A/N: NOOOO!!! I scored 63 percent on a test! And I needed at least 65 percent to pass! AHH!!! Now I have to do it over next week and if I fail again… well, I don't know what will happen, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know either. Sigh… Oh well, at least I got this chapter out to cheer myself up. ;)


Chapter 4: Night

We sat in the tree, each lost in our own thoughts, I looked down at the sepia hued leaves, indicating that the demon was still lurking below. It seemed like we were stuck here for the time being, thus I decided to strike up a conversation with the female. Strength and skill were both useful assets in battle, but true power came from knowledge. And she seemed to possess a lot of information on the shadowy beast.

"This foul creature…" I started after a long and uneasy silence. "What is it? It has been sweeping through the tower like a black shroud of death, consuming everyone who dares to cross its path. Neither axes, maces or blades can hurt it and all who have opposed it have failed."

The girl was not a born strategist, but seemed to realize that sharing any information she had would not only work in my favor, but in hers as well. I was the enemy of her enemy, and by far the lesser of two evils.

"He's called the Dahaka," she answered grimly, "and he's the guardian of the Timeline. He's after Prince because he messed around with the Sands of Time and was supposed to die. I'm also on his hit list since I don't belong in this world, but I have no idea why it's after you guys."

"It is… pursuing us?" I asked her, and she nodded, affirming my suspicions.

"It's not like the Dahaka to go on random killing sprees. It is understandable if he kills you because you happen to stand between him and his prey, but he seems to be targeting you guys specifically. Just now I saw him slaughtering a group of Silhouettes without even looking in my direction."

"You seem to posses a great deal of knowledge about this 'Dahaka' and yet you say you are not even from this world? I do not understand," I said, honestly confused. How could the girl have learned so much about a world that was not even her own?

The intruder sighed deeply and began to speak. With growing amazement I listened to her story, an unbelievable tale about 'electricity', 'videogames' and moving images on a device she referred to as a 'TV'. I had to give the female some credit: what she lacked in battle skills, she certainly made up for in wild imagination.

"Your tale is… most odd," I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the girl. "Why should I believe it to be true?"

"Kerena."

My heart skipped a few beats when she spoke that single word. Kerena… the name of my trusty blade. I had never revealed it to a single soul, not even the Empress of Time. There was no possible way for her to know it, unless… unless her wild tale held some truth to it after all. Fascinating…

I wondered though: why had the girl told me this? Why had she spoken to me on such a personal level? About her home? Her origin? Her life? An attempt to befriend me and ward off her loneliness perhaps? She would fail…

I was about to point out to the foolish girl that as long as the sun was still shining, she would find no sympathy in my eyes, no kindness in my actions and no comfort in my words. But before I could open my mouth to speak, the tree shook violently, nearly knocking the female off our branch. We exchanged glances and both sweatdropped when we heard what sounded like… snoring?

"You've got to be kidding me," the intruder whispered when we peered through the foliage and saw the Dahaka resting against the tree, its bright white eyes closed.

"It appears he is asleep," I stated with mild surprise.

"I didn't even know he needed to do that… he could be faking it…" she looked sideways at me, arching an eyebrow. "Think we should call a truce and make a run for it?"

"A temporary alliance, until we are out of the creature's reach," I agreed to her suggestion and waited patiently for the intruder to make a move. However, she kept staring at me, and suddenly something in her mind seemed to click.

"Oh, hell no!" she protested. "You go first!"

"You are a female," I tried to exert some courtesy, but the girl would have none of it. I gave up and with an exasperated sigh, let myself drop on a lower branch. I proceeded with caution, testing each branch carefully before resting my entire body on it. I was specifically created for flight and I estimated my weight to only be about one tenth of the girl's: her descent would pose more of a challenge.

With a soft thud, I landed on the grass, barely one step away from the creature. It appeared to be a deep sleeper, but I still felt extremely uncomfortable in its presence. I heard leaves rustle above me, indicating that the female had started her climb. It was nearly impossible to monitor her progress through the dense foliage and I could only hope that she would be able to keep her characteristic clumsy impulses at bay.

"Phew, that was a close… AAAAAHH!!!"

Then again… perhaps I was asking too much of the stumbling intruder. I froze when I heard the black demon shift its position and draw a shuddering breath: it was truly a miracle that it had not woken up.

"Make haste," I ordered the slow moving female. "I wish to resume our battle."

"Well, good things come to those who wait, now don't they?" she hissed annoyed, muttering various obscenities under her breath. Where those directed at me? How dared she!

"My patience is wearing thin, girl," I warned. "You are stalling!"

"Look, I'm kinda… (ow, dammit!) caught up at the moment… (let go already!) so if you would just… (stupid… -censored-!) stop distracting…"

Ah…now I understood.

"You are trapped?" I voiced my suspicion, and the girl confirmed.

"Yeah, so if you would just (grunt) gimme a sec and…"

I quietly shook my head at her foolish stubbornness. I was not one to rush things, but the black demon was getting increasingly restless and it would not be long before it woke up from its slumber. There was no time to wait for the female to free herself, and I had no choice but to intervene. Though perhaps in hindsight… it would have been wiser to take my chances with the beast: hell truly has no fury like a woman scorned.

"I shall assist you," I announced and reached through the dense foliage for her leg.

"Hey, hold it!" I heard her protest. "What are you planning to… AAAARRGH! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! MY SHIRT IS STILL STUCK ON THE…!"

Oh, if only I had listened. If only I had paid head to her objecting cries. Instead, I found myself too impatient to wait any longer and yanked at her ankle, freeing the girl from her predicament. Unfortunately, I had done too well a job, and a lot more of the female was 'freed' then I originally had intended.

With a startled shriek, the intruder fell through the leaves and landed in my arms. Time itself seemed to crawl to a halt when I cast a glance at her form… and realized that a certain piece of her attire was still stuck in the tree… and the female had been wearing no second layer of clothing underneath.

This would not end well…

"Eee…eee…eee…" she uttered, her eyes wide with fear and shock.

"r-ruoy-y… e-e-p-pacse-e… t-tonna-ac…" the Dahaka stammered, equally stunned and unsettled as I was.

"Eee…eee…eee…eee…eee…eee"

"I…ah… I did not know…" I began, flustered. "I apolo…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Before I could finish my apology, the girl let out an ear piercing shriek. With an embarrassed cry, she pushed me away and leaped out of my arms, running with a speed I had never seen her demonstrate before. The Dahaka ran as well, but in the opposite direction, saving his pursuit for another day. Needless to say, I was tempted to do the same and flee from these embarrassing images that kept flashing before my eyes. But I knew this was not an option.

Being a woman herself, the Empress had instilled her male servants with a proper respect for friends as well as foes of the opposite gender. This did not mean we were to spare female intruders, but certain… 'actions'… towards them were unforgivable and punishable by death. Women were to be treated with dignity, and stripping the girl of her garments was an unacceptable violation of that order. Accidental or not… I had erred and knew I needed to make amends.

I changed into my avian form and took to the skies. The sun was already setting and by the time I had caught up with the female, the first stars had already appeared. I quietly landed in front of her curled up form, looking down on her bare back. She did not try to flee, nor did she attempt to meet my gaze.

"If you've come to finish me off, don't bother," she muttered, her head buried behind her knees. "I'll just sit here and quietly die from embarrassment."

An odd sensation overtook me, and I briefly wondered if this was perhaps what humans referred to as 'guilt'.

"The sun has set," I attempted to put the girl at ease. "I have no quarrel with you."

The female looked up and shot me a venomous glare.

"Wow, nightfall already?" she spat, sarcasm dripping off her voice. "Gee, that would explain the sudden chill, or maybe it just feels cold because I'm… oh, I don't know… SHIRTLESS?!"

"It was not my intention to strip you from your garments," I apologized, reaching for my blade. I could immediately see the girl's eyes widening in fear, though I could honestly not fathom why. Night had fallen, had it not? Did she believe I would break my vow and attack her? In her current vulnerable state? Though I could understand the female's distrust, I could still not help but feel slightly insulted that she thought me capable of such a despicable act.

I took my sword and cut a strip of fabric from my own attire, offering it to the wary female.

"You may use this, I will not disgrace a woman."

She eyed me with suspicion and distrust, but hesitantly accepted the piece of cloth from my outstretched hands.

"Thanks," she said, casting me a sheepish smile. "Eh… would you mind… uhm… you know…"

I nodded and turned around, looking the other way while the female attempted to somewhat fix her attire. I waited until the rustling stopped and asked her if she was decent, turning around when the answer was positive.

The girl had cleverly wrapped the cloth I had given her around her chest, fastening it with a hairpin. To keep her now loose hanging hair from obstructing her vision, she had put most of it behind her ears and used her blade to cut the front into messy bangs. She seemed somewhat embarrassed, but in a strange way, I felt it suited her.

"Well… eh… I should get going," the girl started. "So…uh… see ya?"

I stayed quiet and patiently waited for the female to make a move. She looked at me almost puzzled, but eventually turned around and continued her trek. I followed in her footsteps, speeding up when the girl picked up the pace. Almost as if we were playing a game, the girl continued to walk faster every time I attempted to keep up, until she was running through the tall grass at top speed. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, looking at me as if I had multiple heads.

"Why are you stalking me?!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. I nearly fell over and fought to suppress the urge to throw up my own hands as well. Empress… could the female's memory truly be this flawed?!

"At dawn my loyalty lies with the Empress, at dusk my loyalty lies with you," I explained to her once more, wondering if this time it would perhaps stick for longer than a few fleeting hours.

"Which basically means… you're going to stay at my side… whether I like it or not?" she asked and I nodded, grateful when something in the girl's mind finally seemed to connect.

I arched an eyebrow when the intruder yawned and briefly shook her head.

"Rough day," she answered my unspoken question. "You know, naked Dahaka chase and all."

"If you are tired, you should rest," I suggested, but she shot me a look as if I had just offered a most indecent proposal and kept trudging on with seemingly endless determination.

Patiently, I followed the stubborn female wherever she went. Her decision to continue her journey was strategically unsound in my eyes. She had only few precious hours until sunrise: would it not be wiser to rest now, while she was still under my protection? She would require sleep eventually, and if she was found unconscious during daytime, the consequences would be dire.

The intruder climbed a ladder and jumped to a platform where she found a pot of sand. The girl broke it, but to her visible dread, nothing happened.

"We are creatures of the sand as well as the flesh, and have some needs of the latter," I explained to the confused female as she fruitlessly tried to absorb the golden cloud… in the most unusual of ways.

"Needs… like sleep?" she asked drowsily, stumbling dangerously close to the edge of the platform. I quickly caught her, but with an indignant huff, I was pushed away.

"I can take care of myself," she protested while still swaying on her feet. "I'm not…eh…eh… what was I saying again?"

"You need to rest," I repeated when the girl threatened to loose her balance again.

"No, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it…" she slurred. "I was…eh…ahh… Oh, screw this, let me try eating some of that sand again, maybe you're just supposed to put it under your tongue."

The intruder stumbled over to the pot and sighed when she found it empty. With a sigh, she finally gave up on continuing her trek and sat down on the edge of the platform, staring ahead with a blank gaze. Not knowing what else to do, I followed suit and joined her, gazing quietly at the night sky. Though I knew the moon as well as the stars were nothing more than an illusion, they held a kind of magical beauty to them which the female seemed to appreciate as well.

We quietly sat there for a while, watching the shimmering stars in silence. The girl finally seemed somewhat at ease, until she suddenly twitched for no apparent reason.

"Hiccups," she said, but I paid no attention to her words. Instead, my gaze lowered and rested on her abdomen, where I had noticed a deep cut, surrounded by strange, glowing marks.

"What is that?" I asked curiously, pointing at the glowing gash.

"Long story," she yawned, apparently not very eager to elaborate. I decided not to press the issue, as the female seemed to have trouble to stay awake, let alone start a lengthy tale. Some other time, perhaps…

The intruder kept nodding off, her eyelids closing and then quickly opening again. She did not wish to fall asleep, but was fighting a battle she knew she could not win. Suddenly, her body went limp and I froze when I felt her head resting against my side. This was… most unusual... but not entirely unpleasant. The girl's body was warm, and the sound of her breathing was calming, making me feel quite peaceful for some reason. A voice in the back of my mind yelled at me that this was wrong, that I was not supposed to feel comfortable in the intruder's presence, nor was she supposed to feel comfortable in mine. But sleep began to claim me as well, and a thick haze seemed to wrap itself around my consciousness, smothering the inner sounds of protest.

"What is your name, girl?" I asked absentmindedly, not really sure why I wished to know.

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," the female answered, making no attempt move away from me.

"I do not have a name," I told her. "The Empress did not deem it necessary to give me one."

"Then I'll just call you Crow, if it's all the same," she suggested. "It might not win me any originality awards, but at least it beats 'hey, you!'"

She wished to give me a name? Her proposal was odd, but I supposed it could not do any harm to humor the girl. Besides that, the idea of having a name rather than a designation, did sound appealing.

"Incomplete, but sufficient," I nodded. "Now tell me yours"

"Alex. And if you say it is 'hardly fitting for a female', you will get hurt."

"I shall try to remember," I said, suppressing an amused grin. The girl yawned again and I looked sideways at her as her eyelids began to close.

"Are you tired?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"… yeah," she mumbled, finally giving up.

"Sleep then," I ordered, but the female had already drifted off into unconsciousness.

I looked quietly at the girl, fighting off the heavy shroud of sleep that threatened to take me over as well. I had been degraded from a warrior, to a guardian, to a living pillow. And I was accepting it!

I would have to make sure our next encounter by daylight, would be our last. I did not know if it was intentional, but the female was doing something strange to me… and I found myself unable to stop her.