North Gates

Fear flooded her eyes, and she automatically grabbed his shoulder with her uninjured arm in attempt to keep him away.

Aerie shook her head violently and tears started to slip from the corners of her eyes. A sob forced its way out of her chest without her permission, and she continued to shake her head from side to side.

"Please... No more..." she whimpered.

*grabs her hand firmly off his shoulder and keeps his eyes on her*
Then do it.

Angrily, she wiped her tears away and clenched her teeth together.

'Goddammit... I hate being weak.'

She slowly closed the distance between their faces and lightly placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

When the deed was done, she leaned away on her left hand again and refused to meet his gaze.

"Please bring Shungo back," she said flatly.

*after the kiss, he chuckled and pointed to his lips*
You missed.

She finally turned her head to meet his gaze and stared at him.

Aerie gave him a strange and disbelieving expression.

'No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. He's... He's unbelievable.'

"A-Are you serious?"

Had she had enough blood, she would have blushed, but she slightly lost the color in her face instead.

*grabs her injured arm and squeezes it, making her blood run between his fingers*
What the fuck do you think?

She let out a surprised, pained shriek, and she lunged at him with the hand that was not injured.

Aerie pinned one of his shoulders with her left hand, digging her nails into him, and landed with her knees on either side of his waist. Her lips met his in a rush.

She did all of this in the course of two seconds without thinking; she had only wanted to stop the pain.

*he closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss for his last few moment, then suddenly he fell asleep*

Aerie tore her face away from him abruptly and looked down at him.

He was sleeping.

She stayed on top of him, but released her grip on his shoulder and placed it flat on the ground next to his head. She was breathing hard.

'... Ew.'

She swung her right leg to the left side and sat with her legs crossed. Her right arm lay limply in her lap, and she watched Shungo silently.

'Damn it...'

She kept thinking back to the kiss.

*breathes shallowly, his eyes flickering from red to blue under his eyelids*

Aerie ran a hand through her hair and looked down at herself. She was a righteous, bloody mess.

She tended to the holes in her neck, first; those were fairly easy. Using the knowledge that she had gained while living in a house full of Eternals, she used the water in her blood to coax it up to her neck. She then began the process of focusing healing energy into the water and platelets in her blood and began to close up the wounds.

The name on her arm, however, was a different matter. She used the same process in attempt to mend her arm, but the skin healed as a scar that threatened to stay with her forever.

"'Atomysk'..." she read from her arm. "Hn..."

She felt strangely okay with this.

*Shungo's eyes flicker open and then close*
Aerie...
*groans, turning on his side and balling up, holding his stomach*
Damnit.

Aerie became alert again, and her eyes widened at the sound of his voice.

She scooted closer to his side and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Shungo? Are you alright?" she asked urgently, her voice drenched with worry. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

*he gritted his teeth hard together, and held his stomach still*
My whole...abdomen hurts...
*the shadows in the area start to swarm them*

She frowned slightly, and then remembered that she had kicked Atomysk in the stomach earlier.

'Fuck.'

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry. That was my fault, I think..."

She noticed that the shadows were starting to move strangely.

"Shungo, I'm sorry. Control yourself... The shadows are moving weirdly... You're alright, Shungo... You're okay..."

She kept an eye on the shadows and an eye on Shungo.

*groans again*
*tries to stand up, but hits the ground*
*the shadows start vibrating*
Shit...
*the shadows crash into Shungo, devouring him*

'What the hell?!"

"Shungo!"

She wasn't able to do anything when Shungo disappeared.

*avoids her arm, looking completely calm but in pain*
Dont worry...this happens when som....
*is completely taken over, dissapearing*

She pulled back and watched as he disappeared completely.

"Stay safe..." she whispered, though he probably couldn't hear her.

She watched as the shadows returned to normal, and then walked off towards the park.

*walks directly past the girl with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the night sky*

*looks up*
Hmmm
*lifts himself up into the air and up to the rooftop*

*He appears with a low growl*

*He sighs*
Pretty cold out. That's good.

*He glances around with one eye open*
Hmm....

*appears*
*looks around and sees Daryan*
Excuse me, hunter, have you happen to know where Sakurai-chan is?