David sat back to get a better view of the painting he was in the process of restoring. He had been working on it all day and there was still a lot for him to do if he was going to have it ready in a couple of days for Mr. Connors, who was planning on displaying it in the gallery. There was a lot of damage to the painting and David sighed as he leaned back to the daunting and time consuming task. He gently dipped his brush into some paint and began to gently touch up a spot where the paint had chipped away.

"That looks like it'll take a while," someone said behind him. David jumped in his seat and turned around quickly to see Aomi standing in the doorway.

"Jesus, Aomi! You scared me," he exclaimed glad that he had taken his hand away from the painting just before she scared him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said as she walked into his office.

"It's okay, no harm done," he told her smiling turning back to the painting. He stiffened as he suddenly felt two arms slide across his chest.

"David, tell me again why you didn't want to see me anymore?" Aomi whispered in his ear.

"Because we agreed it wouldn't work out since we are co-workers," David answered feeling nervous with Aomi's arms around him. They had discussed this a couple of years ago and it had been Aomi's idea not his and he wondered why she was bringing this up now all of a sudden.

"So why don't we try to make it work," she told him standing up and stepping in front of him. David didn't know what to say next. He just looked at her thinking she was joking.

"What's wrong? Don't you want me?" She asked sitting down on his lap and before he could say anything she kissed him. David grabbed her arms and pushed her away from him.

"Aomi, what has gotten into you?" He asked looking at her and noticing something different about her.

"Nothing," she answered innocently reaching up to the buttons on his shirt and began to undo them. Her eyes and the feel of her fingers as they brushed against his chest sent strong charges of electricity up and down his entire body. He felt lightheaded and his vision blurred. He felt a sudden desire for her thatstarted tooverwhelm his reasoning.

"Aomi, we shouldn't not here," he breathed as he pulled her back to him to kiss her. He had always been attracted to her. Who wouldn't be, he thought. But they worked together and they both knew it wouldn't be wise for them to date and be co-workers. And he had begun to see Aomi as a good friend, not someone to start a relationship with. But the strong desire for her began to take hold of him even more and he tried to, but he just couldn't resist her. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of her lips on his. And when her lips traveled down his neck he lusted for her even more. But despite the strong desire to keep her close something about it still didn't feel right to him. This isn't Aomi, he told himself. It's a dream. As Aomi began to slide his shirt down his shoulders his eyes snapped open in full realization that what he was thinking was true. He grabbed her arms and pushed her off of him as he stood up and backed away from her.

"Well, it looks like we'll skip the fun then and get down to business," Aomi told him as a knife appeared in her hand and she came after David with it. She moved too fast for David to react and he found himself against the wall with the knife at his throat.

"Aomi, don't do this!" He shouted searching her eyes, which held no fear or remorse for what she was about to do. She smiled slyly but didn't move the knife from his throat.

"Why not?" She asked. "Don't you think you deserve this?"

"No," David answered desperately. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to hurt Aomi but he had a feeling that if he tried anything it wouldn't matter. Not after the way she came at him so fast. The force of it had winded him as he was slammed into the wall.

"I didn't either but that didn't stop him," she growled at him with a glint of anger and betrayal in her dark eyes.

"Who? What are you talking about?" He asked with concern. Keep her talking, he thought quickly. I might find a way out of this.

"It doesn't matter anymore, it happened a long time ago. All that matters is that I get my revenge," she said emphasizing her point by pushing the blade deeper into David's neck just breaking the skin.

David swallowed immediately wishing he hadn't as it just caused the blade to dig even deeper and draw more blood. Thinking that it didn't look like he would be able to talk his way out of this he readied himself to make a move. As he did so he felt the pressure on his neck lessen somewhat.

"Stop it," Aomi said through clenched teeth just as her arm flung away from David throwing the knife away where it embedded itself in the opposite wall. David's eyes traveled from the knife back to Aomi standing in front of him.

"Aomi," he started to say before she interrupted him.

"Get Rio, now!" She demanded before she collapsed to the floor.


As Dark flew across the rooftops of the city he heard Rio's cell phone. He landed on a rooftop and took the phone from his pocket hoping it wasn't bad news concerning Aomi.

"Yeah," he said into the phone.

"Rio, this is David," the voice on the other end said.

Who's David? Dark asked not bothering to correct David that he wasn't Rio.

"Aomi works with him at the gallery", Rio told him quickly.

"Oh, right, what do you want?" Dark asked impatiently wondering why he would be calling Rio.

"Dark, don't be so rude", Rio chastised.

"It's about Aomi, something hashappened toher," David answered.

"Where are you?" Dark quickly asked knowing he didn't need any details.

"I'm at the gallery," he told him.

"We'll be right there," and he hung up the phone and rushed off to the gallery in a whirlwind of black feathers.