AN: Maybe I should put a trigger warning on any and all upcoming chapters… hmm… Suffice to say this; I in no way approve of, support, or encourage self-harm, suicide, or homicide. And if you're struggling with any or all of these issues I'm always free to have a chat with you. Please review and enjoy!


Chapter 7: Raun

Raun steps out of the air effortlessly. The spinning vortex of purple behind her shrinks and closes. She stands for a moment, glaring into the sunlight with a scowl.

She pulls her sleeves up over her hands and approaches the small cottage. The leaves under her feet crackle and snap, dry in the late autumn air. The trees are still aflame with color, reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. The girl allows herself a second to enjoy the scene.

She knocks briskly on the door.

"Come in," calls a voice.

Raun steps into the neat cabin carefully, breathing deeply. She can smell the house's contents; everything from the stuffed hydra's head on the wall to the ornate angel-feather pen on the desk. The scent of blood is everywhere; demon blood.

The smell makes her feel a little sick.

She looks over the weapons; the sword, shield, dagger, and sculpted bow. They look like something out of a fantasy game; shaped of a strange shimmering metal and carved with cryptic runes.

She can practically feel them tearing into her.

Raun glares at the weapons, as if just looking will make them somehow be worthless. She turns away after a moment.

"Sensei," She calls, savoring the feeling of the word in her mouth, "it's me."

"Raun! I'm just in the kitchen, wait a moment."

Raun leans against a side table whose legs are tipped with gray-clawed feet. Genuine, of course. The blanket on the couch was pulled from a Hell Hound's back and the lamp is fashioned from a bone, the shade snake-like skin. It's a hunter's paradise, she thinks, lip curling slightly in disgust. The creatures are just that; animals, and evil at that, she reminds herself.

A woman comes around the corner into the room. She appears, if not old yet, more mature. Her brown hair is streaked with gray, her face is sallow and thin, her hands frail but steady.

"Raun," she croons, holding out her arms for a hug.

Raun doesn't step forwards. She straightens up and bobs in a slight bow, "Sensei, good to see you."

"Again with the 'sensei' thing. Can't you just call me 'master' or even 'Elisa'? Why 'sensei'?"

"Because Japanese is a language largely ignored by the Bane. And I like the sound of it."

"Well at least you're honest," The woman smiles tiredly.

Raun reaches inter her pocket, removing a small orange bottle with a white lid. She shakes it, hearing the clacking of pills against the plastic.

"Here," she offers the bottle, "Your medicine."

Just for a moment there's a look on the woman's face, something sad and dangerous. Raun pulls the bottle back abruptly.

She's wondering if that look was what she thoughts. She's seen that before; on the faces of hunters who saw their families ripped apart. She's seen it on normal people whose arms are scarred. She's seen it on her own face as she stared into the mirror.

Raun glares at the woman, "Do you know what happens if you take too many of these?"

The woman pauses, hand held out slightly.

"You won't die," Raun hisses, "Understand? It won't kill you. Do NOT take more than your prescription."

The woman nods in understanding, reaching for the bottle. Raun frowns, pulling it back slightly. Finally she sighs, allowing the older woman to take the object.

"Are you still using steel weapons?" She asks nonchalantly, attempting to hide her emotions.

"Yes," Raun replies.

"They aren't as effective you know."

"I get by, thanks,"

"Someday they won't be enough."

"That will be the way I die," Raun sniffs. Her weapons have served her well. They aren't traditional hunter fare, true, but she has an aversion to the materials used on other weapons. So called "blessed metals" make her skin burn.

"Uh-huh," The older woman sounds disinterested, examining the bottle. She rattles the pills around the container.

Raun watches, shifting uneasily. She's worried about her sensei's mental state; it's not stable. No Hunter is completely mentally sound, but the woman is on even shakier ground than most.

She's one of the oldest hunters alive to boot, and that means she's constantly expecting death. Almost every Hunter is marked for an early death. Not like they're star-crossed lovers, but simply no matter what they do they will never live as long as other people. The fatalities usually occur because of risky hunts or unfortunate encounters with creatures better left undisturbed, but every single Hunter, minus the Bane of course, goes before reaching 60. The only reason the Bane live longer is that they don't stick their necks out quite so far.

Raun's expecting to have her own life cut short before the age of 50 one way or another. Her sensei is currently pushing 40, maybe more.

Most of them don't make it past 30, which explains why there are so few pure-blooded members left. More and more recruits are normal people, and they're dying fast.

"Sensei," Raun says slowly.

"Yes,"

Raun starts to tell her all of it. About Lea and The Academy, The Organization, and what was left of the lab. She starts to mention the girl who's a Proxy, and she how she can tell, even if she doesn't want to, and about Rabbit, who she stole. About the assassinated man, who was placed in her charge, and how the whole room smelled of Proxy afterwards. Then she stops.

The woman doesn't care and doesn't need to know. She'll just be disapproving Raun got into this position at all. It's not like she's going to help anyways.

"Never mind," Raun says, a little sadly.

"Okay," The woman says, not even looking at the girl.

"Goodbye Sensei,"

"Bye,"

Raun starts to leave, keeping her head up. The opens the door, stepping out into the clean air.

"Oh, Raun, honey," The older woman calls from inside.

Raun sighs, shoulders slumping slightly, "What is it?"

"Find yourself a friend."

Raun scowls, "Yes sensei," she says formally, closing the door behind her.

She doesn't need friends; she has family. The largest family, spreading across the whole world. The Hunters are a family, after all, one huge family. Who needs friends when you have family? And she has Rabbit too. What more could she need.

Certainly her sensei is joking about "friends." It's a cruel jab at her anti-social tendencies is all.

Raun brushes the meaningless thoughts aside, calculating a far more important statistic. How many of those pills would it take to trigger a transformation? 5? 10? 25? Surely her sensei had seen some pretty horrifying things in her life, but so had Raun, and her sensei was a hundred times stronger than she was. Right?

There was no way the woman would try to take her own life. Not possible. No way.

Raun scowls, promising herself she'll come back in a couple days to make sure things are alright.


AN: One day late, and it's a bit late. My explanation is that I was participating in a competition late yesterday and spent all day before that freaking out about it. Anyway, I love this chapter because it mixes things up a bit. I know this is a long build-up with not a lot of action, but it's getting there. This one needs a lot of background. Lifetime I just slapped down a backdrop and went with it. For this I'm building a set. Stick with me, and I promise excitement is coming soon.