AN: I realize I need a description for a Demi. It'll be forthcoming, so bear with me.


Rachel was sitting on a rooftop of a building, enjoying the morning sun.

Two days had passed since the city she now called home had demanded a search for the children that had gone missing. Not that they'd ever have any luck in doing so. She knew where they had been taken, and they would never come back alive. She could only weep along with the rest of the city.

"Five of them. Loners it looks like."

"Surface breed," agreed Rachel into her ear piece. "They've been away too long."

The sound of screeching reached her ears and she flinched, but only briefly. Although she was quite happy to make a dent in the demon numbers; any creature's death was not something to relish.

"Feel better now?" she said, smirking.

"You know I do," humored Kurt. "Where to now?"

"Management wants us to look for hell mouths outside of the city," said Rachel. "See if there's been any new activity."

Kurt sighed. "Just perfect. And here I thought I'd actually get some studying done."

"You can go back to your books soon," chided Rachel. "Although don't think I didn't notice you watching Netflix when I was even though you were in the kitchen studying."

"I don't know what you're talking about," sniffed Kurt. Rachel laughed.

"Uh-huh," she said. "Anything?"

"Other than people?"

"This is New York."

"I think I want Chinese for lunch," said Kurt. Rachel ran cold. That was their code for the appearance of a Demi. Higher ranking demons were not that hard to spot if you knew what you were looking for. She hadn't expected one to be so brazen and be out in the city during the day. But most New Yorkers were blind, thinking it was someone in costume. It was always someone in costume when it came to anything that wasn't human.

"Don't engage him Kurt," she warned him. "This doesn't bode well."

"Considering he's built more than the Hulk, I think I'll pass."

She let out a small sigh of relief. Kurt was bull-headed sometimes, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had tried to engage him without. And if he lost his concentration and his own disguise…

"I'm coming down," she said firmly. "We need to follow him."

"Good luck with that," said Kurt. "The streets are packed."

She wasn't surprised. But one good thing about New York was the mostly empty alleyways. She landed quickly behind a set of dumpsters.

"Which way is he headed?" she whispered into her ear piece.

"Northwest."

Rachel frowned, wondering what exactly this Demi would be up to. She quickly met up with Kurt, grateful that she could force her wings away. While they were still there, it helped for her to make appearances in the sight of humans. If she needed them, they could burst back into the light.

"He's going to notice you."

"I don't care," responded Rachel to Kurt's comment. "It's not like he doesn't know he wouldn't be followed. They're not that stupid."

"Think it could be a trap?" frowned Kurt as they briskly walked, trying to keep pace with everyone around them. The Demi kept walking, minding his own business. He hadn't made a move to do anything against the pair, which made Rachel wonder if Kurt's suggestion wasn't ringing true.

"I don't– I don't know."

Kurt frowned, brushing his bangs out of way as they tried to keep the Demi just in sight.

"Could he be the reason why the children were taken? If so, they could be–"

"While we both would like that thought," said Rachel, shaking her head as she interrupted him. "They're already gone." While she would be thrilled, Demi's didn't handle the dirty work of food and mindless torture. They were out for the specialty kills. This Demi had a target and she had to know why. It had been a Demi that she had saved Kurt from the first time they had met. It seemed so long ago now.

They ended up losing the demon somewhere around 15th street in Chelsea. Whether he had gone into a building or was just trying to lose them, they really had no idea. An eye blink and he was just gone. The pair had already reported the sighting to Management, but there was nothing they could do without an eye on the Demi.

"They'll send someone out looking who can move fast between buildings. We gave them a good description," said Rachel with a shrug, rubbing Kurt's shoulder. He gave a slightly audible grunt.

"Alright caveman," the brunette said, rolling her eyes. He arched an eyebrow at the comment, but said nothing. Kurt put an arm around her shoulders, and they both started walking away.


16 more. Rachel reeled at the thought. There were sixteen more children taken from a children's home overnight. She and Kurt were both exhausted. Kurt was lying face down on a bench of an abandoned church they used as a safe house, not even bothering with his appearance. His tail flicked back and forth lazily against the cushioned seats, his bumpy green skin shimmering gold in the early morning light. She reached out and patted his bare back gently, hoping that some healing and good thoughts would flow to him. She looked up at the old stained glass windows, wondering if maybe she should have chosen a better place to rest and coordinate. It felt almost daunting, like the place was mocking them or what they were. A church was centered on peace, not fighting and killing.

At least, it should be.

"We should have–" he began, but Rachel sighed.

"Kurt, we're not the only ones available in this city. We were already fighting off other packs."

"So is HE letting them be taken?" he said tensely. Rachel could only wince at the thought.

"I don't– I don't know," she said, being honest. "The Divine's plans are his and his alone."

Kurt sighed.

"And I'm sure he's got something in mind for me too."

"He only does what he knows is best," said Rachel. "That much I can tell you."

"Crime, hate, discrimination…" he muttered.

"I don't think they–" began Rachel, but she stopped. She couldn't justify evil. She couldn't even justify their own existence, really. She sighed and felt her wings drop a little when her shoulders did.

"You know I can't explain it anymore than you could," she said with a small huff. "It's not our choices. We do what we can."

"Yes, my very bruised back can attest to the doing what we can part," he said, straying somewhere between sarcasm and cynicism. He got up slowly, wincing as he did. Kurt was a fast healer, but there had been so much activity. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I know I shouldn't question, but it's on days like this I have to wonder what is really going on above and below."

Rachel nodded numbly, not knowing how to answer that. She crossed her arms across her body, picking at a loose feather on her sapphire blue sweater, which now had blood stains and grit from their fighting during the night.

"If I could explain it to you, I would," she said. "Sometimes it's just too much to comprehend. Everyone's locked into a battle. Heaven and Hell, good and evil. It seems so black and white at first. But it's not. Nothing is ever that simple."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm prime example of it," he said, reaching for the remains of the t-shirt he had been wearing. He carefully put it back on before putting on the button up over it that had seen even worse wear than the t-shirt.

"We're going to have to make another run to the thrift store to get you some more clothes for work," she sighed. "You keep running headfirst into battle."