Dullahan Guardians

"Where could my head be? Now that all of the Slasher and Yellow Scarves excitement has been wrapped up, I've got to get back to the search for my head...I'm not gonna' let it be anyone else's choice as to how and when I die" Though Celty to herself. Out for a drive she could get her thoughts together better than sitting around the apartment.

The sunlight wasn't her usual companion, v.s. the moonlight and overpowering darkness she usually rode in. There was something about how nice the day looked that gave her the idea that she would be able to think up were the hell her head could've gotten to.

Everything was so bright that she could quite obviously see the charcoal black crow flying through the air above her. Surprisingly, not only was it keeping pace with her, but it was outrunning her! When it ended up about 50 or so feet ahead of her, however, something changed. Suddenly the crow's form grew out, larger and began to take shape.

Soon a mass of what appeared to be the same type of dark matter that she herself wielded, appeared from the shape of the crow, which was ripping itself apart. After complete seperation however, it began to pull back together, changing it's basic anatomy, to that of a human. By the time the dark matter had landed, it landed softly on two legs, with two arms outstretched. By this point it looked like a marionette, with human anatomy, but not a single concievable detail that made it look human.

Soon however, dark matter swirled across the front of the head, settling and forming the details of a face, around the time the remainder of the matter across the body settled. After the details settled, color began to emerge from the dark matter. pale skin (though not chalk white as Celty's), blond hair (And goatee), and a swirling set of blue tattoo's running down his face, into his clothes, which quickly formed: black boots, pants, and long-sleeved black shirt, over which a trenchoat formed.

After all the matter had settled, the color had come, and the clothing had formed, this entity looked just like a middle aged human man of about 40 or so. He drew a notebook from within his trenchcoat and opened it up, scribling something down, before yelling in Celty's direction:

"DULLAHAN! A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME!?"

Altogether surprised that the crow-man knew she was Dullahan, and also a bit surprised that he stepped directly in front of her path, Celty quickly tried to stop, but didn't come to a complete halt until the man's foot caught the front of her bike, which nearly sent her flying.

"How fortunate that I've found you so soon. Your spirit radiates strongly enough you were easy to find in a place like Ikebukuro. May we speak for a minute?"

Celty whipped out her cell phone and keyed in, followed by the sound of her phone's voice: "What was that? And what are you? I want answers before anything else"

Hearing this he scribbled something down in the small notebook before responding: "You will get your answers, but first I wish to know a few details about you. Name for starters."

Celty quickly keyed in her response: "Tell you what. For every peice of information you give me, I'll give you one. So what's your name first?"

"I'm Kaz. And you are?"

"Celty" rang off the phone speaker almost before the crow-man could finish speaking.

"You are a Dullahan correct?" Asked Kaz, after he had scribled something else into his small notebook.

"Why? Why are you so interested in Dullahan?'' asked Celty's phone voice.

''I'll tell you why, if you tell me whether or not you really are a Dullahan'' Said Kaz.

''I am. Now why do you care. You're not one of those crazy people who think that you can convince a Dullahan to let you live forever are you?'' Asked Celty.

''Those 'crazy' people don't understand that Dullahan don't have the authority to allow people to live forever. I know better'' Said Kaz.

''How?'' Asked Celty.

''First. Take off the helmat. I need to know that your really a Dullahan. No head is a good start'' Said Kaz.

''No'' Spoke Celty.

''Alright then. This is gonna' get ugly. You will fight me'' Said Kaz.

''Why? For what reason do you want to fight?'' Asked Celty.

''Only a true Dullahan, could keep up with me. So GET READY CELTY!'' Yelled Kaz as his body collapsed into dark matter, sliding across the ground to reform into his human form just in front of Celty. Before she could even react, his hands grabbed over her shoulders, and he pulled her frame into an awaiting knee. With a slight push he got the surprised Dullahan away from him and followed up with a roundhouse that fired her helmat away, sending it about 20 feet or so. Suddenly more dark matter leaked out of the back of his coat and surrounded Celty, soon after locking around her limbs, pulling her to her knees. Then came the first major surprise of the battle.

He jammed his right hand into Celty's throat. At first, she thought he was searching for a heart, or some other organ, to rip out. Apparently to kill her, but soon after, something within her changed. Dark matter was hardening within her. A sharp pointed pole started to form, and he began pulling it from the precipice of dark matter within her. By the time the creasent blade at the end formed she could tell that...somehow...he had manifested and removed her scythe.

He pulled the weapon clear out of her and jumped back, turning his form into dark matter again, which traveled through the air quickly, creating distance in a heartbeat. He examined the scythe for a moment, before throwing it at her. Without much difficulty, Celty plucked her weapon out of the air. Instead of drawing a new weapon, he turned a mass of his own dark matter into an exact replica of Celty's own weapon.

Again his form transformed into pure dark matter, flying through the air until it stopped right in front of her, hardening back into human form, and striking out with the replica scythe, all within seconds, leaving Celty precious small time to raise her defenses. Celty's own weapon was relatively light, though Kaz's replica provided pretty heavy punch, even though he wielded it as if it was just a light as Celty's own.

Two more strikes were blocked before he locked weapons with her, starring at the space above her neck. Soon after, his eyes slid down, ending not on her breasts, but her stomach. Before she could judge what he was going to do, dark matter was hardened into a bladed tentacle, which tore through her stomach. He turned his body, jumping to her side as he wrapped the head of the scythe around her body, and used it's leverage to throw her.

''Why do you only defend? You need to fight back, or this won't end well for you. Kill me if you don't want to die'' Said Kaz as he dropped the scythe, letting it hit the ground, and revert back to liquid form. She just stood, body faced his way, before dark matter surrounded her own scythe, and began to replace it into the dark matter hidden in her own body.

Then however, Kaz spoke again: ''You think that I'm no longer a danger to you just because I don't have your little scythe anymore. You're just fooling yourself women. FIGHT BACK!''

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a long barreled revolver, pulled back the hammer, and aimed it directly at Celty. Without a moment of hesitation, he pulled the trigger, firing a round coated in flowing dark matter. The round hit her square in the shoulder, blowing through her skin. This guy was just playing with her, but the next round hit dead center in the chest. He's not playing anymore.

''Fine,'' Thought Celty to herself, ''If you wanna' die so badly, I'll end it''

Rehardening her scythe Celty charged, narrowly avoiding a third round aimed at the throat. Seeing her preparing to finish him off, Kaz lowered his gun and closed his eyes. A quick, clean cut, seperated Kaz into upper and lower halves, cleaved at the waist exactly. He hit the ground writhing and groaning in pain. He let out a few deep breathes and tired to compose himself, before he looked onto to Celty and pleaded : ''Please...*huff, huff* kill me. *huff, huff*...end the *groan* pain''

Sensing his genuine desire for death, Celty walked close. She raised her scythe, and quickly lowered the tip of the scythe head into Kaz's heart. He gave a single, chocking cough as his hands fumbled across the blade in his chest. Before long, however, his head slumped back, and he was lost from this world forever. After the blade was removed from Kaz's chest, it was surrounded by some of Celty's own dark matter, converted into flowing form, and replaced within her neck (all hands free).

A small mass of dark matter lifted her helmet towards her, as a voice rang out: ''Allow me, ma' lady''

Kaz's eyes had opened, and dark matter was flowing from both halves of his severed waist. Tentacles erupted from this flowing dark energy, and pulled the two halves of his body together. The severed halves stitched back together (as well as the stab wound in his chest stiching back together) and he took in a deep breath and exhaled air full of dark matter.

Celty almost instantly reached into her neck, begining to pull out the scythe, but this time Kaz raised his hands in front of his body, saying ''You've proven your Dullahan ability. And you also proved your resolve. Only a true Dullahan could take my life so easily. And then ready herself for a second battle before I even get to explain how I 'rose from the dead'. You've won Celty.''

Removing her phone again Celty furiously typed in: ''Now I want some answers! How are you still alive!?''

''All in good time Celty, all in good time. But first...I'm hungy as hell. You know somewere we could go to eat? I'll explain everything''

''On the bike then, crow-man'' Spoke Celty's phone.

''I'll follow. Oh, by the way...your treat. I haven't changed my currency from Russian money yet''

''Typical men. Follow me then'' Rang off the phone in Celty's hand. She mounted her bike as Kaz reverted to crow form and followed her towards Russia Sushi. There...he would give her answers.