The jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were as thick as the clouds of a coming storm. A creature bathed in fire flew low over the tree line. He would dip lower, into the trees occasionally as if looking for something. Behind him he left a trail of ash and smoke.

The face of Raido was contorted into a sinister smile under the control of Y. Y’s eyes were constantly moving across the jungle and his nostrils flared like a dog following a scent. Then his eyes caught sight of smoke over the ridge of a mountain on his right and he steered directly at it.

As he cleared the mountain he could see the smokes origin. A small tribal village was ablaze. The huts of wood and leaves were spouting geysers of fire from there roof’s and all around could be seen the charred remains of those who lived there.

The smell of their smoldering flesh made Y drool as he gently landed in the center of the village. The intense heat of Y’s fire melted the dirt beneath his feet and turned it to glass. He allowed his hell flames to extinguish and walked about the carnage. “What a delicious slaughter,” Y said in his booming, demonic voice.

“It would be a shame to allow all this tasty meat to go uneaten.” Y looked around at the villagers and licked his teeth. His burning red eyes danced among the smoking corpses of men, women, and children. Most had there skin completely melted from the bone.

Y walked with a slight limp to the smoking corpse of what was once a child. The extent of the burns made it impossible for Y to make out the gender, but he didn’t care anyway. To him all humans looked the same. He knelt down next to it and grabbed the torso. He brought the stomach up to his mouth and slowly opened his jaws.

Y then felt a stabbing pain in his temples. He threw the child’s body to the dirt and grabbed his head. His blazing red hair began to pulse a light brown. He screamed in pain and anger into the afternoon sky. He slammed his face into the ground and then whipped his head back and looked up into the sun. “AAAHHHH!! Damn Boy!!” he yelled. The red eyes of Y were slowly replaced by the brown eyes of X. The hair stopped pulsing and remained a steady brown. The yells and howls of Y slowly transformed to the screams of X.

X emerged from the Raido mind and sat on his knees clutching his temples. He breathed very heavily and sweat dripped from his forehead and turned the dirt to mud beneath him. He stayed on his knees, catching his breath and waiting for the pain of the transformation to subside for several minutes. He then reached into his jacket and pulled his sunglasses out of the inside pocket. He stood up and put his glasses on and looked about for the first time.

“What have I done?” X said and fell back on his knees. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he quickly brushed it away. He could not afford emotions, especially right after a change. What if Z attempted control now when I am already weakened and my mind is clouded? X rose to his feet again and took in what he saw. He bent his head in shame. “I failed again. And others have paid the price for my weakness.” X quickly pulled one of his guns from behind his back and held it in front of him. “Never again,” he said and put the gun to his temple.

However, something caught his attention and made him lower his gun. “There are still bodies,” X said aloud. “Y’s fire is all consuming; he would have left nothing but smoke and ash. This is someone else’s handy work.” X could feel rage filling his heart and blinding his sight. “Whoever has done this will pay,” X said as he checked his gun clip and snapped it back into place.

His search for those responsible would have to wait however. Another demon was coming. And she was looking for blood.

Duo was more then a little nervous in truth. She had never gone solo before, never taken it upon herself to investigate anything by herself...but here she was, in the midst of the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, touching the floor of the undergrowth, reading the auras imprinting into the beings of the jungle.

It was there, laced into the shrubbery...Death...

Flashes of fire raged through her mind and she recoiled her hand sharply...several areas of the jungle that were populated had been susceptible to strange burnings... almost spontaneous combustion of various areas leaving trails of corpses behind.

The smell of smoke made itself evident in the air and she sniffed, finding its source. She released her wings and hoisted herself into the air; reaching out to the sky she flew high and located the source of the billowing smoke.

She flew full force towards it's source, not sure how she could assist but if people needed help then she would do all she could, and as she drew closer she could sense him...the aura was scrambled with more then one presence but it had an unmistakeable feel to it.

And her thoughts were confirmed as she reached the scorched alcove left in the fires wake. Her eyes flickering over the shrivelled corpses, burnt to charcoal...

"Raido!" She hissed!

X could sense that someone was coming. He looked in the air and the sun reflected off his sunglasses. He could see something with huge wings flapping toward him. As it drew closer he began to make out the body of a young girl attached to the angelic wings. “I know this person,” X said in a whisper. A flash of when he saw her face in the Titans Tower rolled across his vision like a movie. He remembered how nervous and unsure of himself he had been in the presence of those beautiful girls. His mind would not be lead astray again; he’d make sure of it.

Another hero was the last thing that X was hoping to see right now. The last time he was in the presence of someone he noticed from Titans Tower he ended up with a scar on his neck and a wound in his right leg that left him with a small permanent limp (see Fade Away). X felt that something was wrong. He could feel an anger and hatred emanating from the girl. X reached around his back and pulled out his other gun. He held them both down at his side and looked down at the ground. The sun glinted off the cold steel of his desert eagles and warmed his brown hair. His right eye twitched and he closed both his eyelids to center himself.

And he waited.

She watched intently as Raido reached for a second gun, lowering them to his sides with his head low, he appeared to be simply waiting. She knew that he had spotted her...<and he has the cheek to just stand there! >

Her eyes strayed to a group of corpses, small in stature ...even though the flesh was smouldered, a bubbled mass, making the flesh a mutated clump...it was obvious that the bodies were petite...belonging to children...

Throughout her entire existence she had never slayed a child...many men had fallen at her hand, corrupted souls who fed on the pain of others...not that their blackened essence justified her killing them...but this...

The bodies were scattered everywhere...a significant number even though the village itself was small.

<In a single act he must have decimated roughly a 1/4 of the amount I have taken...>

"You monster!" she cried, her fury took form in the shape of a flurry of rouge spears were conjured about her, whipping the air around her with a turbulent velocity as she screamed aloud with hate and anger, all of it directed at the silent foe amidst a cascade of corpses, awaiting her...

She was glad that she had come alone...that no-one else was here to see this place laid to waist...it was a horrific sight, but she had seen many during her time. "Send a monster to fight a monster..." she whispered to herself as she let loose the streams of spears, aiming them all at Raido...

“You Monster!”

X cocked his head skyward at Shinigami’s words. A barrage of spears showered down at X. He leaped backward but never landed! He hovered in midair and danced between the spears as they plummeted toward him! “I have to stay airborne otherwise my limp will limit my mobility,” X thought to himself.

X flew straight back as fast as he could as the spears tracked him and struck the ground in front of him with enough force to create a cloud of dust that blocked the sun over the village! The fire continued to rage in the village huts and they were all that could be seen through the thick dust cloud. Then out of the top of the cloud rose X with his guns held limply at his side.

“You are the one called Shinigami, are you not?” X yelled over the roar of the fires below. “I know the conclusions that you have drawn about this situation for I originally drew them myself. But I am afraid that you are mistaken. I am not responsible for…” X was cut off in mid-sentence as another barrage of spears flew his way! He dodged quickly to his side and the spear put a hole through his already ripped jacket! Another one nicked his bicep and blood rolled down his arm!

X then raised his gun for the first time and pointed at Shinigami. He squeezed the trigger and a bullet flew at Shinigami off to the left of her face! “The first shot was a warning! If you refuse to believe what I am saying, then I will be forced to put you down! I will not die here today, not by you.” X brought his other gun up as well and pointed both barrels at Shinigami’s eyes. The next move was hers.

<Damn you! > Duo thought angrily as both guns were raised at her. She extended her right hand and with a flick of her wrist her thermal scythe was called upon, appearing, ever faithful, at her call. The green fire blade flared brightly as she twirled it expertly between her fingers as the red energy spear continued to consume the air about her. “I trust few people as it is…why should I endow you with such a gift!?” She screamed as she sent another wave of spears at Raido to distract him as, with a battle cry, she flew full force at Raido, bringing her scythe down in an arch towards his skull.

X rolled in midair to his left as the spears flew toward him. They were to far over for a real attack. "A fient," he thought and out of the corner of his eye saw the scythe of Shinigami! It glew a sinister red and moved with incredible speed! X raised his two guns up and put them in an X above his head! The blade of the scythe struck the barrels of the guns and froze in place! The celtic runes on the side of X's guns pulsed with a blue light. X could feel the heat from the blade in front of him! X's mind raced, "the heaviest thing I've ever lifted was a military issue Hummer. Let's see if she can exert that much force." X's arms tensed as he pushed against Shinigami's blade!

Duo’s blade was stopped in its tracks by Raido’s guns, Duo refrained from gasping in surprise as her lip curled in a sinister snarl, rupturing her pretty features.

Suddenly Raido exerted a force against her and she was sent careering backwards, she spiralled through the air and twisted sharply to try and maintain a sense of balance. She twirled her scythe in her right hand as she felt the rouge energy pulsating through the tips of her finger in her left hand, extending outwards to form cruel, curved knives. <He’s good, he had range with the guns but I’m probably at more of an advantage at close range…if he doesn’t shoot me before I reach him!> her mind raced as she once again flew full force at him, holding her scythe at it’s very tip to give her as much range as possible, she swept her scythe in a sideways motion at his neck whist she brought her clawed hand upwards aiming to slash his chest.

X was caught off guard by the ferocity of her second attack. He had not time to dodge both attacks, he only had time to block! X brought the handle of the gun in his left hand up above his head as he pulled his stomach muscles taught to bring them as far back as possible! Shinigami's claws dug into his stomach and raked through his skin! She was stronger than she looked to be able to break Raido's skin. The blade of Shinigami's scythe came down hard on the handle of X's gun! A pain like he hadn't felt in years electrified his brain and pushed him toward the ground! He watched as he saw his pinky finger fall bleeding toward the hot jungle floor! He dropped slightly lower and pushed Shinigami's blade off his gun and to the side she slashed too, using her side momentum to push her! He then ducked and grabbed her by her ankles, letting his guns dangle off his trigger fingers! He pulled with all his strength and threw into the jungle!

Duo couldn't help but yell out loud as Raido snared her ankles and launched into the jungle.

She landed heavily into the dense shrubbery; she pulled her wings in close to her to prevent them from sustaining any damage...that didn't protect the rest of her.

She skidded and final ground to a halt. Pain lanced up and down her left arm and she noticed several layers of skin had been ripped off; also her leg was bent painfully underneath her. <DAMMIT!> She cursed, wincing as she made to stand up, finding she had to support herself more on her right leg. <It's always the same damn leg! > She though, recalling the injury she had sustained in Apokolips.

She flapped her wings and emerged from where she had been discarded, finding it easier to stay airborne then trust her injured leg. She flew high into the air, gaining altitude she conjured long, sharp spears, 8 ft high and brought them downwards, surrounding Raido as she conjured more to lie over the top, forming a crude cage...<I hope that holds him...> she thought, although from the strength he had already displayed she held out little hope...

X watched as Shinigami slammed through the underbrush of the jungle and then turned all his attention on his left hand. Where his pinky finger once was, there was now only a leaking hole! He grabbed at his hand in agony and jammed it into the underside of his jacket to slow the bleeding. He grabbed at the outside pocket of his jacket with right hand and ripped it off. He rapped his hand up in the piece of filthy cloth and grimaced again. He pain blinded him to Shinigami's emergence from the forest and her caging of him! The spears spread all around him and surrounded him. His face was filled with anger now and he quickly put the gun in his left hand back behind his back and brought the gun in his right in front of his face! He shot four bullets in between the spears that made his cage at Shinigami, aiming at the bones under her wings!

Duo's eyes flashed maliciously in anger as she saw Raido raise his guns at her once more, she watched intently as he fired off the bullet, she swirled her scythe with incredible speed in front of her, the energy scythe a constant blur forming a circle to the naked eye.

She successfully parried two of the four bullets, but she was no match for their speed and a scream was torn from her throat as she felt the bullets tear into her right wing, she had managed to turn sharply so only one of them ruptured the bone, fragmenting it in shards as her white wing turned a wretched rouge.

"ARRRRRRRRRHHHH!!!" She cried and she flapped her uninjured wing furiously to try and stay airborne, but to no avail. She plummeted towards the floor, her velocity increasing under gravity's pull. She landed with a very audible thud, the ground burping up little dust clouds under the impact. Her vision swam temporarily with a multitude of colours, her focus waning and the energy spears containing Raido dispersed due to her lack of concentration...

X saw the energy bars encasing him shimmer and fall away. He holstered his last gun behind his back and flew as fast as he could straight at Shinigami laying on the ground! He landed hard on the ground in front of her and swayed a little on his bad leg. He reached down with his good hand and quickly grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up and off the ground so her feet dangles! He cocked his left hand back then paused. "Not by my hands," he mumbled to himself and the anger seemed to melt from his face.

Duo let out a strangeled cry as Raido grasped her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. She tried to keep the pain from her wing from displaying itself on her face, bu to little avail.

"Not by my hands," Raido said and she watched the anger seep fro his face but his grip didn't slacken. The proximity of him to her know enabled her to try and read him, she fel the confusion of his conflicting personas...but as far as she could detect...he believe himself to be innocent.

"If not you..." Duo choaked out, her vision starting to blur at the fringes from the strain on her neck... "you have...a funny way...of trying to show...your innocent!"

X looked her in the eyes and then slowly lowered her to the ground. Putting her down was part his choice and part not. He was losing lots of blood from the wounds in his stomach and his missing finger. He vision was blurry and his mind started to black out when suddenly a vision of a man ran through his mind. He was prone to premonitions when danger was imminent. He looked around Shinigami's arm and past her hurt wing and saw a man emerge quickly from the shadows of the forest! "Down!" X shouted and threw Shinigami to the side! The first bullet smashed into X's shoulder and spun him around. The man then rapidly emptied the clip into X's back! He fell forward and lay motionless.

Duo took in a gasp of air as Raido lowered her to the ground and released her, she rubbed at her neck gingerly, glaring at him with unease, still not trusting him.

"Down!" He suddenly yelled, knocking her to the side. She hit the ground awkwardly, her hurt wing bending painfully and she had to grit her teeth to prevent from screaming, even though the sound would be lost amidst the sound of gunfire. She turned sharply on the floor to see Raido taking the first bullet, upon which he stumbled to the floor.

<DAMMIT! > Her mind raced as the new comer emptied an entire clip into Raido's back. She dragged herself to her feet, flight was no longer an option with her wings in their current state and her leg was throbbing also. <Great, practically immobile! > She cursed. Her thermal scythe flared maliciously as she yelled, "Get the hell away from him!" Duo's voice was spite educed and vindictive. "I'm not finished with him yet!" She said, her eyes flaring violet as she called upon the spears once more, the circled about her, whipping her waist length plait from side to side.

She screamed aloud as she fired the energy spears, her concentration was slightly fuzzy, but she managed to maintain the spears formation and their speed as she aimed them at the new comer!

The bat demon stood over the body of X once again. Its long snout seemed to crook upward into an evil smile. Z and Y held the arms of X as the demon marked his neck and left him bleeding on the floor. His dreams were always this way, another level of torture that the demon had given him. He was nothing but a plaything, a toy to be used and cast aside.

Outside his mind, the Raido body laid face first on the ground of the village. A slow pool of blood began to grow and grow underneath him, as the wounds in his stomach continued to poor their precious fluid. His left hand bled worse than his stomach. Blood gushed from where his pinky finger had once been. The bullets that struck him were fired from a low caliber gun. They had not pierced his skin, but had left large welts on his body where they struck him.

In his mind he could hear Shinigami cursing his assailant and cursing him. He willed his mind to awaken and his eyes opened onto the scene. He saw as her spears rushed at the man, but he didn’t see the outcome. Darkness took him again as life drained from him with every drop of blood he lost. Death was coming, but he did not fear it, he welcomed it openly. Freedom at last.

Duo's spears hit their targets, drilling into the limbs of the demon standing over Raido. They stuck with tremendous force, embedding themselves in it's flesh, the bones crunching on impact and she kept them embedded, then with a flick of her hands the spears twisted in their positions. She concentrated hard and moulded the spears so that they grew thicker with the demons limbs, expanding outwards, cracking the bones from the inside out.

Blood continued to trickle from her damaged wing and the pain in her leg was a constant throb, beating in time with the blood pounding in her ears as she sort to hurt the demon in front of her. Her rage was manifesting as her assault became more brutal, the demon crumbled to the floor, squealing in agony as she sort to rip him limb from limb...

Suddenly the red energy spears dispersed, releasing the demon from her hold. She gulped in air as the world came sharply back into focus and she saw the bleeding bulk of the demon, which somehow through his multitude of wounds scrambled from the alcove into the jungle's embrace. <Oh...Curses! > She thought, as she felt a wave of sickness, partially from the weariness she felt at the manipulation of the energy, and the fact that she had nearly lost control again. <Perhaps when Claire mention anger management she wasn't far off. > Duo thought in amusement, recalling the time she had attempted to drill a pencil through the girl's hand because she had annoyed her.

Duo stumbled over to the fallen Raido. Her blood mixing with his as her wing continued to bleed. She bit her trembling lip hard as she drew her wings back into her body, knowing that it wouldn't cure the damage done but would at least prevent her from loosing anymore blood. She dropped to the floor next to him, her leg outstretched to avoid causing it any more damage.

Her eyes fell upon the gashes across his stomach, and she took in a sharp breath. <No...I...I just wanted to stop him, I didn't mean...>

"I didn't mean to hurt him like this!" She cursed, her voice hardening as she ripped off the sleeves off her shirt and bundled them together to form a crude swab that she placed over his stomach in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

The material quickly absorbed the flowing blood and she watched as Raido's chest and breathing patterns became erratic, and she felt it too, in his aura...he was weakening...falling into darkness as Death sort to claim him.

"Don't you dare!" She hissed viciously. <He can't...not another one, I can't have another death on my conscience...I tired...> she thought hopelessly as she thought back to her friends. After her battle with Vittorio and the elimination of her hunger she had vowed to herself to not take another life...she had too many tainting her soul as it was. <Please...not another one!>

And as the breathing became shallower, she feared the worse as his breath seemed to be on the verge of stopping altogether.

"I don't think so!" She said, her voice harsh as she placed her hands over his heart and pushed 10 times to try and maintain his heart, she then swept low and covered his mouth with hers, feeding air into his lungs. "Don't die!" she demanded as she beat at his heart once again, praying that she could drag him away from Death’s edge…

The dream was different.

X lay on his back in a place made of white light. It blinded him for a moment and he squinted his eyes until they adjusted. He stood up and walked about him. To his left he noticed blackness. He turned and walked toward it. He stood before a wall of darkness, it was like the land of light ended and the world of shadow began. He reached out his palm and touched the darkness like touching a window.

He placed his palms on the darkness and looked beyond it. On the other side of the wall he could make out the fire demon and the Norse conquer who tortured him. They reached forward and place their hands on the wall where X had his hands. They quickly reached through and grabbed X’s wrist and pulled him into the dark! X struggled and pulled against them, but their combined strength was too much even for him!

They pulled him until he couldn’t see the light anymore. They brought him before the demon that had created him and it laughed. “Why do you fight us so? This is where you belong, my creation.” X fought against the grasp of Z and Y as hard as he could, but they did not falter and he gave up hope.

The demon spewed a black fire from its mouth that lit the ground at X’s feet. The flames began to rise and cover X’s entire body. He lifted his face up as the flames licked at his neck. He closed his eyes, but just then a blinding light appeared that made him open them again. An angelic figure, with large feathered wings flew with great speed toward him. "I don't think so!” it screamed as it flew. It held a large weapon in its hands and swung it, removing the heads of Y and Z in two quick strokes! It then flew at the demon and struck at it! The demon lost its concentration and its fire faded around X! The blade of the angel struck the demon’s stomach and it howled in pain!

The angel then turned its head at X and yelled “Don’t Die!” X shook the cobwebs out of his head and then charged at the demon with all the force of his body! He lowered his shoulder and rammed it as hard as he could! The demon stumbled and fell backward with the angels blade still lodged in its stomach! X flew into the air and grabbed the hand of the angel and flew as fast as he could back the way they had came! He flew for what seemed like forever until he saw the light ahead of him. He flew and it grew and grew until it surrounded his field of vision.

His body just touched the light and then he was somewhere else. X’s eyes opened wide and he found himself lying on his back in the African jungle. Shinigami bent over him with her lips pressed against his administering CPR. He coughed uncontrollably as his lungs began to contract on their own. He attempted to sit up, but could not move his body. He tilted his head and looked into Shinigami’s eyes and said “You alright?”

He didn’t get a chance to hear her response. Exhaustion overtook him and he fell into unconsciousness, but this time his heart stayed pumping and his lungs did not falter. The blood coming from his wounds was slowing and almost ceased. The Raido body did not have any heightened healing ability, but it did handle wounds well for being forced to deal with so many over the years. Putting himself in danger was the only way he knew to justify his existence on this world. What else is there for a monster?

She felt Raido jerk and she recoiled from him as he gasped precious air into his lungs, his eyes opening wide…<thank God> she thought, her body slumping with relief as she looked down at Raido.

“You alright?”

Duo was taken back by his words, she had brought him back from the brink of death from wounds mainly by her affliction and his first thought had been for her safety.

She glanced about her, fires still burnt in the alcove of the village and she knew that they could not remain here. She dragged herself to her feet, her injured leg screaming in protest and her arms mildly bleed from scratches. She reached down and pulled the unconscious form of Raido upwards and over her shoulder. Duo may be small physically but she was much stronger then she looked, although the added weight did little to ease the painful spasms jerking up her leg.

She would have done anything to have the use of her wings there and then as she exited the area, each step tainted with pain, her teeth gritted to contain her pained gasps as she walked, limping her way into the jungle, leaving the charcoaled corpses behind her.

Every second dissolved into the next, the minutes stretching out, boundless in length. Her breathing turned to pants as she drew in gasp after gasp of air to keep herself walking, her heartbeat ticking through the moments, but the dense jungle didn’t disperse. At more then one point her leg refused to take the weight of her and Raido combined and she stumbled, her knees grinding into the dirt as she cried out in pain. “ARRR!!!” She screamed punching a fist into the soil in frustration, “COME ON!!!” she yelled at herself, instantly dragging herself off of the floor, bracing herself against the tree as she massaged her leg in an attempt to dull the throbbing pain. She looked at Raido in annoyance, “Always the wings…everyone shoots for the damn wings! I’m going to paint a bloody great target on my wings and the words “AIM HERE!!!”” She said as she reached down and plucked him from the ground once more. “First Harm and then you, always the wings!” She muttered as she started off once more, glad that Raido was unconscious so that he couldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes, as the pain steadily grew worse.

In little over 2 hours she reached a new clearing, away from the treacherous flames that had engulfed the village, and away, she hoped, from any more surprise demons. She lowered Raido to the ground as gently as she could, and then collapsed next to him, sighing thankfully as her leg rested.

She peeled away Raido’s top, looking at the gashed across his stomach that her knifed hands had caused, she ran a gentle finger over the wounds and was grateful to see that the blood had crusted, caked shut so they bleed no more. She reached over and tentatively examined the bloodied stump left on Raido’s hand where his finger had been, all the bleeding appeared to have ceased. She checked to see if his breathing was still adequate and couldn’t help breath a sigh of relief, he wasn’t in the best of shape but he didn’t appear to be any worse.

A wave of dizziness cast over her and she shook her head to dispel it, she couldn’t rest yet, the jungle as far as she could see was far from safe, and she wanted to be awake when…if Raido arose. On that though she leaned over him and reached for his guns, she examined them closely, marvelling at the runes engraved on their surfaces. She glanced down at the still face of Raido…he confused her…one minute they were battling, after shooting her he could have won, except he didn’t kill her. In fact he did the complete opposite, pushing her aside as the demon fired at them. “I’m not stealing them,” she whispered to him. “I’m simply…confiscating them in case you become trigger happy again.” She explained, she shuffled several metres away from him…even though he was injured she didn’t want to be within arm’s reach when he woke…not willing to be too close in case one of his other less-cheerful personalities decided to pay her a visit…

X’s dreams were normal again. The demons, the torture, he had no escape. His head jerked on the floor of the jungle and his eyes burst open. He found himself somewhere he didn’t recognize. The canopy of the rainforest was all around him and he could hear the noises of the forest. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. He tried to sit himself up and a wave of pain swept through his entire body and crashed upon his mind. He grit his teeth and growled lightly as he lay limply on the ground again.

It was then that he noticed her. Shinigami sat a few meters from him, watching. She looked like she was in horrible shape. At her side he could see his treasured guns. He mustered all the strength and determination he could find and sat himself up. The wounds on his stomach flared again, but he continued. He rested his hands on his knees and with another spasm of pain he rose to his feet. X stumbled a little but regained himself.

He looked around the forest and then looked down at Shinigami, summing her up with his brown eyes. Something else caught his attention then, “Where is my shirt and jacket?!” X looked down at his shirtless body and turned from Shinigami. The Raido body was covered in scars and wounds from head to toe. Those scars were much more prominent on his torso than anywhere else. One large scar ran from his left shoulder down to his right thigh. Almost his entire exposed skin had scar tissue on it. Bullet holes could be seen all over his body from bullets that his tough skin could not stop. On his chest was also a piece of flexible plastic that had been attached to his skin to cover a large hole that he had suffered during a fight with a gang in Gotham. These are only the beginning of the scars that covered his entire body, and now he would be adding these knew claw marks to the list.

X saw his shirt on the ground next to where he was laying a moment ago. He reached down for it through his agony and pulled it over his head. “I’m sorry for my outburst, but this is not something I like people to see, especially women.” He then turned back around to Shinigami. “I never heard whether you were alright or not. I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly, but you backed me into a corner and I was forced to act.” He looked down at his guns at her side. “May I please have those back, I will not turn them on you again.”

His body was a tapestry of wounds, engraved into the skin. Almost every inch was tainted and blemished in one way or another. He turned from her, attempting to hide what was probably the worse of his scars but everywhere she looked there was more...she did not divert her eyes...

He demanded his shirt and quickly spotted it, she saw the agony he tried to hide as he replaced his shirt...she had removed it only to see the full extent of the damage she had inflicted...<now I have added to the tapestry...> she thought miserably, her claw marks were very prominent across his stomach, swollen and red.

“I’m sorry for my outburst, but this is not something I like people to see, especially women.”

She almost laughed at that, she may look like an angel from heaven but she had spent 50 years in Lucifer's service. She had seen things equally bad if not worse then the tattered frame of Raido...Her own body had resembled it when she had been beaten, tortured...but those scars had stayed with her corpse and not the recreated body she now resided in, even though it was a mirror image of the one she died in save for her eyes...her real body was a rotted skeleton in the ground somewhere...

Raido's body didn't disgust her, pain both mental and physical were no strangers to her, and as her eyes took in all the scrapes, cuts, gashes and whatnot she wondered what the damage inside was like...Her own pain had caused her horrific nightmare repeated for over 50 years...they were fading though, not as frequent or hurting her so much...if it hadn't have been for Marxy she would still be tormented nightly by them...and even when she did recollect...it was nothing but that...a memory that was slowly dying...

“I never heard whether you were alright or not. I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly, but you backed me into a corner and I was forced to act.”

She remained seated upon the floor, her leg having seized up, swollen and painful to move but she tried to hide her discomfort as much as possible, not wanting to appear weakened even though he had no intent of engaging her in a fight again.

“May I please have those back, I will not turn them on you again.”

She looked at him hard, trying to read his fractured aura as best as she could...he appeared sincere, and in truth refusing him would probably only lead to another fight, one which she didn't think would benefit either of their battered frames.

She looked from him to the guns and picked them up gingerly, she drew her good leg beneath herself and bracing her free hand upon the tree against which she was leaning she dragged herself into a standing position, her breath coming out in a pained hiss but her eyes never left his, watching intently for any sign of hostility. She wanted to be standing if he was lying, if he was to turn the guns on her once more being stuck on the floor would be suicide, not that she thought she would have much luck against a bullet without her ability to fly or run.

She leant her back against the tree, using it to support her slightly without making it too obvious as she held his guns out to him, her eyes flashing as her brow furrowed, "I suggest you don't!" She hissed menacingly, attempting to maintain her bravado even though it was somewhat strained.

"I suggest you don't!"

X took his guns out of the hands of Shinigami and felt whole again. His left hand burned with the weight of his desert eagle until he had to both of them in his right hand. He checked the clips of each one. Strength, which he held in his right hand was completely spent, and Destruction, which he held in his left hand, had two bullets left. He holstered them both behind his back and looked at Shinigami. “I suggest that you stay hidden within these trees for the time being, you are in no condition to fight. I will return within the hour.”

X used all the strength he could and lifted himself off the ground. His wounds sang and almost put him back onto the ground again. If he had been honest with himself he would never have attempted flight with his body in such terrible shape. He barely had the power to stay standing, but standing around in the jungle would prove to be more harmful than helpful. X lifted himself above the tree line and flew himself back toward the village where he could still see the smoke.

The wind waved his jacket behind him and pushed through his hair. When he was out of sight of Shinigami he touched his mouth with the tips of his right hand. It had been the first time that a girl had ever touched his lips. He knew it was only to save his life, but he couldn’t help but think about it. He could see the remnants of the village still smoking. He descended and saw that most of the flames had begun to die down. There was only ash and death all around. He turned his head and looked at the carnage. He had seen it once before, but it didn’t make the sight any less disturbing. He did find what he was looking for around the center of the village. He reached down and picked up his sunglasses that had fallen off during his fight with Shinigami. He flipped them open and placed them on his face.

He then lifted himself into the air again. Pain flowed through him and he tried his best to ignore it. He looked around in every direction until he decided on one. He flew in that direction for about a half hour until his luck changed. Out of the corner of his eye he spied a cross sticking above the tip of the tree tops. He flew closer and spied a chapel on the outskirts of another village. He turned himself around and headed back to where Shinigami was.

He arrived back at where Shinigami still was. He landed next to her and gave a slight cringe at the landing. “I have found a small sanctuary to the west. Come with me, your wounds need tending.” X grabbed her up into his arms and lifted off the ground. Her weight made his missing finger ache and the wound reopened where it was severed. “I am also sorry for not introducing myself properly before. This body is called Raido, I am X. Thank you for saving my life.”

“I suggest that you stay hidden within these trees for the time being, you are in no condition to fight. I will return within the hour.”

Duo would have argued, but the truth be told, even though Raido's injuries were far worse then her own she was practically immobile. It had taken an extreme amount of effort to carry Raido from the burnt village and she was exhausted, her body aching with pain as she watched him float into the air. <He shouldn't even be standing...> she thought in amazement, as his frame grew smaller and smaller as he flew away.

"I think I was lucky to escape with the injuries I got!" She muttered to herself as she sunk back to the floor, allowing herself to groan aloud now that she was alone as she felt her knee throb and her side ache from where she had skidded across the jungle floor where Raido had thrown her. She looked at her tattered shirt where she has ripped off the sleeves to stop the blood seeping from Raido's torn body, her own left arm was caked with dying blood from where the skin had torn. "Definitely lucky...now..." she said, touching her side gingerly, "what are the chances of him actually coming back?" Duo asked herself with a strained chuckle. She had come out of nowhere, seen the cinders of the village and attacked him, the wounds she had given him had almost taken his life...

<There's no reason for him to come back...> she thought miserably from her slumped position, she was pretty much stuck, she could hardly walk, couldn't fly...

She sat there as the minutes spread out seeming like hours, and she felt her eyes begin to droop as the exhaustion sank in, she shook herself slightly and concentrated on the pain in her body, shooting up and down in agonising spasms, to keep herself awake.

She didn't know how much time had gone by when she spotted the frame of Raido approaching, her lack of trust for him faded somewhat as she sighed with relief, scrambling to her feet, using the tree for support.

He landed next to her and even though he tried to hide it she saw the pain he was in. “I have found a small sanctuary to the west. Come with me, your wounds need tending.”

Before she could answer he hoisted her into his arms and she gritted her teeth together to prevent herself from gasping in pain as they began to fly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, always feeling very insecure when in the air and she wasn't the one in control. <My wounds need tending? He's in worse shape then I am! > Duo thought in confusion at Raido's concern for her.

“I am also sorry for not introducing myself properly before. This body is called Raido, I am X. Thank you for saving my life.”

"Saving your...I'm the one who almost killed you!" She said in shock at his grateful tone, "I should be apologising to you...I mean...I thought you had..." she diverted her eyes to the ground passing them by below. "I didn't mean to...to hurt you that much..." She whispered, guilt seeping into her tone, she supposed that since she had almost deprived him of life the least she could do was give him her name in return. "So...X huh? As you know I am Shinigami, but I prefer to be called Duo." She said with a faint smile.

"Saving your...I'm the one who almost killed you! I should be apologizing to you...I mean...I thought you had... I didn't mean to...to hurt you that much... So...X huh? As you know I am Shinigami, but I prefer to be called Duo.”

X continued to stare forward behind his sunglasses. His twitch was worsening and he could feel exhaustion beginning to settle upon his mind. He would need rest soon or his control would be almost impossible to sustain, and right now he needed to stay in control. “Well Miss Duo, I do not blame you for what has transpired. I came to the same conclusion when I arrived at the village. But you have to understand that when Y is in control, his hell fire causes absolute devastation. If it was this body that had caused the deaths of those people there would have been nothing left of them but ashes.”

X flew as fast as he could in his wounded state. It took about a half hour of continuous flight to reach the missionary church. It was a simple building with only a single large room and a tall steeple. He landed in front of it and his left leg gave out under him. He fell down onto his left knee with a wince. He gritted his teeth and stood up again. He walked Duo to the front of the church door and kicked it open. A tall, skinny priest came running toward them. He grimaced at the sight of the two people that had barged into his home.

“Father, she needs help.” X felt blood run down his arm from the reopened wound on his hand. One of his new cuts on his stomach also reopened and bled on his shirt. He would not let Duo walk however; he kept her tightly in his arms as the Father motioned him to bring her to the back of the church, where a nun was standing in full garb. X carried Shinigami to the back of the church, limping heavily on his left leg.

“Well Miss Duo, I do not blame you for what has transpired. I came to the same conclusion when I arrived at the village. But you have to understand that when Y is in control, his hell fire causes absolute devastation. If it was this body that had caused the deaths of those people there would have been nothing left of them but ashes.”

Duo listened to his words, he sincerely believed himself and his other personalities to be innocent, and she couldn't argue. The last time she had met Raido she and the rest of the Titans had fought hard to bring him down, he was an enemy...but as he flew through the air, carrying her weight with care she was beginning to believe this less and less...<this X appears to be honest...good intentions, > she thought as she studied him in silence, his eyes now covered with his sunglasses.

She watched intently as the steeple came into view and Raido descended to ground level, upon landing he crumpled to his knee, his leg caving, he was standing again almost instantly, his jaw firm as his teeth clenched as he kicked open the doors. They were greeted by a gaunt looking priest, a look of shock etched into the man's features as he regarded the mix-match pair who had entered the church.

<It had to be a church...> Duo though as her eyes scanned over it's vicinity with it's various markings and statues in worship to God. She didn't fear churches, she just disliked them, the serene calm that they emitted made her feel all the more tainted inside.

“Father, she needs help.” X said and the man before them complied, motioning to the back of the church. She felt X's grip tighten on her as he carried her, refusing to let her walk. She felt a warm, slick feeling against her side and she turned her head to see blood seeping into her tattered shirt, secreting from X's stomach. She moved her hand from around his neck and placed her spread out palm across the gash, trying once again to stem the bleeding. It oozed through her fingers, staining them red. "We BOTH need help!" Duo said firmly. She'd be damned if she was going to be the damsel in distress, Raido had been sliced and diced and somehow not only was he standing after almost dying but he was the one caring for her!

The nun at the father's request went to fetch clean water and swabs to deal with their wounds. Duo, remaining in X's grasp, found her hands too small to cover the full length of the gash so she pressed her side harder into his stomach, anything to try and prevent more blood from flowing. <He's lost too much blood as it is, he can't afford to loose anymore! Why the hell does he have to be so bloody selfless! > She thought angrily but hiding it as she looked up at him apologetically. "Sorry if that hurts but trust me, keeping the blood inside you is a much better option then letting it ooze out." She said, trying to smile reassuringly.

"We BOTH need help!"

X kept his face forward but tilted his eyes down at Shinigami. He wanted to smile at her, but kept it inside. He followed the priest to the back of the chapel with Shinigami in his arms as the priest sent the nun to gather items to deal with their wounds.

X’s face contorted in pain as Shinigami pressed her body against his wound to curb the bleeding. It had reopened again without his even knowing it.

"Sorry if that hurts but trust me, keeping the blood inside you is a much better option then letting it ooze out."

He turned his head down to her and let his face relax with a deep breath. “I agree, and don’t worry, I’ve felt worse.” The priest told X to lay Shinigami down in the first pew and X followed his instructions. The nun rolled a towel and placed it under her head as X gently laid her down. “Thank you Father for your help,” X said to the priest as he began to clean Shinigami’s wounds.

“What about you my boy, you look to be in terrible shape.” The priest looked at X with a worried look. X stood before him covered in blood. His face was pale and he had a cold sweat dripping off his nose. The hole where his finger had been was dripping blood onto the floor and his shirt was like a red sponge. Even the priest’s weathered eyes could see Raido’s body shaking from exhaustion and pain. “Let me patch you up while Sister Anne fixes your friend up.”

X looked at the kindly face of the old priest and slowly took off his glasses. “I don’t like people touching me Father, no offense to you. If you have them I could use a wet towel, some thread and a large needle.” X watched the face of the priest darken and he looked to the floor. “Please Father.”

The priest went to the Nun’s side and procured the items X had requested. “Thank you and take care of her,” X said as he pointed over to Duo. “I’ll be outside if you require any help.” With that X left the Chapel and walked outside. There was a small clearing with a path outside the church. X walked several yards from the church and then walked slowly into the jungle. He took a few steps and then sat on the ground. He threaded the needle very carefully and removed his shirt and jacket. He picked up a small twig from the ground and put it between his teeth. The pain was intense and he bit down into the twig hard enough for it to splinter in his mouth.

Raido gently laid her down as the father instructed, she felt something soft underneath her head and she relaxed, feeling some of the tension leaving her.

She heard words being exchanged by Raido and the priest, Raido's refusal to be touched. She cringed at the thought, he's ashamed to reveal himself to anyone, and hate's contact...she mentally shook herself, <I think that last thing he wants is sympathy! > She scolded herself.

“Thank you and take care of her,” Duo turned her head to watch his retreating form, <I hope he can take care of himself> she though as she turned onto her right side at the nun’s request so she could gain access to her side that had been ripped and torn. The nun soaked water into her shirt, the ragged material having been clogged with her blood to the wounds that wept. Eventually she could peel off her shirt. Sister Anne dabbed at the torn flesh and Duo bit down hard on her lip as pain floated through her body, she didn't stop as blood filled her mouth. The water in the bowl swiftly turned red from her blood and she gingerly sat up with the sister's help, her wounds instantly began to weep with the movement as her torso was bandaged, as was the entire length of her left arm. She blinked her eyes rapidly to fight back her pained tears as she swallowed a mouthful of blood that seeped rapidly from her lip.

Whilst the Sister tended to her side and arm the priest was examining her leg, gently massaging the muscles that had become swollen and taut. "I think the knee is twisted and the shinbone broken" he said in a grave tone. He rose quickly and returned with more bandages and some smooth, thin wooden planks to act as a splint, he braced the planks against her leg, stretching her leg out and as he pulled the bandages tight she couldn't help but scream out loud. The sister cradled her head against her as Duo balled her fists in her garment, her knuckles white with the grip as she swallowed her tears.

"Shush child, it's alright." Sister Anne whispered to her, rocking her in her arms. Duo let the motion sooth her, the pain still strong but the exhaustion began to set in and as Sister Anne whispered comforting words to her she felt herself begin to drift into the abyss of sleep.

X stitched up his own body like it was his torn jacket. His eyes watered and he had to stop occasionally to dry them or risk causing worse injuries than he already had. He finished with the first claw mark and pulled on the string to close the wound. His nerves exploded in a glorious symphony of pain. The twig in his mouth burst into pieces. He spit out the piece in his mouth and screamed. The birds above him startled and flew into the afternoon sky.

X breathed in heavily and tried to shake off the pain. Tears were squeezed from his eyes as he clenched his lids shut. He breathed in short gasps and rubbed his eyes with his arm. X held the string in his hands and pulled it apart. He tied a knot in the end of the string.

He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly put a new string into the needle. The other two wounds were dealt with in the same fashion. When it was all done, X’s stomach was red and throbbing. The rest of his body was pale and shaking from the pain and exhaustion. He then turned his attention to his hand. Stitching such a large hole was not practical so he tore a piece off the towel the priest had given him and wrapped it around the stub that had once been his pinky finger.

He leaned back against a tree and rested his eyes. He could feel his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. Sleep was falling upon him like a summer rain. “I can’t rest just yet,” X said to himself as he rose from the ground. His stomach burned as the stitches were pulled on by his flexing muscles and stretching skin. He groaned through his gritted teeth.

He slowly put his shirt back over his tattered frame. X carried his jacket over his shoulder as he slowly walked out of the forest toward the chapel. He opened the door to see Shinigami lying asleep on the pew that he placed her on early. The father was cleaning the bloody towels he had used to tend her. Sister Anne sat next to Shinigami and rubbed her hair as she slept.

“Is she alright Padre,” X said as he walked toward him.

“She’ll be just fine son, though she has had a pretty rough time of it. What happened to the two of you out there in the jungle?” X looked at the priest behind his sunglasses. He decided that their fight would be better left between them.

“Just the wrong place at the wrong time Father, that’s all.” X looked over the Father’s shoulder at Shinigami and then sat down in a pew. He closed his eyes and fell quickly to sleep. Finally escaping his constant pain for a short time.

Duo was nestled in sleep's embrace...the dreams were different now...every night for over fifty years the nightmares had reproduced the events of her demise. The torment of being beaten to become a demented man's piece of new-aged art!

That's all she had ever been, to him she had been art, to Vittorio she had been something to mould and shape with darkness, something to ease his loneliness...always a possession...

But now she watched...no longer the 17-year-old girl who was thrashed of her life. She stood to the side and watched the proceedings, staying connected but detached all at the same time. Letting it be part of her but not controlling her as she had let it for so long. It was a horrific sight, forged from pain and blood, and it still disturbed her to witness it. She cringed as she watched her rib bone that was protruding from her side being viciously twisted...she had to let it go...it was over now...he was gone, she knew that...

Duo tossed and turned a little in her sleep, her injuries preventing her from moving much. Sister Anne soothed back her chestnut locks, gently stroking her face that had a few scrapes and bruises, blemishing her features with their discolouration.

Duo had been sleeping for quite some time as had Raido, Sister Anne looked from their sleeping forms to that of the Father. "They are in atrocious condition, what could have happened to them?" She asked, her eyes portraying her concern and fear.

"I do not know my child, " the priest said wearily, brushing a hand through his hair in mild frustration. "But there has been much trouble around these parts of late." He said, his tone grave.

"You are talking of the flames aren't you?" Sister Anne said, her head bowed in grief.

"Yes...a day of reckoning has been brought upon many of the little villages around these parts...and I fear that it was not done by the hand of God." His voice was bitter in tone, many were dying, pained and hurt, decimated, and in the human condition their is always a sense of vulnerability and helplessness that cannot be overthrown, even when the faith in God is all-powerful.

Duo stirred, a pained groan escaping her lips as her onyx eyes became visible beneath her fluttering lids, as sleep still glazed her eyes she looked almost vulnerable, as she looked up into the kind eyes of the Sister, who smiled at her sweetly and reassuringly, Duo gave her a strained smile in return as she made to sit up.

"Don't move just yet," the priest said moving to her side, placing a gaunt hand on her shoulder, his skinny, elongated fingers were cold to the touch. Duo ignored his concern and sat upright anyway, pushing the protesting pain in her side away as she felt the torn flesh rub against the crisp, clean bandages that wrapped around almost the entire length of her torso and left arm. She looked about her and saw that Raido was asleep. "Is he alright?" Duo asked the two people before her.

"I am unsure, he went off by himself for quite some time, came back and has been asleep since..." the priest said glancing at the battered frame of Raido his tone laced with concern, "perhaps whilst he sleeps we should check his wounds." The priest said standing swiftly.

Shinigami snared his arm, wincing slightly with the movement. "Don't...I'm sure he's fine." Duo said, her grip not lessening on the man's arm, her onyx eyes flashed and thankfully he complied with her wishes. She would sincerely have hated to exert a larger force on him, but Raido appeared particular over dealing with his injuries, and sleep is a state of vulnerability that didn't deserve to be violated.

She ignored the gasps from Sister Anne as she gingerly made her way to her feet, she wavered slightly but her eyes had grown cold and hard indicating clearly that she wanted no lectures or assistance from them.

"I need a little air." Duo said simply, her voice firm as she limped heavily to the door through which they had entered, not caring that she was being rude to people who had shown her nothing but kindness, most people who showed her kindness she had then killed and ripped out their souls, just as she has Wonder girl and Supersonic.

She reached the door and header outside, the light was dimming indicating she had slept for at least a few hours, she was glad of the sleep but now she had another injury that still needed to be dealt with. Her wing, andshe didn't wish to let the God-worshiping folk see her as an angle and begin thinking she was sent to save them or something along those lines.

Her leg in a split restricted her ability to walk even more, her pace was stiff, all movement restricted by the bandages covering at least half of her body.

<Bet Supersonic would ahve a field day with this, end up calling me the new-aged version of the mummy!> She thought with a smile. She was starting to regret having come here by herself, but she had been relying too much on the others of late, she had been through so much pain and everytime she fell her friends had been there to help her pick up the pieces...she was grateful for that, and they ensured her that it was human to break at points, that it's what friends did to help one another...she wanted to believe that, but she also wanted to know that she could handle her own.

<Great job I'm doing so far!> She though angrily as she called upon her wings and almost fell to the ground as they emerged from her back, the pain of the broken wing bone racking through her body. She curled her wing around to examine the damage done. It was a nasty break, but her wings were a gift from heaven, they would heal quickly, with her fingers she guided the broken bones back into the correct position, her lip re-splitting as she bit into it once more.

Once the bone was set she re-drew the wings back into her spine, the pain causing her to keel to the ground, her strapped leg spread out infront of her as she resided against a tree. Wiping the tears from her eyes as she sat their, taking deep breaths and listening to the sounds of the jungle.

X’s eyes moved behind his lids as the demons ripped at his flesh. His nightmare was incredibly vivid this time. His body twitched as he slept in the pew of the chapel. The priest watched him for a time before retiring for the evening. The first day had passed and night wandered through the jungle.

The second day of their visit to the church came, but X did not awaken. His body continued to twitch with every inflicted wound. He grew paler as the day went on. A cold sweat dripped from his face. The priest came over to him and placed the back of his hand to his forehead.

“Sister Anne please fetch me a cold towel and some iodine, quickly.” X had a high fever and the cuts on his stomach were black. The priest placed the towel on his forehead and used another towel to dab iodine on his wounds. X’s cuts oozed puss onto the floor causing X’s stomach muscles to tighten. The Father then unwrapped the cloth covering the tip of X’s pinky finger and found it was in the same condition as his stomach. He doused it in iodine and watched it bubble and leak.

X’s body shook from the fever. He did not wake on the second day.

Duo was anxious...anxious and annoyed. Patience wasn't exactly a virtue of hers and with her leg strapped up and her wings unusable she was definately restricted in her movement. 2 days had already passed by since they had reached the sanctuary of the church.

The Priest and Sister Anne had been incredibly kind to both Raido and herself, ensuring that they could stay as long as they needed and ensuring that they had every thing they needed.

X still lay in slumber, Duo had taken to not wondering too far from him...not only because her movement was restricted but also because she was unwilling to leave the two people who had been so kind to them defenceless if one of his less...appealing...personalities paid them a visit.

So Duo sat in one of the pews watching Sister Anne make her marks of respect to the God, Duo watched it all in abstract wonder...she knew what awaited most after death...knew that planes that resembled the heaven and hell that most believe in do exist...but her faith in both planes was waining, she doubted the solidity of both Lucifer and God...neither had really leant her much of a hand...

The sister smiled at Duo, stroking the girl's face loveingly as she walked past ...perhaps she sensed the lack of faith that raidated off of Duo...and was simple trying to be supportive as she left her alone as she tended to other duties.

Duo sat down next to Raido, loked at his shaking form as the fever took hold...she had watched as the priest had dowsed his stomach. She had tried to prevent the priest's actions...but he had the kindest of intentions and he seemed to have done some good. She had physically cringed at the wounds she had inflicted upon him...how they had turned black.

She wiped some of the sweat off his brow. "Don't you dare think about caving in after all this." Duo whispered as she lent over X checking his vitals. "I did not drag your butt through the jungle to have you cave now!" She said with a faint smile. Her mind wondered to the charcoled village they had left behind them, and the baked remains of it's inhabitants..."what the hell happened out there?" she whispered, more to herself then to the sleeping form of X.

The Raido body shook from head to toe. The mind of X was racing through its dreams. The torture of the demon had been continuing since he went unconscious. The dream slowly changed with the fever gripping him tighter. He was at a home that was somehow familiar to him without actually recognizing anything. A woman stood in the kitchen feeding an infant in a high chair. It threw stringed peas all about in a tantrum. The woman smiled and continued her attempt at feeding.

Time sped forward and the child in the high chair was older. He was walking down a hallway with a young girl next to him. The girl tripped and fell. She started to cry with her knee in her hand. The boy knelt next to her and looked at her knee. He wiped a tear off her cheek took a step back. He mocked tripping backward and fell onto his butt with a thump. He made a silly, hurt face to the delight of the girl. She laughed the tears off of her cheeks.

Time advanced again with carnage being its end destination. A family was bound on the floor of a room with burglars watching over them. X watched as a knife is withdrawn from the back of one of the burglars. He rushes forward in an attempt to seize the blade but runs through his body like it was water. The knife slices the throat of the woman on the floor.

“MOTHER!” X screams at the top of his lungs. He rushes over to her as quickly as he can, but he can’t touch her. Tears stream down his cheeks as a gun is drawn from the burglar’s coat. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!” X yells with his face a mask of rage. He leaps at the killer, but falls through him again.

The gun fires a bullet into the chest of the man on the floor. “No, no, no NOOO!” X moves back across the room and falls to his knees by his father’s side. The gun aims at the little girl next. “He turns to her and puts his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He looks up in time to see his sister killed.

The gun then points at the boy. X looks into the boys eyes. They are filled with fear, desperation, and intense sorrow. He looks deeper into them until he falls into them. He looks out through the eyes of the boy and feels cold steel in his hand. He looks down at the gun that killed his family. He panics and puts a hand to his face. He feels cloth muffling his breath. He pulls off the killers mask and screams.

“NOOO!! I killed them!” The face of a large bat appears through the wall opposite him.

“It’s your fault they died my creation, my child,” the demon said in its booming voice.

X grabbed at his head and screamed into the heavens while the demon laughed!

The eyes of Raido fluttered. X awoke slowly to find Shinigami sitting beside him. She had fallen asleep during the night. He sat up with great effort. He saw her rustle and awakens. “I hope I didn’t wake you. Have you been there all night?” X wondered how long he had been asleep. He also wondered, and hoped, that he hadn’t talked in his sleep.

Duo's sleep was a peaceful one...fatigue had taken it's hold and she had drifted in a sea of nothingness...merely resting rather then dreaming.

Slowly she woke from her sleep to find X already awake, she shook her head lightly to dispel her sleep-fogged mind, clearing out the cobwebs as conscious thought took hold. She was slightly annoyed at herself for having fallen asleep...the reason she had been sticking so close to Raido was the chance that he woke as one of his others!

“I hope I didn’t wake you. Have you been there all night?”

She looked him over...she didn't really know how to tell when he was one or the other but as far as she could see he was X. She straightened from her slumped position and stretched her arms above her head as she stretched, feeling the cracks of her spine and neck as she relived herself of any stiffness. Her side was still very tender as was her leg but she was coping well with the discomfort.

"Yes." She answered as she studied his face, within the depths of sleep, as Raido had been racked with the fever his taut frame had revealed all too well his nightmare state, he had thrashed as much as was possible within his state, his brow furrowed as words stayed muffled upon his lips although the psychological pain was unmistakable. She knew it was a violation, but she had lent closer to try and make out the masked words...curiosity and concern both fuelling her interest...yet still the nature of the dream had eluded her until she had fallen asleep.

"Yeah...I've been here all night, don't worry about waking me, I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place!" Duo scolded herself with a scowl...she had allowed herself to express weakness, she may be injured but she would be damned is she was going to let anyone perceive her as vulnerable!

"I think we need some answers." She said snapping into a formal tone, "several small villages within this area have been burnt to a cinder. I came here purposefully to try and find out what or who..." she said, looking fully at Raido, "is responsible...many have already died and finding you in the centre of one such burning was obviously something I wasn't expecting!" Duo said in a monotone voice, her tone not betraying any thoughts or views she had on the occurrences or Raido and if there was any link. "As my actions depict I assumed you to be responsible, you have claimed yourself and your others as innocent and as far as I have seen you have showed no ill intent...even gone as far as to help me even though I attempted to gut you." She looked at his stomach where she knew the gashed to be, "rather successfully too." She said, allowing a faint smile to taint her expression.

<You're being harsh!> Her mind told her, she swatted the comment aside, as she had previously stated there were few who she trusted in this world...and for those select few they had literally gone through hell together to gain that trust...she wanted to believe X...if he was innocent she could use his help in finding the source of the fires...

"What were you doing out there...?" Duo asked, not caring if she was prying, she had a job to do, niceties had to go out of the window for the moment...and she wasn't very good at them anyway.

"What were you doing out there...?"

X broke from her gaze and rose to his feet. He reached inside his jacket, pulling out his sunglasses. He put them over his eyes in an attempt to conceal his shame. “I was wandering from somewhere. I can’t tell you where. I lost control and Y took the body. I assume he was lured here by the smell of human flesh. I can’t tell you how often I have spent days vomiting from the things that beast has eaten, it’s a taste that never goes away.” X looked down at the floor in disgust.

“We do however need to find the true culprits behind these horrible attacks. I would suggest that after a few days recuperation that we head back to the attacked town and search for any clue that will lead us to our prey.” X hated to sit around; giving the people who had attacked the village the chance to do it again, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He didn’t want to show it to Duo, but he was in a great deal of pain. He felt every pull of the stitches on his flesh.

X bowed at Shinigami with his arms at his side. “Now please excuse me, I need to step outside. X stepped toward the door of the chapel. He turned the knob and turned around to see Shinigami. “A place of worship is no place for someone like me.” He turned back around and stepped outside. The sun glinted off his sunglasses.

Duo watched with curious eyes as Raido bowed formally to her, she was a little taken back by the respectful intent of the act.

“Now please excuse me, I need to step outside. A place of worship is no place for someone like me.”

Duo watched his retreating from; her eyes glazed with sadness, the onyx depths dulling a fraction although her expression didn't appear to have altered. She scanned the small building, laced with its impressions of God and worship and looked back at the door, which Raido had exited. "Yeah...like this is the most suitable place for me..." she whispered. She didn't fear tainting the place or the people who resided within...she fear that it's goodness would taint her...make her even more guilty and pained for past acts, she was barely coping as it was!

She frowned, she was in jam, she was stuck in the middle of no-where, severely damaged and still no closer to finding the thing or person behind the fires...and worse she was without her T-terminal so she couldn't even ask the others for assistance, not that she necessary would have called them anyway!

She sighed into her hands as she rubbed the rough palms across her face, digging the fingers across her closed lids as though to rub away the tiredness.

"Ah...so I see your friend has finally awoken." Came a quiet yet deep voice from behind her and Duo turned sharply to see the priest smiling at her, motioning to the empty pew where Raido had been asleep moments before.

"He's not my friend..." Duo whispered quietly to herself as she contemplated things, "I don't know what he is!"

"What was that my child?" The priest asked kindly as he took a seat next to her, his expression was soft, a smile carved in amongst the few wrinkles that lined his face.

"Nothing father." She said quickly, masking her thoughts as she turned to regard him, "Rai...he just stepped out, some alone time..."

"Ah yes...it's properly best, we have all been hovering over him like mother hens even though he was unconscious." He said in a light tone as he rose gingerly from his seat, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine." He said...mistaking her unwillingness to talk as worry.

"It's not him I'm worried about..." she whispered as the priest left, he mind flashing images of burnt corpses and sizzled flesh of decimated villages.

X could feel the warm air of the jungle brush against his face. Sweat appeared on his brow almost immediately from the mugginess. He slowly removed his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. There was a straight path leading away from the chapel that X had noticed before. He took a step onto it, not carrying where it would eventually lead him. He had spent the majority of his life not knowing where he would end up next, never having a place he could call home.

He envied these so called heroes like Shinigami. They had a place they belonged and people who cared about them. X was alone and yet never by himself. They were always with him, scratching and clawing at his consciousness. His constant companions would like nothing more than to see him dead, and sometimes…he wanted that too.

X walked onward, insects buzzing in his ears. The path led to a small village much like the one that had been decimated. Huts of straw and wood filled the clearing. People were laughing and doing their daily chores. Several boys were running along the dirt path. They saw X standing on the outskirts. They pointed and ran off, yelling something X couldn’t understand. The people of the village looked toward him. Some looked worried, others went on guard.

“I’m sorry for my intrusion, I will leave.” X didn’t know if they could understand him or not. He turned his back to the village and started his trek back toward the chapel. As he spun around a vision flashed before his eyes. He could see fire and ice ravaging the village. The chapel lay in ruin and Shinigami’s eyes paled from death’s embrace.

The vision left as quickly as it had come. He looked around quickly; there was a noise in the air. It sounded like the hum of a bee hive, but magnified a thousand fold. He pulled his guns out from behind his back. He lifted himself above the tree-line so he could see beyond the horizon. To his eyes, it looked like a swarm of locusts blotting out the afternoon sun. As they grew larger he could make out their horrible bat like wings and sharp fangs. They did not have hands, but instead claw like appendages that hung loosely at their sides. They wore robes of black that swung in the breeze made by their wings. There were hundreds of them.

X’s visions were not absolutes; they were warnings of what might occur. He would not allow what he saw to come to pass. “This village is under my protection!” X yelled to the oncoming horde. “If you attempt any harm to it or its inhabitants then I will be forced to kill every one of you!” X brought his guns before him and pointed them into the force. The air was so thick with demons he could have fired blind and struck one.

The demons continued forward. X didn’t think they would stop because of his threat, but being in the shape he was in he had hoped they would have thought twice.

Duo had been pretty much left to her own devices, she was slowly walking the short distance from one end of the chapel to the other, she walked peg-legged, the splint making her leg inflexible and walking a chore, on top of the pain, but at least she could move with it. With each step and movement the tender ripped flesh on her side and arm stretched but she was coping.

"Sister?" Duo called at a respectful volume. "I am just taking a walk outside, I shall return shortly." Duo announced, not wanting the sister to be concerned by her absence. She received a muffled reply and Duo walked slowly out of the chapel doors, her intent to withdraw her wings and examine the healing process.

She walked at a leisurely pace, not wishing to push her self further then her limits would allow, the last thing she wanted was to damage herself further. She breathed in deeply; even though she was in discomfort it felt nice to simply have rested for the last few days, a chance to recuperate as she took in the wide array of greenery about her, smiling appreciatively since she was alone.

She stopped after about 10 minutes, she had travelled far enough from the chapel to be undisturbed as she called upon her wings and felt her spine tingle as the pearled wings gradually unfurled from her spine, inch by inch with careful precision. Not wishing to jar them and undo any healing. Carefully she drew the damaged wing round so she could examine it. She brushed tentative fingers across the bone that had been shattered due to the bullet, she displayed no pain even though it still stung bitterly but she was grateful to see that the bones had fused back together and the tissue was knitting...her wings would be fully operational in almost no time at all. She gently flapped her wings, merely testing the movement, all seemed to be functioning right and she redrew her wings into her back with a satisfied look.

It wasn't noticeable at first...a faint...rustle in the air, a "buzzing" sound. It was quite a way off, at first she ignored it's presence, merely concluding that it was an ordinary sound that belonged to the area she was in. After several minutes she raised her head, her brow knitted as she closed her eyes, the lids fluttering across her black eyes as she scanned...the air tasted different...something was amiss...

She couldn't pinpoint it but she had a gut feeling from distant auras that something was wrong, but to what extent she didn't know...but with all the disturbances of late, all the deaths...she didn't want to take any chances.

<I should check it out, and X is out there by himself...if something is wrong I'm not sure he can take another beating. > She thought, she had a faint idea of the direction Raido had travelled, his aura was still within readable range and she set off after him. <Typical male, had to do the loner thing, had to venture off by himself...honestly, no-one can ever make my life easy. > She mentally bantered in faint amusement.

The demons continued advancing toward X and the village beneath him. He floated in the air, his body did not move, but his eyes were constantly scanning his opponents. As they got nearer he could make them out better. They were each around 7 feet tall with bat like wings that was twice the size of their bodies. They wore red robes that covered their entire bodies. Their faces had long snouts below two holes where eyes would usually be. On the tip of their snouts were their constantly flaring nostrils. Large pointed ears perked to the slightest noise all around.

“They’re blind,” X thought to himself. The demons flew in a large circle around X until they completely surrounded him and the village below. They stayed just beyond the borders of the village and circled it like sharks. He kept his guns trained around his body. He didn’t blink behind his glasses.

One demon behind X stopped his circling. It moved out of the circle and moved toward X. X could see it moving out of the corner of his eye. He spun himself around with his guns pointed at its eye sockets. “Leave here now!” X said in a growl. The demon made an expression that might be considered a smile. It opened its mouth, releasing smoke from its throat. A light grew from inside its throat until fire touched the roof of its mouth.

X didn’t wait for what he knew was coming. X squeezed a trigger and put a bullet into the creatures head! It made a small squeak as it fell to the ground below. The other demons stopped their circling. They began to close the circle around X. All of them then opened their mouths and filled the jungle with a high pitched howl. X put his hands to his ears as the sound assaulted his senses!

X used all his will power to pull his hands from his ears. He brought his guns up again and fired into the demons! Demons began to fall to the ground below like rain drops as X emptied his clips! X could feel them all closing in on him. He could feel the smoke from their mouths. X felt a claw strike him in the back of the head! He was thrown to the ground and impacted with the ground! He lay in a small crater as the demons above all opened their mouths to release their hellfire!

The buzzing noise only grew in volume as Duo followed Raido's aura pattern...and not only did the buzzing increase but the distinct sound of screams could be heard. Duo increased her pace as much as she could, feeling the air becoming thick with fear and malicious intent.

She finally reached the clearing of a village and she saw the inhabitants fleeing with looks of terror imbedded in their features, a look she knew all too well and she cast her gaze upwards to see the swarms of demons.

"Holy crud!" Duo whispered, as her onyx eyes grew wide, the bulk of demons was phenomenal as their masses sort to shroud the sky. "What in the hell have I gotten myself into?" She whispered to herself as the demons began a circular pattern, moving in on their prey. “Leave here now!”

"S**T!!!" X stood alone in the midst and she soon saw him fall, the demons circling overhead, their mouths gaping open as fire began to spark.

Duo clenched her fists and concentrated quickly on withdrawing her still-damaged wings, all the while cursing continuously under her breath, "This is going to hurt so damn much!" She said as she hoisted herself into the air, grinding her teeth together to bit back a pained cry as she flew full force towards the fallen frame of Raido. Just before she reached the outskirts of the circle of snouted demons she let out a ferocious battle cry as an army of red energy spears were instantly conjured and ripped into the frames of several dozen of the demons, causing them to loose their formation so she could sweep down and plucked X from the ground, narrowly avoiding the cascade of fire that was let loose from the few demons who had maintained their focus.

X's added weight was too much for her half-mended wings and she managed to fly only 30 odd metres before they went crashing into the floor, Duo placed herself under X to take most of the hit...wrapping her wings around them both as much as possible but her back scrapped painfully across the ground until they came to a stop.

Duo groaned allowed and cursed as she saw that the demon's focus had shifted and they were eagerly heading towards them.

"X? X are you alright?" Duo asked hurriedly as she tried struggled to sit up. "Remind me that if we live through this to totally kill you!" Duo muttered as the demons flew overhead, their sightless faces honed on the X and Duo, “If we live through this…”

"X? X are you alright?"

X struggled to open his eyelids. He saw some of the demons now on the ground skulking toward him and Duo. Others still floated above them, blocking out the sun. X slowly became aware that he was being held over the shoulder of Duo. He groggily reached up and touched Duo’s hand to indicate he was okay. “I’m alright Miss Duo, please put me down.”

Shinigami let X go and he stood wobbly on his feet. He felt the back of his head with a wince. Blood was leaking from his head. He could see Duo’s wings were hurting her though she was trying to hide it very bravely. “Miss Duo I think it would be best if you stayed on the ground. I’m not going to attempt to tell you to run or stay behind because I know you wouldn’t anyway. But please leave the aerial work to me, your wings are in no shape.”

X lifted himself above the ground. He flew quickly into the air, firing his pistols as he soared! “Stay alive Miss Duo!” X spun the pistol in his left hand around and slammed the butt of it into the chin of one of the demons! The demon faltered backward from the impact! X reached up and grabbed the demons feet! He spun him around and tossed him into the group of demons! Another demon flew at X from behind! X quickly dropped toward the ground avoiding the demons claws!

The demon looked down just in time to feel X’s fist collide with his knee cap! The demons knee burst out the back of his leg in a flurry of blood! The demon screamed as X flew behind him. X lifted his hands above his head and landed a hammer strike to the back of its neck! The demon was sent through a hut on the ground as villagers ran for their lives!

A demon slashed at X’s back. X reeled from the cuts. He spun around quickly with a backhand fist to its face! Fangs flew from the demons mouth as X squared his body! He flew his knee into the demons stomach! The demons head snapped forward from the blow! X slid his arm around its neck and squeezed! A satisfying snap met X’s ears as he released the demon from his grasp! Its body fell to the ground.

A demon grabbed X around the neck and held him with all its strength! They were stronger than they looked, but not strong enough to hold X! He pulled at its arms and loosened its grasp. Before he could free himself he felt another demon grab his legs! Another grabbed him around the chest! Before he knew it about ten demons held him in their iron grips!

They turned all their bodies toward the ground and flew as fast as they could! X grits his teeth and struggled as best he could! A millisecond before impact the demons released X! The momentum pushed X’s face 20 feet into the ground! He turned his body over and felt his ribs snapping! His broken glasses lay next to him. His left eye had a rock pushed through it and he kept it tightly shut! He coughed blood up onto the dry soil of the jungle, which sucked it up thirstily! He old wounds burned and his knew ones burned even more!

Two demons flew into the hole and grabbed X by each arm. They flapped their huge wings and lifted his limp body from the pit and tossed him on his stomach. X tried to get to his knees when a demon landed on his back. It stood on top of him, holding him to the ground. Spit leaked from its mouth and fell on X’s face. X gritted his teeth in rage. He had fallen.

Duo breathed a faint sigh of relief as X confirmed he was all right and she lowered him to the ground, wincing slightly as her wings flared with pain. She nodded her agreement at staying with her feet on the ground, it was true, she doubted her wings would be able to support her again and she gratefully retracted them into her back as she watch X hoist himself into the air.

“Stay alive Miss Duo!”

Duo's eyes focussed on the swarms of demons edging in closer to her and she hobbled back slightly, her injured leg making the movement awkward. "You too X." She whispered, but in truth she held out little hope for both of them, the odds they faced were innumerable, unfathomable and they were both severely injured as it was.

Duo planted her feet wide apart, gaining as good a balance and stance as she could, the heels of her feet digging into the earth. Her waist length hair had come loose from its customary braid and lay in cascading tides about her, swaying diligently in the breeze. The red streams that filtered in and out of its mass shimmered and her eyes flared a vicious violet. She held her clenched fists outwards as the violet hue of her eyes emitted outwards with her anger, the air whipped about her causing her hair to coil with the movement, as a red mist engulfed her frame, the raw energy unformed. "You call yourselves demons!?" She bellowed, her voice spite induced as her fingernails bit into her clenched palms. The mist grew in intensity, taking the formation of the energy spears, numerous forming, spear after spear, no two every identical as their shapes and masses varied. "I'll bloody show you a demon!" She screamed as the spears continued to form from the loose mist, more then she had ever created at one time. She knew it was foolish, such an effort would weaken her, but she was immobile, this was her only chance, and she was dead unless she tried.

She screamed as she let the spears loose, each ripping through the demons surrounding her, rupturing their flesh and bones and their wails filled the crevices of her mind and they were falling. But for every one that fell more were there instantly to take its place, constantly advancing on her. The number of spears she was creating was declining, her energy waning and she could see in the distance X being driven into the ground.

"I'm...I'm not done yet!" Shinigami yelled as her thermal scythe instantly appeared within her grasp and she twirled it menacingly, attempting to hide her exhaustion as they advanced to within arms reach. She swept the scythe from side to side, successfully striking down 7 of the surrounding demons before one of them parried her attack and swept in close, grabbing her injured arm and jerking the elbow straight, barring the arm. She cried out in pain and attempting to bring her scythe down on the offending creature only to have that arm seized also. She felt a strike to her mid-section that caused her to double over and her hair was seized and as her arms were released her skull was driven into the ground. Blood trickled into her eyes, impairing her vision as she was flipped over so she was staring upwards, a foot placed across her throat, restricting her breathing as the other demons pinned her limbs.

She desperately tried to concentrate on forming more spears to free herself, but her energy was close to being spent, and the foot on her trachea was making her concentration a tad difficult...she had lost...as had X. <So much for staying alive...>

X lay face first on the ground, bleeding and broken. His rage clouded his mind like mist. He wanted to get free, he wanted to save the villagers and Duo, and he wanted all the demons dead! He didn’t just want them dead, he wanted to make them suffer. To make them cry out in pain and curse their very existence before he danced in a shower of their blood. X wanted to believe he felt this way just because of the pain they caused so many people, but that wasn’t the truth at all. Deep in his mind, he wanted to slaughter them because they reminded him of himself. They were abominations who caused pain and death where ever they went. They were a pestilence and so was he.

X dug his fingers into the soil like an animal struggling to free itself from a hunters trap. The people of the village let out screams that flowed through X’s ears. His nostrils were met by the sweet odor of burning wood and straw. That was quickly joined by the stench of burning flesh. “Stop this now or I swear I’ll kill you all!” X screamed as loud as he could with several demons now lying on top of him, restricting his air capacity.

“Stop!” a faint voice echoed over the violence. The demons all stopped whatever they were doing and stood motionless. They breathed a heavy sulfurous air from the throats as they waited for something. “I did not think I would find you here,” said the voice. Before him X saw a figure in a black and red robe walk through the sea of carnage. His nose was long and crooked like his posture. He was tall and lanky, but among his troops he carried an air of importance that smelled more like false bravado. A hood kept the top of his face in darkness. His mouth was twisted into a disgusting smile.

X strained his one good eye to see. He spat at the ground, and then spoke coldly, “I don’t know you, but if you command these creatures then I will have to kill you as well!” The figure tilted his head back as a laugh erupted from his mouth. The high pitched laughter echoed through X’s ears and fanned his rage.

“You don’t know me, but I know all about you.” He walked closer to X until he stood a foot from his nose. Then he squatted down, reaching a clammy hand to X’s chin. “The one who wears that brand,” the man looked at the back of X’s neck. He ran a finger across the R mark and smiled. “Is that your woman over there?” he said in a mocking tone. He pointed a crooked finger over at Shinigami lying on her back.

“Let her go now!” X growled.

“Hahahahaha, you are in no position to demand anything.” The man stood again and walked several paces from X. “Let him up,” he commanded the demons. They obeyed without hesitation. X felt their weight leave him. With a deep breath he put his hand under his chest and pushed himself up to a squatting position.

“Now its time I killed you,” X said as he struggled to get to his feet.

“This one is so hard to get along with. Perhaps another will be more civil.” The man reached inside his robe with his skinny hand. He removed from inside a small pouch with an R embroidered on the outside. He held it aloft and began to chant without words. The chant grew louder as he continued until he was yelling. “Zanotie Rughe Clamog!”

X suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his temples. He grabbed at his head and mouthed a scream at the floor! He threw his head back from the pain with a scream! His brown hair began to pulse a bright blue. The pain made his body contort and writhe on the ground as the man watched with glee. “Don’t fight it, fighting only brings more pain,” the man cackled. X pounded a hole into the ground as his eyes were slowly filled with a crystal blue. His hair stopped pulsing and remained a steady blue. X emptied the Raido lungs with one final scream as he was replaced.

The Raido body sat hunched over on its knees for several minutes. It breathed heavily as sweat dripped from his nose to the dry ground below. Slowly Z tilted his head back and stood up. A smile crossed Z’s lips as he looked about at the destruction around him. The man in the robe looked at Z with relish and sank to one knee. All his demons followed him to the ground. “My Lord Z, it is good to have you with us.”

Duo's diaphragm stretched and then slackened repeatedly as she tried to consume air despite the pressure on her throat, the violet glaze circling her eyes was fading as her energy wavered. She struggled desperately, her torso thrashing causing the torn flesh of her side to sear in agony and lights tarnished her vision, but her limbs remained firmly pinned to her sides. Her eyes flickered from side to side as screams littered the air along with the fire's stench. The air was clotted with terror and pain, curdling and tainting it's aura black, and amidst it was a red flare of uncontained fury, voiced allowed by X's threats.

“Stop!” a voice filtered through the chaos, grinding it to a halt, she desperately tried to turn her head to take in the sight of this new-comer, only to find the movement restricted her breathing even more causing her to cough. She listened intently to the exchange despite the blood that pounded in her ears, distorting her thoughts...the newcomer spoke of familiarity, his voice sinisterly mocking. “Is that your woman over there?”

For an instant Duo's eyes flared violet again, anger ripping through her veins, coursing like liquid magma and the red mist swam about her unformed, "I'm going to peel the flesh from your bones I swear it!" She managed to croak out, her voice as hourse as sandpaper as her anger manifested as a result of the pain in the air.

“Let her go now!” X's words were furious and she mentally thanked him for his efforts to spare her...she only wished she could free herself to help him in return.

A new rhapsodist agony blemished the sky and she felt it, the changing auras, and the internal fight coming to the surface as X was being replaced.

"No..." she whispered, it couldn't happen, not here, not now! For the past few nights she had barely left X's side, watched over him as he slept with the pure intent of preventing one of his others from taking control.

"X! X no!!!" She screamed as loud as she could, not caring that her oxygen was almost spent, that her lungs burned with the effort as she bellowed at him, begging him to try and hold on, hoping to reach him...even though his auras revealed that X was loosing...

"X! Please hold..." her words sputtered as she coughed and gasped in air but she could already feel that it was to late...

“My Lord Z, it is good to have you with us.”

"No..." Duo gasped in despair...it was over…she was all alone now...

The bright sun cast a searing heat upon Z’s back as he knelt on the ground. He rose to his feet with a lurch and a wince. He wobbled slightly from the new wounds that the Raido body had sustained from the demons. His pale blue eyes were brought to bear on the man before him. Z stared deep into the man’s eyes with a sinister intent until the man looked to the ground. The chill voice of Z flowed through the village like a cold mist, “I don’t know you, but since you address me with proper respect I will allow you to state your name and purpose before I kill you.

“Please my Lord, my name is Zared and I am but a humble servant of another who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. But as a token of our good faith…” Zared raised his hands above his head. He chanted slowly while all the wounds on the Raido body began to heal themselves. Z looked at the scars on his stomach where the cuts he had suffered from Shinigami once were.

Z laughed heartily and made fists with his hands. “Very impressive Zared, you have avoided death this day.” Z slowly turned his body around and addressed the demons throughout the village. “Whoever here layed a hand on this body, please stand before me.” The demons looked to Zared who nodded his head. Five demons stood before Z, who raised a hand into the air. With a snap of his fingers ice began to bleed from the earth and slither up the demons legs. They clawed, scratched, screamed, and tired their fire breath to stop the ice. In moments they were frozen solid. Z walked over to them and gently struck the ice that held them. The ice shattered, leaving chunks of the demons covering the ground.

He turned back to Zared with a smile. “Don’t think I don’t know about your little trick Zared.” He snapped his finger again causing ice to form around the packet still held in Zared’s hand. The sudden cold startled Zared, who dropped the packet. It shattered on contact. “You won’t find me as easily tricked as that idiot X. Now what do we have over here.”

Z turned once again and looked at Shinigami being pinned on the ground. He walked slowly toward her with a malevolent smile. “Now you I do know. In fact, I know everything about you Duo Shinigami…because I was once in here,” he kneeled in front of her and poked at her forehead with his index finger.

Duo stopped struggling against the few demons that continued to pin her to the soil, trying to regain her composure, and gather enough of her focus and energy to try and free herself. Blood trickled down her face; a few trails fell into her eyes and she blink perpetually to clear her vision. Her body throbbed with pain from old and new wounds combined and she couldn't help the heaviness of her soul as the direness of the situation settled upon her. She was captured, surrounded by hordes of demons and the one ally she did have had now been taken over by one of his others...she was in serious trouble.

She listened intently to the exchange between Raido Z and Zared, Z was taking control of the proceedings and appeared to be more of a threat now then either Zared or the Demons surrounding and pinning her.

"Now what do we have over here.”

Duo lifted her head as far as she could without strangling herself to see Raido Z stalking towards her, the smirk that engulfed his faced caused her to grimaced inwardly but she maintained a steady glare as he approached her.

“Now you I do know. In fact, I know everything about you Duo Shinigami…because I was once in here,” She tried to move her head away from his touch but to little avail! The last time she had encountered Z he had spoken directly into her mind, searching through her thoughts, exploring and learning of the hunger that had plagued her so viciously, gnawing at her insides. He had used it to spread uncertainty throughout the Teen Titans for fear that Supersonic would be overcome by its severity. If he had been privy to such information as that then of course it was as probable that he had read and learnt of much much more.

Learning of the unfathomable number of people tainted by sin who had died at her hand in an attempt to quench the hunger, and now she was free of its grasp but the price had been Vittorio's death...another killing...

But what she feared worse was the possibility that he had delved deeper then that...had felt her vulnerability and fear, knows of a nightmare that tainted all her thoughts...

Anger bubbled with Duo, seething rage and she successfully conjured a single energy spear with the little energy she had managed to gather and threw it at Raido, slicing into his left shoulder where is quickly dispersed, she was unable to sustain it.

"Touch me again..." Duo hissed viciously, "And I'll do much worse!" She stared with defiance into the ice blue eyes of Z, wishing that they were brown.

Z felt Shinigami’s energy spear rip the flesh in his shoulder. It buried itself deep into his muscle and finally came to a stop as it struck bone and disintegrated. Blood gushed from the wound as if his skin had been a dam that ruptured. He grabbed his shoulder with gritted teeth. He stared with hatred into Shinigami’s eyes.

Zared looked with shock at Z’s shoulder then turned his attention to Shinigami. “Kill her now!” he yelled to his demons who applied more pressure to Duo’s battered body. The sound of snapping bones chimed in Z’s ears like church bells.

“No one touches the soul drinker!” Z yelled over the snarls of the monsters around him. He waved a hand as his skin turned a pale blue! Stalagmites of ice encircled Shinigami’s body! They rose ten feet in the air before coming to a halt with the bodies of skewered demons who were to slow to get out of the way, hanging from the tips! The demons blood froze as soon as it touched the ice.

Z walked toward the cage of ice while holding a hand to his shoulder. Zared rushed toward him saying, “my Lord, what are you doing? Let us kill her for her insulan…” Z grabbed Zared around the throat, his blue hand burning Zared’s neck with intense cold! Z threw Zared through the wall of a hut like he was nothing!

He looked through the pale ice at Shinigami, now free from the demon’s grasp. He struck the ice with his good fist and brought it raining down before him. He walked toward Shinigami with a sneer. He grabbed Duo by her right wrist and lifted her off the ground, the cold of his touch burning her flesh! He pinned her to the ice wall behind! “I see you have a few new tricks since last we met. Before you die, tell me, where are your friends the Titans. I would like to repay them for what happened to me on that sweltering island.”

Duo watched with a pleased smile as Z recoiled away from her, his hand clenched over the gaping wound she had inflicted on his shoulder, attempting to stem the flow of blood that jetted like a fountain, expelled furious from his body. She was even more thrilled to see Z's ice blue eyes flaring with uncontained hatred towards her, his anger physically depicted through his stare.

“Kill her now!”

The act of breathing ceased as the pressure applied to Duo's throat increased ten fold, her trachea being crushed under the force as all oxygen in her lungs was expelled harshly, leaving them vacant and hollow. Elaborate lights splayed across her vision like fragmented prisms, refracting the light into all the colours of the spectrum as the bones in her arm were shattered. The sickening crunch of bone grinding against bone was lost to her due to the blood pounding in her ears. Her chest was on fire, her lungs felt like embers begging for air to feed them as her body screamed to breath and several ribs on her right hand side gave way, continuing even so to curve inwards as the pressure continued to be applied brutally.

No scream of pain nor fear escaped her lips, for sound alluded her without breath, so her pained wails stayed clasped in the casket of her mind.

“No one touches the soul drinker!”

Silvered blue encased her vision as the demons assaulting her were ripped away by stalagmites, her torso arched upwards as air rushed into her lungs and she drank it in greedily, relishing the feel of her lungs filled. The movement in itself was pure agony, jagged jolts of pain ripped through her body, her leg had a twisted knee and broken shin, her right arm was broken in several places, her ribs were also shattered...her entire body reek of injuries and pain, scrapes and bruises clouded the parts of her body that were not grievance with horrific injuries.

Her broken body was dragged from the floor by her right wrist, her ribs on that side throbbed as she dangled in the grasp of Lord Z. A searing sting spread about her wrist, the cold touch of Z burning her flesh and she bit back her scream. Z pinned her against the ice wall, the coldness seeping through her clothes causing a faint tremor to overtake frame. Her head lulled slightly, her head foggy with pain and exhaustion but she kept her onyx eyes trained on Z, the flesh about her nose crinkled with the ferocity of her frown.

“I see you have a few new tricks since last we met. Before you die, tell me, where are your friends the Titans. I would like to repay them for what happened to me on that sweltering island.”

Duo clenched her teeth together in fury, she blinked a few times to prevent her eyes leaking salty paths, physical displays of her weakness. She was silently grateful that she was alone out here, that none of her friends were here to be subjected to this, safe away from Z...

"What's the matter Z!..." Duo struggled out every word, her ragged breathing fracturing the sentence and she sneered his name, leaving out his Lord title for it was a title of respect and she had none for him. "Aren't I enough for you...or are you...so des-per-rate to get your arse KICKED by the whole team again!" Duo said with a smirk, sarcasm dripping off of her tone.

She knew that goading the person who currently was scorching her wrist and pinning her to a wall was probably not a good idea, but if she was to die she would prefer it a quick death by angering him to strike, and she would not let him see the true extent of her pain, of her fear...she was the God-damn angel of Death!

"You want me dead!?" She asked with a bitter laugh, attempting to cover her strained bravado, "Then bloody well get on with it you psychotic ba**tard!"

"You want me dead!?" She asked with a bitter laugh, attempting to cover her strained bravado, "Then bloody well get on with it you psychotic ba**tard!"
Z's sneer tilted until it was a smile as cold as his body. He released Shinigami's wrist, letting her injured body fall to the ground like a doll. He looked down at her twisted back as ice slowly growed around the hole in his shoulder, sealing the blood inside and allowing him the use of his arm again. "You dissappoint me Duo," Z said as he brought his boot into Shinigami's stomach, flipping her onto her back.

He squatted down next to her, bringing his face to hers so that their noses almost touched. "You're as pathetic as that fool X. Do you know what is happening to him right now? You can't tell me that you've never been curious as to what it is like for those that aren't in control." Z's eyes widened as he wrested his knee down on Shinigami's broken right arm. "The Raido mind is quite an interesting thing. The two who are inside take on physical form in the black void of the unconscious. They can feel, think, and move about. And right now, I guarantee that Y is ripping X into pieces. I only wish I could hear his screams," Z turned his head up as if trying to hear a leaf fall in the forest.

"Do you wanna know what the really interesting thing is?" Z turned his attention back down at Shinigami. "No matter how much damage is done to a personality in the mind, it will never die." Z closed his eyes and smiled lightly to himself. "You have no idea how many times I have gutted X and wore his intestines around my neck, only to have him come back again and have an even more painful death awaiting him."

"But now the question still remains, what do I do with you?" Z lifted his knee from her arm and crouched next to her. He gently ran a finger down the side of her leg with his devilish smile widening. "I've got a fun idea," Z said as he quickly grabbed her around her ankle and stood up. He lifted her upside down in front of him, then spun around and threw her through one of the stalagmites! The ice broke about her back as she was stopped by a standing demon!

"Zared!" Z yelled toward the hut where he had thrown him. "I know you are still there you idiot, come out here and heal this creature." Z pointed over at Shinigami with a pale blue finger. Zared emerged from the hut, he was shaking from head to toe and had a small gash on his forehead. He walked with a noticable limp. Z pointed a hand at Shinigami's legs and shot ice from his palms. Ice formed around her entire body, leaving only her head exposed. "Make sure that you heal her everytime she goes into hypothermia. If she dies, you will join her." Zared walked to Shinigami and began to heal her body.

"Its time we all went to meet your master Zared. Take me to him now."