Razhehah Tristitia's Story

His legs gave out underneath him and he stumbled for the fifth time that minute, face headed for the perfectly paved sidewalk. Luckily, like all the other times before, he managed to catch himself before he fell and to stagger onward aimlessly. He had absolutely no idea where he was going, only that he couldn't slow down. Any direction was fine. Any place was fine. As long as it wasn't behind him. His brain was screaming at him to keep his newly obtained vision on the road ahead, but he couldn't help but throw a furtive glance over his shoulder at his pursuer. It was still quite a few paces off, but was gaining speed. He was starting to get tired. That thing was still in top shape. He broke his eye contact with the dark silhouette of the Hell guard and continued running on ahead. His red hair flew out wildly behind him, making him an easy target to spot in the dead of the night, when the only colors were black and gray and the occasional yellow from the streetlamps. The vintage style glasses on his face bumped repeatedly against his nose, causing him to flinch every time. He still wasn't used to seeing yet. When he had made it out of Hell's gates, he had somehow retained the eyesight he had lost in his eternity down in Hell. It was a blessing, yet a curse at the same time, to have it back. He still wasn't adjusted quite yet to bright lights. That was why he was wearing the glasses. It reduced the impact of the light for eyes that had grown far too used to constant darkness.

As he neared the end of the street, the young demon turned and abruptly found himself facing a single set of staircase leading down. Below was the rails of a train track. There was nowhere else he could go. He stole a glance behind him before launching himself down the railing. It had rained earlier, and the metal was still slippery wet. It made gliding down the railing ten times easier than if the metal had been dry. He neared the bottom in a mere second and briefly shook out the wet drops from the bottom of his jacket before running across the tracks and launching himself into the bushes on the other side. Fortunately, there was no train coming and the Hell guard was still descending the staircase. The young demon wriggled his way into the depths of the thicket, wincing as a few sharp brambles pierced his cheek and made scratches down his arms. When he had buried himself deep enough into the greenery, he held his breath and waited.

A few seconds later, he saw movement in front of him. Immediately, he flexed his hand and his fingers elongated and turned from flesh into solid steel. He lashed out and racked something besides the thick dense of leaves and bramble. There was a low moan from somewhere beyond the thicket and then all was still. He drew back his hand and stared at it. In the darkness of the bramble thicket, the blood on the steel only seemed to stand out even more. He grinned humorlessly and flicked the blood off the steel before turning his hand back into its normal human form. With his pursuer gone, he could now breath easy. He wormed his way out of the opposite end of the bushes and found himself on a sidewalk next to a busy shopping street. Fortunately, no one was around at this late hour. The young man dusted himself off and stared in disappointment at the scratches lacing his arms and face.

"Oh great, look what happened to my beautiful skin."

He complained. His voice was husky, laced with a tone of superiority. He looked around the street experimentally before walking around at a leisurely pace. Once again, he had absolutely no idea where he was headed, only that he needed to find a place to live. Else he wasn't going to blend in very well in this community. Before long, someone in Hell would notice that one of the guards hadn't returned. And they would notice that he had escaped. The demon shook his head and quickened his pace. He had to find shelter before they pieced together the bits of the puzzle. For quite a few minutes, he walked and walked. Then, he came upon a residential district and breathed a sigh of relief. He bolted towards the nearest door and knocked on it quietly. Hopefully someone would answer. But what would he say when they did?

In the dark confines of the sparsely furnished room, a lone form tossed and turned, the quiet rustle of the bedsheets the only sound in that still, empty place as the solitary girl tried in vain to fall asleep, somehow. It was no use, Renevari thought with a sigh. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and glanced around, her eyes falling on the clock sitting on the bedside table, and the four red numbers that glowed forth from within it, like a final judgement on how her night would be spent: alone, sleepless, and without anything to keep her mind from drifting back to the prospect of the endless night that awaited her. 12:45 A.M., and she was still awake. No matter how many times this happened to her, she just couldn't find herself getting used to it, even though she had long since accepted these long, dreary times as inevitable.

Sighing again, she rose. There was no sense lying here and mulling over her situation when she might at least find some way to occupy herself. By now, her family would long since have gone to bed, which meant she could go downstairs without being accosted about whatever it was they wanted her to do now. She couldn't bring herself to care about the things they did, nor could she ever be a part of them, so why bother to watch them so happy when all it meant was that she would be sad? Ren didn't think of herself as a jealous person, but she couldn't help but envy the people around her, whose lives and plans went without a hitch while she was left to sulk alone in her lonely room.

Making her way to the door - she didn't need the lights to know exactly where it was, and her room was so bare (decorated only with a bed, closet, and computer/study desk) that there wasn't a chance in the world that she'd trip over something - she unlocked it, opened it silently, and walked quietly out into the hall, taking up her trademark coat from where it hung just outside and donning it out of sheer habit. The only path before her was a long flight of stairs downward, so she took it, and, creeping through a hall that doubled back upon itself, being careful not to make any noise and wake any of those slumbering in the rooms off the main corridor, she made her way to the bottom floor. Her own room was situated in what had once been the attic of the house, but had been converted into a dwelling place for her once she had cut herself off from the world in general. It alternatively served as her metaphorical prison, where she stayed confined alone when she was too nervous or weak to go out - which was often - and as her fortress, behind the mighty walls of which she stood against the amassed forces of the world and social life and defended herself nobly, to the last. None came to that place except to deposit food or water for the tired girl, and, consequently, she was left alone. She amused herself in whatever way she could - keeping up with her studies to pass the time, reading through the vast collection of books in her closet for the fifty-millionth time, or browsing the web on her computer. Despite this, though, it got so lonely in that solitary, dusty attic, that she remained constantly torn between her fear of emerging from her shelter and her biting anguish at being stuck by herself for so long.

The bottom floor of the house was still as the grave. The lights were out in the kitchen, parlor, dining room, and family room, and not a single speck of dust stirred in that silent place. The only sound in the quiet air was the quiet footfalls of the young girl's soft feet as she crept into the kitchen for a midnight snack, having skipped lunch and succumbed to her overwhelming need for a nap that afternoon. She was just about to reach into the refrigerator and get something to eat when a noise broke the silence.

Tap tap.

That couldn't have been... knocking? Who would come to her house this early in the morning? Ren was paranoid by nature, and so approached the main entryway carefully, sticking to the side of the passage so as not to be seen moving through the small peephole in the otherwise solid front door. Slowly, she stood on her tiptoes to peer through the small window, looking out on...

A lone boy?

He might have looked normal enough, were it not for the general oddity of his appearance. His features were in stark contrast to themselves. In some places, it looked like he had kept himself groomed with the utmost care, but in others, his skin had shallow cuts, from which tiny streams of blood leaked. His hair was a mess, and his otherwise immaculate clothing bore on it a few crimson stains that looked an awful lot like blood. Ren's heart froze in her chest. What did this boy want? Maybe he was a thief, or a murderer? That would explain the blood. He might have just knocked to check and see if anyone was home, or, worse, to lure anyone who might have been home to the door so he could attack them. But on the other hand, he looked rather winded. What if he had just been attacked, and was in need of help? There was only one way to find out, Ren realized, and her conscience wouldn't let her simply turn and run away. Taking up the first thing her hand met - a coat stand, incidentally - as a weapon and concealing it behind the door, she slowly, gently opened the large wooden portal, peeking out from around its edge.

"Y-yes?" She stammered uneasily, her eyes keen for any hint of sudden movement.

When the door first opened, he couldn't even see anything. It was only when his amber eyes lowered that he found himself eye to eye with a young girl. Her eyes were bright green and teeming with a mixture of suspicion and fear. He wondered if it was because of his odd appearance. He couldn't exactly blame her though. Had he been a human girl, he might have been rather freaked out to find a stranger covered in blood standing outside the door at around one in the morning. In any other situation, he would have most certainly rushed into the house and slammed the door. This girl though, already looked scared enough without him making any sort of sudden movements. It almost felt as though he was dealing with a scared animal, one that had to be approached with the most precise caution and meticulousness.

He chose his words carefully, barely daring to speak above a whisper.

"Please, you have to let me in. Someone's coming after me."

Normally, he wouldn't have been so polite, much less beg this girl for any sort of help. But this was a special situation he was in. And if he didn't get out of it fast, he could very well be paying a round trip ticket back to Hell. That was most certainly not what he wanted. That ticket had to be one way, or he wouldn't have even taken the risk in the first place. He knew that the odds she would believe him would be incredibly slim, if not zero. He hoped though, that the blood pouring down his cheek and the stains on his shirt might be enough to prove to her that he wasn't some crazy lunatic running around in the night.

The Demon was right. The chances someone would believe him and let him in were slim. However, every now and then, little miracles happen, and this was one such one and a million chance.

Renevari Lehsade was a kind soul. Even if she was afraid of other people, and of being a burden to them, she could not resist helping someone in need, be it by doing what little she could, or by getting herself out of the way. This boy was clearly afraid, clearly being pursued by something. He had been bloodied by that something, and wanted help. While she was still afraid, she was no longer unsure. She knew exactly what course of action she would take.

"Are they still following you? Quick, come in before they see you!" She replied, opening the door slightly and stepping aside to let him in. This movement had the double nature of also allowing her to step behind the door, putting her in a position where she could flank the boy and hold him off with the coat stand long enough to scream for help if he tried anything. As soon as he was inside, she shut and locked the door, all the while keeping her eyes on him.

Well, she supposed. It looked like this normal, unexciting, dreary night had just changed, be it for the better, or for the worse.

He was beyond surprised when the girl suddenly nodded and stepped aside, opening the door just a shade wider. This was completely unexpected. In fact, he had been perfectly prepared for her to scream and slam the door in his face and call the police. Or whatever it was that human girls did when mysterious boys covered in blood appeared on their doorstep. Well, now that the door was open, he couldn't exactly pass up on this chance. He threw another glance over his shoulder and seeing that the night air remained undisturbed, he ushered himself into the house. It was completely dark, but he could just make out the contents of each room from the small hallway that he was standing in. Much to his relief, he noticed a small bathroom to his left. The girl herself was standing behind the door, still staring at him apprehensively. Clearly, she still didn't trust him enough to venture out in the open defenseless. He wondered if she might have some sort of weapon behind her back that she was getting ready to club him with. Not that it mattered. What could a human girl possibly do to a young demon? Albeit, a demon in human form, but still a demon nonetheless. She wasn't his main concern though. His main concern was getting himself tidied up. With that in mind, he moved towards the bathroom door and clicked it open. Before he entered, he looked back towards the girl and said,

"Thanks. I'll give you an explanation after I get rid of all this blood."

When the door clicked shut behind him, he heaved a sigh and moved over towards the sink with the mirror hanging above it. Just how long was he going to keep up this facade of acting pleasant and charming? It wasn't going to work forever. Sooner or later, he was bound to become his egotistical old self. For now though, for the sake of his own safety, he had to play it safe. That's right. He had to play up the act for just a while longer. At least until the Hell guards gave up on exhausting resources to find him.

His mind calmer now, the demon took his thick glasses off and turned the faucet water on and splashed the liquid carelessly over his face, rubbing at the spots where the blood was flowing from his scratches. It burnt slightly, but he ignored it and kept on going until his entire face and hair was drenching wet. He took a deep breath and stared at his face in the mirror. Without the glasses, everything was still rather blurry, but he could see well enough to notice that, with all the blood gone, the scratches were barely visible on his face. He had been lucky to receive such minor injuries. At least it wouldn't ruin his perfectly crafted skin.

The demon boy pushed his glasses back on his face and ran a finger down his cheek. A pair of intense amber eyes crafted on a porcelain face stared back at him from the mirror. His hand ran through the high cheekbones, the defined nose and the heavy set jaw before falling back into place at his side. He was definitely a masterpiece. Definitely. He took a step back from the mirror and frowned as his chest area came into view. His shirt was unbelievably dirty, soiled with blood, dirt, pieces of bramble and plenty of dust and water. There was no way that he was going to wear it for even another second. Reaching into the fabric of the shirt, he immediately pulled it off and flung it over one shoulder. His eyes were drawn to something else too. With the shirt gone, the white flesh on his chest was completely visible. Only the majority of his flesh wasn't so white anymore. A huge tattoo with black lettering was scrawled across most of his skin. It was a simple message, but a meaningful one nonetheless:

Chase Your Dreams

Someone had told him that years ago. He just couldn't exactly remember who that someone was. No matter now. The past was nothing but a mere memory in his mind. His focus now was the present and the future. He sighed and reopened the door to the bathroom, stepping out. Back in the hallway, he found the girl still standing there. He wondered how she would react to seeing him half naked. Best to clarify things right now than wait and watch her get the wrong idea.

"You don't happen to have a guy's shirt, do you? I can't wear this one any longer."

((Ugh. Apologies on the long wait. I was volunteering at the hospital all day yesterday and couldn't forward a reply.))

Ren had to admit, she was worried. The boy hadn't made any sudden moves, or even come very close to her, but something just seemed so... off, for lack of a better word, about him. As he gave a quick comment and headed into the bathroom, she waited uneasily. The young girl had half a mind to wake her family and call them down, but she decided against it. They would probably just yell at her for being up so late and for letting a stranger into the house, so what was the point? She would wait a little longer. After all, if he had wanted to pull something, wouldn't he have done it the moment he came through the door? While it might have been good planning to wait until she let her guard down, it didn't make much sense to give her a chance to go get help before making his move. Unless she actually needed her family to save her, she wouldn't get them involved.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the quiet sound of the door opening, and she turned her gaze upon the bathroom, from which the boy was now emerging. What met her eyes was not what she had been expecting. She involuntarily gasped in surprise and drew back, worried by the fact that her midnight visitor had emerged from his little cleaning session with his shirt slung carelessly over his shoulder and his upper body entirely bare, revealing a gigantic black text that was scrawled across his body. The tattoo made him seem suddenly more fierce than he had when he had been vulnerable, asking for her help, and Renevari had to wonder if she had been right not to call her family down. Something about the imprint on his otherwise pale flesh made him seem unnatural and bestial, as though he had committed some offense against his natural form and changed himself into something that, while Human seemed somehow... not. Ren couldn't explain it, but she didn't like the way he looked now. The only thing that gave her hope that he might not be as frightening as she thought was the nature of those words.

"Chase Your Dreams."

It took her a moment to gather herself, but the fact that he had asked her a question soon registered to her, as well as what that question was. Suddenly, she became aware that she had been staring at him - specifically, at the words on his chest. Flushing slightly from the awkwardness of the situation, she quickly averted her eyes, realizing exactly how her sudden fixation on his form might have been interpreted. She did her best to respond in a composed manner, but had a feeling that "composed" wasn't a word that could describe her at the moment.

"E-er... I don't have any, b-but I could probably get you one of my brother's. They just came out of the wash," She answered hastily. She was rather reluctant to go get something and leave him here, though...

He caught her staring at the tattoo imprinted into his flesh and surprised himself and her by laughing out loud. Sometimes, the actions of humans were certainly amusing. He could tell from the way she stuttered and her cautious moves that she was still very apprehensive and nervous about having him inside the house. Not that he could blame her. Odds were, her family were upstairs as well. He wasn't going to do anything rash though and risk getting kicked out. She should have logically come to that conclusion by now.

She clearly didn't want to budge from her position in the hallway and get him another shirt, so he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't bother with it then. I'll leave it be...unless of course the tattoo disturbs you."

His lip curled up into a smirk at that moment as he let the girl know that he realized what she was staring at the entire time. He wondered exactly what it might be like in her eyes. Maybe she saw him as a sort of beast. That was what large tattoos seemed to be associated with these days. Evil, chaos, disorder. Maybe even demons. Now, wasn't that rather ironic? It was enough to make him want to laugh out loud again, but he didn't dare to. Someone might hear them from upstairs. And he had a feeling that the girl's family members might not be as forgiving as she was.

He realized that he didn't know her name. Nor did she know his. Could he even give her his real name? Unlikely. She would probably do a double take and be further convinced that he was some sort of strange murderer or thief.

"N-no, there's no need for that! Don't worry about it," Ren stammered quickly, trying to correct the mistakes she had already made. She wouldn't stand for this strange visitor going half unclothed, as it was not only a little cold, but also more than a little embarrassing dealing with him like this, and if her parents came downstairs and found her chatting with a strange, shirtless boy, then there was no telling what conclusions they might jump to. Honestly, she really didn't want to think about that possibility. Consequently, objective number one was to get a shirt for her new guest as quickly as possible, especially before he started taunting her slyly- Oh wait, he already had.

"Come this way. There's really no need to bother yourself over me," She reiterated, motioning toward a small door leading into the basement, which served as the house laundry room. Giving a weak smile, she opened the door and stepped aside as though to offer the pathway to him. This had the double effect of further emphasizing her point and request on top of giving her the vantage point - specifically, behind him - while they descended the small stairwell. Even if she wanted to help him, she just couldn't so easily cast aside her fears and doubts.

He stepped towards the staircase and began to descend, noting that the girl was still behind him, watching him cautiously. He really couldn't blame her, but the behavior was starting to get rather annoying by now. It was good to be slightly apprehensive, but there were limits to how scared a person could be. This girl was about to cross the limits in his mind. He suppressed a frustrated sigh and instead stopped on the fifth stair from the bottom and craned his neck back to look up at the girl. There was enough light spilling in from the hallway above for him to slightly make out her features. There was a clear expression of worry and confusion on her face. He did his best to offer a smile before remarking in the gentlest voice he could muster,

"Heck, I know I'm sarcastic and rather rude but I'm not going to do anything to you. That wouldn't be fair after you let me into your house. Seriously. That little action was a lot more than you might think it was."

Indeed, harming this girl now would be a poor form of repayment. The fact that she had even allowed him into her house was enough of a gift for him to be indebted to her for a long time to come. In fact, if she hadn't allowed him to come in...no, he wouldn't think about what might happen if he had been left to his own devices on the cold street with the punishing lights. Determined to get the thoughts out of his mind, he turned back around and ran a finger through his bangs as he continued walking down the staircase.

When he reached the bottom, he leaned against the wall and crossed one leg over another. His back was pressed against the cold wall, and the sensation felt oddly comforting after his flesh had been trapped in the sweaty shirt for a number of hours. He knew that it was about time to get down to business. Sooner or later, she would ask him what his business was and why he had been running down the street alone and soaked in blood. Best to get it over with now. He chuckled ruefully before turning to look at the small girl in front of him.

"Well? Aren't you going to ask me who I am and why I was running along the street?"

He glanced upward towards the main floor and realized that there was enough distance between the two and the rest of the family that no one would ever have a chance of hearing them if they spoke in quiet voices. Knowing this, he persisted in prodding her.

"Well? No one's going to hear us."

He wasn't sure why he was so insistent in the first place. Maybe he really did need to tell someone. Yes, that was it. With the darkness circling him, he had a strange urge to spill all his secrets and make the girl believe that he really was a demon from Hell who had run away to have a better life on Earth. Would she believe him? What did it matter? He just had to tell someone. It didn't matter if that person believed or not.

"O-oh... Sorry..." Ren stammered, unsure of how to respond to the strange visitor's first comment. An apology seemed appropriate, since her apprehensive treatment of him had probably insulted him, in a way. He seemed nice enough, but he also seemed rather strange. He had showed up on her doorstep at almost one in the morning, bloodied from some kind of fight and asking for shelter. That was most definitely NOT normal, and Renevari Lehsade grew somewhat fearful at abnormal things happening all of a sudden.

Turning her eyes away from the boy, she quickly picked up a simple button-up white shirt and a thin black vest from a nearby table, where they lay to be folded at some point in the future. Handing them to him, she glanced at her feet as though suddenly fascinated by the floor. In reality, she just wanted to keep herself from staring at him. She wasn't a dirty-minded person, by any stretch of the imagination, and didn't want it to look that way just because he was so... odd.

"A-alright... Why exactly are you here? Who are you running from, and what happened?" She asked slowly. The way he pressured her to ask him... it was yet another thing that was out of the ordinary. It was almost like... no, exactly like he was looking for any excuse to tell her something. He was eager for her to know his past, and for someone on the run, that did not seem in any way expected or even practical. The only explanation she could think up was that he was planning to scare her, to threaten her somehow. Immediately, she began wracking her brains for some way of escape, should things go sour. While she had been reassured by his placating words a moment previously, he was acting strangely, and that scared her.

Maybe he wasn't as nice as she had thought. Even still, she realized, she mustn't run away. If there was a chance that he was in earnest, and really needed her help, then she would just have to be brave, and give that help to him.

Watching her reactions had become an unknowing source of amusement for him in the past few minutes. Human girls really were easy to mess with and manipulate. He hadn't even been trying to be rude or sarcastic, yet she was already looking extraordinarily panicked and nervous. Maybe he needed to lay off a bit. When he saw the white shirt and black vest being offered to him, he took both garments and silently pulled the shirt over his bare chest, covering the tattoo again. As he fingered the buttons on the shirt, he suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to tell this girl the truth. Maybe he should just make up some fantastic story on the spot. But that might not be a good idea. In his experience, lies always failed after a few days. Besides, she had helped him and he felt he owed her at least something. Something genuine. But his real story? Was that really a wise move to make?

His long fingers slowly buttoned up the first of the many buttons that were sewn into the white fabric of the shirt. Through the side of his glasses, he looked at the girl thoughtfully. She was staring at the ground with a sort of fabricated intensity, as though she was eager to stare at anything but him. Maybe his behavior tonight had been a little out of the ordinary. No, way out of the ordinary. The more he stared at her, the more he realized that he needed to say something. He heaved a gusty sigh and his fingers moved down towards the next button.

"Look, let me say something right off the bat. I'm not a nice guy."

He wanted to clear that up at least before she began to naively trust him or place any sort of confidence in him. The button went through the loop.

"In fact, I'm an overly sarcastic and egotistical guy."

Another button. Another loop.

"But I'll make one thing clear, sweets. I don't lie. So you'd better be ready to accept that what I'm about to say is all truth, no matter how fantastic it might sound."

He stared at her again out of his vintage style glasses and finished buttoning up the last two on the white shirt. He left the vest dangling from his arm and instead moved towards the girl. She was still staring vacantly at the ground and with a sigh, he reached out and yanked her chin up so she was at least more or less looking straight at him.

"So, tell me sweets. Do you believe in a place called Hell?"

(Sorry for such a short post. X.X)

"W-what?"

This was not good. Even with the boy's claims that he wasn't about to lie, none of Ren's apprehensions were assuaged. She didn't fear him telling some false story, no. She was afraid of something else now. She was afraid of what seemed to her to slowly be becoming a very threatening discussion. She straightened herself up, putting herself in a more firm stance from which she might run or resist if attacked, although she honestly doubted her capability to do anything to protect herself if things got violent. This was not a good situation.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked as composedly as she could, glancing back up with somewhat narrowed eyes. "I suppose I believe in a Hell, yes, but I don't see why that's important."

His eyebrow shot up and he grinned as he noticed the shift in her stance.

"Well, you're certainly a lot tougher than you look. But you know, any sort of bravery is wasted here. I'm not going to do anything to do."

Besides, excessive bravery often lead to trouble. Tonight had been a prime example of that. He had been brave enough to sneak out of the gates of Hell, but the result was that the Hell guards had been chasing after him for well up to an hour. Maybe even more. Even now, as he stood in this girl's basement, he could still feel his heart palpitating in an odd way. It wasn't fully recovered from the long run, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be for quite a while. If he had to run again...well, his body might not be up to the challenge this time.

Speaking of Hell, he realized that the girl had declared soundly that she 'supposed' she believed in a Hell. That was a better answer than he had first anticipated. From what he knew, humans were an overly cynical bunch who refused to believe anything that the couldn't see or hear or touch. Yet Hell did exist, and those same skeptics could see and hear and touch it. They just didn't bother looking hard enough for clues. Scientists claimed that they wanted to know as much as possible about the universe, yet they were failing to investigate thoroughly and pick up some of the obvious signs that Hell existed. Sometimes, this blindness was unbelievable.

He released his grip on the girl and moved back against the wall. Another deep sigh escaped his lips. He prepared himself to tell her what she wanted to know. And what he needed to tell.

"Alright. So you say you believe in Hell. Well then, let's take it a step further. If there is a Hell in your mind, then there must be demons also. Isn't that right? Do you believe in demons?"

He hadn't really told her anything yet. Maybe she would be smart enough to piece together some of the strange questions he had asked her and find the bigger picture. It wouldn't surprise him. She seemed to be a pretty intelligent and open-minded girl. He needed someone like that to hear him out.

(I was so tempted to make a "No, you are the Demons" reference here. XD)

"If there's a Hell, then something has to live there, doesn't it? There has to be some purpose. So yes, I suppose my answer to that would be 'I believe in it,'" Ren said coolly, waiting cautiously to see what the bizarre boy would do next. He had appeared out of nowhere, already under strange circumstances, but these bizarre hints he was making about Hell and Demons didn't make any sense. Was he trying to tell her that he was being chased by Demons? Or perhaps he was trying to say that he WAS the Demon!

"So what are you saying? That you were chased here by Demons straight out of Hell? Because if that's the case, then I'm afraid that you aren't much safer hiding in my basement than you were outside," She stated simply. She didn't want to think about the other possibility behind his words, because if that was what he meant, then she was about to feel very, very threatened.

(LOL, you should have.)

The fact that she managed to piece together the pieces and remain unnerved was something that caused him to do a double take. Not only was she open minded, but she seemed totally undisturbed to the supernatural as well. Who was this girl? She was beyond strange for a human. True, he didn't really have much experience with humans, but this girl seriously exceeded all the boundaries he thought that humans were supposed to fit under. Something was off. In fact, her cool acceptance was almost unnerving. But he laughed off all the feelings and grinned.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Aren't you smart? But since you're so smart, I guess I don't have to explain much else to you."

He leaned further back against the wall and whistled admiringly before muttering half to himself.

"A human this acute...who would have thought?"

The last part of what she said was slightly disappointing. Maybe she was right though. Was he any safer hiding inside her basement? His will said yes, but reason said no. He really was no safer inside her basement than if he was outside because, as long as the Hell guards were motivated, they could find him anywhere. Hopefully they were too lazy or too preoccupied to come after him though. Or maybe they would be too discouraged after he had wriggled right out underneath their fingertips. He eyed her again as he contemplated this thought before chuckling again.

"Maybe you're right and I'm no safer in here than anywhere else. But what's that matter to you? The Hell guards aren't interested in a human like you. They just want me. So regardless of where I am, you and your family are still safe."

His right eyebrow shot up mischievously again as he said this. What he said was completely true. The Hell guards couldn't care less for humans. Knowing that, would she still let him stay in here? Or would she force him out? It was almost entertaining to anticipate her next action.

Ren's eyes widened in surprise. He really meant what she had guessed? She couldn't believe it. Her remark had been more an indirect way of telling him to get to the point than any actual sort of suspicion. She hadn't actually expected... Was he serious? Maybe he was confused, or trying to confuse her! There wasn't such a thing as Demons entering the material world, was there? Demons were supposed to stay in the afterlife, punishing those who had lived evil lives, or, or, or something! If they could enter the Human world at their leisure, then what did that mean?! That damnation was hovering over the heads of every single person alive? If Demons could just pop down onto Earth whenever they wanted, that meant that almost everything she'd ever believed or known could all be some twisted lie!

But she was getting overly worked up. She needed to face this in a calm and reasonable matter. Before she simply accepted what he said, he would need to prove it tru-

Wait, had he just said what she thought he had?

"A Human this acute... who would have thought?"'

"The Hell guards aren't interested in a Human like you."

He had.

"So... Let me get this straight," Ren said quietly, watching the unusually blase demon boy with caution and worry. "You're saying you're a Demon, being chased by more Demons, and you want me to shelter you? Because if so, first, I'm going to need some proof. If you show that you're a Demon, then I can accept that there also might be Demons chasing you, so don't worry about showing me these 'Hell Guards' firsthand. Secondly, you're going to need to explain to me why I can trust you. I was under the impression that Demons were little red guys with pointed tails who carried around pitchforks and only came to the Human world to drag people to Hell, and if that last part's the case, I'm not sure I want anything to do with you."

"Let me ask you something deary,"

He chuckled again, pressing his head against the wall.

"Do you honestly believe everything that everyone tells you like a little lost sheep? Do you ever question that what's said to you may not be the truth?"

He had read human literature before. The way that they portrayed demons was what he considered some of the most insulting and ridiculous works that he had ever read. Little red things with horns and sharp tails who carried around pitchforks? Hardly. The assumption was so far from the truth that he almost wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Demons aren't what your literature portrays us as. In fact, the only work that you humans have produced that is even a bit reflective of Hell's true nature is Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy'. And judging from your statements just now, you've never read that."

She had also asked for proof that he was a demon. Well, he'd give her proof. He just wasn't sure that she'd like it. He pulled himself off the wall and stepped in front of her, raising his hand in full view of her eyes. Then, he flexed it in the same motion he had done an hour earlier on the streets. Immediately, his hand underwent the same transformation. Flesh turned into steel, and he was left with something that looked eerily like knife blades coming out of the place where his fingers once were. He waited for her reaction, smirking.

"Here's your proof darling. Don't tell me that you're not going to believe it when you've just seen it with your own eyes. As for why you should trust me..."

His eyes clouded over at this point and he turned away for a second as quite a few bits of his past resurfaced in his mind. Quietly, he muttered.

"I'm a lot more human than you might think. And I hate my home more than you might imagine."

"I was being sarcastic," Ren sighed. "Now you see why I don't do it more often. I'm always so earnest, people take me at face value-" She might have said more, but at that moment, with a crack and a hiss, the demon boy raised his hand, and, to her horror, she watched as his fingers twisted, writhing about and warping themselves into frightful metallic blades. Instinctively, she took a step backward, but managed to steady herself. This... this was the proof she had asked for, but she hadn't honestly expected...!

"A-alright..." She murmured, trying to collect her shattered thoughts as she stared nervously upon the unnatural boy who stood before her. "I g-guess I can trust you, but... why me? Why exactly did you come here?" She had to know. What was it about her that had attracted this Demon here? Was it some sort of evil within her own soul? She... didn't think she could handle knowing something like that.

(Short post is short. OTL. Sorry)

She looked almost about to faint when he pulled out the secret blades that were hidden inside his carefully constructed human flesh. He sighed and retracted the blades and with a hiss, his fingers reverted back to normal. As though nothing had happened in the last few seconds. Well, she had asked for proof. And now she had that proof.

"Why you?"

He laughed, because the answer was really simple.

"Actually, I just knocked on the first door I saw. But you know," He took his eyes off the ground and stared hard at her for a few moments. "I might have gotten lucky. There's not many humans who are too smart. And even fewer who would willingly let a stranger in the front door."

"Oh... I see," Ren said, relief evident in her voice. It was still hard to believe what was happening. Maybe she had fallen asleep and this was all a dream? No, she was sure she was awake. In that case, there could be only one response. Demons walked amongst Humans, and one of them was standing right in front of her. The knowledge that he was apparently a rogue didn't help to ease that shocking revelation's impact.

"Alright, well then, if that's the case, I suppose I'll let you stay here. However - and please don't take offense to this - please don't get near my family. Even if they won't be targeted, if they find out exactly what you are, or see any of the Demons chasing you, they might be eliminated as witnesses. I'll take the risk myself. In short, I'll let you live here, but only in secret." He might have wondered how she intended to do such a thing, so she continued, giving an explanation before he needed to ask.

"I'm... a bit of a shut in," Ren began rather reluctantly. "I suffer from a bad case of narcolepsy. I fall asleep all the time, and it's not always a relaxing experience. Because of that, it's not exactly abnormal for me to stay locked in my room all day, and only to get up at night. I don't really have any friends, either, and my family only ever really comes to see me to give me some food. Funny, I never thought all that'd actually be convenient for helping someone." She sighed bitterly. It was pretty clear that she herself wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement, but had long since given up her hopes of changing anything. It wasn't quite that she seemed jealous of her relatives, but she wasn't content with her lot, to be sure, which was a sort of envy in and of itself.

"Anyway, the point is, almost nobody ever goes into my room, since it's in the attic and I keep the door locked, so as long as there isn't a bunch of noise, you could hide out up there, and nobody'd be any the wiser. The roof is sloped, with only small gaps between the floors, and the bottom of the roof is at ground level in the corner of the back yard, so you could climb out the window and sneak out if you got tired of sticking around inside. I don't ever really eat much of the meals they leave outside my door, either, and those are pretty big, so you'd probably be able to keep yourself fed on that alone."

"So... how does that sound?" She asked at last.