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"Then you don't understand anything." She paused as she tied her boots on and slipped on her shirt. It'd all come to light soon, she could feel it. His grip on her was slowly tightening, like a hangman's noose around her neck. She could choke on the dark feeling creeping into her mind. "I have no pride to make me refuse help... I simply didn't want it." Carefully she stood, and for a moment she tested her leg, which seemed unable to support her.

Emerging from behind the screen with a very visible limp she stared at him, her eyes honest despite themselves. "I have a conscience... I mourn my sins and regret..." Her eyes drifted towards the window as she moved to lean against the wall. "And so to let myself suffer seemed just when I knew that a certain contract would keep me alive, despite everything."

"I can't..." She looked at him a moment, her face more drawn and serious, which somehow didn't suit any sort of cat-demon. "I'm bound into a certain contract, and there's little I can do about it except drown myself in sin and try to imagine the pain I'm causing. I barely have the time to recover at all before I find myself riddled with -"

Another assignment?His voice purred inside her mind, causing her pause. She knew the youkai couldn't hear him, feel the malicious and alluring prescense in her mind. That was fine. He probably already thought her helpless, stupid, insane. If she had seen her she would have thought so anyway.

I've decided your sixth assignment is best suited for another time. Your last target for me will be... Images darted into her mind, much to her horror, but she had to contain that for now, concentrate what was before her. Shaking her head, she refused to think about it. No. No...

"I... I should be returning to the center. I want to clean up there before I leave." Her voice was a low whisper, as she resigned herself to the fact that if she didn't take his hit that she'd die, but if she did she'd both die and hate herself... but have a small chance of coming back.

Truth be told, she could most definately use the assistance, but she felt like such a burden already. He had taken care of her all night, carried her here... her clothes were even hung to dry. How could she possibly accept anything more from him.

She bowed her head. "N-no. I'll manage on my own. This wound won't disappear overnight, and I best learn how to go about my daily business with it." Despite her best efforts, there was hesitance and doubt in her voice.

She opened her mouth as if to protest, but she quickly realized this would do her no good... no good at all. He would just be as stubborn as she would, and she simply didn't have as much energy to lock horns with him as he did. Sighing in resignation she limped towards the door.

Mind you, her limping was quite slow so he was standing there a good 30 seconds before she made it a few feet to him. This would be a hell of a long walk.

Journal entry - Feb 28 2005(Backdated)
To say that the last day or two has been interesting would be an understatement. Headed over to the community centre yesterday, just with the intention of finding something to do or someone to speak to. Met Fae, was talking to her and she noticed that my artefacts had begun to glow. It must have started some time after I arrived in the centre. Anyway, I didn't get much of a chance to be happy or thrilled or anything like that. Things got strange. Suddenly, a girl just appeared in the room, dripping blood, soaking wet and looking half-frozen. You know, just a normal, everyday occurance. Not.

She wasn't human. At least not entirely human. I knew that right away. Found out later on that she's a hanyou. Anyway, she looked in a pretty bad way, so I figured I should ask her if she needed any help. She told me didn't want any help from 'my kind'. So I stood back, only to be told by Fae that I should be helping. She seemed insistent that I find Alyosha though. I'm not sure why. I didn't see how it would help anyway. The girl was in a worse way than I had thought originally.

Then, a being that I'd never seen the likes of before walked in. Female in form, she was like an anthropomorphic animal with huge black wings. Fae seemed to know her though, because she went off to talk with her - about what I have absolutely no idea - leaving me to attempt to help the hanyou.

Well, to cut a long story short, I ended up putting the wounded girl up for the night here. She needed rested more than anything else and that wound of hers was far more than just a scratch.

She was a bit more coherent in the morning when she woke, although she was still talking oddly. Told me her name was Syrenrei, so at least I've got a name to put to her now. She wanted to go back to the community centre, so I just dropped her off there. If she's got any sense, she'll take better care of herself in the future.

Now I can turn my attention back to my artefacts. The fact that they're starting to merge got completely drowned in all the chaos that was going on. I take it it must take a little while for them to burst the jar - it's been more than a few hours now that they've been glowing strangely.



Leaning back, Ieyasu stared at the jar, a short distance away on the table. Now that Syrenrei was gone, he had moved the jar into the main living area again. The blankets, he had just bundled away to sort out later. He could still smell the blood from last night and this morning. However, he'd left the front door open a crack. It was a hot day, and he wanted to let any breezes that were there pass through the house, to cool it down. It also meant that the blood scent was fading.

Outside, he could hear the bamboo chime stirring, if only very faintly. The shishi-odoshi was far louder, the regular 'thunk' and 'splash' easily audible from where he was sitting.

Ieyasu had a headache. Self-inflicted, right enough, but knowing that it was all his fault didn't make it feel any better. When the last of his impromptu guests had left the house the next morning, he surveyed the room almost hesitantly. The place was a bombsite. Blankets were strewn all over the floor along with a couple of items of clothing that people had left behind. His front porch was probably worse. That's where they had all been drinking.

With a grunt, he headed around into the kitchen area. He'd tidy up in a bit. Osusuki bounded about around him, prancing off a short distance before rushing back to wind himself about Ieyasu's legs with short, shrill chirps. Ieyasu wished he felt as energetic as the little gryphon looked. Trying not to trip over the Aerandir (that wouldn't be good), he began to search for something to give Osu. Perhaps fish... he had a little smoked fish that he had yet to use up.

At the sight of the food nearby, Osusuki 'merped' again. Food! He was hungry, having had nothing to eat this morning. When Ieyasu gave him the piece of fish, he tore into it eagerly, pulling off slivers of the pale meat and throwing back his head to swallow them. That was the problem with having such a long beak - getting food from the tip of it to the back of your throat.
Perhaps for the first time since waking up, Osu was silent. Eating took priority above everything else, you know.

Ieyasu grinned despite himself as the little gryphon eagerly snapped up the food. Not that it would have been his choice first thing in the morning to eat fish - especially when having a somewhat sensitive stomach. Deciding against eating himself, despite what he had said to Rahujo a little while previous, he simply fetched himself a drink of water. Sitting back down on the ground again, he grimaced faintly at all the mess. Once he felt a little better, he'd really have to start tidying things up.

Journal entry - March 18th 2005

Haven't done much in the past few days. I guess I've just been taking it easy after the excesses of that party a few nights back. It's nice just to chill sometimes, y'know. I'm very good at being lazy too :p.

I can't say the same of Osu, though. His energy seems unstoppable. He only sits still when he's eating and sleeping. This morning, he jumped into the deer chaser to get a closer look at the bamboo seesaws. Soaked the living room when he came back in too!

This one's going to be a rascal. He's barely two weeks old, and already he's been causing trouble. Guess it's the fox in him, and it's not something that I'm going to complain about. Nothing wrong with a little fun afterall. God knows, I was bad enough when I was a bit younger.

Anyway, just a short entry to keep updated.

Ieyasu set down the book on the low table, glancing over in the direction of the little gryphon. He was being noisy, which Ieyasu guessed was a good thing. He seemed to go all quiet when he was up to no good.

Trumpeting shrilly, the Aerandir practically bounced over to Ieyasu as he saw his guardian lay down the journal. Maybe now he would play! His tail flicking eagerly, the gryphon flattened his forelimbs to the ground, his backside up in the air. He spread his wings wide, and tensed, waiting for Ieyasu to do something.

Ieyasu grinned at the playful creature, before standing up from where he was kneeling. "Come on then. Let's go outside."Osu jumped back to his feet again, cavorting around Ieyasu with a delighted call as they headed for the door.