Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Just know, I do plan on continuing this for all of those who spent their time on this story, to whom I am grateful. There's going to be a little experimenting with the format, because I don't know if I like the journal format better or the third-person format better, or if I would rather awkwardly straddle between the two of them like I did in this chapter. Meanwhile, enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

The blond-haired bodyguard opened the curtain of her master's bedroom, letting the sunlight shine in. "Eight-thirty, Cairo," she told him. "Time to get up. We have a busy day today." Cairo didn't respond. His white comforter was pulled up over his head so that only a few pieces of his light blond hair poked out of it to indicate his presence. The bodyguard's eyes narrowed. "I said get up, bitch!" she shouted, grabbing the blanket and yanking it hard. Cairo tumbled out of bed onto the floor with a startled exclamation.

"Can you not wake me up like this?" he muttered sleepily, disgruntled.

"I won't if you actually wake up the first time I ask."

"What was wrong with having a normal alarm clock, again?"

"You'll just hit the snooze button and go back to sleep."

"Naturally," Cairo sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his pale blue eyes.

"There's a fresh suit for you in the closet. I expect you to be dressed in a timely fashion so we can discuss today's schedule." She began to leave the room.

"Raven, wait!" Cairo interrupted as she was closing the door. "Aren't you going to help me?"

"You aren't a baby, are you?" Raven replied pointedly. "Dress yourself." She shut the door, but opened it a few seconds later: "And if you crawl back into that bed I swear to God –" She shut the door again, leaving the threat open ended. Cairo could hear her combat boots clomp down the hallway away from his room. He sighed again.

This is what I get, he thought to himself with only a hint of regret. I summoned a demon, and this is what I get. He picked himself off of the floor and began to get dressed, looking out the window over the fog-covered city.

"Raven?" Cairo asked, stepping out of his room with his gray jacket over his arm and his untied tie hanging around his neck.

"Yes?" Raven answered from behind him. He jumped and shouted before he recognized her and recomposed himself.

"I... Can you tie this for me?" Raven sighed.

"Seriously?" She then proceeded to tie his tie. "It's not even that hard."

"I know, I just... But anyway, the schedule?"

"College classes from nine-thirty to twelve. Lunch. Business meeting until six. Dinner. Then you're open until ten-thirty when one of your associates plans to meet you at the nightclub."

"Great... Oh well, at least I'll have a few hours to myself."

"Breakfast is waiting for you in the dining hall, and your instructors will meet you in the lounge."

"Thank you." He kept walking toward the dining hall, and Raven continued to follow him. "I don't need you to come to class with me, Raven."

"But what if something happens?" she asked him coldly.

"Then I'll scream bloody murder and expect you to come running," Cairo answered with a sarcastic smile. "Look, I'll be fine. You don't actually have to pretend that you care." Raven gave him a stony glare. "Just... meet up with me after dinner. In the mean time... I don't know... Take care of business or something."

"Yes, Master."

"And I keep telling you, don't call me 'master.' This is the twenty-first century, after all."

"I apologize, Master. Would you rather I called you 'shit-head,' 'cause you sure act like one."

"'Master' is fine..." Cairo sighed. "Just meet me in my study after dinner, ok?" Raven nodded and left.

Cairo sat down at the desk in his study and sighed. It had been a long, boring, eventless day, and he was tired. But now the sun was setting, and now the fun could begin.

"Raven?" he called after his body guard.

"Yes Master?" her voice replied directly to the left of him. She wasn't there thirty seconds ago. Cairo jumped and shouted.

"Jesus! Raven, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that!"

"Whatever."

"Anyways, I want you to escort me to my meeting tonight."

"The one at the nightclub?" Raven asked. Cairo nodded. Raven dropped her shoulders, immediately disheartened. "So the place will be full of people and loud, terrible music?"

"Most likely," Cairo answered. Raven whined loudly. People and terrible music were the two things she hated most. "Look, I don't care how miserable you'll be. This man is dangerous and I'm sure as hell not going alone. Unless you want to lose the contract." She still seemed unwilling. "I'll let you bring your headphones," he enticed her.

"Fiiiiiiiiine," she conceded. "But I won't like it."

"Look at my face, and tell me how much you think I care."

"Sassy today, huh?" Raven replied with a snide smile.

"Whatever. You're sassy everyday."

"Anyways, which 'associate' is it for today?"

"The arms dealer."

"Of course."

"I absolutely require you to come with me on this one," Cairo had told his demon on her second day of work.

"Why? It's just a dumb old business meeting," she replied, snide as ever.

"Yes, well, the type of business this 'associate' engages in tends to get people killed or worse."

"Damn..."

"Not too much for you, I hope?" Cairo jeered, smiling.

"Don't be stupid. I just didn't expect that a little blond bitch like you would've gotten himself tangled up in that sort of thing."

"Appearances can be deceiving. I think we both know that quite well. Besides, toothpick machines could never have paid for all this."

February 28, 2010

Yesterday I got kidnapped again. I had scheduled a meeting with a certain black market arms dealer for ten-thirty that night. I wasn't exactly expecting everything to go all according to plan, but I thought that having Raven there would stop anything before it started. But anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Raven pulled up to the door on her motorcycle – it was black, with red flames painted on the side – handed me my helmet, and we were off. Normally I wouldn't even bother with a helmet, but she insists. "Look, I don't put up with your shit so you can bust your head open on the sidewalk and lose your soul to some Goddamn reaper." I didn't really know what she was talking about, but I also didn't care enough to order her to let me ride without one, so I grumbled a little and accepted. Raven doesn't really seem to understand that I'm her boss, not the other way around. But whatever. At least she does seem to be interested in completing my objective, so I put up with her.

Anyhow, we rode off to the nightclub where my associate had agreed to meet us for a "business proposal." By which I mean, he wanted to sell questionably obtained weapons. Which I would then resell legitimately or on the black market for a higher price than his. Simple business, and I can always pretend I don't know anything if the law gets involved.

The nightclub was like a giant heart of the city. It pulsed with people and beat with the rhythm of music so loud that I could feel my pants vibrating as Raven and I walked up to the doors. Raven, as soon as the sound hit her ears, cringed, ducked into her black, noise-canceling headphones, and turned on her music. She relaxed visibly as Queen or Joan Jett or some other 70's or 80's rock voice poured into her ears. I gave the bouncer a hundred-dollar bill so he'd let me in without checking my ID, and we walked into the club.

I don't feel like I need to go into details on what it was like in there. Loud. Filled with drunk people. Smelled a little bit like body odor. The basics. I caught sight of my associate sitting at a corner booth in the back and began to move over to him, signaling to Raven to follow me. I sat down across from him, and he immediately began eyeing Raven nervously.

"Raven is my new bodyguard," I explained, remembering that my associate had not met her yet. "I apologize for not warning you that she'd be coming."

"Sure she won't rat us out?" he asked me nervously.

"I don't think she'd care enough. Besides, when she's listening to her music she can't hear anything else." He didn't seem reassured, so I decided to have a little fun. I turned to Raven and looked her dead in the eye: "Raven, I'm desperately in love with you. I demand that we leave right now and get married immediately." She didn't respond, or show any indication that she had even realized that I had been talking to her. "See? She can't hear a word."

"Still..." he muttered uneasily. I sighed and waved Raven off. She went and leaned against a wall, closing her eyes to listen to her music better.

"So, what have you got for me today?" I asked.

"Something special. Fully automatic," he answered.

"No. I'm not carrying that. The authorities are breathing down my neck enough as it is."

"Oh come on! You've got to give me something!"

"Well, that's too bad. I can't afford a lawsuit. You'll have to take your business elsewhere." I took a sip from my drink. He smiled, and I immediately felt unsafe.

"Looks like I might get some business out of you after all," he smirked, and I began to feel dizzy. That's when I remembered: I hadn't ordered a drink. Raven is going to punch me for being this stupid... I thought hazily, slowly losing my grip on this world. Raven... I tried to whisper, staring at the demon. The last thing I remember seeing was the image of Raven, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, not noticing or giving a damn about anything else. I blacked out.