This was a bad idea. A bad, bad, BAD idea. As soon as it came to his head, he hated it passionately. The reasons why it was such a bad idea were so completely obvious;

It was terrifying

It was dangerous

It was against everything he believed in.

But after it came to him, it picked and needled at him for days and days, and he knew that it was something he had to do. He had put it off for too long as it was, and all that it did was have him suffer more.

He headed down the dark street, arms wrapped tight around himself. The night was a crisp September one and only slightly cool, but he couldn't help but shiver through his dark turtleneck he kept trying to pull up higher. His head was bowed as low as possible so he couldn't see, or more like smell the other pedestrians on the sidewalk. A mere whiff of someone passing too close by him could make him lose control. And he didn't ever want to lose control. That was the reason he was even considering doing this. If this didn't work, he was certain nothing else would.

He ducked into a dark alleyway and continued deeper into it. He was fully aware of where he was in every way; the smells, the sounds, even the feel. All were heightened now, from the burning in his nose by the garbage and sewage and God knows what else, to the pounding in his ears of even the softest squeak of a passing rat or the TV buzz in a room of the shabby apartment buildings around him. Everything banged and crashed in his head so badly that he was sure he would go insane if he had to endure it any longer. He gave a small groan and stared at the ground, trying to desperately drown out all the other distractions and focus only on where he was going.

Though, in all honesty, he had no idea where he was going. He didn't know the first place to look, and he sure as Hell wasn't going to ask anyone for help. This was bad enough without dragging any of his friends into it. Besides, what would they think if they knew he was even thinking about this?... He sighed and weakly hoped that maybe this... "connection" would be able to send his vintage-footwear clad feet right where they needed to go.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and snapped his head up. He thought he had heard something. Felt something. Something that wasn't quite right around him... Then a wave of familiar nausea hit him so hard that he keeled forward, gagging and eyes growing wide with fear.

Oh yes, she was here.

A cold sweat began to break across his forehead as he spun frantically around. He looked for something to quell his paranoia. A shock of violet-black hair, a shadow of a winged creature, a soft, cruel laugh. Anything. His spectacle-covered eyes darted to and fro, and began thinking perhaps he was mistaken. Just a little touchy, a little stressed, letting his mind play tricks on him. His moment of relief was cut short by the silky whisper that brushed against his ear.

"Looking for something?"

He whirled around, jumping about ten feet in the air with a loud, "JESUS CHRIST!" He scrambled away, and if could still breath, he'd be hyperventilating.

For there, staring at him with bright, red, hungry eyes and a sadistic smirk resting on full lips, was the one person he never wanted to see again for the rest of his immortal life. The one person that he was terrified with every fiber of his being. The one person he was looking for.

She flashed him a fanged smile. "No Dear, just me."

~O~

Short chapter, but R&R anyways!