NINE

I slammed against the back wall in the room falling to my knees and shaking my head. I stood up again looking around. My nails started to grow as the others in the room was just starting to rise and react to me coming into the room. Humans were so slow.

Taking advantage of this, I leaped forward grabbing the pure boy. They had called him Soji. He was a white mage. That meant he was probably the most important person in this room. They wouldn't want anything to happen to him. At the same time him being a white mage meant he was the most dangerous person in this room. I had to take my chances. I had to get home.

One of my hands wrapped around Soji's waist as the nails on my other hand pressed against his throat. My fangs pushed down from my gums, my golden eyes turning red. I didn't go full demon on them, but I wanted to look threatening. From the way they were backing away from me I think I had that effect.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered in Soji's ear. He gave his head a slight nod showing that he understood what I was saying. I could see the panic on the others faces. They didn't want their white mage to be hurt. If I pulled this off, no one would have to get hurt.

I could hear Soji's heart racing, I could smell the sweet scent of his blood. It made my stomach ache to be so close to someone so pure. I knew that his blood was the best you could ever have. Untainted by the world around him. It was what demons creamed themselves to get a chance at.

After the beating I took from Ban and Kenji I knew I was going to need to eat soon. I had the best possible source in front of me. I couldn't make this boy my meal though. He was as innocent as a person could be. Just because Shu was gone didn't mean everything I learned from him and Kaleb went out the window. If anything it meant more now that I no longer had them. I wanted to honor them now and forever.

"Take your filthy hands off of Soji." The rough voice idiot demanded me. Soji was my shield. What did he think I was going to do? Say 'oh gee, I'm sorry.' I had glared at the man before I leaned over running my tongue up the side of Soji's face in a Ban like move.

Soji shivered as I licked him. It was the same reaction that I always give to Ban. Soji's body sank into mine. I didn't know why but I liked that reaction. He wasn't scared of me. Normally people would be shaking if they were being held by a demon. Soji seemed at home in my arms.

Looking back at the crowd I could see the anger on the brown-haired man's face. It made me smile. Maybe it was the demon in me, but pissing him off seemed to give me unlimited joy. Who was he to Soji I wondered? Someone who had a hard on for the boy maybe.

"This is how things are going to work, Shitheads," I spoke looking around the room making sure my pure shield stayed close to me. "My new pal Soji and I are going to walk out that door and all the other doors until we're out of this church. You're going to give me a car and Soji's going to ride in the front seat with me. The two of us are going to drive off into the sunset. After that Soji's going to be waiting for you at the first town we pass through and none of you are going to look for me."

It was that simple. I didn't want anything to do with these people. They should have left me in the club. I would have gotten up on my own and made my way back to my home. I didn't need their help. If they wanted their mage to live, they would listen to my demands. As much as I would hate to kill the child I would. In the end, I was still a demon. In the end, I wanted to live.

"We don't make deals with with demons." My eyes were still on the woman even though it was the brown hair man that spoke. She was looking at Soji. They would make a deal with me. Otherwise, I would drink their white mage in front of their faces. To make it clear that I wasn't bluffing, I pressed my nail into Soji's neck.

He hissed out slightly as the room filled with the overwhelming sweet scent of his blood. It smelled like a field of flowers. My stomach roar and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to lean down and lick away the bead of blood that bubbled from the boy's neck.

"Enough," the woman spoke her voice shaking slightly. "You are going to give him back to us." She was worried that I wasn't going to keep up my end. I was a demon there was no need for me to hold true to my word. I lost my family. I wasn't going to take away someone else.

"We still need him. He knows what Ban and Keji are plotting." I scoffed at that notion. I didn't have a clue what dumb and dumber was plotting. I don't know why they were with Maya or what they were doing in that club. The only thing that I'm sure of is that I ruined at least a part of their plan when I killed Maya.

"Soji is more important than any of that." She turned to me again. Her eyes locking with mine. I tilted my head to the side as I glared back at her. What did she see when she looked at me? Just a demon, or could she tell my life story? "You are the worse kind of demon. To hide behind Soji like some kind of coward."

"Cowardice? I call it inventive thinking." I needed to get out of here and the pure boy was my ticket back to Amy and Rai. Someone had to make it back to them. Someone had to tell them that Shu wasn't coming home. I shook my head shaking those thoughts away.

The woman took a step back and the others that were in the room followed her lead. They opened up a hole so that I could walk through it. I held Soji tighter to me making sure that if they attacked me I would at least kill the boy before they took me down.

We walked our steps were slow as we backed out towards the door. In the hallway, I saw the last boy that was at the club with Soji and the woman. He was the one that blasted me through the door. He didn't look at me. He was looking at Soji. I watched as the white mage gave his head a small nod. My fingers dug in again slightly. I wanted to discourage any foolish acts of bravery.

If he were still and quiet, we both would be back in our bed by this time tomorrow. There were people filling the halls. They were all watching as they stood in the doorway. I could see the group that had been in the room with us following. I walked backward keeping my eyes on the woman that seemed to be the leader of this group.

The third eye was opened on my head. It gave me a three-hundred and sixty degree of the people around me. Even though, my back was to the door I would be walking out of I could still see it with the third eye. None of them were going to be sneaking up on me thinking that they could ruin the one chance that I had at freedom.

The doors were opened for me as I backed out of them. I could see a car pulling up. The driver got out of it walking away from the car as I pulled Soji down the stairs towards the car with me. The whole group had come out of the doors behind us. They stopped on the stairs glaring down at us as I reached the car.

Pulling it open I slide inside pulling Soji in with me. I climbed over to the driver seat looking over at the white mage. For someone who was being kidnaped he didn't look the part. There was no fear in him. He was smiling and even waved at the group that was on the steps. Who was this boy? I frowned but threw the car into drive and took off away from the group of holy rollers and their church.

Soji was asleep in the passenger seat when I made it to the first town. Linkenwood was a nine hour drive away from Hollden. Nine hours away from home. Now that I was so close I didn't even know if I had it in me to make home. What would Amy think? What would Rai do? They would hate me. Both of them would finally see me for the demon that I really was.

My eyes shifted to the sleeping boy. He was so . . . Carefree. How could he just fall to sleep in the car with me? Did he not think I was going to hurt him? Why would he put so much trust in me? I frowned as I reached out pushing his hair from his face. Why did I feel so . . . Familiar with him? It felt as if something inside of my soul knew him.

Soji stirred at my touch. He sat up straighter in the car looking around. I watched as he rubbed at his eyes before looking over at me. He smiled and it was a completely different smile then Ban had ever given me. This smile spoke to the pure innocence that filled him. It made my breath catch.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked covering his mouth as he yawned. He stretched out his arms his fingers pressing against the ceiling in the car as he tried the best he could to shake out his limbs. I found myself thinking about how beautiful he was. A beauty that could be place next to Ban and hold it's own. That was rare within itself.

The car was stopped at a Bounty Hunter bar. If he wanted to actually shake out his limbs, he could do that. I unclicked my seat-belt as he looked out the window. I could see his frown from the reflection in the window.

"First day free and you want to get drunk?" He asked looking back at me. Why was there so much judgment in his voice. What was wrong with having a drink? He was still young, he was so innocent. He probably never drank anything stronger than coffee a day in his life.

Why was that so . . . Appealing? Maybe it was the demon in me. It made me want to grab him and see how much bad was actually inside of this pure boy. It made me want to taint the innocence that wrapped around him. Of course in the end, I would keep my hands to myself. He was a white mage. The world needed more people like him.

"It's a Bounty Hunter bar. I'm shopping." I needed someone to hunt. I had to get something to eat or Soji was going to start looking like a juicy burger and fries. He was already the preferred meal of the day. That didn't mean I could have a sample.

Getting out of the car I walked into the bar with Soji on my heels. I could feel the eyes on us, but I ignored them all as I looked at the board. Closing my eyes, I waved my hand in front of the pictures. I didn't care about the money. I wanted to find someone that was in this town.

It only took a moment for one of the pages to float of the board. Reaching down I picked it up looking at the picture. It was a bear of a man worth ten thousand credits. It wasn't going to be any big haul, but it will get me a meal and gas to make it home.

Reaching into my pocket I could feel the horn from Maya. I was happy that they hadn't stolen it from me. The only thing that I lost was my music. No, I lost something more important than music. Shu was gone. I squeezed my eyes shut against my grief. For now I just had to make it back to Amy and Rai.

"This is where we part ways." I turned around to look at Soji. He was looking up at me. I noticed that I was taller than him. Our height difference was probably the same between me and Ban. Only in this case I was the tall one. In this case, I was the demon. I licked my lips as he chewed on his bottom lip.

His eyes held this look in them that I couldn't read. The feeling that I saw him before passed over me again. When he looked at me, it was as if he was looking through me. As if he somehow saw me at my darkest moment and brought me into the light. No one but Kaleb has ever done that for me.

Soji was just a child as well. Maybe I felt this way towards him because he was light and I was darkness. Maybe the tiny part of me that was still human wanted his light. My fingers reached out brushing his hair behind his ear. He only smiled at me. His smile . . . It was breathtaking.

"Give me one second." He held up his finger he backed away from me. Why was I giving him any seconds? Why did he need a second? I watched as he went over to the bartender. He had whispered something into the man's ear before he was allowed to use the bar's phone. What was he doing?

Whoever he called only talked to him for the better half of three minutes before he walked back over to me. His smile was still on his face if not brighter than before. Why did I feel like I saw that smile before? Most of the years, I've been a demon I lived in a fog. Did I meet him before? He was just a child though. He wasn't a demon. He was human, he was a white mage. It was impossible for me to know him.

Maybe I met someone pure while I was in my fog. Maybe that was why Soji reminded me of someone that I knew a long time ago. Two hundred years was a long time to be alive. Most of my memories were only of the hunger that I felt. In my moments of clarity, Ban was the only thing that was there. There was never anyone good until Kaleb. There was never a Soji.

"I'm all yours." How could he say that with a smile? Did he know what it meant to say those words to a demon. No, he didn't seem to have a care in the world. "I'm so sorry. I didn't ask your name. I'm Soji." He offered me his hand. His tiny fingers outstretched as they waited for me to grasp them.

"Zero," I answered taking his hand. He was warm. Touching him felt . . . Good. As if he was stirring the soul inside of me. Did I even have a soul? I was a demon, I was pretty sure you lost things like a soul when you die. Or maybe I did have a soul. My soul was tiny and hidden in the darkness that rested inside of me. Maybe Soji touch showed my soul that light still existed in this world.

"Ban called you, Natsu." He said and I frowned at the name. Ban always called me Natsu. I didn't know who Natsu was. Maybe it was someone Ban knew long before me. It was annoying. He was always saying that name. He whispered it to me doing the times we were alone. He made it penetrate my mind. As if he could force the name into my heart. I rejected the name Natsu just as forcefully as I reject Ban. I wasn't Natsu, I'm only Zero.

"I'm Zero." I repeated walking away from the bar and down the street. Balling up the page that held the outlaw I was hunting the closer I got to him the warmer the page grew. The whole time we walked Soji kept up a happy never ending line of chatter. He talked about everything from his dislike of milk to why he thinks there's life on other planets.

It was so different than what I was used to. Normally everyone was quite. When I went to look for outlaws, I was always alone. I didn't have my earplugs to block him out. I was reaching my breaking point. I had half a mind to reach over and drink him. That would be one way to get him to shut up.

Reaching out I grabbed Soji by the collar. I slammed him into the wall of the alley we had ventured down. He stopped talking as he looked up into my eyes. Blue eyes so bright and clear held my golden ones. I didn't see any fear in him.

Instead, he reached out touching my cheek. His fingers were so warm. They brought me a sense of peace that I never felt before. Leaning down I pressed him further into the wall. What was I doing? His hand fell away from my cheek and down to my chest. I could hear the way his heart was racing. Yet I knew it had nothing to do with fear. Why? Why didn't he fear me? Why was he letting me lean down closer?

Before I could decide what I was going to do to the white mage the page in my hand caught fire. Soji and I both pulled away from each other as the ashes of the page blew down the alley. My eyes followed the aches as I saw the bear man walking towards us. I love it when dinner comes to me.

I watched as the outlaw rolled his shoulders. He was cracking his knuckles a twisted smile on his face. Maybe he thought he was about to have two easy targets. Together Soji and I didn't look like a very threatening pair. We looked like two teenagers trying to make out in an alley.

I was so hungry though. I didn't have time to do my normal taunting. I didn't want to hear his last words or know if he was sorry for the people he killed. All I wanted was to meal I was about to receive.

I rushed down towards the man. He went to swing at me, but I leaped up. Coming down on him he grabbed me into a big bear hug. It was pointless really. My fangs pressed down as I bit into the man's neck. He tasted like something fired in dirty grease. I gagged but continue to drink from him. I needed this meal even if the blood wasn't up to the standards that I would have liked.

What did this say about me as a demon? I had someone who blood would be better than a five star meal. I was drinking dirty grease though. Maybe this was the time that you think back and reflect on the choices that you made in life. Funny as it was I think it was my good choices that brought me to this moment.

The outlaw fell to the ground as I continued to drink from him. Until the last drop was gone, I didn't pull away from him. When I finished, I moved back wiping the blood from my lips. My eyes shifted as I looked at Soji. He didn't seem bothered by the sight of me feeding. Even Shu looked away the first times that he had come with me. What was with this guy? Who was Soji?