No comment.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the burning sensation that stung his nose and the stench that hung around him and clung to his clothes like cobwebs. He breathed out after a prolonged moment, smoke escaping his nostrils and through the corners of his mouth, as if he were a dragon. The cigarette hung limply from his mouth, his teeth rolling it back and forth and sinking into the nicotine-ridden flesh of its body. After its size had dwindled to nearly nothing more than a puff of smoke in the air, he removed the cigarette from his teeth and shoved the lit side into his pale green flesh on his wrist. He then examined with vacant eyes all the scars that tainted his once pure forest skin. He put his arm down and proceeded to examine the blank wall opposite of him.

Light protruded into his safe realm of darkness without warning. He attempted to make the effort to squint against the luminosity that stung his absent eyes, but his face remained motionless, lost in the abyss of nothingness. He made no attempt to remove his gaze that seemed to be fixed on the wall ahead of him, but he knew it was her, always finding him at his weakest. His back seemed glued to wall that he rested against, all the while the floor felt like it was sucking him down, wanting him to crumple into the empty shell he had become.

She merely stood in the narrow hallway, staring at him, into him, through him. She was the misplaced figure in the picture of darkness and depression, her light that emitted from her too brilliant to go unnoticed. As if mentally painting the picture in her complex mind, she soaked in the scene presented before her– his empty stare boring into the wall, him slouched on the floor, his arms hanging limply beside him, four smoked cigarettes scattered alongside him, seven burnt out matches on the floor, fresh marks on his forearms. . . what had gone wrong? She sensed a terribly powerful and intense emotion that seemed to cling to this residence's walls, but she could never quite identify it. She longed to be rid of these inhuman powers and exterior, and breathe as a human would . . . .

Unexpectedly, his lips barely moving, he whispered hoarsely, "What do you want?" He coughed harshly, not even bothering to move his arm to cover his mouth.

At first, she wasn't sure how to answer. Finally, she replied, Nothing. Her intense purple eyes swirled.

His eyes still fastened on the wall across from him, he mumbled with great effort, in blunt anger, "Then why –" He was immediately cut off by a violent fit of coughing, unable to restrain himself. He buckled over as uncontrollable spasms of coughing overtook him. After a moment of painful convulsions, blood spewed from his mouth, staining the floor beneath him. At long last, his coughing subsided a bit. He turned his gaze up to the girl, looking through the long stands of his greasy green hair. Blood trickled from his mouth down his chin.

He smiled.

Suddenly, it no longer felt as if her light was slicing through the darkness, but more the darkness closing in upon her light, ravenous to overwhelm it and longing to consume it. She took a slight step backwards, as if searching for support from behind her, but finding none. All there was was the blackness raining down upon her fragile soul, staining her untainted white innocence and purity. She took another step backwards, providing no escape from the pure dark energy that insisted on entering her. Watching this, he felt the desire to laugh bitterly at her flaw, but then, in an instant, she was gone.

He blinked in surprise. His eyes searched the hallway, but she was nowhere to be seen. Struggling greatly, he managed to stand, and began to stagger down the hall, clutching his chest in pain.

Knowing she must have not stayed within the dim shadows of indoors, he slowly made his way to the roof of the Tower. After virtually dragging himself up the stairs that led to the roof, he finally stood on the hard tile that covered the top of his dwelling. A pale figure stood on the opposite end of the roof, gazing silently into the cloudy, winter-day sky. Seeing this, but having nothing else to grasp to lead him over to her, he collapsed painfully onto his knees. A cold liquid soaked into the knees of his pants, forcing him to realize that a layer of snow hid the ground from sight. His gaze traveled from the door over to the girl, but he could detect no footsteps impressed into the snow. How had she gotten over there?

Sensing his presence behind her, she turned and gazed at his weak figure kneeling in the snow, his head bowed and his hair dripping into his eyes. Within a moment, she was next to him. His pitiful eyes looked up to her, and seemed to plead with her. Slowly, taking her time, she reached her delicate hand down to him and placed it on his chest. Her eyes glowing white and a faint lavender, light pulsated from her hand into his body, their souls intertwining for but a second. In that second, she was marred by intense pain and suffering, almost so she couldn't tolerate it, but, in a moment's time, she could feel that he was healed as much as she could provide, and thus removed her hand.

The glow faded from her eyes, and she seemed to stand a fraction of an inch less straight once she stood upright once more. His physical pain now diminished, he stood as well. In a much clearer voice, he asked, "How did you disappear in the hallway? And move across the snow without leaving footprints?"

Her gaze directed past him, she answered, I am able to perform many different tasks, as it is in my abilities. You have already experienced my healing powers and my skill to sort through one's mind and heart. A third gift I possess is this one.

Demonstrating, she slowly closed her vivid purple eyes for the first time in his experience, and raised her head upwards. Her small pale fingers spread apart, and one foot lifted slightly from the ground as if she were to take off in flight. Then, to his utter surprise, starting at her foot, she slowly began to dissipate into tiny white particles. It was as if she were unraveling herself, evaporating into the crisp air. The process continued until she was gone completely, faded away into the bright whiteness of the clouds. He could barely detect her, as she now existed as a swirling cloud of white mist, nearly invisible to his human eyes. After a moment, he saw her recollecting herself near the edge of the roof. Her molecules reassembled gracefully as he breathed deeply, taking in this performance.

Once she had completely gathered herself, her purple eyes remained hidden by her pale eyelids. At length, she slowly allowed the brightness of the surrounding world to pass through her vision. Her head turned toward him, and her vibrant amethyst locked onto his thin, gaunt figure, assessing his reaction. She found him trudging his way through the layer of snow toward her.

Once he had reached her, he stood quite close to the drop-off of the roof. Looking down at the sharp, snowy rocks below, he asked quietly after several moments of hesitation, "Where did you come from?"

For a split-second, he thought he sensed fear race through the girl's veins. Finally, with a non-existent expression playing across her delicate features, she replied, Perhaps that would be better left unsaid.

He couldn't resist letting out a bitter half-laugh. "You'd like that, wouldn't you – to force out my feelings and to remain emotionless to the world? I know you have a past; everyone does. It's your turn to tell me about your life." His dark eyes lingered on the jagged stones below.

The girl stayed entirely motionless – no movements in the face or body – as she remained silent. Then, surprisingly, she placed her soft foot on the very edge of the roof and stood on the ledge. Then, she began to step forward.

He immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her back with more force than intended. "Why the hell would you do that?!" he snarled into her face.

Her gaze remained fixated on the sky ahead of them. After a period of silence, she finally answered, To see what would happen.

-sulks in dark corner-