Notes: Part 1 of Demon. This ran a lot longer than I thought it would, but only after giving me a lot of trouble.

Demon

Raven Roth loaded her gun with practiced ease as she slid off of Rick's motorcycle. "Damage report?" she asked her partner as he locked their ride down.

He gave her a long-suffering look that told her more than words would, but replied, "It's that bastard, again. Same thing as he usually does. Asshole."

"You sound almost affectionate," Raven noted, more because it would annoy Rick than for any other reason. As her blue-eyed friend sputtered denials, the violet-eyed woman cocked her gun, senses alert for any hint of the demon that had eluded the pair for almost two years.

His routine was practically clockwork by now. Nothing changed except the actual fighting as Raven and Rick struggled to learn the moves that would finally bring their foe down. Raven tried to console herself with the knowledge that the gap in skills had at least narrowed, but she knew that fact wasn't enough—would never be enough for Rick.

The slightest scuff and she turned, firing two silver bullets into the night, but Rick's grunt of pain had her turning back to see her partner hit one of the alley's walls. The demon they had come hunting smirked at her from on top of the motorcycle, clearly daring the hunter to attack. Raven had never been the type to back down from a challenge.

The black-haired male barely dodged as Raven fired off a couple more bullets at him, but that had just been the distraction; she charged for where he had jumped to, aiming a punch for his gut to keep him from noticing the foot aimed at his knee. He saw through the punch and knocked her away. The violet-haired woman felt the breath go out of her lungs as she hit Rick's motorcycle, even as she saw her partner get to his feet and charge their opponent.

Picking herself off the ground, Raven waited for an opening before lunging back into the fight—just in time to find Rick being thrown at her, knocking both of them to the ground. The sticky substance dripping from her friend's body told her he'd been injured, and she cursed when she saw it was coming from his head; no wonder it had taken him so long to recover from that first throw.

"Your friend's out cold, darling, so if I were you, I would be giving up for the night," the demon informed her, voice cheerful. "I got lucky with that first hit, and again just now, and you know I'll target him if you keep trying to fight."

Raven's response was a creative phrase she had picked up from Bruce.

The demon threw his head back and laughed. "Inventive, but not anatomically impossible, Sunshine. But if you're willing to try it with me, I might be persuaded," he taunted.

Rather than respond, Raven slowly stood up and started hauling Rick in the direction of the motorcycle. At least she knew how to drive it, the violet-eyed woman thought, unhappily wondering if Rick was aware enough to hold onto her.

As if reading her thoughts, her opponent tossed a length of rope at her feet. "Don't say I never did anything for you," he informed her, almost haughtily.

"And what are you expecting in return?" Raven demanded, hating the idea of owing anyone, especially a demon she had been fighting for two years.

Pursing his lips in thought, the blue-eyed demon considered the question before turning to her with a smile. "How about your names?" he offered, slyly. "Or, if that doesn't work, you could always just owe me…"

Raven frowned, knowing the power names held, but hating the idea of owing him more. "Raven," she told him, abruptly. "And he's Richard." Tying her friend to the motorcycle, she took off into the night, heading back to Bruce's mansion.