Story: Dawning Radiance
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Romance/Action
Rating: Still T. Still for violence. Yes, my teacher is still reading this. And in case you were wondering, yes, I could edit the one she reads, but I'm too lazy.
Claimer: I own each and every one of the characters in this story, so please do not use them, as they are my babies...enjoy!
I clicked the button for the next floor down, not even noticing what floor it was until the elevator had come to a shaky stop and I had gotten out, though I'd had to do a double take when I did.
The prison floor of our building was where we put Angels and Aephilim for questioning, Under Dweller thieves that thought they could make a quick buck by selling our weaponry to some uneducated sap in the Under Realms that thought they could use them, and the occasional Demons that had decided to side with the fools up in Heaven and betrayed us.
There had been very few times when I'd actually been to this floor, and it had always been under supervision, so curiosity pulled at me like the need to breathe.
Looking around to be sure no one was there watching me, I started towards where the cells began and peered silently into one. Inside a black haired Angel hung limply from crystalline shackles, two pairs of slim white wings hanging uselessly at his sides, his worn body was covered in vicious welts, scars and cuts that looked an awful lot like the one that marked my shoulder.
He looked up solemnly, and he stared at me for a long time. "You aren't the usual guy" he whispered, his melodic voice sounded raspy and weak "I'm not here because of you" I replied coolly, watching with disgust as his face smoothed in relief "I see," he groaned suddenly, and spasmed in obvious pain. "Then why are you here?" he asked, odd teal eyes locking to mine "I don't feel the need to tell you that, Angel" I spat, and watched him smirk and nod.
"Fair enough" he told me, and let his gaze fall back to the floor "They tested those arrows on you huh?" I inquired, leaning gently up against the thick, sound sensitive glass "I suppose that you were the one who brought them back?" he returned, sounding more confident than before "I assume you were hit as well?" he added after a long pause "Yeah, what of it?" I looked over my shoulder at him, and our eyes met once more "It's just odd how you never realize how alike we all are until you can actually talk to someone different from you" he said, and gave the smallest of smiles.
Though I tried to hide it, I could feel my eyes widening "I am nothing like you" I shot back, spinning to face him full on "Really? I bet I can sum up your day, because it is a lot like mine; like all Angels and Demons. Wake up early, head out to do some dangerous task that your higher ups assign to you, get hurt, come back, report, repeat until you aren't good enough, then sit around and wait until they call upon you again…the only real difference between us is the fact that both of our races believe that they are better than the other, because that is how we're raised" he mused, his smile fading fast. I had nothing to say in return, so instead I ran a hand uneasily through my hair, realizing that in the beginning, Angels and Demons were the same species, only Demons had been cast down out of heaven for their betrayal and disloyalty.
I quickly cleared my head of the thought, remembering why I myself hated the Angels in the first place "So what if we're alike?" I asked "If you have a good reason to hate something, then it doesn't matter how close to being the same you are, chances are, you're still going to hate it at the end of the day" I told him, turning to head back upstairs "How very true, Little Demon, how very, very true" he murmured as I left, entering the elevator and pushing the button for the twelfth floor in silence.
By the time I had gotten back with our drinks; which I bought on the twelfth floor, to Damien's unknowing mind, Valshe was in the waiting room by Damien and Forte, holding her bandaged palm in her lap. Forte must have cleaned it with peroxide and cauterized it, because I couldn't even smell a trace of blood like I'd been expecting to, and the bandage was thus perfectly white.
They all looked up as I entered and Forte motioned for us to follow him back to his office with a stiff nod, which we all followed obediently.
Shutting the door firmly behind him, Forte turned on us, slate grey eyes passing over each of us carefully before moving to sit in his chair and taking a deep breath "Well?" I began, smirking as Forte buried his face in his hands in exasperation "What is she?" I glanced at Valshe out of the corner of my eye and found that she was watching me intently, honey colored eyes full of light; a pointless sort of hope.
Shaking his head and peeking at me in annoyance from a gap in his fingers he spoke firmly "Give me a minute kid, I'm tired…sheesh" he pushed his slim, square glasses up to his forehead to rub his eyes irritably and gave a short yawn "Kid?" I laughed bitterly "You're only two years older than me and a half a year older than D" I commented as he pulled a paper out of the neat new file that laid on his desk and handed it to me tauntingly.
I looked down at the paper blankly, and glanced back up at him "You expect me to know what to look for on this crap?" I asked, handing it back to him grudgingly "Oh, right…that means I have to explain it then" he stood up and spread his hands apart, a thin black line appearing between them, which he easily spread into a screen about the size of his torso, and tapped it once.
Instantly, the screen lit up, showing what was on Valshe's tests in perfect similarity to the papers he held. "As you can see, her blood levels are that of a human, but what I can't understand is what this list shows here" he circled a small portion of the screen with a lean finger "Her blood has an extra substance in it, neither hurting her, nor helping her, and seems to be dormant for the moment…Ah," he shook his finger when I opened my mouth in protest "She is however, not a half Demon, the substance found in her blood is actually lethal to us, like a virus…but when I compared it to the blood of the Angels and Nephilim, it reacted much the same way..." he tapped the screen once more and it closed, dispersing into particles of darkness that eventually evaporated into nothingness.
Damien and I shared an eye roll and I closed my eyes disdainfully "So bottom line is…you have no clue what she is?" Damien groaned, shaking his head "Couldn't you have just said that in the first place instead of making us listen to all that sciency crap? How boring" he sighed, leaning back in surprise when Forte shook a finger in his face "It is not boring" he insisted, allowing Damien to right himself in his chair. I laughed as they argued back and forth over the subject, looked over at Valshe and immediately quieted.
She sat silently in her chair, gazing at her hands sadly "What's up?" I whispered, scooting closer to her and leaning back contently in my chair "Nothing" she replied hastily "Just tired is all" she looked up at me with eyes that could barely hide her disappointment before Forte cleared his throat. I looked to Damien, who was looking at the door hopefully; he obviously wanted to go as much as Valshe and I did, and then to Forte once more.
"Anything else before I can go home and eat something?" he asked us snidely, watching as each of us shook our heads blankly "Great, then get out" he yelled, herding us through the door and into the empty hallway before slamming the door loudly. "Freak" Damien muttered teasingly under his breath, I chuckled in response and we rushed back to our room in relief.
By the time we'd gotten back to our floor, it was only about two hours to sunrise, and it was obvious that everyone was tired and cranky. I realized that because the only other option was to let Valshe sleep in the same room as D, which wasn't really an option at all, I had to be the gentleman, and reluctantly offered her my room for the night, which she graciously accepted and retreated into, locking the door behind her. Damien had crashed on his bed almost as soon as we'd walked in the door, and was splayed out on his bed, blanket covering him up to his chin, his shoes poking out from under it. Sighing, I moved towards him and removed them, careful not to get kicked and dropped them at the foot of his bed, rolling my eyes at how much like a child he sometimes was.
Heading next for the closet where we kept our towels, blankets, and pillows, I numbly grabbed an old pillow, thinly stuffed with down, and two of our thinner blankets before tugging my shirt off, retreating to the couch and flopping down in exhaustion.
I don't think I'd ever been able to fall asleep so fast before.
I sat at the worn oak kitchen table, nibbling mindlessly at a piece of toast and warm, gooey peanut butter while picking through the newspaper for the comics section, dirtying the pages with my small, sticky hands. I didn't even glance up when I heard the heavy footsteps pound through the living room and into the dining room where I was until I felt a large presence looming behind me. Turning slightly, I looked up at the gigantic man standing behind me in a black vest, the sleeves ripped off so that his muscled, tattooed arms hung bare at his sides.
Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, he wore a red New York baseball cap backwards on the top of his shaved head, and twin scars ran from the corners of his lips, like an extension of his mouth, to his earlobes, where a large diamond stud shone brightly.
I turned fully around and stared up at him, sending bread crumbs falling onto the newly cleaned tile floor, I didn't say anything, and neither did he for a moment. I could feel his eyes running me up and down, before finally his deep voice vibrated through the room "Where's your father kid?" he asked, moving his sunglasses so they rested on his cap.
Shrugging, I jumped down from my chair and walked to the door leading to the basement "Maybe downstairs" I replied, feeling tiny as he pushed past me, breaking the door open and stomping down the stairs heavily. I stared into the darkness of the basement in curiosity, before returning to the kitchen table, where I sat back down and waited for him to come out again.
For a while all I heard was my father and the man yelling at each other, a lot of loud crashes and fluent swearing, and finally they emerged from the basement, my father glaring at the man from behind, the man walking before him giving a smug smile, holding two or three brown paper bags in his fists "Give a little more warning next time you come around here, got it Saurian?" my father hissed fluidly, walking with him to the door. I heard the man apparently named Saurian laugh darkly "Of course Costello, next time" he laughed again, and I heard the door open and shut with a satisfying slam.
When my father came back to the kitchen he didn't even notice me, as usual "Dad? Who was that?" I asked shyly, jumping down to stand by him once more "His name is Dalton Saurian, he's a client of mine" my father told me emotionlessly "Oh," I replied quietly, shrinking back a little.
My father noticed and turned on me fiercely "When are you going to grow up Xander? You're almost eight years old and you act like a cowardly little dog!" he barked, advancing on me until my back hit the wall near the stairs "A low, cowardly, dog!" he reached for me, his large hand clamping around my forearm tightly, until I cried out in pain.
His blood shot eyes bulged slightly, and his face was reddening "You know how it is in this world Xander! If you're weak, no one will hesitate to rip you apart! You know that don't you? Don't you?" he was screaming now, shaking my arm furiously while I cried helplessly, pulling weakly to get my arm away from him. He dropped me suddenly, eyes widening when he saw the still raising hand print on my arm, crescent shapes bleeding from where his nails had bitten in, then looking in shock at my red, tear stained face and falling to his knees in front of me.
"X-Xander? I'm sorry, I just…oh my God…your arm is bleeding, come here" he coaxed me over, arms wide, but I backed away from him further, sliding along the wall until I felt the air rush out from around me and I fell backwards down the stairs, flipping around over and over again, before my father caught me about halfway down, scooping me up into his arms and running up the stairs to the bathroom where he sat me down on the counter.
I'd stopped crying, my eyes were dry and my head felt heavy, the rest of me was sore and felt rubbery "It's alright, it'll be alright…" my father whispered, pressing an ice pack into my hand "Can you hold this on your head?" he asked softly, and I nodded and put it on the back of my head, which I had hit hard when I'd fallen, while my father gently took my arm and poured peroxide on it, dabbing at it with a washcloth.
When we got out of the bathroom, I had a fresh white bandage wrapped around my arm, a few purpling bruises where I'd fallen, and was on medicine so I wasn't sore when I moved around.
We had gone to the back yard and threw a football around, my father patted my head when I caught the ball from long distances, and when I was able to throw the ball in a spiral, and he praised me as he usually did. My father was not a bad person; he couldn't help it when he slipped up like that, he was always sorry after he did it, and things went right back to how they always were. "Dad, I love you" I told him when we walked inside for lunch "I love you too son, more than anything else" he replied, lifting up my tiny frame and throwing me up in the air, causing me to grin happily before he put me back down and went to work making sandwiches.
Silently, I opened my eyes and sat up stiffly, rubbing my stinging eyes and stretching. My neck and back was somewhat sore from sleeping through the night on the old couch, and I envied Damien, who was still sleeping peacefully in his bed, he hadn't moved an inch since last night when he'd gone to sleep. I frowned and thoughtfully looked at my bare arm, rubbing at it where the scars had been after I'd healed, and thought about that day, smiling lightly to myself before looking at the clock on my cell phone. It read nine forty one, and I had a missed a call from Forte, but had no intentions of calling him back quite yet.
Getting up, I headed to my room, knocking lightly on the door before trying the knob, which was still locked "Valshe, I need to get in there, you up yet?" I called quietly, pressing my ear against the door. I could hear nothing behind the door, and figuring she was just a silent sleeper; I smirked, turning to the bathroom to get in the shower.
I shut the door behind me and opened the shower curtain, undressing and stepping in, turning the water on warm and sliding the curtain shut again. Just as I rinsed off one last time, I heard the door open and shut loudly and Damien yawn "You do realize that I'm in here don't you?" I asked him over the rush of water "Yeah, but that's too bad because I have to go to the bathroom" he replied snidely "Didn't sleep well? You're still crabby" I quipped and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I slept like a baby actually, but your little human friend woke me up…then again, she's making breakfast, so I suppose that isn't too terribly bad" he said thoughtfully, flushing the toilet and turning on the sink to wash his hands. I opened the curtain a little and looked at him "Breakfast?" I asked hopefully, and he turned around with a grin "Yep, pancakes and sausage and bacon and eggs," he listed off all of the food I could smell now that I had turned the water off, and I returned the grin "Great, I'm starving" I commented as he left and shut the door with a nod.
I stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of fading black jeans and a baggy black tee shirt, my stomach rumbling loudly as I was bombarded with all the different smells. I sat down at the kitchen table with Damien as Valshe set the last plate down, full of steaming hot hash browns, and she barely had a moment to bid me good morning before Damien and I began to attack the food, shoveling it onto our plates like we hadn't eaten in weeks.
"Where did you get all of this?" I asked, mouth full of golden, fluffy, syrup coated pancakes "I…went out when I woke up" she answered, more like she was asking me, rather than telling me "How? You don't know how to get around here" Damien said, carelessly throwing eggs, sausage and ketchup on a toast sandwich. She smiled, looking proud of herself as she picked a handful of freshly cut fruits from a bowl in the center of the table "That guy from yesterday, Forte, helped me get back to Cali to buy some things when you two were still asleep" she continued, popping a perfect red strawberry into her mouth after careful inspection.
I gave her a look that asked if she was crazy and Damien suggested as much "And you actually went with him? Are you crazy?" he asked, laughing when she hesitantly shook her head "He was pretty nice to me" she replied, poking nervously at a chunk of syrupy pancake "Really? Maybe he likes you" I teased, waving my fork at her playfully "Ew." She laughed, sticking her tongue out and wrinkling her nose in mock disgust.
Being teenage boys and hard working demons on top of that, Damien and I cleared out all of the food, though Valshe only had a few things before announcing that she was full, and putting her plate, silverware and cup in the sink.
After we had done the dishes and put everything away, Valshe spun to face Damien and I, now lounging across the room from each other on the couch and armchair "How is it that guys can eat so much, and stay so skinny?" she asked, looking at the pile of now cleaned dishes that the two of us had gone through. Damien laughed in amusement "We're active" he replied, bouncing a tennis ball over the foot stool, which I easily caught, and returned "Usually we don't eat too much; we're too busy" I told her, catching the ball once more "Girls are just as active as boys" she returned, intercepting the ball and bouncing it a few times before sitting next to Damien on the couch and giving it to him.
Damien looked over at me in confusion; Valshe didn't seem to like him too much, so it was odd she'd sit next to him, and I shrugged in equal wonder, and let my head loll against the head rest of the armchair.
The door banged open and Forte stepped through, slightly red in the face, glaring at us "What have you two been doing? I must've called you each ten times in the past hour and a half" he fumed, stomping over to where we all sat and crossed his arms over his chest "How did you even get in here?" Damien asked, looking up at him with disinterest "Never mind that, we have an emergency down on the prison floor" he fumed, sliding his phone open and giving it to Damien, both me and Valshe moving to look at it over his shoulder. On the screen, there was a picture of a group of Nephilim, brandishing their celestial weaponry, moving to the first row of prison cells "Who let them in?" Damien demanded, shoving himself up and pushing the phone back at Forte, who took it and slid it into his back pocket.
"We don't know yet, but we have more prisoners in this facility than we do warriors, so if they succeed, we'll be brought down along with the building!" he yelled, turning to leave, and pulling out his Oni "Now get your butts in gear!" he ordered, whipping it down and out, causing it to form a sinister looking bow, and quickly summoning up an arrow before dashing out the door, which slammed shut behind him.
Damien ran over to his bed and snagged his Oni off the top of his bedside table, jamming his feet into his shoes "Come on!" he glared at me, and I ran into my room, grabbing a few blades of my own, and after hesitating for a moment, my own Oni out of the beat up steel box I kept it in.
I moved back into the living room, where Damien paced impatiently, and Valshe was clasping her hands together, her sun kissed skin pale, and her eyes closed, as if in prayer "Let's go!" Damien yelled, heading out the door with me trailing after him "Wait!" Valshe called, and we both stopped, turning back to her with shared looks of urgency "Let me go too" she pleaded, eyes shining "Why? Humans can't use Ethereal weapons" Damien said, glancing wearily out the door "I can help though! Forte said I wasn't a human remember? I can try!" she cried, hands fisted stubbornly at her sides.
I groaned and ran back to my room "Come with me" I growled, running back to my room with Valshe hot on my heels, and I could sense her excitement as I threw open my closet door again "Grab one" I ordered, stepping aside and motioning harshly for her to grab one of the many weapons Damien and I kept there.
She looked frantically through them, then looked at me helplessly "What do I pick?" she asked fearfully "Does it matter? Hurry up!" I stepped beside her, and handed her a double bladed feather staff "Can you use this?" I asked, holding it out to her "I don't know!" she replied, shaking her head. "What about these?" I pulled out a pair of short twin blades, about as long as her fore arms and spiked up the blade side "I've never used a weapon before!" she finally admitted in panic, and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot "What?" I hissed, practically dropping one blade into my foot, the clang of metal apparently scaring her enough to make her jump "I've never had to!" she yelled defensively.
Growling in annoyance, I grabbed the holster for the twin blades and roughly sheathed them, then grabbed the feather staff and shoved them both at her "If things get too rough for you, just get out of the way" I murmured quietly, and stalked back to Damien, who was conjuring up a green flame in his hands, pressing it together so it died, and then starting over again.
He looked up when we approached, his face hard-set, and took out his Oni as well "Took you long enough" he commented, turning to lead the way down the panic ridden hallway.
We lived on floor seven, and we knew that the elevator would've been shut off long ago, in hopes of slowing down the intruders, so we had to run up four flights of stairs before we would get where we should've been. Our trio swung through the open door, weaving around the mobs of non-warrior Demons that were too afraid to fight, and Valshe was already starting to slow down; she didn't have the training that we had, and because of that, was barely jogging when we reached the third flight of stairs.
Just as we passed the door leading to the eleventh floor stairs, we heard screaming, and spun fast back down the stairs, Valshe making it through the door first, followed by me, then Damien in the back.
In the hall were about four young Demons, probably just Awakened, cowering behind an older Demon, all of which were surrounded by a group of ten or so Nephilim boys, probably about the same age as Damien, all holding their celestial blades, with grins that were almost feral. The older Demon parried the blows of the first boys that went after him, but two boys; twins at that, rushed him from both sides, one knocking the sword out of his hand, while the other separated him from the children, grinning wildly "Repent your sins Demon, and maybe you will be saved" said the twin that was now standing between him and the kids.
The other boy, looking to be the younger twin turned away from the scuffle and glanced over at us, having just appeared in the door and running towards them "Leave him Rey, we have company" he said silkily. The boy named Rey turned to face us, a scowl plastered on his face "Ugh, more? Why can't they just give up and accept divine mercy?" he gave a short, humorless laugh, and began towards us.
Beside me, Damien scoffed and shook his head "Divine mercy you say? How about a Holy punishment?" he asked, readying his Oni and holding it lightly in his hands, red orb pulsing steadily; Damien was channeling his energy into it. The younger twin moved with his brother, exactly mirroring each others movements as they drew blades that looked more like lightning, jagged and glowing with a deadly bluish light.
"Pitiful Demons" he said, stopping when he was close enough for Damien to be able to brush the tip of his spear against his chest "You've stooped so low as to kidnapping humans to fight with you? And such a beautiful young girl at that" he shook his head, his voice sounding smooth as the waters face before a huge storm; beautiful, and deadly.
Valshe shifted uncomfortably in her place by the door, the feather staff rested awkwardly against her shoulder "Don't you notice though? She's not a human" I replied, pulling out one of the two swords I'd stuffed into the double sheath and dropping into a fighting position, blade level with his throat "She's hardly a Demon though, she's much too innocent for that…she's obviously better suited to be one of our kind" he shot back icily, then looked at Valshe "Why would you side with the Demons little one? Have you not realized that they are only using you?" he asked, holding his hand out to her; she shied away immediately.
"They're nice to me" she replied quietly, then straightened up, trying to look more confident than she probably felt "Who are you anyways?" she demanded, readjusting the feather staff so it stood between the two.
The boy's lips pressed into a thin line, and he looked at her as if he didn't quite know how to handle the question "I'm Nathaniel Harlow, but most people call me Nate…and this is my older brother, Rey Harlow" he replied, glancing at me and Damien out of the corners of his eyes. Valshe nodded, apparently satisfied and bit her lip nervously "Are you going to kill them?" she gestured to the group of Demons behind them, they had the older Demon restrained and the children were all crying and calling for help "Not if they comply with us" Rey replied, his voice was slightly deeper than Nate's was, and obviously fiercer; if you could kill someone with words, his voice had an edge sharp enough for it to be considered slaughter.
Nate took a step closer and nudged Rey with his elbow "You want us to spare them?" he asked, holding his hand up to hold back the other Nephilim that stood behind him "I would" Valshe whispered, peering around the two to the armed group that was watching them with carefully scrutinizing eyes "Then, just for you human, we will" Nate turned and waved the group away, a few hesitated before moving to another door, leading downstairs, leaving just Nate and Rey with us. Damien laughed menacingly "Rooky mistake, Nephil scum" he spat, moving to lunge quickly at Rey, who stood closest to us, and whom dodged it as if he'd been given hours to move aside, before he made an attack of his own, parried by Damien, who grinned in sudden interest "This should be good" he commented, and moved quicker, his wings sprouting from his back.
Normally, Nephilim didn't have wings since they weren't full Ethereals, but apparently Rey did, as his too, sheer white with streaks of slate grey, burst through slits cut in his clothing, and the fight turned into more of a dance, swift and graceful, the only sound was the weaponry singing as they cut through the air with deathly intent, and collided with the metal of the other, hungry for first blood.
I stepped back in unison with Valshe and Nate, who shook his head in a mocking fashion, his short chocolate brown hair falling to cover his eyes slightly as it did so "You never could resist a good fight could you, brother?" he called, and we all heard the agreeing laugh in response. I moved towards Nate, and lifted my sword "Well, why don't we join them?" I suggested, watching his amber colored eyes light up just the tiniest bit "Fine by me" he replied, preparing himself and smiling as his wings rose from between his shoulder blades, raising a little over the top of his head and falling to his waist, the same as his brothers, only instead of having streaks in them, they were a perfectly iridescent white.
He leapt into the air and I did the same, letting my own wings unfurl behind me, and we began, clashing heavily against each other. I felt the vertigo as I narrowly dodged the first swing, dropping near the ground and streaming behind him to get on the offence, but he was just barely faster than me, and met me with a painful kick that connected soundly with my injured shoulder.
"What's the matter? You aren't holding back are you?" he yelled to me as I gave a quiet yelp and caught myself "Not anymore" I shot back venomously and swung at him, he blocked it and I pressed hard, using both hands until the edge of his blade kissed his cheek, leaving a paper thin cut, and he pulled away abruptly, causing me to lose balance for a split second. He took his chance and rushed me, I twisted, relief flooded over me when his blade just nicked the side of my rib cage, but it was short lived as he drove me hard into the floor, which I felt cracking under me at impact. I gasped as the air was knocked out of me, but rolled over so he was pinned and knocked his sword away from him, sending it clattering loudly across the floor.
Lifting my own sword, I aimed for his heart, when a blinding force to my head sent me sprawling against the cold ground once more. I looked up, and found that Rey had broken away from his battle with Damien to protect his brother, who was getting to his feet and looking around for his sword, finally settling on Valshe, who held it along with the feather staff, and he ran towards her to retrieve it. I pushed myself to my feet and launched towards her, but he reached her first, holding his hand out as if he actually expected her to give it back.
Valshe shook her head firmly and took a cautious step back, clutching the now normal looking sword to her chest "It's hardly fair that I spared those Demons for you and you take my sword in the midst of a battle" he told her, his face maddeningly calm. Nate reached out to take it back from her and she brought it over her head, prepared to swing "Fine, if it's going to be that way" he shrugged, turning away from her, and she dropped the sword and ran towards him, swinging the lighter feather staff with all her strength.
He gave a sharp cry of pain as it sliced between his wings, leaving a trail of scarlet in its wake "Better?" he asked, turning as a shimmering light encased him; he was healing himself. Valshe panted lightly; giving a tremble as he rested a hand on her tiny shoulder "That was a pretty good swing" he gave her a smile and stepped around her, picking up his sword that lay just a few feet behind them, Valshe turned as he did so, watching him like a hawk.
A/N: I just noticed as I was re-editing this chapter that the whole beginning of this story is kinda rocky, huh? I hope you will all forgive the difficulties I have with starting stories -bows- and will continue reading anyways! Until next time, please review and try not to play Ninja too intensely...I learned that one the hard way -.-'