The demon slowly slid to the ground as the young man removed his hand from its chest; a gurgling sigh the only sound in the small clearing he was in. It was becoming visibly lighter as the sun approached on the eastern horizon far from the city of Tokyo.
He quickly made his way to the stream close by where he had hidden a set of clothes for just this occasion. He usually went home after a battle to change; but this time he was camped out in the wild, far from home. Plus, he wanted to wash the fluids from the creature off his skin before it dried.
After he had washed and dressed, he made his way back to his camp. A rustling in the tree above his head made him instinctively jump back into a fighting stance. Low musical laughter greeted him and he looked up.
On a low branch not far from where he stood a young woman was perched. She was dressed in brown calf-length boots, faded blue jeans and a dark red sweater. Her hip-length hair was bound loosely into a ponytail with a scrap of red leather.
She smiled at him as she cocked her head to the side, rather like a curious kitten. The man relaxed and straightened up, smiling a little in relief. She smiled more broadly, an impish twinkle in her eyes.
"Hello, where did you come from?" He asked slowly.
She jumped down from her perch into his hastily lifted arms. He put her down and she stared at him; tilting her head slightly to study his face. In turn, he studied her more closely.
She was maybe half a head shorter than he was. Her eyes were violet with blue and gray sparkles dancing in them. Her lips were small, thin lines as she pursed in thought.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity but was merely a few moments, she nodded as if she approved of what she saw. She held out her hand and said, "My name is Lilita. I was hiking in the woods when I heard you a little ways off. You know, you should really be more careful else more demons will sense and attack you."
He stared at her, dumbfounded at her statement and the casual way she said it.
"How did you -" He began.
Lilita cut him off with a wave of her hand, "I know many things, Akira."
He stared at her again in amazement.
She looked around and hugged herself, "The demons are all gone, so why don't we go to your camp and have some breakfast?"
At her pronouncement, Akira suddenly realized he was ravenous. She smiled at him and walked to the campsite. Lilita was just putting some water on the fire when Akira made it back to camp. He carefully sat down on a log set near the fire for just that purpose.
"So Lilita, who are you and why are you here?" Akira asked.
She looked up from cutting some onions, "I thought I already told you." He shook his head.
"Well first off, I suppose you could say that I'm a bit like you; only female. Plus, I was born this way." She paused to see his reaction. Akira looked skeptical. She went on, "Of course, this is not my true form… Care to see how I truly look?" Lilita looked slyly at Akira as he gave a slight nod.
She stood up and stepped back. The change did not end in a flash of energy like Akira's usually did. Rather, it was slow and deliberate and gave ample time to note every detail.
Her body grew taller, her hair lengthened. Small, pale bumps emerged from her hair and gradually hardened into two horns that wrapped around her head slightly. Two small fangs emerged from her mouth and a pair of wings grew from her back in a beautiful display. Her human clothes disappeared and changed into a red backless dress. It was little more than a long piece of cloth draped on her body and held in place by a golden belt like accessory and a gold wire frame along the top.
She smiled as she spread her arms and wings slowly at the end of the transformation.
"Well?" She asked in her musical voice. Akira blinked and stood up. Lilita was now at least two heads taller than him. She was also barefoot and her feet were shaped vaguely like a cat's with human toes. This demon child was definitely not like the other female demons he had seen.
"Truthfully?" He walked around her while she folded her wings into a rough cloak, tapping his chin in thought. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Interesting. You never told me why you're here, though."
She laughed as she squatted down by the pot again, still in her demon form.
"Well, I'm what is called a Guardian, if you must know. I guard the barrier between Hell and the Earth. I sensed a powerful energy force being released in this vicinity so I came to investigate. It turned out to be you and the demons. I jumped into the tree to observe your skills once I was sure you could handle yourself in a fight. I must say you are quite skilled in dispersing of small vermin." She smiled.
"Luckily, those demons were not from Hell; they were a few of the ones that were trapped on Earth during the Ice Age. Now Shirenu was a creature directly from the Pit of Hell. She escaped while I wasn't looking and I did not find her till you had killed her." Lilita tasted the stew and licked her lips in satisfaction.
"Please hand me your bowl." She asked Akira and gave him a large helping; then spooned some out for herself.
After breakfast, they resumed their conversation on a different note.
"How is it you were born as being part human and part demon; let alone being a Guardian? I've never heard of them before." Akira asked after washing the breakfast dishes.
Lilita sat down on a log across from him and crossed her legs.
"It's a bit hard to explain." She began. She tapped her chin, wondering where to start and finally sighed.
"Well, here goes… I was created by a higher entity. I'm not sure which one though; it could have been God or even Satan. After I was created, I was instructed to guard Hell's gate. I also have a partner for this. I believe you have heard of Cerberus? He is real and he is also my partner.
"So I guess I misled you, seeing as how I was not actually 'born' as you know it. In a sense, I have no parents."
Akira raised an eyebrow at this as Lilita continued, "Most all supernatural beasts are neither male nor female; only a few powerful demons and Guardians are able to have a gender; like myself." She gestured to herself.
Akira sat back to digest the information he had received and then asked, "How many Guardians are there?"
She smiled and said, "There are two major and one minor group. One for St. Peter's Gate in Heaven, one for Hell's fiery Gate, and a small group of creatures that looks over the Earth. I am the Guardian of Hell; a fallen angel if you will. My counterpart is Gabriel the Archangel. He and I are very close." Then she frowned, "Unfortunately, we almost never get to see each other due to our responsibilities. I am often on Earth searching for escaped demons and he stays in Heaven guarding the Gate from intruders and the unworthy."
She lowered her head as Akira sat down beside her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. After a few moments of companionable silence, Lilita composed herself and wiped her eyes. Akira removed his arm.
"Enough about me, what about yourself? I'm sure you have much to tell about how you became what you are." She said briskly.
Akira chuckled, "You are right about that." He said and then launched into his story. He finished at the point where he met two exchange students from America. They were Patricia Ritchie (Tricia for short) and Jenny Elliott. Jen was currently hooked up with his best friend, Ryo.
Lilita grinned and said, "You four must have had many (mis) adventures." She got up and stretched languidly; Akira did likewise.
"It's quite late; I must be going to check the gate." She got ready to take off, "Perhaps we will speak again someday...? Farewell Akira; may you always triumph over your foes." She called over her shoulder as she flew away.
"The same to you!" He called back as he waved.
When she had disappeared from sight, he looked around the campsite and began to clean up. Tomorrow, Ryo was coming with the girls to pick him up. He couldn't wait to tell them about his adventure with a Guardian.