Death

Zada had finished her breakfast and went back upstairs to rest. I figured that she had a horrible headache, and I would not blame her. So I spend, not even an hour, checking on the other humans and training alone. When I go upstairs, Zada is not in our bed.

Slightly confused, I search around the room for her. She is nowhere to be seen. "Zada?" I call. Nothing. Not even a breath. Maybe she is in the bathroom. I think to myself, walking to the door. When I open it, my heart sinks. Her forearms, wrists, and arms, are riddled with massive gashes. Blood is pooled around her on the floor, and she tucks a small knife to her chest. She is sleeping, and her expression says peaceful.

"Zada…" I whisper quietly, kneeling next to her. Setting two fingers against her neck, I let out a breath in relief upon feeling a pulse. Though it's abnormally faint.

Surprisingly calmly, I pry the knife out of her fingers and turn to the gauze in the cabinet next to me. I do my best to not touch the blood as I wipe it off and wrap her arms. She looks so peaceful… she didn't tell me that she was upset, nor did I sense it. I usually do…

I pick her up and walk out of the bathroom, ignoring the blood on the white tile floors. As soon as I set her down on the bed, she curls up in a ball with her arms tucked up against her form. I close my eyes for a mere moment, and when I open them, she is awake.

"Zada?"

She says nothing, looking away with tears in her eyes. I pull her chin back in my direction, forcing her to look at me. "Are you alright…?"

"Fuck off." She spits out.

This is when I realize.

"Ashlyn…" Her muscles tighten. "Ashlyn, why did you do this…?"

"You don't care. You only care because it's Zada's body, you fucking prick."

"No." I set my forehead against hers. "That's not-"

"Don't touch me."

"I will touch you either way, because you and Zada are one."

She growls in response, closing her eyes. When she reopens them, they are warm and loving. "Hi."

"A… Zada…?"

"Yeah. H- agh…" She cringes when she moves her arms. "Death? W-what… ? Why are my arms wrapped up?!"

"Zada, calm down."

"D… did you do this…?"

"No! Zada…" I sigh. "This was Ashlyn's doing. I hardly got to you two in time…"

"Why… why? Did she do it to hurt me?"

"No… I don't think so."

"Why… ugh. I'm too tired to care right now." Zada buries her face in the pillow and closes her eyes.

I stare at her for a long moment, studying her form. She looks so helpless…

"I can't sleep." She says as she throws the blankets off of her and standing up, storming out of the room.

Xxxxxxxx

Zada

Despite pain everywhere within my upper torso, I walk downstairs and head towards the training room. I'm angry with Ashlyn for doing this to me, I'm angry with Death because he left me alone with the psychopath inside my head, and I'm angry with my hangover.

"Zada?" Veil says as she rubs her eyes, yawning from being asleep. I silently walk past her, accidentally bumping her shoulder and hissing in pure pain. This stirs me into a sprint. I yank open the double doors. Just as they click shut, I tightly grip a pair of light scythes with wooden handles. The inside of my palms burn, but I ignore it and approach a small dial on the wall in the corner of the room. I twist it so the tip is facing Melee Simple, and turn around.

A completely black figure stands before me with a pair of flaming blue scythes in its hands. Without a doubt, I've been horrible at this since the day Death showed me it, but I still try. I want to be able to defend myself. "Damsel in distress" is such bull shit. Sitting around helplessly, waiting for someone to come for me, is not realistic. It never is, and will never be.

"I can do this." I mutter, tightening my grip on the wooden handles.

The form stalks toward me in a similar manner that Death did in the game when he was pissed off. I jump to the side as it throws one half of the scythe at my head. The vision weapon embeds itself deep into the wall. I run towards it, crossing the blades so the half in my left hand is above the one in my right. The figure tries to twist the one that was meant to take its head off, but I grip it tighter and tuck my legs up, kicking it with my right foot square in the chest. It lets go of my scythe and falls to the ground. Somewhat awkwardly, I push down on my knees to add more force onto the figure's ribcage.

I hear a loud crack, the figure stops struggling, and sinks into the ground.

I sigh and rest on the ground for a while to catch my breath. I return to the dial, and this goes on for a long while. Death doesn't come find me for a minimum of two hours, even though I'm sure that he knows I'm here. Though of course, I can't get my hopes up, for he is Death.

I can feel him coming up behind me, halfway through the day. Knowing that I couldn't do anything to hurt him, I playfully swing around and throw the scythe at him. In a split second, it is in his hand above his head. I smile awkwardly and giggle, "Hi."

"Hello." He sets the scythe up against the wall and approaches me. I stand timidly in front of him with my shoulders tucked up. "Who am I speaking with?"

"Zada. Ehm, it's me."

"Good. I have a potion to heal your wounds."

I gulp and say, "Alright…"

He stands dangerously close, tilting his head toward mine. I stand my ground, despite how much I want to move and relieve the tension. Death bends down slightly, grabbing onto my hands and setting them onto the green bottle, along with his own. I let out a shaky breath, but refuse to move. He moves his thumb to the cork, looks me in the eye, and flicks it off. I lift it out of his hands and close my eyes, downing the entire contents.

I whimper as my skin shifts underneath the gauze, but ultimately the pain fades. "Okay. I'm fi-"

The seductive look in his eyes melts my heart. For some reason, all I want, all I can think about, is him. Of course in a way that I'm not quick to think about, but now I can't stop. I awkwardly clear my throat and tilt my head down as he sets his hands on my waist. When I look back up, minutes later, his lips gently touch my ear. I flinch away out of habit.

"What?" He sighs contently, trailing the kisses from my ear to my neck.

"N… no-nothing… I…" I let out a yelp when he bites my shoulder. "Nothing. I… It's nothing."

He takes a deep breath, moving his hands ot the underside of my thighs and picking me up, pressing my back against the far wall of the training room. My heart jumps, and I move to the side in discomfort. He drags his teeth from my shoulder to my lips, teasingly biting my lower lip and pulling it away from my teeth.

I haven't wanted him so much… well, ever.

"What… what did you... do…" I gasp pleadingly, tilting my head back and exposing more of my neck to him. "What… did you do to me…"

"Nothing." He growls.

"M...my chest…" He bites harder, and my entire form bursts in longing. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. "I-It burns…"

"I know…" Death says, pushing me tighter against the wall and ripping my skin with his teeth. I let out a scream, whimper, growl, and everything between with pure pain-filled pleasure. "I feel it too…"

"W…" I can't get my thoughts out without the internal pain cutting me off. "D…"

"Zada…"

"Why…"

"We have to stop…" I dig my nails into his back. The idea sounds heavenly, to relieve the knot in my stomach, but the arousal is just too god damn much.

"N…" I breathe faster and sink back down to his level, using my legs to pull him closer. "I… I want you…"

"Zada." He sucks in a massive breath and brings his hands from my legs to my hair, pulling so tightly…

I can't cope with it. I let out a scream. "I… need…"

"No… Zada… I… I can't control…" Death growls somewhat angrily in my face, only to continue kissing me.

I don't know what made me say it, but I choke out a quick, "Good."

He lets out a sound within the lowest region of his throat, which almost sounds like purring to me. "R…"

I dig my nails deeper into his skin, then start to pull. "D-Death… I… need… you…"

"R… run…"

"I don't… want to…"

"Zada… t… the… Council… is…" He gives up on what he was saying and slips his tongue into my mouth. Never has he been this bold, and I can hardly stand it. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him so tightly, neither of us can breathe. I end up holding my breath for so long, everything starts to whirl around me.

When he pulls back, I whimper, because the knot won't go away. He breaks the kiss completely, setting both his hands on the side of my face. "Listen to me. The Council… they know… you're here… and they're trying to… get me to kill you…"

This snaps me out of the arousal, but I can still feel the knot that draws me toward him. My back cracks multiple times from the force of his chest against mine. Death starts pulling at the skin shielding my throat. I press my teeth together so tightly I feel like they could break. I have to push him away. I have to…

"Death. Stop."

He growls in response, pulling tight on my leggings.

"Stop. You have to… stop… please…"

Suddenly, he breaks all physical contact with me completely, dropping me six feet onto the ground.

I hit the concrete with a thud, followed by a groan in pain. blood is dripping down my neck, and the red substance is on Death's teeth as well. This makes the arousal fade completely, along with the knot. Suddenly, Death breaks all physical contact with me and dropping me six feet to the ground. I collapse, followed be a groan in pain and relief as the knot fades.

"Death…" I gasp quietly, looking up at him through the corner of my eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asks, kneeling down in front of me and setting a hand on my shoulder. As soon as he does, arousal floods though me. I close my eyes and take in a sharp inhale of his scent. Prickles shoot down my spine as he reluctantly slides his hand down from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers, eventually releasing me. My feelings return to normal, as if nothing happened.

"What's going on?" I ask without making eye contact. It hurts like hell to talk.

"The Council has done something to me. I hadn't known, and when I touched you… I could not stop." Death tells me. I blush, though the situation is completely inappropriate. "How is your neck?"

I feel the gashes against my skin. There's one dangerously close to my jugular, and the other bulges at the center of my throat. I cringe in pain, but it's not as bad as what it could've been. "'s okay." I say simply and non-articulately.

"We must get it healed. Come." He opens his hand, suggesting for me to take it, but I just stand without assistance. He gives a small, pity of a smile, and follows me out the door. I walk to a room filled with various health potions, some stronger than others. Death shuffles past me, gently brushing my shoulder with his elbow unintentionally. I gasp at the sudden turn on, but then bite my lip in embarrassment as his lack of reaction. Quite casually, Death looks through the potions and grabs one on the second to top shelf. He turns back to my direction and carefully hands it to me, being sure to not make any form of physical contact. I uneventfully take a quarter of the contents, and this time I can hardly feel the skin shifting and winding back together.

When I turn back around and set it on a table, Death says with an inward curiosity, "Switch to your tiger."

"Why?"

"The Council does not know of your other forms. It is possible that the affects are not as noticeable. Try. I must be able to touch you." Sighing, I switch forms and let out a huff of breath, sitting down in front of his legs. He kneels down. "I am merely going to set my hand on your shoulder. That is all. Are you ready?"

I nod my head and block my thoughts from him. If he is wrong, the affects are the same and our minds are connected, then I think both of us will lose it.

Hesitantly, Death sets his hand against me. I feel nothing- everything is normal. He gives a wide smile- one I do not see all that often- and starts rubbing my back. "I suppose…" He mutters, but does not finish his thought.

I curl up against his form. I like this. I don't feel pressured to do anything that makes me feel self-conscious or uncomfortable. I can just sit with him. "Come." Death says. "We must warn the others and prepare them. Watchers are most likely coming very soon."

I nod and run with him out the door. He heads toward Raven's room, and I find Veil first sitting in the kitchen and eating my leftover breakfast to conserve food. "Hi, Peach. Why are you your tiger?" She asks.

I switch back to my human form so I can speak. "Watchers. They're coming. Hurry, we have to get out of the open-"

Glass shatters around us. The sound catches both of us off guard to the point where we collapse in a pool of shattered glass. Before I can even think to react, I feel a cold hand against the back of my neck. A wet cloth is pressed to my mouth and nose. I don't recognize the smell, but it's not water, and it's making me loopy. My vision blurs, and everything fades into a swirl of darkness.

Xxxxxxxx

Raven

"What do you want, Death? I'm trying to sleep." I mutter an annoyance when the Horseman bursts through the door.

"The Council knows you ate here. Do not question me until you are in a safe position. Get up, and meet the others in the-"

A massive crash erupts in the direction of the kitchen.

"-cellar…" Death finishes his thought and starts in the direction of the crash. I jump out of bed and peek around the corner of the doorframe, watching as he slips his mask on as he walks. I turn back around to face my room. As soon as I do, I see a red Watcher standing before me. In a split second, it is behind me and holding a cloth to my face. I black out, feeling the effects of the drug almost instantly.

x-

I wake up with a sulfurous stench and completely impute air choking my lungs. I cough uncontrollably. When I open my eyes, I only see one color in my visually impaired state- that color being a dark maroon.

In the court of the Charred Council once more.

…Fuck.

A Watcher comes by and rattles the jail cell door. Fuck me, I'm in a jail cell again! I search around in a panic to make sure that no one is with me, and I am definitely alone. My sigh in relief is cut off when I see an unconscious figure in the cell parallel from me with blue and purple highlights, cast in ninety percent shadows. I instinctively try and move toward her, but then I realize I have the same problem as she. My hands are shackled above me, being held in midair and keeping me from resting my muscles.

As if an answer to my silent plea, Zada's eyes snap open.

"Peach?"

She does nothing. Not even a normal flinch.

"Raven? Is that you?"

"Veil!" I whisper frantically. "Thank gods…"

"Where are the others?" Veil asks from the cell next to me. "Daire? Sage? Kyle?"

"Filthy, ignorant humans." A high, raspy voice hisses from outside in the hall. "None of the other humans are here… not yet."

"You son of a bi-"

"Veil, don't." I mutter, loud enough for her cursing to be drown out.

"No! Fuck you. If you wanted all of us, why didn't you take us when you had the chance?"

"You will be the first to die because of your relations with the Horsemen."

My heart sinks. War….

"And the best part? You will die a slow, painful death-" I see Zada cringe so slightly, I almost miss it. The Watcher sees it as well, leaning down toward her head, gripping the bars, hissing smugly, "-by starvation, and dehydration." Zada gives off a hateful glare that sends shivers of fear down my spine. The creature just laughs and continues pacing in front of us three. "You may socialize all you wish, it makes no difference to me. Just be aware of the fact that each and every thing you say, I will hear. If you do anything that suggests escape, I have the right to take this"- it holds up a small, rusty dagger, "-and rip your jugular apart, so you will still die, though a quicker, slow and painful death. Am I understood?"

It turns to Veil first. She hisses angrily, "Yes."

I am next. "Y-yes… yeah."

Zada says nothing when the Watcher turns to her. "Am I understood?" It repeats. Still, nothing. It turns away for a split second, only to whip back around and throw the knife at her. I cringe and almost scream when it rips apart the right side of her face, leaving a massive gash from right under her eye to the side of her chin.

I am utterly astonished when, after that, she doesn't make a sound. Though she starts shaking and nods.

"Good."

Xxxxxxxx

"Do you think they'll try to come for us this time, Raven?" Veil asks me.

"No." There's nothing they can do, there's nothing we can do, even if any of us tried."

"That is right, human." There is nothing they can do for you, so do not even bother to try- what the hell?!"

Sure enough, Zada is gone, with the chains that once were holding up her hands swinging methodically from side to side.

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