t what I had expected, that’s for sure.

“Wow... You really have known him a long time. You were just a kid,” she responded, eyes lowering, locking on the case in her hand.

A kid? Yeah... Definitely. “He... He’s said I was probably the first person who ever really treated him like something other than a 'monster'... You know, the only person who actually knew who he was and still treated him like a person. That’s pathetic. A jerk like me? I’m the first person who was ever half way decent to him? Really pathetic. It pisses me off,” he suddenly confessed, a hand pressed firmly against his numbing side.
It’s no wonder he’s so fucked up...

“That... God. That’s awful... But, I’m really glad he met you. Because you and Kopaka and Kitsune... Obviously you all care about him and each other a lot. I mean you bitch and tell them you hate ‘em, but you don’t. I know you don’t and... It sounds like Druu seriously needs people who care. More than what I ever realized. God, Druuvbin... I just totally missed it,” the girl frowned, a self-reproachful tone in her voice. “I feel so stupid.”

“Well, yeah. You are stupid, but not because of that. Like I said, I’ve known the guy for hundreds of years. Literally. I still have a hard time figuring him out. Druu’s... What can I say? He’s fucked in the head, even more than I am. That’s sad,” Malba replied, giving the pink haired human another smile. “And...Yeah. I am glad I met the idiot... Even if he is an annoying moron.” Yeah... Without Kopaka, Druu and Kits... I’d be dead now if it weren’t for them.

“Heh... You’re not fucked in the head. You’re just a little senile, that’s all, old-timer,” Rae teased, winking at the sprite.

“Yeah. That must be it,” the elemental stated flatly, rolling his dark midnight-blue eyes. “Idiot.” Malba smirked at the comment however. Senile huh? Yeah well that doesn’t work. I’ve been pretty fucking crazy since I was what, nineteen? Hah... That’s a little young to be going senile.

“Heh. Just kidding. You’re not fucked in the head or senile either one,” the girl stated with a smile, reaching over to gently tweak Malba’s slightly pointed ear. “By the way, you really should wear your hair like that more often. Looks cute. Plus you can see your ears better.”

“Will you stop that? Freak,” the sprite grumbled, pulling away from the girl. What is up with her and my stupid ears?

“Heh. Sorry,” she replied, giving the darkness elemental an apologetic smirk. “Hey... You should get your ears pierced or something... That’d be cute...”

“Idiot...”

“What? Geez, it was just a thought.”

“Don’t you think we have more important things to be worrying about besides my damn ears?!” Malba snapped irritably, giving the girl an aggravated glare. Stupid human.

“Hey! I’m trying to distract myself from the insanely strong urge to freak out, okay? So yeah. Leave me alone,” Rae responded, shooting the elemental a frustrated look. “I mean it’s either think about random stupid things or think about Druu being freaking dead and you bleeding to death and um... Yeah...” she went on to say, her voice shaking, clutching the medicine case close to her chest.

“...Druu’s not dead and I’m not going to bleed to death,” Malba commented, softening his voice a little. “Look. There’s the gate, okay? We’re almost out of here,” he then said, his dark eyes focusing on the gateway. “Don’t have a fucking spasm. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

“How do you know he’s not dead? And... Um... No offense, but you are starting to look really bad,” the girl replied, turning her watery eyes to the sprite. “You’re all pale and weird looking. Well, I mean you’re always pale, but...”

“I’m not that pale,” Malba replied defensively, glancing down at his hand with a frown. Well, so I don’t have a tan or anything but... “Kitsune? Now that’s pale. I’m just... Uh...”

“Pale.”

“Oh fuck you.”

The two fell into silence once again, walking quickly through the rain, approaching the back gate of Laineka. Malba’s frown deepened, biting down a pained groan as a small shudder ran through his body. Meh. Sefth, I so hate you. Bastard... He shoved the pain away, focusing his attention on the small gate-keep booth. Damn. It’s stupid Grefferd, he thought, noticing the heavyset old human sitting with a blank look on his ugly face.

“Hey. How the hell did you get past Grefferd, Rae?” Malba suddenly questioned. He hadn’t thought about it before, but... How the hell had the girl gotten into Laineka without ID? With me I just always con Xzai into letting me in but somehow I doubt Grefferd would have fallen for anything. He’s such a bastard...

“Oh, um some weird guy told him to let me in. It was a good thing because I couldn’t get the asshole to listen to me. Period,” Rae replied, shooting the gatekeep-booth a dark look. “I was about ready to strangle the guy. Hey, you think you could break his neck?” she went on to question hopefully.

“Some weird guy?” Malba responded, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah... I’m pulling a blank on his name... Something that started with an ‘a’ I think. He was nice and pretty cute but... I don’t know. I didn’t exactly trust him. And... He saw the tattoo. I told him some lame story about it, I’m not sure if he bought it though... Eh, whatever. At least I got in,” she stated with a troubled frown.

Hm. Who the hell around here would have helped out a wet, blood covered human? So he saw the tattoo.. Not the end of the world I guess. Feh, I’ll worry about it later, Malba shrugged distractedly, moving to stand next to the small booth. “Open the gate, Greffred,” he bit out, giving the plump balding man a cold glare. “Now.”

“Eh? Oh... You,” the man stated flatly, beady eyes focusing on Malba.

“Yeah, you heard him, open up,” Rae added, giving the man a dirty look.

“Open it,” the darkness sprite repeated, stepping closer to the seated man. Good thing I can blackmail this guy...

“Yeah, yeah... So... This is yer friend, eh?” Grefferd questioned irritably, his eyes focusing on Rae. “I should have known ya were here to cause trouble... With this elemental,” he bit out, stating the word ‘elemental’ as if it were an insult.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rae snapped in response, obviously picking up on the ‘elemental’ dig. “Better than being a stupid human,” she then remarked, giving the man an irritated look.

Malba had to bite back a smirk at the girl’s response to the man. You just insulted yourself, stupid. “Grefferd, open the damn gate or I’m telling your wife what you do at the ‘Crimson Club’ on your days off,” Malba stated flatly, giving the human a disdainful look.

“Ah... Yeah... Fine, fine...” the man muttered, his face turning a bright red color, his voice holding a tone of embarrassment. “Stupid bloody elemental,” the man muttered, throwing the switch for the large gate. “Get out. Be glad I fear my ole’ lady more than I do my superiors. So get out, elemental.”

“Hey! Shut up, asshole. Besides, why are you picking on Malba for being an elemental? You didn’t seem to have any problem with Druu-I mean Lady Faye being an elemental, you old pervert,” Rae bit out angrily, glaring at the balding human.

...Lady Faye? What the fuck? ...I don’t think I want to know...

“That’s different! She was a fine lady, while this one here is nothin’ more than a vile ha--” the man started but Malba let out an angry growl, cutting the man off with a death glare. Don’t you dare finish that sentence, bastard.

“Say another word and I’ll cut your damn tongue out, stupid human,” he snapped, having had quite enough of the arrogant ass. God I hate him... I’m so killing him one of these days. You know if I didn’t feel so weird I’d kill him right now, just for the hell of it. He really just couldn’t quite work up the energy to kill the man at the moment... All well. Maybe next time.

Rae cast a curious glance to the darkness sprite but then turned her gaze back to the man, giving him another dirty look. “Yeah. Stupid human,” she snapped, much to Malba’s amusement. I think she’s been hanging out with me too much.

“Uh, yer a human too,” Grefferd pointed out, confusion in his gruff voice.

“...So?” the girl blinked, her tone impatient.

“Eh? Er... Never mind...”

Malba rolled his eyes, growing tired of the conversation with the arrogant man. “Come on, Rae,” he muttered, quickly moving to exit through the open gate, forcing his weak legs to stay steady...

Rae nodded and followed, after first shooting one last glare at Grefferd. As soon as the two had exited, the man threw the switch, slamming the gate back into place.

“Gee. He’s such a great guy. So friendly,” Rae grumbled sarcastically, eyeing the closed gate with an irritated expression.

“Yeah. Real nice,” the elemental responded with a roll of his dark eyes.

“So... What the hell does he do at the ‘Crimson Club’? What is the 'Crimson Club'?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow. “And how do you know?”

“Xzai told me. The idiot knows a little about everyone in this damn place. He doesn’t know how to mind his own business... Oh and the Crimson Club? Trust me, you really don’t want to know,” Malba stated with a small smirk. You really, really don’t want to know.

“...Okay...Maybe I don’t...”

“Yeah.”

“Mals? Um... What was his problem? Why did he call you--”

“He’s an asshole. Don’t worry about it.”

Malba was tired, his wound was growing rather numb except for the occasional sharp shuddering pain running throughout his body, he was cold, wet and... “Come on, let’s go and I’ll try to get stupid Hanneke to talk to me,” he muttered, pushing the sopping bloody rag firmly against his wound, futilely attempting to slow the bleeding.

“Okay,” Rae responded softly, giving the man a sympathetic look. “It hurting a lot?”

“No... Not really. It’s kind of numb now,” he admitted with a shrug, moving his gaze to the dense dark forest on the edge of the Laineka border.

“Numb? That doesn’t sound good,” she responded nervously, eyeing the man’s side with an anxious expression on her wet face.

“Yeah, well... At least it doesn’t hurt as much,” he responded with a small smirk, shrugging his shoulders. “Ow. Except for that,” he went on to say as another sharp pain shot through him. He then shook his head, pushing the pain away. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” she stated softly, biting her lip, trepidation in her blue-green eyes. “Let’s find Sano and get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah.”

The two moved on to approach the entrance of the dark forest when Malba stopped, his eyes widening as a sudden flow of familiar energy flitted through his senses... Oh... Shit.

“Now Malba. You come to Laineka, you visit my research facility, yet you don’t even have the common courtesy to say hello? I’m so very disappointed. I see your manners have not improved,” a voice commented calmly from behind the two and Malba let out a shaky sigh, dread flooding him. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck...

“Kaine,” he stated flatly, slowly turning to meet eyes with the demon standing mere feet away. Where the hell did he come from?! God damn it. I didn’t sense him before... He must have been hiding his energy. Bastard...

“What?” Rae squeaked, turning around as well, her eyes widening as she focused on the demon. “Wait, what? Kaine?! THAT is Kaine?! That’s Kaine?!” the pink haired human exclaimed loudly, pointing a shaking finger to the demon. “Him?!”

“Ah, Miss Rae. So this is the friend you were searching for, hm? I see,” the blonde haired demon remarked, adjusting his wire-framed glasses a bit, giving the girl a calm smile. “I wouldn’t have expected a nice human girl like you to associate with my old friend Malba. How very surprising.”

What the hell? “What?!” Malba questioned sharply, glancing between the girl and the demon clothed in brown military garb.

“You-You lied! You so didn’t say your name is Kaine!” she declared fearfully, stepping closer to Malba, her wide eyes filled with unease. “I’m sorry Malba, I didn’t know it was him, I would have told you, I swear!”

“What?!” the elemental bit out, eyes widening. “HE let you in?!”

“He didn’t say he was Kaine!”

“Ah, forgive me for not fully introducing myself then, Miss Rae. Aevik Kaine, it’s a pleasure,” the blonde haired demon stated calmly, stepping closer to the two, a smile on his lips, his yellow eyes ice cold....

Fuck... Malba stepped in front of the girl, a frown on his lips as he met that cold yellow gaze. This... This is bad.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rae: Still not over. ---> Go on to part C now. XD