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 Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:39 pm
 (June 14, 2006; Quest Post) Clare finally sat up from dusty ground, brushing dirt from his shirt as he glanced around. It felt like he and Demian had been lying there for days, Mordanath and Peter having left a long time ago. His body no longer hurt, his wings feeling heavy on his back as he did his best to stand. It didn't take him long to realize that the surroundings had changed slightly, the boys no longer in the original spot they were left in. Not too far was a very large doorway, the steel doors covered in rust, dust, dried blood; the bones lining the frame seemed to form odd symbols, some sort of design as if it were a decoration. Somehow, the door looked familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out why. "Did we really end it?" he found himself asking, turning his eyes to the demon still lying down. He realized that he hadn't said anything in a long time. "Did our deaths really bring an end to that nightmare...?" Demian opened his eyes slowly, sitting up after a moment and hugging his knees to his chest. "It seems it did," he said softly, his wings draping down over his shoulders, shuddering as pain coursed through the membranes. "I had no idea that was why I could never go to that place, though." "Micheal said something bad would happen if I went," the angel mumbled, dragging his bare feet in the dirt as he made his way toward a boulder nearby to take a seat. "He wouldn't tell me why or what it was, though. I didn't know anything about that prophecy. If that's what it even was." "Mordanath wouldn't tell me anything," he explained, hiding his head a little bit. "I promised him... I swore that I would never go there, but... That day, he'd left his book open and I couldn't help but read it. After reading all of those things about Lucifer and the Lord, I had to ask him myself if such a thing was true. If the war really was just a big misunderstanding..." Clare was still having a hard time grasping onto the concept. Gabriel had been his commander for so long... Had Micheal not been the one watching over him, he was sure the higher angel would have taken him under his wings. He'd always told him there was something special about him, just like himself... The boy never could figure out what that was, however. He was never told, and he couldn't remember anything to support those words. Demian, however, didn't seem surprised at all by what happened. Thanks to Mordanath's book, he'd figured it out; how Gabriel had convinced Lucifer that the Lord was plotting to destroy the land of peace, and how he'd told the Lord that Lucifer was scheming a way to over-throw him. He hadn't been kicked out of Heaven like the angels had said; he left on his own right as he was banished. "Why us, Demian? Why did we have to be the ones...?" the blonde asked, hanging his head a little bit. "What about Micheal and Mordanath...? They knew about it. Why couldn't it have been them?" "I can't believe you're even SUGGESTING that," the demon growled with disgust. "The 'prophecy' mention a child of the right and a child of the wrong. Maybe it had to do with the way we arrived at that place. Our brothers weren't there for the wrong reasons... We were." Clare looked back to the door, hearing some sort of whisper in the musty air around them. Wait... This couldn't be THAT door, could it? "Hey... isn't this...?" "Yeah..." Demian sounded, pulling himself up from the ground and brushing the dust off of his clothes. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize them right away after seeing them. We had to stare at the damn thing for nearly a century when they summoned us." "We'd wandered the underworld by ourselves for almost 40 years... I vaguely remember you saying it taking a long time for them to make up their minds, but I don't know who 'they' were." The doors began to creak open, thick dust and earth shifting and falling to the floor, darkness filling the area. "You're about to find out." Out of the darkness, four figures began to emerge, shrouded in shadows for the time being. Their bodies were covered in an inky black, unable to see what was actually clothing and what was flesh. Their eyes held an eerie golden glow, strands of dark hair barely visible and horrible screeches and screams could be heard from the room behind them. Ghostly figures and boney hands reached out from the depths, unable to leave their domain no matter how hard they tried. From behind the boys, Mordanath and Peter arrived, paled and sickly compared to the last time they were seen. Something seemed to be amiss. It was almost as if the two of them had been wandering the land for years, searching for the door in which they approached. Peter looked on the brink of death; it was a wonder that he was even able to stand by himself. With their appearance, however, came the faces of the figures that stood before them. The bodies were disfigured and melded together somewhere, but it was hard to figure out exactly where it was. The closest to them was an old, mangled woman, her rotting face hard to look at as flesh hung loose from her cheeks and one eye was completely missing. The skin was gone from her lips, revealing the decomposing muscles and greenish teeth underneath, and half of her nose appeared to be missing. Her ragged white hair hung partially over her face, matted with dirt and dead leaves. To her left was an old, but at the same time younger, man whose features were hard to make out. His face had been crushed inward, as if something had hit him in the face and caused everything to cave in, even his eyes barely visible from within the shady hole. On the right was a rather beautiful young woman with raven hair, who at first glance appeared to have nothing wrong with her. Upon turning her head, however, everything from her right cheekbone up in an angled slash was missing. Part of her brain was still in her skull, and it was a wonder that it didn't just fall right out. Behind these three was a man with darker flesh, brown hair spilling over what seemed to be his shoulders. In the middle of his face was a deep gash, causing his head to split apart a little bit, his brain leaking out from the front as wide eyes gazed at the souls before him. If one were to look closer, they would see that the man's flesh was actually burned off, the muscle and tissue giving him his darkened look, but none of them dared to even move. The children felt like they were about to hurl, hardly able to handle the stench with the sight of this... creature. "The judges..." Demian said slowly, grasping onto his stomach. "They're the ones who pass on Judgment." "Have you finally made up your minds?" Mordanath hissed, wanting nothing more than to leave this place. The judges were sickening to look at. "Have you figured out what will happen with the boys?" " We have..." came the mangled and harsh whisper slowly, but no one could tell which one of them was speaking. The judges' mouths didn't even budge as they twisted and turned about. " Born again they will be... Into a new world they will be..." Peter breathed a sigh of relief, turning around and running a hand through his hair. That was good news. They'd considered their proposition to allow the boys a new life. Mordanath still seems concerned, however. "And the other part?" he questioned, his feathers ruffling a little bit. "They'll be born together?" " Born again they will be... As they are now, two entities..." it croaked, beginning to move as if they were able to leave. "No, wait!" the angel protested, lifting a weak arm as if he thought he could do something to stop them. "Do you mean separately? Two bodies?" " Two entities they be... two separates, two lives, one world..." "No!" Mordanath cried, shaking his head. "That won't work... That isn't what we talked about! They must be born together as one, or the two of them won't survive and history will be repeated!" Clare frowned a little bit. It was obvious to him now that once again, they couldn't be seen. "Why did we need to be born together...?" " Fate has already been set... It is already written..." "Demian will die prematurely if he isn't born with Clare," Peter piped up. "Half of his soul was destroyed while he was waiting for YO--" "...What....?" Demian breathed, his eyes widening a little bit. Mordanath quickly cupped his hand over the angel's mouth, forcing him to be quiet. The judges didn't need to be angered. They could pass judgment upon anyone and anything, dead or not. He wasn't about to lose yet another friend. "It's important that they be reborn as one," he explained, turning his eyes toward the ground. "Even if Demian does manage to live in a body on his own, history will be repeated if they aren't. They'll meet again, he'll be deceived, and Clare will..." He couldn't seem to finish what he wanted to say. "Look. I'll make a deal with you... If they're born as one, you can do what you wish with me." He kept his hand covered over Peter's, despite the angel's sudden protest. "So long as they can live their lives to the fullest, and I can keep watch over them somehow." Peter continued to struggle against the demon's hold. He couldn't be serious. He wasn't just offering himself up to the judges to be toyed with! The creature turned its heads toward each other, speaking amongst themselves quietly. After several moments, they nodded together, and then turned to look back at the pair in front of them. " Born as one they will be..." came the hushed hiss. " One mind, one body..." Just as the two were about to relax, the voice had piped up again. " But... two entities they will remain... One body, two souls... one whole..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:41 pm
(June 14, 2006; Quest Post) Everything seemed to fade to darkness at those words, Demian not even realizing things changing. He didn't remember any of these things... Judgment merely told him that he would live with Clare in one body as punishment for their sins, and that he would remember the past while Clare started over. As for his soul... He didn't remember that part, either. Half of his soul was gone...? He knew he wouldn't be able to live in a body on his own, but he had no idea that it was because of that. The demon could feel a part of himself begin to fade away, not seeing Clare anywhere. Where had the angel done...? The sound of hushed whispers began to fill his ears, his gold eyes searching the darkness for whoever was speaking. He couldn't see anything, however; only bright yellow eyes glowing off in the distance. The coarse voice caught him off guard, recognizing the judges once more. " A problem there be... The angel seeks memories..." it croaked, watching some sort of oddly shaped bubble that reflected images of the child in question. Demian noticed the body, watching is it looked like he was reading something. Were they monitoring him and Clare? "That is quite a problem," Mordanath murmured, stepping out from the shadows as the judges spoke to him. "It seems Demian's finally woken up... I hadn't expected that until he was much older." " The seal be weakened... Fate is much stronger than we... Their will be much greater than before..." The demon sighed lightly, crossing his arms across his chest as he thought. There had to be something that could be done... Something to prevent them both from awakening completely. So long their full power stayed dormant, everything would be okay. "Perhaps we'll need to keep a closer eye on them," he suggested, his wings drawing close to his back. "I could go and wa--" " You belong with us... You cannot leave us..." the judges hissed, the bubble disappearing as they turned their attention toward him. " Your body be chained here... No way there be..." The demon lowered his head in thought, wondering how else he could go about this. Judgment was now about as adamant about keeping the two boys in check as he was, after studying their past yet again in more detail, tracing back the steps to when they were actually born. After seeing their complete histories, the judges understood the dire need to prevent history again, especially within the world they currently lived in. No mini wars needed to be started there... "Then... send my will," he decided. "My body and soul shall remain here, but my mind and will shall be with them." The judges had to think about this for a moment, whispering amongst themselves. " You know what will happen... Death could there be..." Mordanath paused. For them... he would do anything to make sure they stayed alive. "I know, and I accept my fate. Send them my will... and I will do everything within my power to keep them safe." "His will..." Demian echoed softly, feeling the dagger form into his hand. "Mordanath has... He's been watching us this whole time." These were the memories he retained in this form, Clare spoke up, having somehow returned to the body. They weren't ours... He wanted to show us who he was and why he was here now.Demian lifted his hand a little bit, staring down at the blade he held. The eye was closed, the wings relaxed as if the dagger were sleeping. Mordanath appeared to be calm now, after having shown them the truth. They needed to know, after all, so they could at least help him help them. "I... I just want to go home," he said quietly, holding the dagger close. "If there's more, I don't want to see it." The angel was quiet for a moment. Demian, we ARE home.The child slowly opened his bi-colored eyes, peering about the room cautiously. Somehow, they'd returned to the body and Demare had been tossed out of the subconscious, the halfling lying on his stomach on the floor of his room. Carefully, he stood himself up, staggering to his bed and quickly using it for support before he could fall over. Glancing at the clock, he noticed the dot hovering over Wednesday instead of Monday. "Have we really been gone for two days?" he questioned aloud, not really expecting an answer. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked to his dagger once again. "That wasn't just a dream, right...? He's... He really is still alive..." It's possible, Clare said, yawning a little bit. Maybe we'll find out one day.The child laid down on the bed, resting the blade next to himself. Perhaps they would find out sometime. Right now, however, he just wanted to rest... and to be alone. Without warning, Demian slipped himself out of the body and allowed Clare to take control, wandering back into the subconscious to think.
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Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:43 pm
When a Stranger Calls Demare curled up a little bit more on his bed, hiding his head underneath his pillow. After Demian left the body, Clare had tried hard to fall asleep, but the adventures they just had into Mordanath's memory still haunted him several hours later. Mentally, he was exhausted; he had no idea about any of the things that had happened, and it was still a wonder to him why the demon had cared about the two so much. Perhaps it was only because of the prophecy... Or maybe, Mordanath was looking for a way to atone for his own sins. Nevertheless, it wasn't easy taking everything in, and it didn't help that his other side was now in such a depressed state that it affected him as well.
Finally sitting up, the halfling began to make his way downstairs. Most everyone was doing their own things, not even knowing the child was home again, but a part of him didn't know if anyone even knew he was gone. It had been two days, but sometimes the house got so busy that people didn't notice if someone went away somewhere and didn't come back until the next day. Stepping over to the computer in the living room, he opened up the messenger service, typed in his screen name and password, and logged in. He hoped Mayu would be online, since she was the only friend he knew of that had the messenger. Unfortunately, she wasn't, so he logged off and thought for a moment. Maybe he'd call... He just needed someone to talk to right now.
Walking over to the phone, he picked up the cordless receiver and checked the list of numbers. It didn't take him long to find, dialing in the numbers on the phone and placing it against his ear. It was ringing... that was a good sign, right? Now it was just a matter of someone picking up on the other end.
Aha, the phone was ringing! The little Jumi looked at the cordless phone for a few moments, pondering whether or not to answer it. Kimiko was off gallivanting somewhere again, she presumed, and Miyu was probably busy sleeping or watching TV. Well, it couldn't hurt, could it?
"Hello, this is the Hinasaki household, you are speaking to Verde right now -- may I help you?" Verde said slowly, trying to recall the proper way to answer a phone call. She supposed she was close enough.
Demare blinked a few times. Verde? Didn't he talk to her online that one time?
"Hello, Verde," he said, smiling slightly. He found it interesting that she was answering the phone. "This is Demare. Is Mayu home?"
"Mayu's not home," Verde replied, "but Kimiko might know where she is." Verde.. had not been properly informed of the Legend's passing. To her, her older sister had simply ran away, and would return in a matter of days. She walked downstairs quickly, hoping to catch sight of her guardian -- the older girl had been seen only once or twice around the house since Mayu had run away.
Kimiko was, luckily, inside the kitchen, fixing a dish to take back down to the basement with her. Seeing the Jumi come up to her with the cordless phone, she took the receiver and held it to her ear. "Hello?" she said, listlessly.
The child frowned a little bit. If Mayu wasn't home, then he'd hoped the conversation would have ended there. He wasn't in the mood to be teased by anyone, much less "talked to" about any past situations that had gone on. Nonetheless, he kept his posture as the older woman came onto the phone.
"Um, hi... This is Demare," he began again, his wings fidgeting behind him. "I'm sorry to bother you... Verde said Mayu wasn't home, and I guess she just gave the phone to you."
"Demare, huh?"
Kimiko clutched the receiver tightly, and descended into the dim lighting of the basement. She placed the dish upon an empty table and looked down at the lifeless corpse in the center of the room. It had been perfectly reconstructed. Now, she had to find a way to bring back her daughter's soul..
"Mayu is right here." she said coolly, pulling aside a stool to sit on.
Demare paused for a moment. That tone in her voice... Something seemed a little different.
"May I..." he started, but stopped again. He rested a hand against the small table the phone normally rested on, placing his weight on that arm while he thought. Something wasn't right... "May I speak with her?"
"You can't, unfortunately." Kimiko paused for a moment to gather up some loose notes that had fallen from the table.
"She's dead."
It felt like his heart just stopped. Did he hear her right? Did Kimiko just say that Mayu was...
"What?" was all he could say. He could keep his hand begin to tremble on the receiver, his grip tightening around it.
"Perhaps you could tell me something about it," Kimiko hissed, "because she was with you the day before she committed suicide?"
"How should I know?" he almost growled, hardly able to believe any of this. Mayu couldn't be gone. She COULDN'T have done this. "She seemed fine when I left, and I haven't been able to talk to her since then."
"You were the last person she had talked to. You must have said something!"
She shuffled aside some papers and picked up a pen, twirling it about her fingers. "I read through her chat log with you a while back," she said, in a calmer voice. She didn't want to cause a ruckus -- no one in the family knew about her lab except for her and her alone.
"You were talking about.. souls."
Demare's flesh seemed to pale at the mention of the conversation. Souls... Did Mayu think she could try to do what he intended to do with himself? Clare mentally began to kick himself. It was his fault... It was HIS fault. She helped him find that book, and after talking to her about how he wanted to separate himself from Demian... It must have triggered a thought.
"I didn't... I never thought that she would..." he tried to get out, his voice wavering. The outer shell around the receiver began to crack in his hand. "That was for me... She was helping me... I never intended for her to..."
"A little misunderstanding can lead to something much bigger, but what's done is done." She sighed, thinking of a proper way to continue. "Have you found anything useful in your research? I'm conducting a small experiment."
She cast a glance to the body on the floor, then back to the notes in front of her.
"No... The book that would have really helped me was destroyed by my other side," he said, closing his eyes as he recalled what had happened. He hadn't even gotten to look at the first page. "If her body is still intact, however... It's possible to get her soul from the land of the dead. I read it in the Book of Souls a while back."
"Demare, is that you?" Neko called from the basement, having heard a voice from upstairs. "If that's you, you have some explaining to do! I told you you're not allowed to go off for days at a time without telling me!"
The halfling didn't seem to hear any of that. "I've read that a seal can be placed on the body to reattach the soul to its original host. It's just a matter of knowing what the seal is, and finding her soul."
A seal? She had read about instances where one had attached a soul to a suit of armor.. with some sort of binding mechanism. That had to be it.
"Thank you. Is there any other information you can give me? Because if not, I have some research to do."
"Only that the soul needs to be found and attached as soon as possible," he explained, the phone cracking again in his hand. "Keep her body preserved... If any part of her is decomposed, then it would be useless to bring her back, as she would just die again soon after. If she did this the day after I saw her, then it's been about four days... Most souls will pass on in within seven days of reaching limbo, but there are several different places to go, so it's possible that it could take longer for Judgment to pass."
"Alright, thank you. Now if you excuse me, I have to get to work." She was already at the bookcase, reading away. She had a lead now! Perhaps the boy was not as useless as she had thought.
Demare didn't hear everything she'd said, the phone finally caving in within his grip, the shell shattering and the parts falling to the small table he was using to support himself. It was everything he could do to not simply break down on the phone, and now he just couldn't take it anymore. Neko walked into the room just in time to see the boy fall to his knees in a mess of tears and sobs, the halfling wanting nothing more than for the world to just vanish forever.
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:01 pm
(June 15, 2006; Bitchplot of Doom) "Ehven!" "Hm." "Uhn. Two. Fee. Fo'. Fai. Sic. Ehven! Dema-bra, yuh tuhn!" Demare grumbled quietly to himself as he picked up the dice from the board, shaking them a little bit in his cupped hand before allowing them to fall to the floor. The dice bounced and rolled on the wooden ground a few times before halting, resting on flat sides as they revealed their numbers to the game master. Not bothering to announce the sum of the two numbers aloud, the halfling slowly began to move his figure eleven spaces on the board game, sighing heavily at where he ended up. "Damn it, I HATE THIS GAME!" he growled as he narrowed his eyes at the cat boy sitting across from him, moving his character for the tenth time in the past hour to jail. "Monopoly sucks!" Manior could only fall over laughing, his tail twisting close to his body as his ears perked up. Demon brother was having such a hard time playing this game for some reason! Maybe it was that luck thing kitty mommy was talking about, and how he just happened to be really lucky like Domi-daddy. This was just too much fun, even if he didn't understand the game itself at all, and this Demare was getting irritated. All he knew was that he needed to get more colored paper than the other people he was playing with. Picking up the dice from the floor, the cat demon tossed them lightly into the air, giggling and watching as they fell to the floor to reveal new numbers. "I don't get why I have to watch you anyway," Demare sighed, a bit jealous of the twelve the two year old just rolled. "Why couldn't Layla or Tea watch you? They're better at these kinds of things than I am... What a GREAT time for Clare to be sleeping." Demian really didn't mind that much, the fact that he was losing the game terribly aside. He was actually starting to get used to the toddler, but he didn't want the child to think he was going soft. After all, Manior was one of the few family members that could tell the difference between himself and the angel, and the only sibling that would even give him the time of day anymore. "Why'd they even have to go out? The weather sucks today." "Mammy an' Dapa wen' ta pway!" the younger boy called out, finishing moving the shoe figure across the board. He had landed on one of his own houses yet again, and even passed GO. "Play? What the hell could they be playi--" the halfling started, but then stopped, blushing like mad as he thought of what they could have possibly meant. He wouldn't put it past Neko to mention it to Manior, knowing full well the baby wouldn't know what she was talking about. "THAT'S DISGUSTING! UUUUGH, THE MENTAL IMAGES!!" he screeched, grasping his hair and tugging down as he tried to forget what he was thinking about. GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS. "WHY ME?!" "DEMARE!!" a frantic scream sounded from downstairs. Manior turned his gold eyes toward the door, thinking the voice sounded kind of like Sora's. Why did she sound so afraid, though? "Demare?! MANNY?!" Bi-colored eyes widening slightly, Demare began to feel a familiar presence close to the house. He didn't have to look out the window to know that it had suddenly grown pitch black outside, the lights flickering for a moment. Evil was approaching... HE was approaching. Slowly, he slipped his scarf off from around his neck, carefully standing himself up from the floor. This wasn't good... Neko or Domonic probably weren't anywhere near the house right now, and they were the only ones capable of fighting him. Fighting... Shadow. A loud crash sounded from the floor below, two screams filling the children's ears before they heard the sound of wood cracking and breaking, glass shattering. "Dema-bra...?" Manior whimpered, looking up at his brother with large eyes. He wanted to know what was going on, not quite sure of the strange presence he felt. Without any further hesitation, the child grasped the boy's wrist tightly, pulling him up as he threw open the closet door behind him, harshly tossing the cat demon inside. The toddler cried out as he hit the wall, rubbing the back of his head before his fire plushie was thrown in his face. Manior called out to his brother again, but this only prompted Demare to wrap his tattered black scarf tightly over his mouth so that he couldn't speak any further. Then, the halfling thrust the young boy hard against the wall, red eyes wide open, bi-colored eyes narrowed into slitted glares. He gave the child such a terrifying look that for the first time in the toddler's life, he was actually afraid. "You stay in here and no matter WHAT happens, you don't leave this room, GOT IT?!" the demon hissed, trying his best not to hurt the boy any further. "Not a ******** PEEP from you until Mama gets back, don't even move a muscle or I swear to the Gods I'll ******** kill you myself. Do you understand?!" The cat demon could only struggle to nod, tears streaming down his face. What was Dema-bra doing? Why did he get so scary all of a sudden? He merely watched as darkness engulfed his tiny body, the door closing and the lock clicking in place. Demare let his fingers slip down off of the deadbolt, silently relieved that he'd had that added to the door after the last time Shadow had showed up. Lightly resting his forehead against the door, he took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly as he tried to calm his nerves. It wasn't his intention to scare the babe, but he had no other choice. He had to keep the kid in there somehow to make sure he'd at least be somewhat safe. Opening his eyes slowly, the halfling jumped away from the door just in time to witness the door that lead into the actual room shatter to pieces as something heavy was thrown through it, slamming into the wall, breaking the desk in half. His eyes widened at the sight of the heavily wounded body; a deep gash in his chest and right shoulder, blood dripping down from his forehead and washing over his left eye. The ninja coughed up more blood as he struggled to move, failing miserably. "J-Juubei!" Demare choked out, quickly grasping Mordanath from his spot at his side as he heard heavy footsteps in the hallway. Several items clattered to the ground in the next room, listening as books fell to the floor. Demian, what's going on?? Clare piped up, trying to figure out why the demon was on edge. He couldn't feel anything when outside of the body, but he could tell something bad was happening. He's here again... the demon growled, red eyes narrowing a little bit. That guy from before..."You guys like to give me more trouble than is needed," came a voice from the hall. "I didn't come here to kill anybody." Heavy boots carried the man into the room, the tanned body dressed in black just like the last time. The sunglasses that hid his red eyes, however, were in his left hand, broken. The only thing different about Shadow this time was that he was wearing a black button up shirt, and he was holding a weapon; the double bladed scythe that was a demon relic said to have been forged by Shadow himself hundreds of thousands of years ago before the demon war even began, the Shadow Blade. "However, it looks like I may be forced to," he smirked, cracking his neck as he tossed the broken glasses over his shoulder. "If you came to try and take Manny again, you're not going to win," Demare said coolly, idly wondering if he'd even be able to hurt the guy. Even if Demian was in his true form, they both dealt with shadows. It would almost be like fighting a mirror. Shadow began to laugh, shaking his head as he turned to the boy. This was priceless... "The brat? That's a joke, right?" he sneered, pointing a thumb at the closet door. "If I wanted him, I would have taken him a long time ago. I lost my interest in that nitwit last year, however." His smirk returned as he lifted a gloved hand to his chin, stroking it lightly. "You, on the other hand... I saw that fight of yours, and quite frankly, I'm impressed. I never would have imagined..." His eyes almost seemed to shine. "...A shadow that ate flesh." The child grimaced, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as he remembered the taste. The salty skin... the coppery taste of blood... the rubbery texture of muscle. It made him sick... It just made him SICK. "I won't... I won't ever fight like that again," Demare hissed, narrowing his eyes. "It only happened because the seal was obstructed. If they're not damaged... I won't have that hunger... T-that terrible..." "Face it. You liked it," Shadow said a bit slowly, swinging his scythe around so that it was vertical to his body, resting the tip of the bottom blade on the floor. "Now that you've tasted it, you want more." His red eyes narrowed into slits, glowing bright as the halfling tried to suppress his anger. No... NO. He was wrong! Demian wanted nothing to do with that wretched past anymore. He wanted nothing to do with those things he used to call family... He wasn't just some flesh-eating demon anymore. He was different now! He'd... changed. Demian... Clare whispered, wishing there was something he could do. As much as he hated the demon, he was still concerned over the things being said. Shadow was using his weakness against him. Don't listen to him.I... I can't... Clare, I need... Demian struggled to get out, but he couldn't manage to say what he wanted. He hated admitting that he needed help. He also hated to admit that maybe the man was right. "Join me..." Shadow continued to entice the boy, holding a gloved hand out to him. "Come with me to my realm. I'll teach you how to harness your full power..." "My... full power..." he whispered. Demare's bi-colored eyes widened slightly as he turned them upward to look at the demon, lowering his hand from his lips. "You can teach me... how to control it...?" No! Don't... don't listen to him. He's trying to trick you!"Of course I can," he smirked, keeping his hand extended. "I can teach you all sorts of things... I can teach you how to manipulate all forms of darkness, how to embrace your true calling. How to fight..." Demare closed his eyes for a moment, straightening himself out. His grip on Mordanath loosened slightly as he thought, wondering if anything like that were even possible. Even in the past, Demian could never fully control his complete power, no matter what form he was in. His brother had tried to teach him, but nothing seemed to work, particularly as he grew older. What if the same thing ended up happening now as it did back then? What if his shadows turned against him and hurt the people he cared about? Maybe going with Shadow would help... ...Or maybe Shadow was just trying to use him. What if he was trying to turn him against Neko and the others? Against his friends? His... family... "That all sounds pretty good... but I think there's something you're forgetting..." the child muttered in a hushed voice, tightening his grip on his dagger once more. A black glow began to emit from his right hand. Shadow raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest, his scythe crossing in front of him. "What's that?" Several clawed hands shot out from the mirror behind the man, grasping onto anything they could to prevent him from moving. They mirror had changed from its regular reflective surface into a black portal, the hands trying to pull Shadow inside. Get ready, Clare...This is it, isn't it?Just... don't get in my way.Then don't get in mine.Demare's eyes snapped open as he charged toward the demon. "I already know how to fight!" he cried as he slammed his small body into the man with all his might, forcing them through the portal. As the two of them disappeared, so did the entrance to Demian's realm, the mirror cracking straight down the middle.
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:02 pm
(June 15, 2006; Bitchplot of Doom)
Painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December...Manior opened his eyes slowly to the soft words being sung to him, finding himself in Sora's arms. The elven woman had managed to find him, a red stained bandage wrapped tightly several times around her forehead and temples. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, as if she'd been thrown through one of the walls, which probably had happened considering what went on not too long ago. His eyes widened a little bit as he noticed Domonic attending to the badly wounded Juubei, who was still resting in the rubble that was Demare's desk. His father was quiet, his pale eyes dazed as he carefully cleaned the oni's wounds, his white shirt splattered with blood. Why did this happen? Why had the bad man come to cause so much trouble? Why did he hurt his family like that...? Shifting himself in the woman's arms, his gold eyes showed nothing but worry. "Ewwyhing okie?" he asked a bit sleepily, his tail flicking left and right as his ears flattened back against his skull. "Wheh mama?" Sora stopped singing and opened her blue eyes, frowning slightly. "It would be best not to disturb her right now, little one..." "Wheh mama?" he asked again, tilting his head like a curious kitten. "Manior, I don't think it would be a good ide--" she started again, but was interrupted before she could finish. "Wheh mama?!" Manior demanded, tears burning in his eyes as his tail began to bristle and stiffen. "She's in her room," Domonic finally spoke up, unphased by the outburst. He knew when the child wanted something, it was wiser to simply give it to him. Particularly when it dealt with his mother. "Go see her, Manny. Let her know you're fine." The little cat boy crawled out of the elf's lap, toddling his way over to the man, and tugged at his sleeve. All the blood didn't bother him, it seemed. "Dapa come, too," he whined, trying to pull him away from Juubei. "Juubei needs help, Manny," Domonic sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Dapa needs to stay here and..." "Dapa... come... TOO," he nearly growled, his drip tightening. The man hesitated for a moment before opening his eyes, pausing as he focused on the child. Scooping him up into his arms, he lightly smoothed the boy's hair as he stood. "Sora, take over for me," he ordered before stepping out of the room. "And don't try to help unless you want to end up like For'mir." "I understand..." she whispered, carefully standing herself up and moving toward the ninja. The sight of Neko's hand ripping through the vampire's chest was still clear in her mind. Domonic stopped a few doors down the hallway, resting his hand on the doorknob as he hesitated for a long moment again, seemingly afraid to open the door. Inwardly, he was glad that Manior had a hard time sensing fear, the man not wanting to worry his poor son. However, at the same time he regretted it, wishing the child would stop him so they wouldn't have to face Neko this way. She'd locked herself up for a reason, anyway. She didn't want to end up hurting anyone else. Cautiously, he opened the door, quickly stepping inside and closing it again. There she was, sitting on the bed and facing the window, her ears and tail bristled with anger. The presence in the room felt different, however, carrying a hint of evil. Neko's nails dug into the edge of the bed as her ears twitched slightly at the footsteps that slowly approached the other side. "I thought I told you to leave me alone," the demoness growled, not moving from her spot on the bed. She didn't seem to realize that Manior was there with her partner. "Well... you know me," Domonic lied, gently placing the boy on the bed. "I just... couldn't stay away." "Get out," the woman ordered. "Please calm down," he pleaded, preparing himself for what he almost knew would happen next. "I came here becau--" "I said, GET OUT!" she screamed with a feral cry. In one swift movement, she turned and pounced onto the man, one claw-like hand wrapping firmly around his neck as she forced him onto the ground. "Neko, WAIT!" Domonic choked out, his eyes widening as he struggled against her grip, watching as her other claw began to swing dangerously close to his face. Manior began to scream, wail, and cry, however, at what was going on. This wasn't his mother... she'd never do something like this! That alone was perhaps the only reason Neko even stopped, her hands returning to normal as she halted only an inch away from her lover's face. Her gold eyes softened as her anger seemed to dissipate, immediately retreating to distress as she merely crumbled into Domonic's arms. Relieved, he carefully picked up the weeping demon, cradling her a little bit as he sat down on the edge of the bed, allowing for the wailing child to crawl onto the woman's stomach. "You know what we have to do," he whispered, resting his chin lightly against Neko's red hair. "My baby..." Neko whimpered, holding gently Manior to her bosom to help him calm down. "My son... my precious son..." "We'll get Demare back." "I'll make him pay for what he's done... even if it's the last thing I do..."
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:41 am
(June 16, 2006; Bitchplot of Doom) Demare slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times in an attempt to clear his hazy vision. His body felt sore, as if he'd been doing some sort of heavy activity for the last several hours, and his head felt like it was about to split right open. The air was stale and thick with dust, causing him to cough violently for a moment as he managed to get himself to sit up. Noticing the coppery taste in his mouth, the child peered down into his bandaged hand to see blood splattered over ********... What's going on...?" he hissed in a hoarse voice, using the rocky wall as support while he did his best to stand. The air... Clare began, feeling the body's affects and not being affected himself, I think it's poisonous.Poisonous...? Impossible, my realm can't b-- Demian started, but was cut off before he could finish. This isn't your realm....Come again?His vision now much better, the demon took a good look at his surroundings, unable to recognize anything that was there. The place was still a bit cave-like, but the area was larger, taller, and older looking, as if it had existed for ages. Demian's was still in the works; the edges roughed out and jagged rocks everywhere. s**t... This can't be good. How long do you think we'll have to get out of here?Well, judging by how the body is reacting, it might not be long. However, there's the matter of finding an exit at all.A frightened feeling began to wash over Demare's body, something small beginning to shiver from within the bandages around his torso. Flicking at the stone, he watched Chrys roll to the ground, its shadowy wisps appearing more abundant than usual. This gave it a bigger appearance, the dark wisps almost forming a small body, probably not any taller than two feet. The blackish body hovered over the ground, rubbing its arms as it shivered more, frightened of the place they were in. The child, however, was curious more than anything. He crouched down on the ground, feeling some sort of familiarity with the creature, beyond the fact that the stone was bonded to him. The shadows almost had a green hue to them, the realm they were in obviously having an affect on the fiend. "Chrys, are you alright?" he asked, not particularly to show that he cared for the shadow, but just to be aware of the fact that it might have needed help. The head slowly nodded, the scared feeling beginning to fade away, only to be replaced by relief and comfort. The wisp appeared to breath in the horrible air, the body swirling and twisting with delight. The fiend seemed to think it was in some sort of utopia, the poison only feeding its excitement. He doesn't seem to be affected by the poison, Demian, Clare piped up, borrowing the red eyes on the body's forehead for a moment. It looks like he can breath the air.I wonder if... he can filter it... the demon thought aloud. If he can do that, maybe the body will be able to last longer.There was a long pause. Do... Do you think we'll die in here?...No. I refuse to just waste this chance that was given to me.Hmph. Better not waste it... Otherwise it'd be your fault that we died AGAIN.He didn't respond as he reached a hand out touch the bright green stone before him. Chrys moved back as the fingers approached, as if afraid that its newfound 'body' would disappear. Demare sighed lightly, his wings drooping down against his back as they began to feel heavy. He hated asking for things... "Chrys, I... need your help," the halfling said a bit reluctantly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Do you think you might be able to filter the air so I can breathe?" The fiend shrugged a little bit, unsure of anything it might have been able to do. It cowered after a moment, however, quickly moving itself to huddle close to its bonded. Demare opened his eyes as he felt the stone tucking itself into his bandages again, the feeling of fear washing over him once more. "Hey! Don't hide when I'm asking you a ******** que--" he scolded, but stopped as his eyes widened, feeling a cold glare against his back. Slowly, he turned his head just enough so that his black eye could catch a glimpse of a twin bladed scythe spinning behind him. "s**t." He was barely able to move out of the way in time as one of the blades smashed down into the ground, causing part of the earth to split open and crumble from the force. Shadow emerged from the darkness, something that looked like black blood trickling down from his forehead. Turning his jaw upward, he cracked his neck before shrugging his shoulders, allowing those to pop as well. "You ******** brat..." the man growled through clenched teeth, his red eyes glowing with anger. He wretched the blade from the ground, swinging it around his back. "You just HAD to ******** push me, didn't you?" The child backed up against the wall, trying to find the strength to keep moving. His body felt like it weighed about 100 tons, however, causing him to slow down immensely. There had to be SOMETHING he could do... Demian... The seal...What? the demon snapped, trying to focus. What about them?You can cut the demon seals on the left arm, the angel pointed out. Remember when Loki messed with yours? Maybe something will happen if you mess with mine.Are you ******** INSANE? We don't KNOW what could happen, that's why we don't mess with them! Besides, I can't hurt them without something of full demon blood.Fool. You can use Mordanath to cut the seal.Demare glanced down at the dagger that was tucked under the bandages by his right side. It was true, if the dagger really did hold the will of Demian's brother; it would have made it of demon blood. However, it was one thing cutting the angelic seals on the right arm, because he knew he'd go berserk. He had no idea how Clare would react to the left. I don't think it's a good ide--The demon wasn't able to finish his thought as he felt something pierce his flesh, digging straight through the body, tearing through muscle and bone before ripping out the back. He'd been too distracted to notice Shadow approach him, and now one of the blades was sunken into his left shoulder, ground into the wall behind him. He had no time to react; his body shivered and shuddered with pain, the arm limp and nearly lifeless. Somehow, he managed to lift his hand to grasp the blade, ignoring the fact that it was cutting his hand, trying to force it out. "I don't think you understand the situation you're in, kid," the older demon spat, twisting the blade as he listened to the boy cry out. "You ******** with me, and you get yourself killed." "You don't get it, do you?" Demare choked, hovering the blade of his dagger over his left arm. "You're the one who messed with me, first!" Quickly, he slide the blade down the first three markings, screaming bloody murder at the searing pain as the runes began to glow, the flesh smoldering slightly. The markings rippled and the obstructed ones twisted, as if to prevent anyone from easily fixing them. Moving his left hand from the blade to the staff, the halfling braced himself as he thrust his body to the right, snapping the blade from its base. "WHAT?!" Shadow cried out in shock, falling forward a little bit from all the pressure he'd be placing on the child. He broke his SCYTHE? The halfling tugged the blade out with ease, his white feathery wing appearing to be larger than before. The wound shimmered as it already began to heal itself, the white eye glowing slightly. Lifting his arm, Clare began to utter a few words in an ancient language, a ball of golden light forming in the palm of his hand before shooting out at the demon. Shadow was able to block it at the cost of burning his right hand, the blast deflecting up toward the ceiling instead. He was caught by surprise as it exploded against the roof of the cave, causing large rocks to come crashing down on top of him. What... What was that? Demian demanded, not wasting any time to make the body run in the opposite direction, noticing that it was able to move better. I'm... I don't know, Clare told him, unsure of what he'd just done. Just find a way out of here. I'll keep the body healed as best as I can.Are you sure you can handle it? The power isn't going to go to your head?I'm not you, Demian. I don't have those kind of tendencies.He didn't respond as he kept on running, hoping to get far enough away before Shadow could break free.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:43 am
[Shadow's gate of memories past. I swore I'd never come here again... My baby... My baby... Demare, somehow, I'll bring you home.
Domonic? Are you still there?]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:44 am
[********... Where am I now? Well, so long as I'm away from him, maybe I can find a way out of here.
...Domonic? What the hell are you doing here?]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:47 am
[That... b***h! I know she has something to do with this! Gods be damned, I swear she's dead!
...No.... NO. I... I didn't mean literally...
Neko...? Mama....?! NO!!]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:49 am
[Mother! Mother, please... open your eyes! Look at me! I'm... I'm whole! I'm complete! I... I am your son... As much as I can be...
It's too late...
So much blood. So much hate... I'll be sure to rid this world of such cruelty someday. Once and for all. Starting... with you.]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:52 am
[Let's go home... They'll... They'll be waiting.
Nuh, Neko-mama nuh gone. Mama rai here. See?
Dema-bra...?]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:54 am
[Three days of torture. Clare... I can't believe that...
Demian... Don't ever say my name like that again.
I just... to think that you...
I hate you. I've always hated you. Now just... leave me alone.
It's my fault, isn't it? Once again, it's all my fault.]
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:55 am
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:29 am
[Settle... Settle... Little Games. (Clare)]
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:30 am
[Subtle... Subtle... What's happened to us? (Demian)]
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