Once again the Agency smelled of cheap cigarette smoke, courtesy of a certain depressed detective. Narumi sat, agitatedly scrolling through his usual blog sites, only half-focusing on the words and pictures that flew by on the screen. No matter what he did, he couldn't get his mind off of the pale boy, tall and slender, hiding all his pain behind those blue-grey eyes. Utterly alone, no one to go to, and refusing help out of obligation to his clan. It was all so absurd and messed up and it was driving Narumi absolutely batshit with worry. For all he knew, Raidou could be out on another mission at that very moment, risking life and limb. And who knew how many times before this the boy had to patch himself up, curling up alone at his run-down flat wishing someone was there for him? Or did he even care to have someone around, preferring the solitude of the dark room over the comfort from others?

All these questions and more whirled around in his head to the point that he felt he was going to pull his hair out. Cigarettes. I need more cigarettes...

Suddenly there was a tapping on the window, something he was becoming distinctly familiar with. The sound of cat claws scratching at his window. He glanced back from his desk, noting Gouto frantically clawing at the glass. "Go home, cat. Your owner is back at his place." Narumi announced before boredly going back to his laptop. But Gouto continued to claw at the window, meowing loudly. He wanted in, and he was going to get it.

Sighing in aggravation, Narumi finally relented. "All right, all right!" He stood, throwing open the window and letting the cat into the office. "I told you, your boy isn't here! Now go on home!" The cat rushed inside before he could be locked out again, hopping onto the man's desk. He meowed loudly and pawed at the air, trying to get his attention. Narumi just stared, the most unamused expression he could muster on his face. "Cat, I'm not a summoner, I can't understand you." Yet, as the cat yowled, he could have sworn he heard something. Not just annoying meows, but words. He knelt closer, trying to hear the cat clearer. Heh, that's a laugh... I'm trying to listen to cat.

The cat gave a distinctive hiss and swiped for him. But was true, something was off. He couldn't make much out, but he distinctly heard the words 'Raidou' and 'trouble'. Narumi blinked, trying to piece what little he could understand together. He wasn't a summoner, but it was as if he could partially hear the feline's words. Perhaps it was his previous involvement with the other world. "Raidou... trouble? Raidou's in trouble?" Gouto nodded vigorously, swiping once again, trying to get Narumi to follow him.

"Jeez, it's like I'm on Lassie or something!" Narumi yanked open his desk drawer, revealing a luger and holster filled to the brim with ammo. In his line of work, it did one well to be prepared. The gun itself was a little old-fashioned; a replica of an old German model. But it had served him well even before he joined the force, so he wasn't about to switch to a different type of gun now.

From the coat rack his grabbed his jacket, shoving the extra ammo into the inner pockets. The gun? Tucked into the back of his pants. No time to dig out the holster. The last of his ensemble was his trusty bowler and car keys. Completely suited up, Narumi scooped the cat from the desk. "All right, cat, where do I find Raidou?"

The feline kicked out of his arms sped out as soon as the door was opened, hauling ass down the hallway towards the stairs. Clearly he wanted to be followed. Clearly he did not like being cradled. Strange cat. Narumi followed at breakneck speed, meeting Gouto at the car, opening the door for him before climbing in himself. "Wait, how the hell are you going to tell me where he is?"

The cat jumped into his lap and took a seat facing the steering wheel. Gingerly he pawed at it, meowing insistently. "You've gotta be kidding me..." Narumi groaned, starting the engine to his old, beat up car and driving in the direction specified. "Cat, you better not be leading me to a pet store or something or I'll leave you at a Chinese restaurant."

He got scratched for that, the cat hissing at him. Narumi recoiled with a growl, resisting the urge to toss the offending feline out the window. "Ouch! Damnit, fine! Lead the way, just get me to Raidou before something happens, got it?"

And so the detective was led by the ornery feline. Gouto pawed at the wheel when he expected the man to turn and in which direction. Forget Lassie, this was something straight out of the Twilight Zone.

All the while, Narumi couldn't help but anxiously anticipate what the boy's condition was going to be. If Gouto had come to get him, he must have been in quite a fix. He just hoped he could get there in time and that the boy was still unharmed. "Hang on, Raidou! I'm coming for you!"

Before it's too late, I'll make sure you come home safely!

They made their way across town, finally reaching their destination. An old hanger down by the pier; how much of an old fashioned stereotype could you get? But clichés aside they hand to get inside. Gouto was clawing at the door, trying to get out. Narumi took the hint, bringing the car to a stop and releasing the harried feline.

"Here?" He asked. Of all places, a dock on a cloudy day... It even looked like it was going to start pouring at any moment. A perfect place for a showdown, just like you'd see in those action movies; the hero facing off against the villain in a life or death battle, only one survivor to claim the prize and get the girl. How ironic; the prize and girl this time was Raidou.

That thought left a bit of an odd taste in his mouth. Taking a quick look around, he loaded his gun, readying his next set of ammunition in his pocket, just in case. "Where's Raidou?"

No need for the cat to take the lead here. Conveniently just after the man asked his question was answered... in the form of loud gunshots coming from not too far away. Narumi knew those shots; they were from the same sort of magnum that Raidou toted around. "Shit!" He cursed, readying his own piece and darting off in the direction of the shots.

Meanwhile Raidou was already in a battle for his life. One demon was down and the other was assisting his efforts. His trusted elven companion stood at his side, heavily damaged but still willing to assist his master. "Raidou-sama, how are you faring?" The elf, Tam Lin, asked of the boy while parrying another blow from their mutual enemy. His usual polished armor was nicked and scratched, a bit of his own elven blood spilt onto it. But he held strong, dead set on protecting his master from harm. "I'll be fine. Stay on guard." the summoner replied, keeping his sights on the beast before them.

The white fur mottled with blood, the fangs and claws ready to pierce into the young summoner's flesh and tear him asunder. Yes, this was the same beast from before, and it was ready for revenge. A week of recovery was all it needed to be at full strength again, ready to devour the man who was foolish enough to stand in his way. "Foolish boy!" It growled, inching closer like a cat on the prowl. "You come against me, and for what? To avenge those pitiful humans?"

"I'm here to do justice. That's all." Raidou stared the creature down as he spoke, resolve showing in his eyes as he leveled the business end of his magnum with Cerberus' head.

The demon threw its head back as if to laugh. "Justice? Justice was eating them all! If you knew what they had done, you'd know why they had to die!" Cerberus swiped at the boy, trying to disarm him. Tam Lin thrust his weapon into the demon's side, piercing the thick skin and throwing the canine into a frenzy, his rage turning to the elf. "Master, please watch out!" Were the last words Tam Lin got out before the entirety of his torso was bitten into by the demon, mortally wounding him before tossing him against the hangar's walls. The summoner jumped away only to watch his demon nearly killed before his eyes. Before worse damage could be done he returned him to his tube barely having time to tuck it away before he had to dodge another attack. "You have no idea of justice if you are to protect and avenge those humans!" The way the Cerberus spoke, it sounded as if he had a vendetta against the trio he killed. But what? What did he hold against those three humans?

Raidou was curious of just that. He took refuge behind a large steel container, ducking down to reload while he spoke with it, tried to keep a handle on where it was. "And what did they do to you to make you want them dead? What reason did you have to kill them? You played with them before they died."

The boy's first answer was another barking laugh, "You would to, if they had done unto you as they did unto me!" The second answer was a swipe at the boy so hard that it broke his guard, tearing into his already injured leg, narrowly missing anything vital. The hit just barely broke into the skin, but was enough to tear the stitching that was already there. The beast must have smelled the blood from the still healing wound.

The boy let out a yelp and dashed away before it could do more damage, firing at it as he did. He aimed for anything vital he could, catching it just between the ribs on one side and in the belly. This only seemed to enrage the beast more so than hurt it. He was forced to dodge another swipe. Ever fast on his feet he back-flipped out of the way. This also proved he still had trouble concentrating while a good deal of blood was still being recovered. In his mild panic he'd forgotten completely about his leg. While landing he jolted it, which sent him to his knees with a yelp. This only led to further damage. The impact ripped the remaining intact stitching and the blood instantly began to flow.

No! He mentally exclaimed, I have to get up! I have to keep going! His desperate thoughts were for naught. The moment he tried to get to his feet his legs buckled from the pain, from exhaustion. He let out a cry and fell, holding the damaged leg tightly. His body had reached its limit.

The demon growled triumphantly, advancing on the summoner once more, his prey cornered. "How does it feel, young summoner? How does it feel to be cornered and helpless..." Cerberus stopped just inches from him, snarling into his face, each word dripping with hatred for mortals just like Raidou. "Knowing you had the power to fight back, only to have it twisted away, as if you were nothing more than a mere animal!" His words, it was quickly becoming clear that this demon had something more than just a vendetta against humans. It was those three... But what could they have done to such a large beast that even he was powerless to fight back?

None of that mattered now. The beast had him against a wall, ready to strike and finish him off, his weapons out of reach, his demons too injured to continue... The boy struggled as best he could, but it was all for naught. He could feel the blood leaving him at a rushed pace, his head dizzied from its loss. There was little he could do now besides prepare himself for the killing blow.

Yet nothing came, no claws nor teeth, nothing save for the abrupt sound of gunshots followed by a deafening roar. The Cerberus backed away, stumbling off to one side, its beastly growls of pain echoing in the corridor around them. Raidou could see it; blood, not his own but the beasts pooling on the concrete, one of its back legs riddled with bullet holes. A crippling blow, but by whom?

"Raidou!"

At the entrance to the hangar stood two figures, one on four legs darting towards him, the other standing in shooting stance, gun still smoking.

The young summoner hit the floor with a grunt, exhausted. But when his eyes focused on the familiar figure now rushing towards him like the cat was moments earlier his heart skipped a beat. "Narumi-san..." He'd come for him. He'd shot at the beast to protect him. Quite possibly this one act had saved his life. He felt himself smiling weakly.

And then all at once he remembered just why he was here and just what was lurking. He struggled to sit up, to warn him. "Narumi-san! The Cerberus is here! You shouldn't be here!"

"Yeah, I get that!" Narumi jogged up to him, reloading his luger with a fresh clip, eyes darting around for any sign of the beast in question. It was only blind luck and the brief flickering of an aura, a disruption in the air that told him where the monster was lurking. He wasn't even sure where he hit, all that mattered was that he did, and it was enough to stave the Cerberus off long enough for him to get to Raidou. Narumi carefully pulled the boy upright, arm gently wrapped around his shoulder to steady him. "Are you all right, kid?" He asked even though he knew the answer just from a quick glance at the boy's leg. The stitches were torn, and the boy was already bleeding heavily. Things were looking grim for the summoner.

Raidou all but flopped against the detective, eyes flickering around the hanger as he went to remove his cloak. "I'm fine... Just a little dizzy..." He pulled the cowl off and carefully pulled his injured leg into an easier position to wrap. The cloak was rolled up a little before it was wrapped around the kid's leg, Raidou tying it off tightly just over the reopened gash. It hurt, damned if it didn't. The yell he was unable to stifle told Narumi that much. "Jeez, kid...!" Narumi scolded, holding the boy upright as best as he could with one free arm, "What are you doing out here? Are you on a suicide mission?"

His scolding was soon interrupted by another feral growl, one even Narumi had to acknowledge. "You... A mere human... Do you think you have the power to take me down?" The Cerberus attempted to stand, back leg giving out under his weight which only seemed to infuriate it more. Their true predicament showed; Narumi could hear the beast's animalistic cries but not its words, nor could he see it.

But Raidou's eyes were on something, stare unyielding. He could see the beast perfectly, and it was not far away from them. Slowly shakily with Narumi's help he reached for his gun and pointed it at the beasts head. He pulled the trigger, bidding it a final farewell... and got nothing. Nothing but the soft click of the hammer hitting dead, cold metal of a shell. He was out of bullets. From his lips came a tiny noise of frantic displeasure to accent this fact. Quickly he tried to sit up, to reach behind for line of silver bullets housed in his belt.

"Raidou, where is it?" The detective asked, voice escalating with his own panic. He held the gun at the ready, aiming for the exact spot he saw Raidou point just seconds before. There was only a flicker, a displacement in the air around them that denoted the beast's location. Not enough for a dead hit. "Narumi-san, shoot it!" the boy exclaimed, frantically loading his gun, the beast struggling to its feet. It was backing up, lowering its body. It was preparing to charge them.

Confirmation enough, he figured. Narumi pulled the trigger and lay six bullets into the demon. He wasn't sure where they landed, but the cry he got from the beast told him somewhere that hurts. Unfortunately, nowhere vital. Nothing that would cut its thick hide. Finally Raidou's revolver was loaded, just in time for the beast to rush at them. The boy nearly panicked, eyes wide. Narumi was in danger. He had to protect him. "Narumi-san!" He pushed himself as far between the detective and the beast as he could, leveled his weapon and fired. Even if he was torn to pieces, even if he was killed, at least he would die knowing he'd protected this one man.

Not one but two sets of shots rang out in unison, a second gun held next to the boy's firing off a round along with him. Narumi had used Raidou's aim as his own, firing what was left of his clip.

When it was done there was a pair of smoking handguns and one very relieved summoner. Raidou slowly lowered his weapon and look a slow, shaky breath. A trembling arm wrapped around him again, pulling him back against the older man's chest so close he could feel Narumi's racing heartbeat. The man still held the gun at the ready, as if he still feared the unseen enemy and sought to shield the boy he had come all this way to save from harm. Even now Narumi was trying to protect him, whether it was for Raidou's sake or his own peace of mind. "Did... Did we get him?"

Raidou finally allowed himself to relax, resting back against the older man's chest. His trained eyes stared at the beast that lay dead on the ground, various points in its skull bleeding even now, a particularly large entry wound smoking softly with a faint sizzling noise, the flesh still being burned though the animal was dead from the point blank shot through the eye. It had left a mess, too, the Cerberus' golden eye splattered, having exploded on impact. Messy. He was thankful Narumi could not see. "...Yeah... It's dead."

The older man finally allowed himself to lower his gun, sighing softly, smiling at the boy. "You're a damned fool, kid. I hope you know that." But his scolding held no malice now. The beast was slain, his mission was done... yet as the body began to fade into the Dark Realm where it belonged, an eerie glow rose up from the destroyed body. A spirit, a white, long-hair dog of sorts, floating idly above it. It spoke silently to the summoner, a small thanks before disappearing completely, ascending to whichever higher being canines went to.

"So that is why." Gouto, who so far had stood by and observed the scene to see how the two would react, finally spoke to Raidou. "That Cerberus was once a normal dog, apparently owned by a couple that lived in one of the shared flats... To hear him tell it, the trio we found dead did some terrible things to it, and it was the thirst for revenge that caused it to turn into a demon." Such a thing was not unheard of. There were many tails of normal humans and creatures alike being driven mad by negative emotions and assuming the form of a demonic presence. That dog was no different. "I'm sure you heard it, but it thanked you for releasing it, for it was no longer itself."

The boy nodded softly, a tiny smile on his lips. "Yes, I heard Gouto... I'm glad..." But as happy as he was to have completed his mission, Raidou wasn't out of the woods yet. He looked pale, the bleeding of his limb still not stopping though it had been stemmed for the most part. Sensing his fear, Narumi carefully gathered the boy up in his arms. "Let's get you back to the Agency and fixed up." He spoke softly, somehow managing to get the boy to his feet, an arm around his waist, Raidou's draped over his shoulder to steady him. "Can you heal yourself at all?"

Raidou easily fell into his arms, holding on with one arm around Narumi's shoulder. "Pixie is dead," meaning no. "But I have medicine..." It wouldn't do much, but it would help stop the bleeding. At least there was that. "Take some when we get to the car. I'll see about reviving your demons like last time..." Hopefully Raidou had some change to put towards that this time. "I can do it at home..." Raidou muttered, letting himself be lead back to the car, Gouto following close behind.

The boy was gently set in the passenger seat of the car, the chair slightly reclined so he could rest easier. "You gonna make it back to the Agency?" Narumi asked, clearly worried about the boy's condition. With the amount of blood he had lost in the last few days it was surprising he wasn't dead yet. Maybe the kid really was suicidal... "I'll be okay..." He fished around in his pockets for the medicine he'd brought. After a short while one pocket finally produced his desired result. He pulled out a caplet from the little case and popped it into his mouth, swallowing. It tingled on the way down, letting him know it was already going to work. Narumi watched with a bit of mild confusion as he climbed into the car. "What was that?"

"Medicine..." He popped another caplet, his last, and swallowed. Slipping the container back into his pocket he explained. "It's something that helps advance healing. Something of an occult item. It doesn't do much but my wound will stop bleeding very soon."

"Thank the gods for that..." At least it meant that Raidou wasn't going to bleed out on his leather upholstery. But he'd still need to be stitched, and still need to be laid up for a few days so he could recover. "Take it easy and rest for a bit. I'll wake you when we arrive. Deal?"

The summoner thought to protest but thought better of it immediately. Narumi was a stubborn man. Instead of fighting him on it he simply nodded and let himself be driven back to the agency.

As they went, Gouto on his lap, the boy was pondering something. Just how had he been found? He'd have expected Narumi to be at home at that very moment scrolling through blogs for leads on investigations. So how had he found him? He'd been so careful too... "Narumi-san?"

"Hm?" The man glanced over from his spot in the driver's seat, still trying to keep his eyes on the road. "Yeah, kid?"

"...How did you find me?"

An accusative finger was pointed to the cat curled up in Raidou's lap. "Lassie here came to fetch me." Gouto bristled slightly. The boy blinked once and turned his attentions to the cat. "Gouto...You went to find Narumi-san..?"

"It was far better than having to explain to the Herald why you were found dead in a Hangar." Gouto murmured, slightly embarrassed. Now even he was breaking the rules. What would the clan say?

"I'm glad." Narumi broke the tension between them, fumbling for a cigarette as he merged onto the highway. "If he hadn't you would have been killed by that thing, Raidou. You really need to be a little more careful if you're gonna be on your own..."

Raidou's attentions were back on Narumi, face blank as always. But his eyes seemed to show just how grateful he was, even if his words did not. "It would be an honor to die for my clan if it came to that."

"Raidou..." Narumi managed to light his cigarette and take a slow, long drag, letting the nicotine fill his senses. "There's a difference between dying for honor and dying needlessly. Even if it isn't exactly by the books, you're better off living for the clan than dying for it." Raidou opened his mouth to protest... and closed it soon after. He knew the man was right. If it was because he was injured he wouldn't be dying with honor. He'd be dying a failure. With that in mind he lowered his head, nodding once.

"Now rest." Narumi muttered, reaching over to scrub at the boy's hair. "You're safe now."

"...I know..." he muttered, closing his eyes to rest them. It really had been a long couple of days. "...Narumi-san?"

The window was cracked to tap ash against the glass before it fell into the man's lap, "Yeah?"

"...Thank you for coming."

Narumi felt a bit of heat creep up his neck at the boy's words, but never the less he smiled. Thanks to his efforts, the boy was still alive, but it wasn't that he even cared if it was him or someone else that came to his rescue, just as long as the boy was safe. The urge to protect the boy only grew with each passing moment, filling the pit of his stomach with dread of what was to come, and how he could aid him through it. Yet the high was still there, making him feel a bit giddy in the head. The cigarette was discarded and the window rolled up, the man reaching over to pat the boy's shoulder. "You did good, Raidou. You deserve a nice nap."

His heart fluttered at the praise, cheeks warming, finally putting a little color back into the white skin. It felt so nice when Narumi did that, pat his head and told him how well he'd done. It honestly made the whole ordeal worth it.

Even nearly getting his leg torn off in the process.

"Your efforts helped greatly. You deserve just as much credit as I do Narumi-san."

The older man chuckled, deep and rich. There it was, the smile he had only seen shown to the young boy, "We make a good team, don't we?"

Raidou couldn't help but return it with one of his own, warm and kind, something he'd never shown to anyone but the man beside him. "...We do, yes."

The cat seated upon Raidou's lap made something akin to a gagging noise, almost like he was trying to cough up a hairball. "Knock it off, you two. Raidou, get some sleep."

With a small sigh Raidou relented. He was tired anyway. With one last bit of thanks he closed his eyes once again, laying his head back to rest.