A/N- not much to blab about today…. And, again, sorry about the lazy updating. I'd like to stay up all night writing, but because school and crap…yeah. I say 'yeah' a lot….

Dark Ninja- I feel like stupid… I meant to put '1869'. Damn typos. I really should edit my writing better…

laurashrub- Well, it depends on the mood I'm in. If I'm violent, he kills people. If I'm happy, the hapless villagers of choice are off the hook.

Nah, just kidding.

Well, every year, he kinda gains more physical strength, gets stronger, whatever you want to call it. Except since his family and entire race was killed on his b-day (along with his adoptive mom), emotions he's not used to feeling come back to him and screw him up, so he looses control of his sanity for the entirety of that day. 'Cause he doesn't feel those emotions for the other 364 day of the year, so craziness when he does. Lovely, ain't it?

"What now?"

"What do you mean, 'what now'?"

Allie rolled her eyes at Kal. "I mean, what happens now? Will you go off somewhere, and I just forget about the whole thing? I don't even have a home to go back to."

"That's not my problem," he said blithely. Then he remembered his new responsibility. "Then again, maybe it is."

"So, again, 'what now'?"

"Why ask me? I'm a murderer, and a drifter. I go wherever I want, kill whenever I want, and eat whenever I want. There's no place for you in my life, Princess. You're a pampered, spoiled little human, who expects everything to be planned. Chaos what I expect. Chaos, death, and fighting."

Kal looked at her expectantly as she frowned, looking down at her hands. Her friends had left uncertainly after the sun set, hesitant about leaving her alone in the company of a demon. She reminded them that she had already spent five days in that particular company, then told them she would see them the next day.

"I just…" she sighed. "I don't know. I wish I did. Honestly, I agree with you. I used to daydream about being free like this; and now that I got it, despite the circumstances, I don't know what to do with it."

"You poor thing," Kal drawled.

"I don't even have any clothes, for God's sake! Or money, or food, or a home…"

"You and me both, Princess. Except I'm not crying about it, am I?" Kal crossed his arms over his chest and stared flatly at her as she began winding a strand of her hair around her finger. In fact, he hadn't cried in fourteen years; he rarely felt true sorrow. And why should I? If I mourned every little thing that went bad in my life, I'd have no time to do anything else.

"I…I guess that I might as well go with you. Back to the woods."

He chuckled. "And what makes you thin that I'm going there?"

Surprise flashed across her face. "You're not? I thought that it was your…home."

"I've already said: I don't have a home. I'm a drifter."

"So you're going to…"

"Drift."

"Ah."

Kal shifted his position, the dampness of the tree's bark seeping through his bandages. "You'd have a much easier life if you stay here, with your friends. You could get a job and buy your own house; it wouldn't kill you to work."

She shook her head. "I'll come with you."

Kal blinked. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well, for one…I'm kind of fed up with this place. I want to travel, to see the ocean…"

"And?"

"And…" she paused a moment, the continued. "And I think you need a friend. You're so…dark."

"Me?" Kal laughed shortly. "That's actually funny, Princess. If only Jessica could've heard that! You, be a friend to me!"

"You're already my protector," she informed him haughtily, set back by his joking.

"I know. That doesn't mean I have to like you, or accept your friendship."

"I was just explaining why I'm coming…" Allie said, looking hurt.

Kal shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Then come. Let's see how you'll feel after a week or so of nightmares, and a month of sleeping on the ground and in trees. Let's if you want to be a friend after you see me kill."

Allie sighed again and looked sadly at his face. Kal knew that wasn't an easy feat; in the dark, his inky skin blended in nearly perfectly with the dark. Only his eyes gave him away. "I wish I could know why you're so angry all the time."

"You do, do you?" He waved a hand at his bandaged torso. "I thought it was pretty obvious."

"That's not what I…never mind."

"Alright. I won't," he said bluntly.

"No, wait…" she sighed. "If I'm going to be spending a lot of time with you, shouldn't I at least know about you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't already? I'm something of a legend," he said sarcastically.

Allie shrugged helplessly. "I really don't."

"So, what, you want my life's story or something?"

"Yes…no…I don't know."

"Fine." Kal brushed his bangs out of his eyes and yawned. "Well, I've been evil since I was born, not that it showed until I was seven. I was born with this eye," he pointed to the white-purple iris, "as a sort mark, to let everyone know that I never would or could be normal. And as for my…unusual appearance, you might say," he waved a hand at his body, "well, I'm just a freak."

The Princess involuntarily giggled at this, before guiltly motioning him to continue.

"My family and village, which was basically the entire race of the Raven demons, 'bout two thousand or so, was slaughtered by humans when I was four. I was the only survivor. I eventually wandered into a human village, where I was adopeted by a human woman named Karen. I killed her on my sixth birthday, two years afterward. For six years after that, I manly wandered around the forests and mountains. Then I was taken in by the Eagle demons. I stayed near their village, for a while. When I turned seventeen, I killed two dozen of their people and a human. Since then, I've made my way to Europe, then to here. I've killed around a hundred and fifty humans and demons since then. Any questions?"

"I…erm…" Allie edged backwards, away from Kal. "That's quite a…story."

Kal fought the urge to hit something, hard. She's acting like I going to rip her head off at any moment.

If you could, you would, he reminded himself.

"Glad it amuses you, Princess."

"No! No, it doesn't amuse me! I mean…God. You've killed so many people…and you said you'd kill more!"

Kal regarded her flatly. "I did."

"Why? How can you do it? Don't you even feel any remorse? They had lives! Homes, families, realtives, friends, lovers…and you take all that away without even thinking?"

"Yes, Princess, I do." The disgust and disbelief in her voice was extremely familiar to him almost as familiar as pain. "I do."

She stood up swiftly, stumbling over her skirt. "I can't believe it.." she mumbled. Kal,on the other hand, laughed softly. "What?"

"Irony, is what. I knew this would happen," he laughed. "Where's your kindness now, Princess?"

She surprised him by offering her hand to him, looking down at his glowing eyes. "Right here," she said cooly.

"Huh?"

"You won't change if no-one shows you anything but hate."

"I won't change at all," he argued, and stood up, ignoring her hand and the dager of fire in his lung.

"Fine, then, Kalendrakk. I'm too tired to argue. Let's just go back to that house in the woods for tonight."

"Whatever you say, Princess. But," he added, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "We'll have to walk there. I'm in no mood to fly all those miles, carrying a squirming little human."

"On the other hand, this clearing looks fine," Allie siad quickly, then dropped down to a patch of grass, curling up in a ball like a cat.

"Kal, honey? What are you doing outside? It's past your bedtime." Karen's voice filtered through the back door, making him turn his head slightly.

"I just...want to be alone for a bit. I'll come inside later, " he lied. Kal didn't want to go inside tonight...oh God, he could smell her blood. Her heart beating. How he wished he could make it stop...squeeze the very life from her... NO! What the hell was happening to him!

"Well, since it's your birthday..." She opened the creaky door and walked over next to him, sitting down with a sigh. "Are you alright here? The grass is pretty wet."

"I'm fine."

"Ok. You did this last year though, too. At the same time at night, same spot on the ground... something bothering you?"

"No," he lied, again. He couldn't tell her. She still thought he was human, and she'd just throw him onto the streets, if she knew him as a demon.

"You sure, Kal?" Karen looked concerned. "You might not remember, but when I adopted you, the people said you stumbled in, exactly two years ago, with your back all torn up and bleeding. Did somebody hurt you?"

Kal shook his head, his messy black hair flying over his face. "No...I-" He stopped, as the details flooded his eyes.

He had fallen from a gigantic evergreen, hitting every branch on the way down, the landing in a patch of wild roses. He lost consciousness, and when he woke up...

...the bodies...everywhere...all the blood...the blood..

"Stop it!" he screamed, covering his face, his fingernails digging into his skin. "STOP!"

"Kal!" Karen cried over his voice, worried.

Before he knew what he was doing, he lashed out at her, his fist striking her solidly in the neck.

Then froze, horrified, at the sickening cracking sound of bones breaking.

Karen fell over, her eyes staring blankly at the sky. There was a frozen expression of horror on her face.

"Karen...?" Kal touched her face, his hand trembling. She didn't move. "Karen?"

Allie sat bolt upright, heart pounding. Her dream…it was so real. She had been Kal, only he was little…and he had killed his mother…adoptive mother..

Oh God, that was his memory! Frantically, she looked around the clearing. Kal was sitting on the edge of the cliff, legs dangling over the side. There was a heavy fog over everything, and eh sky was gloomy and dark. Not to mention it's a little cold for the summer, Allie thought, shivering.

"Bonjour, Princess. You're up late."

"W-what time is it?"

"An hour or so past noon."

"Oh."

Kal looked over his shoulder. "Some reason why you were crying in your sleep?"

"Huh? What d'you…" she reached up a hand to touch her face, Her cheeks were still damp, and she noticed for the first time that her eyes and throat were sore. "I don't; know…I was dreaming about you, though."

"Well, that explains it perfectly."

"What? No, no! I didn't mean it that way! I just had a dream concerning you, is all."

"And you looked at me and started to cry, is that it?"

"No! Never mind it, if you're going to be so…defensive!"

Allie grumbled to herself as Kal laughed again and patted the ground next to him. "Sit."

"I'm not a dog," she objected, but walked over and sat down anyways.

"Now listen," Kal told her. "If I ask something, it's because I'd like to know the answer. Preferably before I lose my temper. What did you dream about?"

Allie looked at him hesitantly. His red eyes stood clearly on his face. It was…disquieting. "I dreamt about you and your mother…Karen, her name was. I saw you.."

"Kill her. Yes, I remember that. Clearer than some people think." Kal looked away from her and out across the cliff. On the other side, twenty feet away, a rabbit was nibbling on some grass. "That was my memory that you saw, not a dream. And, since your wondering, I don't have any remorse for what I did. I killed her, and that's that. Regretting it won't bring her back. And, besides, she was just a human."

"She was more than just a human," Allie argued. "She was your mother."

"So was yours, and I don't see you mourning her loss. Besides, she was my adopted mother. My other died long before."

"What you don't understand about my parents," Allie said, "is that they were hardly ever around. They were always off on business trips, going around the country. And, when they were home, they didn't pay me any attention, except to try and play matchmaker with some noble or duke. Honestly? I miss my lady's maids more."

"Makes enough sense. Ah, irony. Sweet, sweet irony." Kal grinned broadly, flashing dagger-sharp fangs. If he had been looking at her, Allie probably would have been considerably terrified. But, as luck had it, he wasn't."

"And why is it ironic?"

"Haven't you figured it out, Princess?" he asked, still grinning. "They were out looking for me."

"I--what?"

"They were looking for me," Kal repeated. "And for information on me."

"And why's that?"

"Why? To kill me, obviously. That's what everyone wants, isn't it?"

Allie's face softened. On one hand, he was evil…he murdered without any thought to what he was doing, he was incredibly short-tempered, and he acted cold and even cruel. But on the other hand…he had been through so much. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to be hated everywhere by everyone. "I don't."

Kal's face took on a look that was almost pitying. "You will, Princess. I know it. You will."

"Why were my parents after you?"

Kal stared at the Princess for a second, a bit confused. Hadn't they told her? "Because they naturally guessed that I was going to try and kill you. Which, they guessed right, because I did. That plan failed, eh? So they went around America, picking up old scrolls, books, notes, anything that had information of me. Probably to figure out my weaknesses; too bad that I have none. And I'm not bragging, either," he said as she raised her eyebrow skeptically. "So they just hid the documents in their castle and waited for me to come 'round. They gathered hundreds of inventive weapons, too. Those were hidden below the dungeons; I didn't even bother getting them out."

"And where are the documents know?"

He smirked. "Oh, I destroyed them, of course. They had all the ones that were in existence, even the books my father published and sent to the humans. I burned them, not long after you woke up from the fire."

"Why?"

Was she incredibly daft, or just ignorant? "Why?" Kal echoed. "Because I'm tired of idiots thinking they know about me. They don't have any right to know who I am, or what I do. That's my business."

"I see." She waited a beat, then skipped to another subject. "You said your father published a book?"

"Yeah, he did. Sent it to France, too. Nobody believed it was true, so it quickly became a child's story. He sent it out before I was even born, and wrote it a month before that. He was a sort of prophet, remember."

"Oh. That's…nice. So even people our age know about you?"

"Some. It depends on the parent. Hardly any bothered to even get the book from a library or bookshop. After all," he grinned. "Who'd want to read about me?"