Rogue life, while inconvenient in every way, was easily adapted to once Zitomoya accepted that she had to take care of herself and not wait for someone else to do so. In fact, if the dark cheetah was honest with herself, she preferred it now to being served by others. The strength in her strikes had only grown when she began hunting for herself and her group, she felt exhilirated coming back from a run dragging an animal the same size or bigger with her. It was easy for her now, taking care of herself. But sometimes, she longed for something else. Something more.

It was like any other day, hot and dry, that Zitomoya left her little band of rogues to go hunt. Sometimes, she'd only be gone an afternoon and others, she'd be gone for days. She thought about leaving forever, leaving Mir and the brat and the hyena who's name she still couldn't really remember behind to fend for themselves. The brat was grown up, she could hunt for the group. And, really, Zito wasn't sure why she gave a damn if they lived or died. Mir and his brat had caused nothing for her but grief in the time they knew each other. Mulling these thoughts over as she ran, Zitomoya was unaware of the vast lands around her and what animals strode where. That wasn't important, she could always find a bite to eat somehow.


The sun was very bright.

Sellion was stumbling through the long grasses with his eyes closed, convinced that he could see with them shut, even though he couldn't. But in his mind, he could see perfectly. Closing his eyes was simply protection from the harshness of the sun; from the burning orb of fire in the sky that taunted him with its heat, making him paranoid that it would leap out of the great blue and smother him in its flames.

Sellion was a demon, though. He could see finnnne with his eyes closed. He could see--

The cheetah ran into a tree, his head making a loud knocking sound as it slammed into the bark. His head swirled around with dizziness and he fell onto his back.

OH GREAT HELL, HIS HEAD HURT. HE WAS--hmmm? What was that? In the distance...coming closer...

Sellion squinted, eyes no longer closed, and pointed his nose in the direction of the dark thing coming closer. It was...It was...

He grinned.

"A cheetahhhhh." The male jumped to his feet and raked his claws through his hair, causing the tangled mop of curls to become even more messy-looking than before. He began strutting towards her, much like a drunkard, for he was still dizzy from his impact with the tree and really couldn't see straight at the moment.


Zito became gradually less and less aware of what was around her as she ran, dodging past the few things that sprung up in front of her -- in hindsight, that hare did look rather good, but she was doing more important things. She ran on, closer and closer to the cheetah she had yet to spot.

She stopped then rather suddenly, having seen the cheetah, and squinted at the black-and-pink male. She sniffed a little, frowning at the cheetah in front of her, and frowned even more when she realized that he was strutting over to her. She snorted quietly and sat down, waiting for him with an air of indifference and impatience. Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn't more crazy, ridiculous things.

She'd had enough of that, thank you very much.


As Sellion got closer and closer to the dark cheetah, he grew less and less disoriented in his movements, though he was still having a bit of trouble seeing straight. His forehead was pulsing hotly, but he ignored it. He was good at tolerating pain anyway.

Finally he was in front of the female, and he blinked, shaking off the lightheadedness he was still feeling. He was seeing double, but he didn't know that for sure yet. He was staring at the cheetah, eyes wide and mouth open.

This cheetah...

Had two heads.

A strange, muffled, gurgling cry came out of Sellion's throat, and he doubled backwards a bit. His pupils were slits as he stared, hardly believing his eyes. First of all, the female was dark. Her dark colors were demonic, and very, very pleasing to Sellion's eyes. But...TWO HEADS?

Surely she was a demonic princess of sorts...

Immediately after that thought, Sellion gave an extremely low bow and blubbered out, "GOODDAYMYLADY. I am Sellion...!" He took in a sharp breath, nearly passing out from the joy and shock of it all. He was completely overwhelmed.

My, it was a hot day...


Zito jerked a little at the cry, and jumped up, stepping back. She narrowed her eyes a little, frowning at him. What was this male's problem? She relaxed a little when he bowed, and actually laughed quietly at his blubbering.

"Hello, Sellion." She sat down again, watching him warily. Just because he was amusing didn't mean he was to be trusted, she learned that rather quickly. "I am Zitomoya." She frowned at him, narrowing his eyes. "Are you a rogue?"

It would be just her luck to stumble into some pride's territory. The last thing she wanted was to outrun a bunch of brutish lions or worse. She watched Sellion closely, red eyes narrowed to slits.


The demon princess Zitomoya's red eyes seemed to burrow into Sellion's very soul, and he shuddered with glee. A strange, patched-sounding giggle erupted from his chest, but he quelled it immediately, trying hard to contain himself.

He didn't want to look like a fool in front of someone so noble and elegant and beautiful and demonic and grand! Then again, it was impossible for him to look like a fool, ohohoho...He was far too AMAZING.

"Yes~," Sellion answered in an excited drawl, sinking his body into a sitting position, and making sure to keep his head lower than the female's at all times; as a sign of respect for the royal, of course. "and surely you belong to no coalition as well?" he asked. But then his eyes lit up and his ears perked. "Unlesssss...You are blending into someone's pride as a sort of grand, demonic scheme of EVIL?!" he exclaimed. Then he threw his head back and laughed at the thought of what delightful chaos and destruction that situation would bring.


Ah, a crazy cheetah. Wonderful.

She opened her mouth to deny the claim, because she wasn't planning on some sort of 'grand demonic scheme of EVIL', as much as it sounded kind of fun to con some stupid lions again... But that laugh went right through her, and those red eyes opened wide. "I know you." She hissed, staring at him. But... no. No, she didn't know him. There wasn't any way she could, she hadn't met any cheetahs since leaving her coalition those many months ago.

Why did it sound so familiar, that laugh? And if she squinted, she almost recognized the black-and-pink fur. But from where... "Sorry. I'm sorry." She fumed a little at herself. It was the heat driving her crazy, the heat and those crazy daydreams. "No, I'm a rogue as well."


Rogue or not, OF COURSE the demon princess had evil schemes! So there was no use waiting for her to answer that question, he thought. But he was a mere high-ranking demon; not a royal, and thus unworthy of hearing such schemes. Only those who had burned in hell could truly be called royals. Sellion still walked the earth.

Sellion had made up all these rules, but to him, they were as true as night and day.

When the female said she knew him, Sellion's heart jumped to his throat. His paws trembling and he swallowed hard, feeling strangely warm all of a sudden. To be acknowledged by, and even talked to in such an EXCITING TONE was such a...such a...such...such a...SUCH A...!

He was so worked up in her previous statement that he didn't even hear her apologizes. He was overcome with glee and he merely sat there, trembling at length and grinning, looking as if he was about to explode at any given moment. He dared look into Zitomoya's eyes, pink eyes flashing and white teeth shining in the sun as he grinned his trademark insane grin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." he said darkly.


"And you, Sellion." She nodded slowly, watching him. He was a strange cheetah, but chalk it up to another strange rogue, right? She tilted her head, offering a small smirk. "I haven't seen another cheetah in months." She said quietly, watching him. "Not since I left my coalition."

To be fair, they'd left her, but she wasn't one for particularities.

"Are you alright?" She noticed his trembling, and arched an eyebrow, amused. He was a funny sort to watch, trembling and excited for (as far as she knew) no reason at all.


When she said his name, Sellion seemed to literally melt, swaying and twitching until he was flopped on his side on the hot ground. He let out a groaning sigh and curled his paws over his muzzle, peeking his eyes out over top of them at the dark female. He looked a lot like a shy, teenage girl staring at her crush.

His tail swayed up and down slowly as he listened to her. He gave a twitching nod and giggled, "Yes~,"

The black and pink male had finally stopped seeing double, and when he noticed the female had only one head, he didn't blame it on hitting his head; he was just stunned even more at the fact that Zitomoya had just PHYSICALLY CHANGED HER SHAPE.

Sellion swallowed hard, a lump in his throat. He rolled onto his stomach and looked up at the female, absorbing her blood-red gaze.

"You are the most powerful demon I have ever met..." he breathed shakily.


"Demon?" Zitomoya blinked, looking down at Sellion now that he'd flopped over, and snorted laughter. "Is that what you think I am?"

The temptation was almost too much. How easy it would be to fall into old ways and go along with the sham, work on her manipulation. He already thought she was a demon; why not let him continue thinking that?

"Just a demon?" Her eyes gleamed a little, and she rose, walking over to him and peering down at him closely. It'd been too long since she had a chance to play with someone; Mir and his brat were impervious to her scams, the hyena was too stupid to fall for them, and she hadn't seen anyone fun since her cheetahs left. She deserved to have some fun!


OH, BURNING HELLFIRE.

HE HAD MADE A DIRE MISTAKE.

"N-n-n-!" he stammered, eyes bulging at the closeness of the female's face to his own, and frightened of his error in addressing her status. While it was a dream come true to have such a powerful demon so close to him, it was also nearly too much to take in at once. It was too much to bear; too much to contain.

"You are a princess of demons..." he whispered, almost a squeak. "...Aren't you?" he added. Not questioning her status, but leaving room for her to say if she was not a princess, but a queen. Of course, if she was a queen, that meant she had a king...And then poor Sellion's crush would be...Crushed.



"A Princess..." She looked away from him, looking past him at the ground, as if consulting the grass. In reality, she was weighing pros and cons to not saying she was a Queen. A queen would have a king, wouldn't she? And that didn't suit her purposes, not this time.

"For now." She nodded slowly, looking at Sellion with a smirk. "What rank of demon are you, Sellion?" She tilted her head, regarding him closely. If he talked enough, after all, she'd have more to go on with this little game of hers. Briefly, she wondered if he really believed this nonsense, but he must if he was so adamant about it.

If he wanted someone to play with, she'd play his little game.


Sellion shuddered and grinned, completely satisfied with the female's answer. WELL, if she wanted a KING, then...OH, GLEEFUL HELL. HE WAS GETTING CARRIED AWAY. But it felt so good to wonder...

"Just below a royal..." Sellion answered quietly. It was a high rank, indeed. The only other royal he knew was his beloved sister, Chana, who presently waltzed in the burning flames of hell.

OH, CHANA. Perhaps she had sent that wonderful, demonic, glorious princess of hell to him? What a good big sister she was...


"Ohh." She nodded slowly, smirking. "So you're a powerful demon as well." She quirked her head, smirking a little. The smirk faltered just a second when she saw a flash of something that wasn't there, but it returned just as quickly. Those daydreams could wait, she wasn't going to be prey to stupid dreams.

She regarded Sellion quietly then, sitting down to really admire the cheetah. He wasn't an ugly creature, a little dirty perhaps but rogues didn't exactly have the hygienic skills of pridal lions. He would be a suitable mate, if only once. Zito wasn't the type to cling to another, independence was more suiting. She grinned a little. "Have you met many demons in the rogue lands, Sellion?" She had to keep him talking, more information would just mean more help later on.


Sellion wiggled on his back closer to the female, like an idiotic-looking upside-down caterpillar. Or a cripple. Whichever came to mind first.

He flashed a white grin, staring at her head-on, not at all afraid of her stare anymore. He found her demon eyes completely enchanting. The more she stared, the better, as far as he was concerned.

"Oh, yessss..." he answered in a hiss, eyes wandering away from hers as he mused over the question she asked. Yes, he had seen many demons...Many...Some were blatantly demons, and others were hiding among mortals. Then some thought startled him out of his thoughts and her jerked his head towards the female, an oddly serious look on his face.

"But I've never met a demon princess before..."


She watched him wiggle closer, laughing quietly, and shook her head. He was entertaining, that was not to be doubted. She watched him, smirking a little, and lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, I feel honored to be your first." Her eyes gleamed a little. Oho, was she flirting? Subtlety wasn't something she prided herself on, Zito preferred the more direct approach, but she had a feeling Sellion would appreciate that more then blatant speech.

"I haven't seen many demons, although I don't think I'm looking for them either, myself. More important things call to my attention." She spoke regally, lifting her head a little at the mention of those 'important things'. What a little actress.


Honored?

She?

And he?

In the same sentence?!

Sellion was about to faint.

But the mention of "more important things" immediately ripped the male's attention away from his light-headed state and onto deliciously demonic matters. He rolled to his stomach, tilting his head up slightly to look up at the female, eyes wide and lips twitching in an enthralled smile.

"More...important things...Like...?" he dared to ask, tail tip twitching carefully.

Ohhhhhhhh, how he wanted to know what it was like to be such a powerful demon....Ohhhh, how he wanted to know...He wanted it...He wanted her.


She smirked a little and leaned forward, butting her head against his lightly. "Like things you needn't be concerned with, Sellion." She rose, stretching and stepping away from him.

"Perhaps I will explain them later, but for now, it is imperitive that they remain secret. Just for now." Her eyes gleamed a little.


The physical contact was the last straw for Sellion. He was completely and utterly smitten with the demon princess. His life's mission was to rule the world and be its leader, and he wanted that demon princess on his side. But at the same time, he found himself wanting to be lead by her, instead. She was just so...so...deliciously EVIL.

Scrambling to his feet, not thinking straight anymore (not that he was ever thinking straight in the first place), the black and pink male tripped after Zitomoya, content to follow her wherever she would go, at least for right then. Yes, for right then...he would follow her ANYWHERE and do WHATEVER she asked.

That hot day was pretty much the best day of his life.