Due to a severe lack of inspiration, and the approach of school, I might have to take a little time away from this fic. Not too long, I hope. I got d' MAD ideas for this ficcy *Evil grin*

Once again, Anyone who actually DID read Jarred's story, forget what you read. It was poorly written, and I didn't like it. So, I killed it. Yes, that's right. I killed it. I held the literary pistol to its head and pulled the trigger. I'm... A killer... But it deserved |)3AT|-|

Today's chapter's name is from Ozzy Osbourne, and is called 'Bark At The Moon'

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Chapter IXXX: Bark At The Moon

Still riding the night sky, but towards the black, spiralling tower which loomed ominously in front of them, the Shadowlord beat his wing to keep airborne. The moon hung in the sky like a silver coin, but none paid it any head. There were bigger problems about.

The tower very nearly oozed with Jarred's scent, his magic spread thickly about it, along with the scent of two others, unimportant for the moment. It wouldn't reek of him any less if he had spray painted his name across it in big, neon letters. There was no denying it any longer. Jarred Rath's power was beginning assimilate. Jarred Rath was the Prince Of Darkness, the Destroyer incarnate, bane of demons. The Shadowlord beat his wings faster; Jarred must die.

He approached the building at such a speed that he didn't realize he was being followed until they coughed. The demon whirled around, bringing his claws up.

A thin Half-Breed floated around, arms crossed, and a light smile hovering across its lips. Indigo hair spilled around its shoulders in a messy array, while burning sapphire eyes glowed eerily with power. The Half-Breed cackled, and darting forward, towards the tower, gesturing for the Shadowlord to follow with a hand.

The Shadowlord followed more out of curiosity than thought. Had he thought twice, he would have considered it a trap, but his mind was troubled at the moment. He followed the thin Half-Breed to a balcony that jutted out of the tower abruptly, landing on it and spinning around to meet him face to face. The Shadowlord folded his wings behind him, and landed on the balcony with a crunching of stone, going down into a kneeling position to lessen the blow. His crimson eyes blazed at the person in front of him.

"Where is the Prince, scum?!" He demanded. The thin Half-Breed merely laughed. By the gods! This man was as infuriating as Nox Seran! Speaking of which, where was that gods accursed snake? The Shadowlord lashed out with a strong Aero spell suddenly, catching the laughing Half-Breed in a cage of air. "Answer me, degenerate!"

Two things seemed to happen at once. The thin man's laughter turned into a howl of rage, and a blue aura erupted around him. Second, a crimson eyed man appeared out of thin air, brandishing a lance of fire. The Shadowlord was taken aback, as suddenly his spell was shattered, and he was confronted by two Half-Breeds with powerful magic.

The one with red eyes whipped his arm back, and threw the fiery lance like a spear. The Shadowlord lifted a hand, and dispelled the lance's magic with ease. It shuddered, and vanished. For good measure, however, he whipped his hands around, casting magic of his own. However, the flows of magic wouldn't come to him. Instead, they went to the thin, blue eyed Half-Breed currently working himself up for a massive spell.

The thin Half-Breed's aura seemed to solidify, and the air chilled to match the cold of death. Inside the aura, the Half-Breed was breathing ragged, breath coming out in vapour. Ice crawled up its hands, and the blue aura suddenly changed black, consuming him whole.

"Shiva, my goddess, grants me strength." It screamed in pain, ice spreading across the floor like oil across water. "Behold the heart of Winter!"

Ice ripped through the stone, slashing upwards. A myriad of lights reflected the moons light as glasslike shards of ice ripped through the air, slashing all in The Shadowlord felt pain as shard after shard ripped across his skin, but his body was strong enough to survive with a few scratches and a little blood spilled. The Shadowlord stared down at the panting, bleeding wretch, who fought to keep on his feet. The Shadowlord sneered. So weak.

"Ghost," The blue eyed Half-Breed gasped. "Stop him. The Prince Of Darkness, must not," He gasped for air, and fell to his knees. "Be killed!"

Ghost, the red eyed man, looked at the fallen warrior, panting for air, before turning to face the Shadowlord.

The Shadowlord could almost laugh. The impudent wretch was smiling!

"Ifrit, my god," Ghost said, smile widening. "Let my me wield your burning scourge!" His voice had increased in volume until it was a loud roar, resounding around the black stones that made up the tower they stood on. He threw back his cloak and cape, so that he stood only in a tattered, travel worn pants, and braced himself as if something would hit him.

At first, the only difference had been a slight increase in heat. The ice melted abruptly, and the air became hot and stuffy, then suddenly a raging inferno swirled around Ghost, growing in intensity and angry power every second. Soon, the red eyed man was lost amidst a blaze worthy of hell itself.

The inferno roared outwards, scorching stone and flesh alike. Remnants of the frozen floor were ripped away, flung backwards, some even striking the Shadowlord, while the rest was thrown outwards into the night green canopy below. The Shadowlord spat a curse. Sleep for a few thousand years and suddenly magic took a leap ahead of you! It was a battle in itself not to be swept away by the powerful gusts of fire

The blaze blew past him, and When the Shadowlord looked at the red eyed man, he was holding a flaming, viciously hooked whip. It certainly fit the description of a burning scourge. Ghost flung his hand upwards, and the whips sprang into life, trailing flames behind it. His wrist snapped down, and the whip roared downwards angrily. The Shadowlord barely had time to throw himself out of the way, while the flaming thing laid a line of chaos across the balcony. Sneering, Ghost whipped his arm to the side, bringing the scourge into a whirling swipe. This time, The Shadowlord jumped over it, and while the whip sped past him, he dashed forward, ripping out a quick ice spell, and flinging it at the flaming whip. Predictably, it snapped with a hiss. The Shadowlord slammed a fist into Ghost's exposed body, and was rewarded with the thin warrior gasping for breath, staggering away. Not waiting for his adversary to recovery, the Shadowlord lashed out once more, kneeing Ghost in the face. Like the blue eyed Half-Breed, Ghost fell to his knees, panting for air. He turned his eyes weakly upwards, staring at the Shadowlord in amazement, while blood dripped from his nose and mouth.

"My flames," He gasped, trying to push himself upwards, but failing. "Why don't they hurt you?"

The Shadowlord opened his mouth, but was interrupted.

"THIS WAS TRULY FOOLISH, BRETHREN." A mental voice said, veritably booming.

A door opened up, leading from the tower, and light streamed out onto the balcony. A tall, cloaked man stepped out, boots sounding against like stone smashing against steel, for the silence. A massive, but thin blade hung across his back, scraping against the floor with a metallic hiss. Its hands were pushed into its pockets, but ready to lash out at any moment. The only trace of flesh was on its face, the only part of it that wasn't shrouded. Black eyes like the abyss drove into the Shadowlord like nails.

One look at the newcomer, and the Shadowlord could nearly understand why so many of his own kind would feel fear when observing this creature. It couldn't be human, or even a Half-Breed. It was too evil to be either.

"THIS CREATURE IS MY PREY. MY QUARRY. ONLY I CAN KILL IT."

The blue eyed one pushed itself upwards slowly, cautious of its own feet.

"I am sorry, brother, but an enemy of yours is an enemy of ours."

Ghost stood up slightly, into a crouching position.

"No matter how many broken bones."

Black eyes slashed into the pair, while it slowly brought its hands out. The two swivelled away, retreating to the open door, and closed it behind them. Not bothering to watch them leave, hose black eyes returned to glare at the demon when they moved to away.

"VILLIS ME KA HUNGERS, DEMON. IT YEARNS FOR SOULS."

The Shadowlord gasped, as the beast wrapped its hands around the vicious blade strapped to its back. In one deft movement, the blade was out, and the cloak thrown aside. The beast was clothed in a bodysuit under it, with a silvery breastplate of some sort of metal, but nothing else. With the Villis Me Ka as a weapon, no protection was needed.

The creature moved like a wraith, slipping from side to side, inwards and out, and the deadly blade hissed through the air, as if trying to slice him of his own accord.

Villis Me Ka was an ancient blade, wrought from the souls extracted from the planet and forged into that blade, and so was one of the only objects that could actually KILL a soul. Its name, roughly translated from demonic, was 'Slayer Of Souls', and lived up to its name tenfold. The planet shuddered when Villis Me Ka was driven into it, and flesh withered and decayed where the blade cut, and when blood was drawn, souls where destroyed. Such a thing was one of the worst things imaginable to demons and Cetra, who cultivated souls as their own way of life. All it took was one little cut, as long it drew blood. Even Shadowlords could be killed by that fell blade.

The black eyed beast moved quick and agile enough to make any acrobat turn circles. He seemed to be everywhere at once, slashing with that terrible blade. It was all the Shadowlord could do to keep away from the swords hissing edge. He twisted to the side, to try to avoid a sideways slash, and only halfway did he realize the blade was still coming towards him, only now he had his back faced to it. He flung himself forward, laying flat as the blade hummed past overhead, then pushed himself up hastily. Snarling, he cast a quick fire spell, hoping to catch the beast off guard. A quick bolt of fire lashed out, but his adversary brushed it aside with a flick of its hand.

"DEATH COMES FOR ALL, DEMON, AND I HAVE COME FOR YOU. AT LEAST LET YOUR DEATH BE HONOURABLE!" Sparks flew as the Villis Me Ka hewed through stone, as it narrowly missed cleaving the Shadowlord in two. "KNEEL AND YOUR END WILL BE QUICK!"

The Shadowlord laughed, and ducked under a sword swing, and caught the creatures' hand, but recoiled instantly. The thing's skin was colder than ice! Smiling, it released one hand from the sword handle, and lashed out with it. The punch landed squarely in the Shadowlord's stomach, throwing the demon backward.

In an act of desperation, the Shadowlord bent his back and twisted around so that he did a back flip in midair, and pushed himself off the balcony when his hands came in contact with the ground, spreading his wings wide. The air rushed by as he tried frantically to put as much distance between that black eyed monster and himself. The Villis Me Ka! Where had that accursed creature acquired such a thing?!

"RUN, DEMON, AND MAYBE I WILL NOT FIND YOU. BUT THE GENOCIDER DOES NOT REST, NOR DOES THE HAND OF DEATH. STAY, AND YOU WILL MEET BOTH." It growled mentally, rushing to the balcony and glowering at the retreating demon. The Shadowlord didn't need to look to know it was watching him leave; He could practically feel its gaze tearing through him. "I AM THE WRAITH. AND I BRING DEATH TO YOUR KIND."

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Reno had searched with Ruse for three hours on end for Elena, through those seemingly infinite halls, not having the slightest clue where she would be. He had tried every door he came across, and actually came across Tifa's 'Eight Heaven', minus its patrons, and odder still, mugs of alcohol on the bar table tempting him with hours of mindless bliss, followed by a deep, intoxicated sleep, followed once more by a headache. However, his temptation was short-lived, as Rude grabbed his arm and forcefully dragged him away.

Another two hours, however, and even Rude was willing to admit that a few beers would be a comfort. Another hour of walking down those endless halls, stared down by sightless gargoyles, and they were willing to stop searching for Elena, and start searching for that bar once again. Surprisingly, the first door they opened lead into that empty bar room, still deserted, still with mugs of beer on the bar table. However, they were far from alone.

Kahn, the refugee demon lord, was hunched over the mugs of beer, drinking them at an inhuman pace. As soon as he dropped one, it slowly refilled, while the demon carelessly moved on to another, already full mug. By the way he seemed having trouble sitting up, in seemed he had been doing this for quite some time. As Reno took a step inside, Kahn whirled around, or rather lurched around, fell to the ground, and grinned sheepishly, trying to push himself up.

"Wha are you- Hic- HUMANS doing here?!" He demanded with a slur. "This, ish MY room!" He punctuated this by pointing a clawed finger through the air wildly.

Rude raised an eyebrow, letting his rigid attitude slip for a moment. Reno, however, was letting a lot more than his attitude slip. He was laughing like mad, pointing at the staggering demon in front of him.

"Whoohoohoo," He hooted, taking a few steps forward. "Well, where's the snotty little demon king now, eh? I think he DROWNED in the beer you drank!" He continued laughing like there was no tomorrow. Judging by the way Kahn seemed to be opening and closing his arms, it looked like he was going to try and arrange just that.

"I may be drunk, but I am still a demon lord!" He growled, drunkenly spreading his wings wide, knocking over a chair. "Say that once more, and I will show you my wrath!"

Reno grinned impiously.

"Fine. You're so drunk, that mosquitoes get tipsy after attacking you!" He laughed, taking another step forward, supporting himself against the bar table.

Kahn lashed out, but considering his state, he lashed out clumsily, and all Reno had to do to dodge was lean to the side. Shocked that his blow did not land, Kahn staggered, exposing his back. Reno took full advantage, driving his elbow into the demon's back. With a loud crashing sound, Kahn hit the floor. The demon shuddered, and was still.

Not finished, Reno fished out his electro-rod. Everyone frowned at the name, for some reason, but Reno found it amusing. Switching it on, he slammed it into the back of Kahn's head. Blue sparks flew as electricity jolted through the demon.

"Hangovers suck, don't they Rude?" Reno commented, drawing his electro-rod away. He picked the demon up and grunted under the weight. "This guy has gotta lose a couple of pounds." And tossed the demon unceremoniously onto a couch, bounced off it, and landed on the floor once more. The still demon groaned, and became not so still.

Kahn pushed himself into a sitting position, blinking at the two Turks. He clutched his tender head like it was about to explode, which it probably felt like.

"Uhh," He moaned. "What happened? What are you two doing here?"

Reno grinned broadly, and helped the demon to his feet.

"You passed out. We were having a couple of drinks, and you lost count and the next thing we knew you were dancing on the table, and went out like a light." He said, smiling broadly.

"I hee." Kahn slurred out, hunching over his mugs of beer once again, and nudged one towards Reno. "Well, you might as well shtay, you've seen the worst."

Rude's eyebrow went up again, but a thin grin graced his lips, and he joined Reno at the bar, helping himself to a mug. Reno, on the other hand, had clasped a comrade's arms around Kahn, grasping the beer mug in the other.

"Don't mind if I do!"

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Aeris prowled the hallways aimlessly, not quite sure where she wanted to go. Out of these hallways, that was for sure! Those gargoyles were giving her the creeps, the way they glared at nothing. It felt like they were going to leap out and grab her at any second. And to be truthful, trying to look for her room had turned out to be a fruitless task. If only she had accepted Shakal's offer to be shown her room! Well, no use moaning now that things had been done.

The last few doors had led into a Cid's house, for some reason, no matter how many bends and turns she took away from it. It was freaky, really. The times before she had come across the ShinRa mansion, Barret's house, and had enjoyed a nice conversation with them, until she felt compelled to try her luck once again.

Now, she thought of what Kahn would be doing. Now that it was apparent that no-one was guarding him, Wraith and his friends had disappeared and were nowhere to be found, and so was Kahn. Where exactly had he gone...?

Aeris nearly passed a door. The second she realized it was there, she retraced her steps and looked at it. Yes, that was a door. The question was, where did it lead? Raucous laughter were coming from the other side, followed by the sound of something breaking, and somebody snarling.

"Whoa, Kahn, ol' buddy ol' pal, no need to go berserk on me, now! I was just wondering!"

Aeris raised an eyebrow. Reno? What was he doing with Kahn? Aeris cracked the door open, and took a peek inside.

Kahn had murder on his face, and brandished a broken chair leg like a club, and a smashed mug of beer on what looked like a bar table. Reno and Rude were chairs similar to the one Kahn had broken, with the distinct difference that theirs was intact.

"Just because you can't see my manhood doesn't mean it isn't there!" He growled out, and Aeris had to stifle a giggle. "I have the magic to hide it, and I'll be damned if I walk around flaunting it!"

"Then why don't you where CLOTHES?!" Reno pointed out, gesturing to his blue jacket. "They keep you warm too!"

"HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO FLY IN THE RAIN WITH CLOTHES? HMM?! ITS HARDER THAN YOU THINK!" Kahn roared, brandishing that chair leg once again. "CLOTHES ARE FOR THE WEAK!"

"No, Clothes are for those who don't feel like hiding the family jewels with magic," Reno said absently, taking a deep swig of beer, and wavering slightly. "What is this stuff? Best I've had in years." He muttered absently.

Kahn stopped what Reno had said. Not about the beer, but about the clothes. The chair leg dropped form his hand, and the demon looked around sheepishly.

"I suppose you have a point." He said, reaching for a beer mug himself.

Aeris's eyes went wide. Kahn ADMITTED to being wrong?! Audibly?! In front of other people?! That alone was proof of his intoxication.

"So, why are you boozin' it up, hmm?" Reno asked casually.

Kahn was in the middle of a deep swig, and nearly choked upon hearing Reno. He pulled the mug away, and banged his head against the table, mumbling something. Reno cocked an ear.

"Whassat?" He asked, listening a little better.

"Women." Kahn growled throatily, digging his claws into the bar table. "They're so damned, Urgh."

Reno cackled at this. He patted a sympathetic hand on Kahn's back, and laughed a bit more. That was probably a big comfort.

"Damn straight!" The Turk stated loudly, banging his mug against the bar table. "Damned if we'll understand 'em!"

Kahn nodded, banging his head several times against the table. Man, Kahn was really wasted... He began muttering something in demonic, and laughed.

"Pardon?" Reno asked, looking at the demon.

Kahn sat up, a wide grin stamped on his face.

"My people have a saying." He said proudly. "'Women are like the sun; You'll be damned if you know HOW they do it, and you'll even more damned if you know WHY they do it.'" And laughed once more, this time Reno joined him, and even Rude looked like he was smiling somewhat. Even Aeris grinned a bit, even though the joke had been directed at her gender. "And a truer saying there had never been since." He finished, banging his head against the bar table once more.

Reno's grin widened all the more suddenly.

"Hey," he said slyly. "Who's the girl you've set your eyes on?"

Aeris listened carefully, intent on discovering the elusive love life of Kahn.

"I haven't set my eyes on anybody." He grumbled. "Its all over and done with. She hates me now." Aeris's heart went out to Kahn. His voice was broken, haggard, and almost sad. Of course, Kahn NEVER got sad. Now, he was bordering self-pity. "It was over and done with thousands of years ago, and ended over a minor debacle." He ripped out a hunk of the table, crushing it in his hands. "If only those accursed Cetra hadn't...!" He trailed off into a unintelligible mutter.

So, that was why Kahn hated Cetra. Nothing to do with any war. His hate was up close and personal.

"And then there's that accursed Cetra wench that seems intent on discovering my greatest shames." The demon continued. "She's a lot like Shakal, or what she used to be like." He suddenly realized himself, and what looked like a demonic equivalent of a blush erupted on his face. "This stays between US!" He growled, looking dangerously at the two Turks.

Reno shrugged, and turned to his drink.

"So you have a thing for Shakal. So what. So what if she hates you. Forget, and move on."

Rude nodded, and took a deep swig of beer. Kahn looked at the human in amazement.

"Sometimes I forget how short-lived you humans are. No, my race do not have many loves as whole, and when they do, it never leaves. Never!" He shouted, and fell backwards in a giggling fit. Well, that was the end of that conversation. If they ever did get back on to that topic it certainly wasn't going to be soon.

"Having fun, dear?" A light, musical voice said behind her, highly amused.

Aeris spun around, and was confronted by the pale skin of Shakal, and blue eyes glowing with mirth. Her lips quirked into a smile. She was still wearing her white dress, but it now seemed to be a different one in the light. "I admit that a drunken demon is highly amusing, especially Kahn, but it hardly stays amusing for more than five minutes. You've been there for fifteen."

Aeris blushed deeply at this remark. She turned away slightly, but immediately turned back. Kahn was heartbroken by this woman! His pride had been shattered by the cold feelings she bore towards him!

"How can you torture him like that?" She demanded tartly, frowning deeply. "He's thrown his pride and honour away and now he's drunk himself, well, drunk!"

Shakal's eyes narrowed. She smoothed out her dress, her smile evaporating.

"Kahn killed my people, Cetra, because I thought they would survive with your kind. Kahn saw to that." She hissed. "The only trace of our kind is here and in the minds of demons. Even your kind forgot about our sacrifices to them! I have every reason to have Psin and Wraith burn you into oblivion! The only reason you're here is because you're a friend of Jarred's."

Aeris neglected to point out that she had only met Jarred a few days ago, and hadn't really had the opportunity to get to know him. She would have to do that sometime. He looked almost as interesting as Kahn, the way these people seemed to trip over themselves for him.

"And the only reason I'm going to help you get a new body is so that you can leave here faster! Kahn can stay, if only because I know he'll suffer more the closer he is to me!" She finished, swirling around and leaving.

As she rounded a corner, Aeris couldn't help but think the inevitable.

~What a bi-¤+%!~

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*Gasp!* AERIS SWORE! In her own head, yes, but she cursed none the less! Hehehe. I'm putting her ooc. But then again, so have many of the other original characters. Hmm... Aw, who cares?

Now, if there's a repeat of the last chapter, someone iz gonna get hit, and whilst I can't do it to any of you, an innocent will have to suffer for you. And that suits me juuust fine ò_ó