Disclaimer: South Park and all of its respective characters are the property of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. I own only this story's plot and any original characters that may pop up from time to time. Also, I am making no profit from this story.

Warnings: This story will contain slash (boys love, yaoi, etc.) as well as violence, swearing, and, well, most of the things you would probably hear in a regular episode of South Park. The boys are intended to be between the ages of 16-18 here.

Chapter 02

Squinting at the bright light that now filled the area, Cartman hissed and realizing that, somehow, it was coming from Kyle, leaned closer, letting go of the boy's hand. It seemed to spill out from Kyle's chest and for some reason, it felt warm, almost soothing. Trying to shake those thoughts away, the brunette frowned and quickly looking back at Trent, barely able to make out the boy due to the intense light, he was relieved to see that it had at least managed to stop the crazed man. Not surprising, something that bright coming out of nowhere was enough to make anyone stop.

Turning his eyes back toward Kyle, Cartman frowned and shifting to lean closer to the boy, went to speak before he noticed the look in the Jewish boy's eyes. They were glazed, almost misty, and Cartman was fairly sure that whatever he said, probably wouldn't reach the other. He felt something tighten then and realizing the boy was still holding his arm, looked down, watching as the hand seemed to tug at him. Getting an idea, Cartman swallowed and once again covering Kyle's hand with his own, he tilted closer, quite sure he had seen something flicker in the others green eyes. "Kyle? Jew, if you can hear me, you'd better fucking respond, right now!"

"I don't want to die."

It was his only response, and most certainly not the one he had been expecting. Swearing softly, Cartman frowned and watching as those eyes seemed to finally focus on him, the light around them growing brighter every second, he gripped Kyle's hand tighter, knowing the contact was one of the only things anchoring the boy from whatever trance he was trying to fall into. "I know you don't want to die," he finally replied, trying with all his might to keep his voice as calm as possible. Which didn't really work, but at least he tried.

He felt the hand he was holding pull at him gently and not wanting to risk breaking the contact, allowed Kyle to move their hands, making a slight sound as his palm was placed directly above the light. Warmth radiated from the spot and he felt as if something inside of him was trying to break loose, reacting to the light. Unable to force himself to look away, Cartman sucked in a breath and feeling almost as if the light were trying to work its way inside of him, he snarled, pushing against the other boy's chest. "Jew, I don't know what you--"

"Fight."

The word was said quietly, with no hint of force and yet there was a commanding tone just underneath that seemed to snap something inside of Cartman. Despite everything he was, he felt as if he needed to heed that command but how? He had nothing to fight with and he highly doubted that if he stood to face Trent now, physical strength would be enough against whatever powers the other had gained. He couldn't fight and yet he wanted to, for whatever reason, he needed to fight. He felt Kyle's hand leave his then, and slowly, he pulled his own back, aware that as he did so, some of the light seemed to follow after.

The energy enclosed his hand, and Cartman had an odd sense that this belonged to him. Was a part of him. It felt too much like him, seemed too familiar, for it to not be and yet, there was a hint of Kyle there, just a hint of that warmth he felt from the light that surrounded them. It was different, though, in that it felt more destructive, rather than soothing. This was his own energy, mixed with the power that was coming from Kyle yes, but it belonged to him and he had a hunch that it was from that same part that had reacted to Kyle's earlier command.

Goddamn Jew, now what had he done?

Before he could even begin to try and figure out what was going on, Cartman saw the light around them beginning to dim, watched as it slowly began to ebb away and sink back into Kyle. He saw Trent in front of him, looking shaken and realizing then the other boy was trying to readjust to his surroundings, frowned, glancing toward the orb of energy that still rested in his hand. Something seemed to click in his mind then and, nodding, Cartman fixed his sights on Trent, slowly pushing himself into a standing position.

"I don't know what's going on," he said, raising his voice so he would draw the blonde's attention toward him and, watching as Trent's gaze settled on him, stepped away from Kyle's body. "I don't know why you're here, or what you're after, and frankly I don't fucking care. I just know I'm not dying here, not today and most certainly not by you. If I die, it's going to be in a much cooler way than this and certainly not over some lame daywalker."

It seemed to take Trent a moment before he realized just what was happening and, taking a step back, he snarled, glaring at the boy who now stood before him. He wasn't sure how Kyle had called that power forth, nor was he sure of just where the energy in Cartman's hands had come from, all he knew for certain was it felt powerful. He'd never had to gauge power before, had never needed to look at someone and try to feel just how deep their energy went, and yet he could tell, just by looking at the other boy, that he was strong.

Well, strong or not, Trent knew he had no intentions of dying here either. Calling forth yet another orb of lightning, he pumped everything he had into the ball, knowing that with the more power he fed it, the less chance Cartman had of dodging it. Then, unable to hold it any longer, he threw the blast forward, smirking as the attack hurdled toward the boy at breakneck speed.

The expression dimmed, however, when he noticed Cartman made no reaction to the oncoming attack. Instead, the boy merely lifted his own hand and, waiting only a moment longer, sent his own burst of power forward. The elements met in an explosion of power, the collision sending tremors through the earth and Trent felt his eyes widen as he watched it spiral off, barreling toward the far side of the force field, slamming into the dark wall.

The force was enough to break past the wall and send a thousand tiny cracks running through it, each picking up speed, threatening to break under the pressure. Trent let out a small curse and taking a step back, followed the fractures with his eyes, not surprised when he saw the wall beginning to break, small, jagged pieces falling all around them. Looking back toward Cartman, he snarled and taking a brief moment to weigh his options, knew there was no plausible way he could win today. He had walked into this unaware of the power both boys possessed and that, he knew, was Damien's fault. A fault he would most likely shoulder the blame for, but right now, that was the least of his problems. His first priority, Trent decided, was getting out of here before the crystal's last bit of power shattered.

Giving Kyle one last glance, Trent leapt back and hearing a loud snap, signaling the beginning of the wall's failure, he vanished.

Deciding that however Trent had managed to disappear like that wasn't important right now, Cartman cursed and barely aware of the power in his hand, turned, heading back for Kyle as he grabbed the boy, hauling him up. "Come on Jew, snap out it," he hissed, shaking the boy, all the while trying to avoid the falling debris. The movement seemed to be enough to wake the other boy up, because the next thing Cartman knew his arm was being squeezed and the Jewish boy looked terrified.

"What happened?" Kyle cried, eyes scanning the area frantically before another large piece of the force field fell and he jumped, shoving against Cartman, not seeming to care just how close he was to his self-proclaimed arch-enemy. "It's falling apart! We need to get out of here!" It was only at that moment that he noticed the light held in Cartman's hand and staring at it, frowned. "Why do you still have that?"

"I don't know and right now I don't care!" Cartman snapped, not thinking that was really what they needed to focus on as he turned, jerking Kyle along with him, trying to find a way out of wherever they were. He knew, logically, that getting angry would do nothing, but he felt trapped and it was only serving to fuel his temper. Looking back down at Kyle, he glared. "Can't you do that light thing again or something?!"

"No! I don't even know how I did the first time fatass, how can I just do it again?" Ignoring the way Cartman's grip tightened at his words, he went to speak when a large popping sound rang through the air and feeling his words turn to glass in his throat, Kyle looked upward, eyes widening. The ceiling, if that's what it could be called, had finally given under the pressure and he barely had time to register the fact that yes, it was falling, when he felt himself being thrown to the ground and crushed against Cartman, his eyes squeezing shut as he grabbed the bigger boy in response, both waiting for the impact.

An impact which never came.

Thinking it had turned eerily quiet a little too quickly, Kyle took a deep breath and slowly, allowed his eyes to open, a small gasp following as he took in their surroundings. Everything was back to normal and from what he could see, there didn't seem to be any evidence of the other, dark area they had been in only seconds go. But how could that be? It had been falling apart, there was no way it could have just…vanished. Hearing a small groan then, he blinked and realizing he was still clinging to Cartman, a light sound escaped his throat, which seemed to draw the other boys attention toward him.

They stared at one another for a moment before both let go, scooting back to put a good bit of distance between them and shaking his head, Kyle swallowed, staring at Cartman. The other looked just as confused as the young red-head felt and, seeming to remember they were both sitting on the sidewalk, he stood slowly, wincing at how his body screamed in protest. He had a feeling by tomorrow morning, he wouldn't want to move. Just a few steps away, he heard Cartman curse and guessing he wasn't alone in feeling sore, took a deep breath.

No one seemed to have noticed any of the previous events, as Kyle watched them simply continue on about their day and the only proof he had that they were even really there, that they were still alive, came from the people who had to swerve around them. Mind racing, the Jewish boy groaned and pushing a hand through his hair, went to turn before something caught his eye, causing him to pause as he blinked.

He could see the bag of food supplies he'd bought sitting just a foot away, and by some odd stroke of luck, it looked unharmed. Moving for it, he picked the parcel up and turning back to look at Cartman, bit his lip, wondering just what to say. Shifting, aware that the others gaze was now focused exclusively on him, the red-head made a slight sound and opening his mouth to speak, felt something touch his shoulder, the words turning to ash as a light scream burst from his throat.

Cartman was on him in a heartbeat, yanking him back and Kyle stumbled, trying to regain his balance as he turned, blinking when he saw Ike, his younger brother, standing there, a look of confusion written on his features. Sighing, he shook his head and realizing Cartman was still holding his arm, made a small sound, trying to pull it free. The movement was enough to cause the bigger boy to snarl and let go, shaking his hand as if it were dirty.

Then again, it probably was dirty in Cartman's mind.

"Whoa, calm down, it's only me." Ike laughed, and holding up his hands in a show of mock-surrender, smiled, studying his older brother, the grin seeming to fade slightly. Both boys looked as if they'd been in a fight and he was sure that even if he had startled his brother, it hadn't been bad enough to explain just why he looked like he was about to pass out. "Are you two all right? I saw you both on the ground clinging to each other, did something bad happen?"

It had been quite a sight, and even for Ike, who had seen a good bit in his eleven years of life, it had been a shock. His brother and Cartman hated one another, everyone in town pretty much knew it and he was sure their rivalry had been a driving force behind most of the misfortunes that had befallen South Park. So one can only imagine Ike's surprise when, as he rounded the corner on his way from school, he saw his brother and his brother's arch-enemy sitting on the sidewalk, clutching one another as if the world were ending.

Feeling his face heat at the memory, Kyle swallowed and nodding, forced a smile, laughing oddly. "Yeah, everything's fine! It's nothing, hey why don't we go home now?" Grabbing his little brother's arm, Kyle pulled him forward and turning them around, went to move past Cartman before pausing, glancing toward the brunette. "We'll have to work on the project tomorrow, ok?" Then, not giving the other time to reply, he started off, ignoring his brother's questions of why they were leaving so quickly.

He could feel Cartman's eyes on him and, though he felt bad about just running away, Kyle knew he needed time to process everything that had happened. Because honestly, he didn't have the faintest idea just what the hell had happened and he highly doubted that trying to figure things out with Cartman would be the best thing right now, not when both of them were shaky and just a little scared. Or angry, in Cartman's case.

So, he would go home and he would do his homework, he would eat the meal his mother had planned for tonight, and he would let everything sink in on its own. He just hoped that, at some point tonight, he would be able to get some sleep.

Trent fought the urge to wince as he felt Damien glide past him, those dark eyes scrutinizing every inch of him and making sure to keep his eyes focused solely on the ground, he swallowed, choosing his words carefully. "I wasn't aware that either of them knew how to use their powers." Which, if he thought about it, wasn't entirely his fault; Damien should have told him they both possessed powers. Not that he would tell the demon-boy that, not after the look he'd been given upon his return.

"Neither was I."

Looking up quickly, Trent blinked and turning to face Damien, frowned. "So, you sent me out there blind? I could have been killed!" It had been one thing to think Damien had merely decided not to tell him, as that would have matched the demon's personality quite well; after all, he would probably find it funny to sit back and watch Trent walk into a fight unprepared. Yet, for Damien to have sent him out there without knowing all the facts himself? That didn't sit well with Trent, not at all.

"I gave you magic, abilities you could use to help you in battle and I gave you something by which you could trap your prey. So no, Trent, I did not send you out there blind." Turning, Damien headed for his throne and taking a seat, sighed, studying his nails. "Plus, don't tell me you've forgotten Trent? So long as you work for me, you cannot die. You can get very close, but so long as our contract exists, death will not be an issue for you."

Somehow, Trent didn't find that very reassuring.

"Come now, don't look like that," Damien continued, having noticed the unpleasant look the other wore as he smirked. "Tell you what, to make up for last time, why don't I give you something to help you? I'm sure with a little extra boost, you'll have no problem taking care of those boys."

"In case you didn't notice, the help you gave me last time didn't exactly work out that well." Trent wasn't sure he wanted anymore of Damien's help, not if near-death experiences were the results. That and, despite not having known the demon for long, Trent knew that smirk never meant anything good for anyone other than Damien.

Waving the words away, Damien chuckled and lifting his hand, snapped, a card appearing before him as he snatched it from the air, holding it between his fingers. Still smirking, he held it up for Trent to see. "This, my dear boy, will be of use to you. Contained within this card is a spirit, a minor demon, who will do your bidding." Letting the card go, he sent it toward the blonde and waiting until the boy had it in his hands, leaned back. "All you need to do is simply focus on bringing the spirit out and it will do as you command."

Bringing the card closer, Trent frowned, thinking it looked almost like a card from any normal deck. Its back was a dark red, with an overlaying pattern of lighter red diamond-like shapes. Turning it over, he blinked and wondering why the other side was blank, decided not to question it, merely placing the item in his pocket. "Not too sure I want to trust this, I mean, that crystal of yours was supposed to be rather powerful and it came down with just one hit."

"That was because I had not designed it for such a magnitude of power. After all, it was both your own attack as well as Cartman's that hit it; obviously, I hadn't intended for something like that to be an issue." Tilting his head to the side, Damien blinked and studying Trent for a long moment, chuckled, his gaze sliding off to the side before he spoke once more. "If, however, you wish to give up I'm sure I can arrange--"

"No, I don't want to give up." The reply was swift and though he hated the almost desperate tone, Trent swallowed, knowing just what 'giving up' would mean. No doubt if he didn't find himself back in juvenile hall, he would find himself someplace much worse and shaking his head, the boy frowned, looking toward the son of Satan. "I'll give it another shot."

Slamming the front door behind him, Cartman stormed into his house and pausing briefly to throw his coat onto one of the free racks hanging near the entrance way, headed for the stairs, not even caring that no one seemed to be home. He was used to coming home to an empty house, to find that his mother had, once again, gone out for one of her many 'late-night visits' and left him to fend for himself. It stopped bothering him a long time ago, because he'd found there was no use in letting it upset him. He couldn't stop her and, at this point, he couldn't really be bothered to give a fuck where the whore went anymore.

Ascending the stairs two steps at a time, the brunette made for his room and slamming that door behind him, more for the sound than anything else, he leaned against it, trying to control his breathing, glaring darkly at the ceiling. He couldn't remember feeling this angry in a long time, not since that day last month when Kenny had thought it would be funny to see just how Cartman would react to a surprise kiss, after having joked that he could turn any boy gay. To say Kenny hadn't enjoyed the reaction would be an understatement and to this day, the blonde was still a bit cautious to keep his play-flirting to a bare minimum around Cartman, not wishing to end up back in the nurses office with a broken nose and black eye.

He had been furious that day, could remember seeing nothing but red, and yet the anger he felt now was different. It was stronger, but it didn't feel natural. By all accounts, he shouldn't feel this angry over the fact that damned Jew had pretty much ran away without so much as a 'thanks for saving my ass, Cartman' or at the very least, an apology for having dragged him into the whole situation in the first place. No, all he got was the brush off. So while Cartman figured he had the right to be pissed-off, he also knew that, having experienced such things in the past when dealing with the Jew, it shouldn't have sparked such a burning rage.

Yet, that fury swelled inside of him and the fact that he couldn't logically think of a reason to explain it away only made it worse. So here he was, alone, furious and completely at a loss for what to do about it. He supposed he could have stomped over to the Jew's house and yelled at him, as he was prone to doing on many occasions, but Cartman didn't feel much like dealing with either the kike or his bitch mother. No, he had fought one battle today and his body was still reeling from that fight, so there was no need to go looking for another battlefield.

Pushing away from the door, Cartman sighed and lifting his right hand, stared at the palm, frowning deeply as he studied the spot. There was no mark, not even the slightest indication that barely half-an-hour ago, he'd held pure energy in his hand. However, though no physical proof could be seen, the feeling was still present. He still felt it tingle with power, could still feel the warmth that had come from that power. Squeezing his hand shut, he growled and opening it slowly, concentrated, trying to see if he could call forth that energy once more.

A moment passed and nothing happened, then, when he almost let his hand fall, Cartman saw it, a flicker of light. It was nowhere near as powerful as the one he'd made earlier, and for some reason, it didn't feel right; it seemed erratic and out of place, though he didn't understand why. At the moment, though, he also didn't think it mattered. The fact remained that, even while being considerably weaker, he could still use the power he'd unlocked. Or, rather, the power Kyle had forced awake.

Fight.

Fucking Jew, all of this had been his fault. If that bitch-mother of his hadn't sent him to do something she could have done herself, they could have taken the short route to Kyle's house and gotten started on that stupid project, then Cartman could have come home, fixed himself something to eat and gone to bed without a care in the world. But no, they'd had to go and pick up some lame ingredients for what he guessed would be a 'kosher-meal' and because of that, Cartman had found himself dragged into whatever business Trent had with Kyle and given this power all because that damn daywalker hadn't wanted to die.

I don't want to die.

Shaking his head, Cartman snarled and turning, strode over to his door, throwing it open as he headed for the bathroom. He would take a shower, find some food, and not give any of this another thought for the rest of the night. Not Trent, the strange power, and especially not why he'd even bothered to try saving that goddamned Jew-rat. No, tonight, he would rest and deal with calming himself down. Then, tomorrow, he wound find the Jew and straighten all of this out.