Control
By Inaecis
Shin had given up fighting the demon. For five hundred years they had both fought for control of Shin's body, and even now Shin had to fight for control of his mind. The madness that he had been defending against for so long was catching up to him. After all, a human can only watch so many merciless killings, and that his did it own hands only made it worse. He did not hate the demon for it, for his hate had been exhausted centuries ago. Nor did he love him though, and so both entities were forced to their own corners of Shin's mind.
Secretly Shin prayed that the demon would falter and they would go to both their deaths. Shin had even tried to regain control a few times, but each time the demon would take control and the chance would be lost. But then Shin's prayers were answered.
One night, after a particularly brutal killing, the demon (known to Shin as Doren) retreated to his own dimension to regain his strength. The red sky shimmered with rain that seem more like tears of blood than water, and a crack of lightening broke through the silence. Doren turned his head to see a girl entering the dimension. Before anything could be done a girl of twenty had appeared and thrown a ball of energy at him. Pain ripped throw Shin like fire, it felt as if the world itself was splitting apart, and when he could stand no longer he let himself fall to the ground. A thought cut through the pain like a knife, and he experimentally reached his hand out to pick up dirt and let it drain out of his fist. The barrier that was Doren was no longer, and Shin found himself in control of his own thoughts and actions. Shin found himself smiling despite the horrible agony that ebbed at his consciousness. He pried open his eyelids to see the girl fighting Doren. Roots of trees erupted from the ground at the demon's call and held the girl, wrapping around her legs, arms, and throat. Without a host Doren was weak, and he had reverted to his adolescent form. Although still a parasite, he no longer had the power of mind control. Or at least he wouldn't until he matured inside a human's brain, and he planned to enter the girl's.
A stab of pain hit him again, and Shin realized that his own death was imminent. Without the demon to keep him alive his body was dying, and Shin saw this as his last time to repent. He dove in front of the girl just as Doren pushed himself from the ground and as the demon returned to Shin's mind once more Shin slipped into the Land of Death.
Warmth surrounded him and he tried to reach the light, his hands grabbing for the freedom that seemed so close. Just as he moved his feet towards the light for his last step, long cold claws snatched him and pulled him back. "I will always be there," Doren whispered from the shadows. "To keep you from the light." And then he was gone. The light flickered and Shin reached for it again, his eyes opening wide with the fear of losing Death.
A pair of angelic blue eyes looked back at him and he sat there shaking for a moment. His hands reached past the blue eyes, still searching for the light that was no longer there. When he realized this he lowered his hands and closed his eyes, sighing deeply. His whole body felt exhausted, just as it had when Doren had taken over.
"He lies dormant within you," the girl with the blue eyes said. "When will he be strong enough to control you?"
Without opening his eyes Shin ran his hands through his ebony hair. "I don't know," Shin said. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, taking in the small room. He sat on a light green couch that sat across from a large rustic desk. Behind the desk sat a young girl of about nineteen years of age, four years his junior, making him twenty-three. Had Doren not made him immortal he would have aged, but now he seemed like the typical young adult, with the mind of an ageless soul. The girl's plain brown hair was tied up in a ponytail with a few stray stands that hung loosely around her face. Her blue eyes only shone brighter beside the blue shirt she wore. Baggy tan pants covered her legs or perhaps something more. Shin could just barely see the outline of a gun strapped to her thigh. A door in the corner gave way to what Shin guessed must be a bedroom, for the apartment seemed too big to be just an office. A large window revealed a bustling city. All of this Shin took in before turning back to the girl.
"Thanks for back there," the girl said slowly when she had his attention. She held out her slender hand to him. "My name is Ivy, Ivy Powell."
Shin took her hand hesitantly. "Shin."
Ivy looked back at him skeptically. "Shin…?" She made movements with her hands to prompt him to say his last name.
"Just Shin," he returned, not out of rudeness but because he couldn't remember.
"Well Shin, it appears there is only one option for us," Ivy said, leaning into her chair. Shin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "The demon inside of you could mature at any time, so it would be too dangerous to turn you loose. On the other hand I could kill you right now," Shin stiffened as Ivy's hand slipped from the desk into her lap where Shin guessed the gun was hidden. "But that is out of the question, being that you saved my life." He relaxed again. There was nothing to fear from someone who owed you her life. Even demons had respect for that. "There is, however, a third choice." At this Ivy lifted herself from her seat. She walked confidently over to a second door, a door that Shin hadn't noticed before. She drew from her pocket a small key that she then slipped into the keyhole. When it was unlocked and opened she stepped back and motioned for Shin to look inside.
A cage stared back at him. The walls were enforced with steel and bars lined the window. A cot sat in one corner but other than that the room was empty. Shin turned back to Ivy, who had retrieved a clipboard and pen from her desk. "I have done some research. The demon can only take over when you are asleep. I am willing to let you sleep here for what you did for me. If you don't want to I will have to hunt you down. Doren was also in some of my research, and I do not want to be facing him when he has taken over and recover from his ordeal. You have one hell of a demon in that head of yours."
"So basically I have no choice but to sleep in a cage for the rest of my life." The idea didn't sound too appealing to Shin.
"I'm not happy about having to share my apartment either, but that's the way it goes. You can do whatever you want during the day, just as long as you don't fall asleep for more than an hour. I suggest you get a job."
"A job?"
"Yes a job. You can't live here for free, and you're gonna need money. I have a friend who might hire you, I have an application right here." She held up the clipboard.
"Sounds interesting," Shin mused, talking more about the friendship that was developing between the two than the job.
"I will take that as a yes. Well lets get started with this application then."
Locked Doors
"Name?" Ivy held the clipboard in her lap, reading off the questions to Shin. He was getting a job, and already it was stressful.
"Shin."
"Look Shin, you're going to need a last name to get a job in this city."
Shin thought for a minute before answering. The demon had various bank accounts under various last names. He could use that to pay Ivy, but he had a feeling that it would be needed later on. He chose the last name that he liked best. "Shin Swift."
"Swift? Where'd that come from?" Shin said nothing and avoided eye contact with Ivy. "Aright then. Next question: as of January 1st, 2003, what is your age?" Another uncomfortable silence as the green-eyed man looked out the window, deep in thought. "Seventy? One hundred? You can't be more than—"
"Five hundred and ninety-seven," Shin said as he surveyed the city below.
"Five hundred and…." Ivy swallowed and laughed nervously. "Well I'm sure twenty-two will do." She wrote the number down and the silence overwhelmed the room once again as Ivy filled out such questions as his address and emergency contacts.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Shin asked suddenly.
"What?" Ivy said, taken off guard.
"Why didn't you kill me?" He turned toward her, giving her a full vision of the man that held the world's most powerful demon dormant in his mind. The pain he had lived through had only made him stronger, but it had also hardened him. His eyes let nothing show and his movements were sure and precise, for they were the movements of a man with all the time in the world. His black hair hung in an unruly but fashionable way around his head, and he wore the black shirt and tan jeans of someone who cared more about blending in than anything else.
"I couldn't," Ivy said, lowering her head.
"Couldn't, or wouldn't?"
"Couldn't. I-I don't have that kind of power. Doren was weak. Usually if I throw energy at a weak demon they simply return to Hell, but Doren was strong, even in his weakness. Even so, you weren't supposed to split like that."
Shin let this sink in, and then realized what Doren's goal had been. "He wanted you."
"What?"
"As a host. Your power was of some relevance to him, I don't know why. Unless he had an enemy demon. If he could only weaken his foe he would be able to trap him forever in Hell."
They sat in silence once again, the threat of Doren in both of their minds.
"Why did you follow him into the other dimension anyway?" Shin asked after a few minutes.
"I don't really know. I just kind of knew that you-he- was a demon. It feels strange whenever a demon is nearby."
"How long have you been doing this?"
"Following demons? I've only caught two." Shin held back any facial expressions that might give away the way he scoffed at Ivy inside. Only two? This woman is nothing more than a girl.
That night Shin watched television. It was his first time, and Ivy enjoyed his child-like amazement at the people moving about on the screen. Exhausted from the day's events Ivy had drifted off into sleep, and when Shin finally figured out how to turn off the television it was late into the night. Not wanting to wake her, Shin picked her up and brought her into her room and set her on the bed. He then opened the door to the Cage and debated whether or not he should sleep on the couch. She needs someone to trust, a voice inside his head mused.
With this in mind Shin did one last thing before lying down, and then he let himself fall into unconsciousness.
Ivy woke up in a sweat when she realized that she had not locked Shin in his room. If Doren ever breaks free it will be the end of us all, she told herself as she rolled off her bed, not even stopping to wonder how she had gotten there.
When she reached the door she put her hand to the doorknob and turned it to find that nothing happened. The door was locked from the inside. She looked down and saw that someone had slid the key under the door from the other side. "Shin," she said smiling despite herself.
Reunion
Doren held a blond haired man down, a sword to his throat. "It's me, Paris, remember? You're being controlled Shin, I can feel it. But you're still in there. I'll help you be free like me. I promise I will come back."
Shin struggled against Doren's control, but there was no winning.
"I promise I will," Paris repeated before disappearing.
Shin woke up to the strong rays of an early afternoon sun as they streamed through the bars on his window. He sat up and stretched for a bit, thankful every moment for the way his arms raised and fell at his own command. How good it is, he thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. To have control of my own body again.
The door of the Cage was still locked, but to Shin it didn't matter. Even this prison was larger than the one Doren had made for him. He stood and did some stretches. The demon had kept his body in good health, and his muscles merely tingled after he completed a round of three hundred push-ups and sit-ups.
An hour after he had woken up a voice came from behind the door. "You still you Shin?" Ivy asked in a soft voice, ashamed that she had to ask such a question.
"I'm still me, Ivy." And so their day began.
By four o'clock Shin was on a bus headed for the south side of the Newfound City. Ivy had taken him to a small mechanics shop called "Fixes" where he was introduced to a man named Weasel Peabody. Weasel was a tall yet scrawny man who fit his first name, but not his last. Shin imagined a Peabody to be a nerdy sort, but Weasel was more the punk type. He wore baggy black pants and a black shirt, and his hair was bleached. Earrings hung from his ears, and when he spoke a gleam in his mouth betrayed a tongue ring.
Shin had immediately liked Weasel. He was friendly, but not overwhelmingly so. They both knew that Weasel would chose the business over friends any day. Because Shin had no training in mechanics Weasel had assigned him as errand boy, running around town ordering and retrieving various items for the shop. He had also promised him a motorcycle to run these errands, but for the meantime Shin would have to take the bus.
Ivy worked with the police, both because she needed money and because she had to closely watch the crimes to see if they were demon related. She has left as soon as she could for work, giving Shin the number of the police car's cell phone just in case any demons "popped up".
Concerned whispers filled the bus, bringing Shin's thoughts back to the present. People crowded to the other side of the bus, and soon their whispers became cries of fear.
"He's running at the bus!" one man shouted in disbelief.
"We're gonna hit him!"
"Oh my God!"
The bus shook and began to tilt so that the bodies of the people on the opposite side of the bus piled on top of him. The glass of the window shuddered and broke as it hit the pavement, and shards of glass flew into the bus. Shin was the first to be hit, and when the bus finally stopped in its sideways plunge Shin found himself outside of the bus. Pain spread from his chest where a piece of glass had lodged itself. Although he was immortal the pain of the injury still came to him, but he knew that the only way that it would heal was if he pulled out the glass.
He pulled the piece of glass out, and as it came it ripped at his body. His hand and wrist were also cut, and soon a puddle of blood had surrounded him. Too late Shin realized that with Doren dormant inside of him the wounds might not heal as quickly as they did when he had taken over. He leaned back into the pavement, hoping to outlast the pain until the wounds could heal normally.
Laughter filled his ears and Shin stiffened. Could it be? He turned his head to see Paris standing there with his spear ready in his gloved hands. His blond hair spiked up like it always had, and a brown cape flew out behind him as it always had. They had been friends once, long ago. When Shin had been taken by the demon Paris had followed loyally in his path, willingly agreeing to be taken over by another demon. This demon though was weak, and Paris soon held the demon's powers as well as its spirit.
Sirens squealed and Shin heard many doors open and close quickly. "Freeze! Police!"
"Oh my God its Shin! He's hurt!"
"Not now," Shin said as he heard Ivy's voice.
"Stay back!" Shin shouted as Paris look from Shin to the weapon-carrying police and flicked his hand. Cars flew into the air and smacked into each other, falling gracelessly back to Earth. Cries of pain could be heard and Shin could only guess what the damage was.
"So Shin. I can see you have control over that pesky demon of yours. Come on get up and we can finish the your enemies together."
Shin groaned, half in annoyance, half in pain. "You can't hurt anyone else, Paris."
"And why not? They are obviously fighting against you, and so they are my problem as much as they are yours. Come now, its you and me, fighting alongside each other! Together we can rule the world!" Just then Paris looked down and realized that Shin was still bleeding. "Why aren't you healed of that wound yet? Shin? Hey don't faint. Shin!"
Shin laid his head down and looked up at Paris, saying nothing. He coughed as his mouth began to fill with blood and his eyes lost focus as the crimson fluid dribbled down his chin.
"Shin!" Ivy, Shin knew it was here without looking. Footsteps closed in as Ivy cocked her gun at Paris, pulling a bandage out of her pocket with her empty hand. "Hands where I can see 'em! You're under arrest!" A bored looked crossed Paris' face and he gathered power for another attack at the many police that had surrounded the trio. The silence that had swept over the scene was broken as Shin gritted his teeth and his fist tightened. Ivy had pressed a bandage to his stomach to stop the bleeding, and Shin hadn't taken it very well.
"What are you doing?" he asked, and held his hands out. Shin disappeared from his position on the ground and reappeared in Paris's open arms. Then Paris opened a portal to the other dimension and disappeared.
Promises between Friends
Shin blinked a couple of times before he came into consciousness. "Where am I?" No one answered, and Shin sat up. A clear substance encircled him, and he poked it experimentally with him finger. The very air resisted his touch. Thicker than water, yet he was able to breathe. "What is this? A bubble?"
"Its called Tinuae Minuteri. It's a healing liquid." Paris stepped out from behind a wall, and for the first time Shin took in his surroundings. The bubble that encased him hung from a silvery strand that raised him twenty feet above the floor. A maze of walls spread over the floor beneath him, and Paris hovered in the air next to the bubble.
Shin turned his head to Paris and raised an eyebrow.
"Tiny mechanical organisms live inside of it. They repair your body and won't let anything pass through its outer surface until you are completely cured."
Shin reached his hand out further to the surface of the bubble. As his hand touched the edge fire burned through him, centering on his wound, which had only now decided to make its presence known. He doubled over in pain, his hand reaching back to his abdomen instinctively. The initial pain stopped but his wound still throbbed.
Paris simply laughed. "Curiosity killed the cat, and you were always the curious one weren't you Shin?"
Shin grimaced and was about to reply when Paris cut him off.
"But we can always talk later."
Paris tried hard to cover up his worry, but Shin could always tell when he was upset. The trouble was, Shin trusted him completely, yet he couldn't help doubting Paris. He hadn't always been so power hungry, and Shin wondered what his ploy was.
"Where is he? Where the hell did he go?"
"He just disappeared sir! He's gone and he took a hostage with him."
"Where's Ivy? She said she saw them leave. Where is that woman?"
Ivy ignored the calls of the police captain; her attention turned to reaching the portal before it closed. The demon would be lost if she couldn't get through, not to mention Shin. She reached the square opening that floated in midair and lunged into it just as it closed. She hit the ground hard but got up quickly, ready for anything. She slipped the gun from its holster and looked around her. The room was pretty dark, but even what could be seen was nothing to be worried about. Silvery walls encircled the small clearing of which she was the center.
A voice brought her attention to a sphere above her. "I told you not to come here Ivy."
"Shin? Is that you? You ok?"
"I'm fine. Ivy, you should leave." If Paris came back there was no telling what his reaction would be. He seemed so lost in his own plans that he wouldn't care about the humans that stumbled in.
"I'm not leaving. I have a job to do."
"A job to do? That gun is not going to help with anything." He felt a sense of responsibility for her, though he knew not why. Shin tightened his fist, angry with Ivy for staying. The movement opened cuts from the glass, and he quickly sucked in air through clenched teeth.
Ivy noticed this. "I'm getting you down from there," she said, aiming her gun at the chain holding the bubble in the air.
Shin tried to think of something to say that would stop her, but it was too late. The sphere came crashing down to the ground, and the surface broke. Shin moaned as the fire from before ripped through him and his stomach felt as if someone was taking a knife and twisting it as it plunged deeper and deeper into him.
"What happened?" Paris demanded as he appeared behind Ivy. "What did you do to him?" He turned on Ivy and hit her back with the staff of his spear. He bent over Shin.
"Shin. Don't fall asleep Shin. He'll come back. Don't fall asleep." Although Shin's lids felt heavy he kept them open, trying as best as he could to fight off the pain as well.
"It hurts," Shin said simply. Paris moved Shin's hand away from the wound, which had reopened.
"I'm going to pick you up Shin. Try not to move." Paris reached his hands under Shin and carried him to the wall. The wall reached tendrils towards Shin and absorbed him much like the sphere had. Shin sighed and relaxed as the wall began to heal him again.
Ivy meanwhile watched this whole process in amazement. When Shin was safe inside the wall Paris turned to Ivy, his spear ready in his hands. "You will pay for that," he said as he knelt, readying himself for attack.
"Stop." The voice came not from Ivy but from Shin. "Leave her alone," he said quietly. "Let her go."
Paris looked from Shin to Ivy. He opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. He sighed and finally he spoke. "You may leave," he said, and with a wave of his hand a portal appeared before Ivy. "Though I hardly know why he cares."
"I'm not leaving without him," Ivy said as she regained her footing. "I need to…"
"You need to what? What can you possibly do to save him?"
"Doren, he'll come back. You want him to come back."
"No one wants him to come back, and no one will try. He'll be fine with me," Paris said in a reassuring tone.
"I'm not leaving," Ivy said again.
"Look girl "
"I will go," Shin whispered, his voice more muffled than before.
A look of disappointment crossed Paris' face, and he resigned. There was no point in arguing against Shin; it was already hard for him to say a few words, much less defend himself. "If that's what you want Shin, but I am coming back for you, just like before."
"I know Paris," Shin said, his trust and respect for his friend only growing stronger.
Paris waved his hand and the silvery walls of the second dimension faded. Paris was the last thing both Shin and Ivy saw before they returned to the site of the accident.
When Ivy saw that they had returned to Earth she hostlered her gun and collapsed into a pile on the floor. "Who was that?" she asked out of range of the police and doctors. She looked at Shin, who leaned against a building, his gaze never wavering from the place where he had last seen Paris.
Shin took his time to answer. Paris had left so many questions unanswered. Why had the bus crashed in the first place? Was Paris even responsible? Had Paris gone mad? When would he come back? The last question brought a thought to Shin's attention. I want him to come back, he realized, keeping his eyes on that same spot. "That? That was a friend."
Discovery of a Sword
Even with his enhanced healing abilities it took over two weeks for Shin's injuries to heal. He worked the entire time to the protest of both Weasel and Ivy, to the point where Weasel only let him stay if he would work on the motorcycle. Weasel figured this wouldn't take too much moving around on Shin's part, but he was wrong. Instead of simply finishing whenever he needed Weasel to explain he would continue on in his work until late into the night, guessing at where certain parts needed to be. Most of the times Weasel had to cut the power just to get him to leave.
It was one of such nights on the second week of Shin's recovery. It still hurt to flex his hand and sometimes when he breathed deeply, so Shin had been given a backpack to carry his belongings. Inside it held bandages for the times when he needed to change the old for the new, and along with it a book on how to repair motorcycles. "See ya tomorrow," Weasel said with a wave. "You sure you can get to Ivy's ok?"
Shin turned to him and waved back. "I'll be fine," he said, his green eyes gleaming as they reflected the dim streetlights. He walked down the empty street, looking forward to passing the grocery store where it seemed to be so happy. A family lived in the apartment above with two children, a boy and a girl, and they would both help their father as he worked in the grocery shop. Each and every day the children would play various games of tag and such, running around as their father shelved items and laughed happily at their antics. It was something that Shin waited the whole day to see, but today he was disappointed. It was strange that there was no one in the store at all, so strange in fact that Shin decided to take a look. When he opened the door a bell chimed, but there was no one to answer it.
"Hello?" Shin called. Still no one responded. "Hello?" His words echoed through the store. This was stranger still. Shin left his bag at the door and walked to the back of the store. There was a door that emitted inaudible voices and Shin opened it slowly to keep it from squeaking. Shelves of storable food stared back at him, but still no people. The voices were hard to hear but the words soon became clear as Shin walked further back into the store.
"Don't hurt the children. You can take whatever you want just leave them alone." Shin recognized the voice of the father who worked in the store. He sounded like he was fighting back fear, but his voice stayed even.
"I'll do what I want. You are in no position to be negotiating." The second voice was a low growl. As soon as Shin heard it chills ran up and down his spine, a sign that what lay in front of him was most probably a demon. Shin crept around to a stack of crates where he peeked out to see what was happening. The mother, father, and children stood in a clearing, with the children cowering in the corner, but a demon was nowhere in sight. The father and mother stood across from each other, the man standing protectively in front of his children. It was this that made Shin realize who was the demon. The mother growled again angrily, and started towards the children. Her red hair shaded her eyes, but Shin could assume that they were crimson with hate and malice. Although a strong demon, the spirit that had taken over the woman's body did not emit the strength and assurance that Paris had, and Paris had only half the power of Doren.
Shin needed to do something before the demon reached the children. He hoped that he still radiated Doren's strength as he climbed up the boxes and took a seat at the top. Maybe that would scare the demon away.
"Excuse me," Shin said in a conversational tone. "I was wondering if you could show me where the green tea was…"
"Go away human. I have no time for you," the demon replied, never taking her eyes from the children.
"I would but I have this really bad cough, and you know that green tea is supposed to be very soothing " He ducked just as the demon lashed out, and a small dagger that Shin hadn't noticed just missed him. Shin was just as surprised at his speed as the demon was, and the demon took her attention away from the children. "Hey," Shin said, delaying the fight so that the remainder of the family could escape. "My name's Shin." He held out his hand in a friendly way, grabbing the demon's cold palm and ignoring the dagger it held.
The demon looked at him with a confused look on her face, as if asking for an explanation. "Well if you are going to kill me," he said casually. "I might as well know your name." He spoke as if it were obvious, and the demon responded in kind, straightening so that she looked much taller than she had before.
"I am Muri, scourge of the world, known throughout the dimensions…" Muri went on but Shin ignored her, instead watching to see that the father had pulled his children safely behind the pile of crates.
"Well," Shin replied when she finished. "I've never heard of you." He grinned as the demon pulled her hand back, offended by the comment. She ducked down and lunged at Shin, but he had already gotten out of the way. She roared in annoyance and attacked once more. Shin put his fists up, seeing that as his only weapon. The demon expected him to dodge again, so he did exactly the opposite. Shin ducked under the dagger and punched Muri in the stomach, knocking the wind from her. He had lost his balance however, and he fell into the pile of crates that the man stood behind. His abdomen screamed with pain from the rough treatment, and Shin pulled himself from the ground, his hand clutching the wound. The demon turned, gasping for air. When she saw Shin she grinned, for now she knew his weakness. She backed up still breathing heavily. Muri planned to run at him and kill him with a single stroke, the most dishonorable way to kill someone. You would know, Shin told himself.
"What are you doing?" the man hissed from behind Shin. "She didn't even touch you." The man hadn't noticed the wound. Shin shook his head to avoid answering, his mind racing through plans that would never work. Muri turned and rushed at him with short, quick steps, and Shin's eyes widened in anticipation of the pain he knew would come. If only I had a weapon, he thought. He could practically picture a sword in front of him, and he reached for it on a whim. The sword was solid and cold to the touch, and Shin hardly questioned its existence and his knowledge of its use as he stood and brought it before him in a block. Muri's dagger hit the sharp blade of the Katana and she fell back from the force.
"So my opponent has some ace's up his sleeve…Well so do I!" She stabbed the dagger into the ground and the earth opened at its touch, the giant crevice growing and reaching towards Shin. Shin jumped and grabbed hold of the rafter that ran its way along the ceiling. Muri stopped her attack and looked around for the black-haired boy. Shin took his chance and dropped from the rafter, and the hilt of the blade made contact with the woman's skull with a sickening crash. Muri fell to the ground, unconscious before she hit the cracked cement.
The man ventured out from the crates. "Is she…?"
"No," Shin said, picking up the cover that lay on the ground and sheathing the Katana. He took the dagger from the woman's hand and pocketed it.
"Is that thing gone?"
He was unsure, but he did not let it show. "It is now," Shin said. It was said that lower-level demons could be sent to Hell merely by defeating them and taking away the weapon that they were bonded with. It was even thought that some weapons held the spirits of demons, and whoever picked them up could be controlled. He would have to ask Ivy to destroy it, and he doubted she wouldn't be able to.
"I owe you my life," he said.
"That seems to be happening a lot."
The children walked out seeing that the danger was over, and Shin grinned at them before turning back to the man. "Thank you," the man said, holding his hand out to Shin. His hand brushed Shin's arm and Shin dropped the sword, which disappeared before it hit the ground. The man froze with a look of concern plastered on his face.
"It must have come from the other dimension," Shin said without thinking. "It was Doren's…"
"You're one of them, aren't you?"
Shin raised an eyebrow as the man moved between him and the children.
"You're a demon, just like that one."
"Yes but there's no need to…"
"Get. Out." The man turned his gaze away from Shin and pointed towards the door.
"Look its not like I'm…" The man shook his head and Shin realized that arguing was pointless. Rage built up inside Shin and he left, but not by the door. The mix of emotions was overwhelming, and then
He appeared in the hallway of Ivy's apartment. He had found out how to jump, and he wasn't the least bit exited. He shoved himself against the wall, ignoring the protest of his still-healing stomach. His knees shook and he collapsed, his back sliding against the wall until he sat in a cramped ball. As Ivy walked in he dropped his face into his hands. It's not right, he thought. I saved them. I am the hero….
Demon for Hire
"I saw you jump," Ivy said when Shin lifted his head. She sat down on the edge of the couch. "You're getting your powers back."
Shin said nothing, only looked straight ahead at the blank wall ahead of him.
Ivy ignored his silence. Whatever the reason, it was not her business, and she did not plan on pressing. "Anyway I was thinking of hiring a bodyguard." This drew Shin's attention, and he stared at her blankly, waiting for an explanation. "You know, someone with experience, who can protect me. Being as I can only send the demons away I might need some help. As I learned from before, guns seem to have no effect on the stronger demons, especially when they inhabit a human. After all I can't go around killing humans without people getting suspicious. So because you seem so obsessed with your motorcycle you might want more then what you are earning from Weasel. So?"
Again silence. Ivy feared that her offer would be turned down. It wasn't like a virtuous half-demon posted ads in the paper. "I'll do it," Shin said, so suddenly that Ivy jumped. He got up and walked towards his room.
"Well, great," Ivy said when she had gotten over her surprise. "I've already put more ads in the paper, so we should be getting clients any day now."
Shin ignored this and continued into his room. The cot awaited his arrival, and he reached for his bag so that he could read the motorcycle book. Then he remembered leaving the backpack at the grocery store. He debated jumping and decided to walk. All the better to clear his head. He did not want to face the man again, but he could decide what to do when he got there. He picked up his jacket and headed outside.
The apartment door opened as he reached for the handle, and he found himself face to face with a longhaired young girl. The girl jumped slightly when she saw Shin, and blushed as their eyes met. Intelligent blue eyes stared out from behind long blond bangs. The girl leaned forward as if off balance, and Shin caught her shoulders before she could fall anymore.
The girl regained her footing and tucked a length of hair behind her ear. "Thanks."
Shin said nothing, and Ivy shoved past him after a moment. "Sorry 'bout him. He's a little…out of it."
"Oh its ok. Is this Ivy's Private Eye?"
"Yes, come in." Ivy waved her in and Shin moved back for them to get in. The women sat down but Shin remained by the door. "Sit down Shin," Ivy said quietly. He could hear the lecture about rudeness promised in her words.
"I have to get my bag," he said simply and opened the door once more to leave.
"Oh good. Take Ms…ummm, I'm sorry I didn't get your name," Ivy said, turning to the girl.
"Christina Kagito. You can call me Tina, everyone does."
"I am Ivy Powell, and this is Shin Swift."
"Hello," Tina greeted in a soft voice.
"Hey," Shin replied.
Ivy looked back and forth between the two. "Well I was thinking that you could take Tina with you and find out the details of why she has sought out our services."
Tina looked at Shin and it seemed that it was his decision. He didn't really want to be with anyone at the moment, but then Tina gave him a look that made him think she would cry if he didn't say yes.
"Sure," he said softly, and waited for Tina to walk out to close the door. When Tina was in the hallway Shin spoke to Ivy. "You won't always be able to keep me under surveillance you know."
"I know," Ivy said in an almost gleeful tone. "But this isn't surveillance."
"What is it then?" Shin asked.
Ivy didn't answer until just before the door closed and locked.
"Matchmaking."
Silencing the Bell
Charlie Portabelli scrubbed at his eyes, washing away the blood that was not there. He held up his fist and watched as his own blood dripped down his fingers and mixing with the water. The blood drove the demon inside of him, Laelo by name, insane with bloodlust, and the parasite brought forth visions of the carnage it had created, hoping to get Charlie to ring the bell and let it be free. Laelo had killed many in his time, but Charlie had stood strong against the barrage of pain and madness that Laelo brought against his mind.
How he wished that he had never brought that bell, then the visions and the threats and the tormenting would be over. For although Charlie had not yet rung the bell, Laelo had shown him the satisfaction of those who had. The thrill Laelo had forced upon them in his desire for blood, and it was this that Charlie feared.
Even now, standing with clean, cool water dripping off him, Charlie felt the pain that Laelo had created and it was ripping him apart.
Christina was missing, had been for two days now. Charlie was worried, but he would not try to find her. She is safer away from me, away from him, Charlie thought as he turned off the shower.
A low gong sounded, making the walls quiver with its ferocity. Rage coursed through the being in the shower, who was no longer a man, but the demon Laelo.
After Shin rang the bell he set it down and summoned the sword, holding it high above his head. With a flick of his wrist the bell would be destroyed. Shin waited until he heard Charlie, or rather Laelo, stampede up the steps, and then he let the blade drop to the tiny bell before him.
The black-haired man fell back, thrown by such a force that he slowed only when he smacked into the guardrail separating him from a painful fall. The wind knocked out of him, Shin waited until his eyes came back into focus. When he was finally able to breathe he coughed and sucked in air like a starved man. Only after this did he realize that the bell was still whole. Not only was it still whole, but it pulsed with its own inner light. Charlie then at the top of the stairs wearing nothing but boxers. He had a sturdy build, and his shoulder length brown hair dripped puddles behind him. Shin sensed power seething from both man and bell, and realized he must first weaken Charlie before he could destroy the bell, therefore destroying Laelo.
Shin tightened his grip on the katana and lifted himself to his feet, ready to fight. Charlie waited for him to stand and then brought his hands swiftly together. A resonating tone rumbled as a slight disturbance in the air moved towards Shin. Before he realized what had happened, Shin was hit with the blast, and he flew off the roof. Time itself slowed as he tumbled to the concrete below. He crashed, his body smacking into a park car. The alarm went off and the windows shattered, and Shin waited for the tremendous agony that was imminent. The pain came crashing down in a wave. Convulsions wracked Shin's body and he could hear Ivy's voice as if from far away, calling his name. He blinked his eyes open and pushed himself up with his right arm. His left dangled at his side, a large gash showing bone. Shin looked at it, the initial pain dulling but still painfully apparent. Slowly he reached up and grabbed his left arm with his right, and pulled it to the left and up, realigning it to its original position. Before his eyes the bone mended itself; muscles reformed and skin grew, and soon there was no wound left. By this time all his other wounds and broken bones had healed, and Shin stood, whole and alive, as Ivy rushed over to him. "I'm fine," he grumbled quickly before grabbing her around the waist and jumping to the roof. "Find the bell and use your powers on it. Try to destroy it." He didn't wait for an answer, instead moving back to where he had last seen Laelo.
A low grumble sounded behind him just before the demon launched a second sound attack. Shin acted quickly, summoning his sword to him just before the blade struck Laelo. The demon moved quickly, and the blow glanced off his side and he fell to the ground. "Do it now!" Shin called to Ivy, who didn't answer. Laelo began to get up and Shin pulled back the katana, prepared to would Charlie as much as was needed to keep him alive but to Laelo down. Just then a loud cry filled Shin's ears and he froze just in time to keep from hitting Tina. The girl had thrown herself in front of Charlie. "You can't kill him," she cried as she embraced the startled man, his eyes still gleaming from bloodlust. She was out of breath from the climb up to the roof, and she went on. "He's still Charlie! He is! I know it!" Both Shin and Laelo remained frozen, unsure of what to do. The confusion and the wound must have weakened Laelo enough to be defeated, for Ivy soon cried out triumphantly, "Got it!" The demon immediately curled up into a fetal position and shook once before uncurling and regretting it. "Shit," Charlie said, holding his hand to the cut. Tina began to cry and they embraced. And this was Shin's first Happy-Ever-After.
Meeting Jack Black
Ivy heaved a great sigh as they walked down the street, and Shin sighed just after. Although she hadn't done much compared to Shin's battle, she was still only a mortal, and she was tired out much before Shin was. Shin, on the other hand, could sleep for one week straight, and he certainly didn't have enough power to jump the two to the apartment. All of that healing had greatly tired him, but he knew he could make it back to Ivy's. He was just about to call for a cab when a cry claimed his attention.
"Oh no, not another demon," Ivy said as her head began to ring. Shin could sense it too, and he broke into a run as he headed down an alleyway. At the end of an alley a man of about twenty had cornered an older man against a high fence. The man pulled a gun.
"Finally," he said, huffing as if he had been running. His spiked brown hair reminded Shin of Paris, but blue eyes and a hard face showed that the man had not taken what life had given him as well as Paris had.
"The demon," Ivy said, referring to the man. "Why is he breathing so hard? Demons should be able to outrun any human." Shin ignored her and shot forward, intent on stopping the demon from killing.
"We can finish what you have started," the man said, pulling the trigger. As he did Shin dove into him, and the shot went wild. Shin grabbed hold of the gun and fought to take it from the man.
"No! You don't know what " he broke off as a ball of energy surrounded the pair and it pulled at Shin. At first his hair was merely tousled by an invisible wind, but then he felt more than his hair being moved. His very soul felt as if it was being pulled from his body, and he opened his mouth to cry out, but the man had already beaten him to it. The pain continued for what seemed like hours and then began to lessen and finally ended.
Shin lay on the ground for a while, breathing heavily. His body convulsed from shock, and he felt Ivy's hands on him. "Shin! Get up Shin! You're scaring me!" The poor girl thought he was invincible. He took a hand and shoved her away, then relaxed as the familiar warmth of Doren's healing powers washed over him.
Minutes later he was able to stand, and he leaned on the wall as Ivy waited for him to catch his breath.
"Impatient, aren't you?" Shin asked when he could breath normally.
Ivy dodged the question with a shrug, and Shin's eyes moved to the man, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. The gun was still firmly held in his grasp.
"What happened there?" Shin asked, hoping Ivy had done her research on demons.
"I've heard of almost every type of demon, but I've never heard of something like this. Hmmm…that's strange. I can't feel him anymore." Shin raised an eyebrow and searched for the demon with his mind, but could not find it.
"It must be because he's unconscious," Ivy said simply, but Shin looked doubtful.
"Can you destroy the gun? I bet that's where the demon came from."
Ivy shook her head. "Too dangerous. We both need to rest, and we need to ask him some questions anyway. We'll put him in your room."
"The cell? What about Doren?"
"Oh yeah," Ivy said, ignoring that Shin had called his room the cell, which actually fit it but was no way to refer to the room you had to sleep in. "You'll sleep there together. I doubt he'll be able to hurt you, even if he does wake up, a threat which doesn't loom too close at the moment, if you know what I mean."
Shin rolled his eyes and as Ivy picked the man up, slinging him over a shoulder. Shin sighed with relief. Whatever had happened back there had drained him of a great amount of his energy and he hardly felt up to carrying an unconscious demon through the city.
"Can you carry him all the way back?" Shin asked.
"Yes." Ivy answered simply.
They took a cab.
Blue eyes opened slowly, and Jack groaned as he blinked himself awake. He began to sit up and regretted it as he became dizzy and his vision swam.
"You're not a demon," a voice said from a corner of the room. Jack opened his eyes just enough to see that he was on a cot in a small room lined with metal. Bars lined the window, and a black haired man his own age sat on the floor.
"Shit. Yeah, I'm not a demon. Wouldn't try to kill one if I was one of them." He had a strange feeling about the man in the corner. Either way, he was in no condition to be fighting him, and Nemisis was missing from its holster. He hoped he had time to put it somewhere safe before… He pushed away the next thoughts, seeing as he didn't have time to worry about that now.
"That old man. He was the demon," the man said, and Jack tried once more to get up. This time he succeeded, and he leaned his back against the wall so that he could get a full look at the man. He was wearing jeans, a green shirt, and a blue and white jacket.
"Pretty normal clothes," Jack said slowly, then grinned. "For a demon." The man looked surprised, then laughed.
"Well I guess a mortal who hunts demons has to have an ace or two up his sleeve." The man looked like he was relaxing, but Jack was far from such thoughts.
"Why am I still alive? Why are we locked up? Where are we? Who are you?" Jack's questions came out of his mouth faster then he meant them to.
Again the man recoiled, as if in pain, then he relaxed again. "I am Shin. This," he said with a wave around him. "Is my room." It took a minute for this to sink in, and even then Jack raised an eyebrow. Shin took this as an opportunity to go on. "As you may have noticed, I have not killed you because I am in somewhat control over my demon. Ivy keeps me in here, to protect me from myself. We don't know when the demon will try to take control again. She should wake up in a few minutes…to unlock the door, but its still early. You've been sleeping for two days you know." Shin stopped, as if he had realized he was rambling, and he said so. "I have never been able to talk this easily with anyone else. Very strange…"
Jack let the answer hang, and both men remained deep in thought for a few minutes. Then Jack broke the silence, running his hands through his unruly brown hair. "I'm Jack Black. I…was hunting…Kihoshi. He killed my family. My parents, my brothers, my girlfriend… He wanted my powers…but I was hidden away. My power isn't a gift. I can read minds, but sometimes its overpowering. That's how I knew you were a demon. Because I can't read your mind. I can't be in crowded places… Kihoshi promised me refuge from the pain…to be able to walk in the crowd again. I had run, and he cut down…everyone I knew. He did it to get to me…" Jack dropped his face into his hands. "I was going to kill him. I had my gun…"
"The gun," Shin said thoughtfully after waiting to see if Jack was done. "It said Nemisis on it. Is this the gun?" He pulled the gun from his jacket and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. At least the gun was safe.
Now he hardly minded telling Shin his tale. He trusted him, for although he was a demon he had saved him. Kihoshi would have killed him, especially in his weakened state. Then again Jack had such perfect aim that he would have been able to get his revenge if it had not been for Shin diving in and ruining his chance. "Nemisis can kill demons, but it takes a lot of energy, energy that I couldn't buy. The gun takes it from you. Sucks the very life out of you. If you weren't holding onto the gun it would have drained just me, and I would have been asleep for longer than two days." Shin nodded thoughtfully, now understanding why he had felt so drained. Movement came from the next room, and Shin stood up, and Jack stood and followed him to the heavy metal door.
"You still you Shin?" a woman's voice said from the other side of the door. Shin turned and grinned at Jack, who raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"I'm still me Ivy." The click of a key turning in a well-oiled lock preceded the door being heaved open, and Jack immediately regretted wanting to look at Ivy. He had forgotten his powers after being so long without the company of humans. As Ivy got a full look at Jack the blond haired man seemed to tremble with the knowledge of what would come next. Unlike demons, Jack could read any human's thoughts, and Ivy was one hundred percent human.
The onslaught of thoughts attacked Jack, and he crumpled under their weight. Boy he looks terrible. Maybe we should have left him in that alley. What is wrong with him? The concern in Ivy's thoughts was covered with her confusion and anger at having to keep a stranger in her home. Jack held his head in his hands, his body shaking with the pain of Ivy's thoughts hammering at his mind.
He was barely aware of Shin shouting something at the girl, but she stood there at the door, dumbfounded. Shin was just as confused, but he knew that whatever was happening to Jack was because of Ivy. He reached out a hand to Jack, grabbing his wrist and then
And then there was nothing. Jack realized that the pain had stopped, and he straightened, blinking at his surroundings. He was floating in an expanse of black, and he spotted Shin near him. "Where are we?" he asked slowly, moving his head around but finding the same endless black that lay ahead of him.
Shin took a second to answer, and his eyes had a glazed look, as if he were lost in thought. "'Where are we', Jack? We're in my mind."
The Demon Inside
As the pain in his mind subsided Jack looked around, trying to find an exit, a light, a piece of furniture, anything. But there was nothing but the infinite black. "Inviting place, wonder what it says about your IQ."
Shin ignored the comment and looked as if he was getting ready for something, and he was constantly looking over his shoulder.
"The demon?" Jack asked, but he already knew the answer as a figure appeared in the darkness.
"I am Doren," the demon said to Jack.
"No shit," he replied. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Shin relax, and he did the same, looking Doren up and down. He was tall and wide, reminding Jack of a brick wall with his red sleeveless shirt and black pants. He appeared to be at least eight feet tall, and his eyes gleamed a yellow color, as did all demons that Jack had met. Doren radiated power unlike those lower-level demons, and Jack could easily see him commanding an army of millions. His bare arms were tattooed, as was his face, and assorted weapons covered his body. Out of perhaps twenty Jack could only name one or two. At his hip Jack could see where a katana would have been sheathed, but for some reason it was missing.
"I have a favor to ask," Doren said, turning to Shin.
Again silence.
"There is one who wishes to rule the universe," Doren continued. "He is called Loki. We have been enemies since the dawn of time. Although he is stronger I have always been smarter, using my intelligence to know where he was going before he went there."
"So you were hiding." Shin said.
"Coward," Jack mumbled, yet kept listening.
"The reason I have not tried to take control of you again Shin is because he would be able to find me. From here," he gestured to the black surrounding him. "My power cannot be felt by others, and so he has nothing to focus onto."
"Nice story," Jack said sarcastically, leaning back and clapping. He wished he had his gun.
Shin locked eyes with Doren. "What does it have to with me?"
"Loki cannot be allowed to roam the Earth, he must be killed, and I know that he has something planned."
"So, why should I care?"
"Because he is trying to find you to get to me. He knows that there cannot be two evils in this world, and he wants to eliminate the competition. Countless lives will be lost in the process, and Loki could end up bringing up the entire race of demons from Hell simply to use humans as their hosts. I've been with you for five centuries, Shin. I know you better than you know yourself and I know that you, or that girl, or even this idiot will try to stop him."
Jack took a step towards Doren. "Hey!"
Shin ignored the stream of mumbled curses from Jack. For a long time he remained silent, battling his hate for Doren against his guilt for killing so many innocent people. Fate had given him every opportunity to repent, and he would accept each one. "We'll do it," Shin said.
"I knew you would," Doren said with confidence. "I have given you your weapon," he said to Shin, referring to the sword. "Now it is time for yours." He turned on Jack and lifted one of his massive hands. Before Jack could react Doren had taken his forefinger and thumb and whacked him lightly on the forehead. Jack closed his eyes in reflex, and the unending black, along with Doren faded away. Shin and Jack found themselves standing once more in Shin's cell.
"You guys okay?" Ivy asked as Shin wobbled and tumbled back onto the bed. Jack followed suit, and they looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
Ivy scratched her head, and for the first time Jack realized something. "I can't hear you," he said, his voice empty of the confusion that he had found so funny moments ago.
"You can't?" Shin asked, no longer laughing.
Jack focused on Ivy. What the hell…? Her voice popped into his head. "Only when I try. It doesn't even hurt."
Shin leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Doren's gifts. Gifts from a demon…"
16