.: May 8th - Early Morning :.

"Nhhh.." She twisted and felt something warm surrounding her. Something..wet. An eye crept open slowly and the first thing she saw was red. A ocean of it. Sitting up quickly she blinked. She was in her loft, in the makeshift bed, and she was bathed in...blood? Shaken at the sight she raised her hands to stare at her gloved palms. It wasn't terribly fresh. Hours maybe. So some was dried and some was still ...liquid.

Throwing the blanket from herself she scrambled from the blood stained sheets, bloody steps spotted, her footsteps, from the door to the bed. She had been walking. Fear causing her stomach to turn like mad. She must of blacked out after leaving the church because she remembered...nothing..

How long had it been since she had last blacked out? She couldn't remember. She did know one thing for sure...

She had hurt someone...

Or something...

Thankfully it didn't smell like Mayu's or Toby's...

Her face paled and she scrambled from her spot to rush for the kitchen area, attempting to grab as many rags and cleaning materials as she could. Yanking the blankets she began to roll them up, bundling them. She needed to get rid of them. Shaken hands stopped and she stared at the stained leather again. Tugging the gloves off she stared at the ink black covered most of her left hand and part of her right. Swirls of darkness disappeared under her sleeves. It was getting worse.

The fear grew in volume.

She was unable to control it like before. When under the pact she could control it..Build armor and weapons..wield the darkness like it was a powerful weapon. But now...It was like with Max and Eliam. She had no control..no memory. What had set it off though? She tried to pick out things after she had left Toby researching at the church. Nothing came to mind.

Grabbing a towel she hurried out of the door to wipe as much blood from the floors of the Zen as she could, getting rid of as much evidence as possible. She continued out of the Zen once she was sure that it couldn't be traced back to her room. She followed the bloody path..tracking her path from the earlier morn.

An alley...

She stopped at the mouth and squinted inside. She didn't see anything but still..Still..she wasn't going in and who knows what was down there. Evidence of what she didn't remember. Evidence of someone..or something..

"(vsw) Mrmm.." Shuddering she stepped back and turned, high tailing it from the scene.

Standing..hovering..on the other end of the door was Chaos himself. The flowing robes that he wore made it hard to believe that there was nothing really there from the waist on down. His brilliant blue eyes held her vision, drinking her in with a cattish smile.

It made her shudder.

Reaching out a hand his long fingers stretched out to her. Her smaller hand followed to gently guide into his own. His fingers curled around her hand and drew her to his side. Turning he started to walk, guiding her down the majestically haunting hallway.

"Why are you doing this, Chaos." She questioned quietly. She felt tired and blamed the trip there for it.

"Doing what, Dark Knight? Treating you to dinner? Lavishing you with a beautiful gown?" The grin grew.

She snorted and tilted her sharp gaze at him.

"A treat, dark one. A treat. Nothing more. You've questions for me, yes?" He lead her to the dining room that was far too large for just the two of them. The table was filled with all sorts of foods but he knew what she liked so a variety of fruits were left to the side of the table that he ushered her to. The chair was drawn out and she settled into the plush crimson seat.

She watched as he lazily started to pluck a bottle from the table, raising it to uncork and pour. Thick, rich ...crimson. She watched the liquid fill the crystal goblet with a dull look that eventually was turned up to Chaos flatly.

"Oh don't give me that look. You know you need it.."

"Will it make me worse?" She questioned. To indulge...Wouldn't it be bad?

She felt his hand caress over her bare shoulder, examining the black that was her skin. Tilting her head she gave the hand a warning look.

"It depends on how you look at it. Your body needs the nourishment and to deprive yourself you are simply killing yourself faster." Leaning down he nipped at her ear. "What is so bad in letting go?"

Her hand rose, swatting the air close to his face in order to get rid of the closeness. He abide by leaning away. "Why...Chaos. Why did you give me only one year knowing this would happen.."

He paused at the question and slowly began to pour his own glass. He remained closed to her side even as the bottle was set aside and his goblet picked up. "Because I could not give you longer. I am sure after your birthday you started to feel it, even with the pact in place. Your body was straining, wasn't it?"

She eyed the glass. "I figured it was from everything that was going on." She had felt like she was falling apart..Dying. She wanted to..

"Your body has always been at war with itself, Dark Knight. But..with the pact in place it was easy to sustain the Reevi part of you. The pact wasn't something meant to save you forever. I did as much as I could to help. That is why I couldn't give you the time you demanded."

"Would you of if you could?"

"Yes." He answered with out a pause and took a drink of the vital.

"Why? Why..would you help me?" Leaning back in her chair she looked to Chaos with confusion.

"Because..there are contracts that were made on your behalf.."

She blinked. Simply...blinked. "C-Contracts?"

He smiled to her and reached out to brush a few strains of her hair. "Yes. You are under my protection and have been since the day you were brought to me. So long as I could still a majority of the Reevi within you I was to do so. Until Caius gave me the word that he no longer needed you."

"What..was the price for this contract?"

"Your soul."

She stared at him, expecting him to say something else but his expression didn't change. "You are..kidding..right?"

"No, I am not. Your soul belongs to me when Caius feels you are of no use to him."

Her stomach dropped. Geez. Her father used her..then sold her to a god. So she really was..just a tool to the one man who was suppose to be father. "What if he died before giving you the..uh..okay?"

Chaos lowered his glass. "That was not a part of our contract so if he has died before giving me the word I suppose that means you are free of the contract." He grinned down to her.

"I already killed him.." The sudden staring of Chaos gave her a brief moment to preen. She had managed to shock the God. "Is there anything I can do..? To stop myself from dying?"

Chaos scowled angrily and drew back, glaring at her like a child who's favorite toy was snatched away. His demeanor calmed and he smiled like someone with a secret. "You wish to rid yourself of your dark half?"

"I don't care what..anything..I don't want to Ascend just to do that."

"You will not be able to Ascend regardless."

She blinked and tilted her head to him.

Chaos moved to a chair and looked as if he was sitting within it. "You are unpure, child. The Gatekeeper would destroy you if you dared go to him with such a notion."

She sighed softly and leaned into her chair. "What about..sealing it?"

He smiled at her, saying nothing. Instead he enjoyed a bit of pork from the roasted pig before him.

"Chaos.."

He sighed and chewed even though he obviously didn't need the food he was enjoying. "You do realize that there has only been a handful of ..your kind. You are the first to reach your age. I am unable to answer that question."

She huffed at him quietly. "Then I guess I will just have to try. I am not going to die..I can't...I won't.."

He smiled at her stubbornness against her own fate. "You have changed, child. It's quite becoming."

She scoffed and lowered her eyes. "I have..reasons to live for.."

His smile grew, knowingly. "You cannot fool these eyes, Dark Knight. I can see the struggle within you that is not the warring of your blood."

"You know nothing.." she snapped and glared to the side.

"I know more then you think I do. Now..what other questions do you have or can we enjoy our dinner?"

She sighed and began to tick off a number of other questions, striving for information to help her condition and ..eventually fill her in on what the Reevi was. They talked for hours on end. She questioned him on a number of ways that could possibly be used, bringing up even the idea that Toby had. He gave little information back to each leaving her wondering if a simple test and error was the best way to go.

There had to be hope..There had to be. She was the first to live as long as she had. She wasn't the first..half-breed. She could ..be the first to survive for a lifetime. She could be the first to succeed...to live..

She could just seal it off..Seal the Reevi..Seal the Altian...Seal..it all. Would that ..make her human?

....her...human...

The concept was weird...

.: May 20th - Afternoon :.

"Nnnhhhh.." Her body twisted on the floor and a eye slowly rolled open. The attic..of the shop. That was where she was. She vaguely remembered being picked up...

The day had already started or had been long since started and she was just now..waking up? How long ago had Gauge left her there after her 'fit'?

Good grief..One could only guess what he was thinking. The guy went out of his way to 'rescue' her when he found her blood drenched and on the street, passed out. He lost a piece of his armor because of her. Armor she vowed to get back for him if only out of the fact she owed him.

When asked what she remembered she recalled it clear as day. Leaving the shop early morning to hopefully catch Mayu and treat her to breakfast. She remembered making her way down the street...

Then waking up to Max groping and herself bathed in vital. Both of these sent up alarms. Of course Max hadn't really been groping her but he was just going to have to deal with the fact she thought he had been!

She had not expected to spend the afternoon trying to explain herself. Why she was found in that state...Why she didn't remember.

Time was lost...

....hours of it....

Even still Gauge had taken the information rather well. It was comforting in a way. It was like ..like talking to another merc around a campfire. She wasn't worried that he might attempt to hit on her because she was well aware that wasn't the case. But he was..as he stated..a friend..he worried about the state she had been in.

Even still....she couldn't bring herself to tell him more then he really needed to know and what he did squeeze out of her was sworn to secrecy. She didn't want the Guard after her or worse...

Thinking over the events made her rub her mouth with a mild set of worry. Eventually she sighed and rolled onto her side, flinching at the pain that wailed up her side and straight into her head. Fingers clawed into the flooring, as if it would help dull the pain.

..it didn't...

When the wave settled she hissed out a breath and forced herself to her feet. She needed to do something to keep herself busy. Sister Robyn was still looking through books in attempt to find..a way.

...who needed Xavier's book.

They would still find a way..

She found herself wanting to find Mayu and Toby...make sure they were okay..

Something was different. She couldn't place her finger on it even as she left the shop.

Something felt...odd.

The encroaching, golden holy energy around them had risen in a dome that, when he fought for a look up, he found to be almost completely sealed off. He grunted as the silk of his scarf tore right along with his skin. He stabbed his fist down toward the same spot in Katt's stomach he had just punched, ripping at her hand to get it free of him despite the itching, stinging pain.

Katt's body bounced at the second slam into the already singing area and she made a choking sound. Her hand retracted, fingers flexed as if to scratch his face but fell back because of his own grip. Her body squirmed, mixed between a want to escape and trashing in pain.

"GUH..!" He shoved into the ground, using all the power that he could manage to shoot him straight up into the air. His skin and hair sizzled as it was touched by the closing barrier. It closed the very second his foot clear the top of the dome.

Sera heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

Toby pitched around in the air, tumbling down sloppily into the ground with hard thuds that looked as painful as they sounded. Patrick eyed him with some shadow of amusement as he stopped outside of the barrier.

"Alright, now that we've got her..I think I know what I'm s'posed to do. Some of the crap in that book was written in somethin' I didn't recognize, but I got the gist."

Toby rolled onto his back, coughing, his hands pulling at the scarf to get it away from the wounds on his throat. What would have happened if he'd let May do this..

Katt's legs lashed, forced movement spinning her along the ground. In the movement she curled like a cat, arms tucked under her chest with palms flat and her feet finding under her. She sneered and took a bound forward. Claws extended scratched at what was the wall of the barrier and cry of pain escaped her. Staggering back she lowered her hands to her sides, the tips smoking from the contact. Even while the pain rang her body kept in motion but now pacing like a caged animal ready for just one little opening..just one..

Patrick watched the display before him with complete indifference. In fact, he looked like there were thousands of other places that he could think of being. "Sera, you keep this damn thing burnin' as hard as you can for as long as you can. Toby, get over here, and don't heal yerself just yet, I need some of yer blood too."

Toby rolled over onto his side, then found his way to his feet. He limped for the first couple of steps, making his way over to Patrick's side. His friend opened one hand to his neck, smearing his palm in the oozing crimson all over his adam's apple.

"Knife," Patrick ordered. "Cut this hand."

Toby produced his dagger with a soft gesture of his hand, slicing open the flat of Patrick's waiting palm. His eyes were still on Katt, his jaw clenched. "You sure you know what you're doing..?"

"Almost, maybe, 'bout ninety-five percent sure. Hey, worst case scenario, she dies and things are a whole helluva lot easier for the rest of us."

Katt's head rocked slowly side to side as she watched Toby and Patrick, like a marionette's rolling head. Eventually her eyes turned onto Sera and the pacing ceased. Instead she turned to the small woman and stared at her like a beast finding it's dinner from the shadows. She stared at Sera, attempting to unease the woman..maybe stagger her attempt to keep the barrier up.

"Thank ya. And I'll have to warn you. If yer demon ex keeps lookin' at my woman like that, I may just say screw this and kill her myself." Patrick took a breath, and exhaled it. The gold of his eyes shined brilliantly even through his eyelids as he pushed his bloodstained palms forward toward the barrier. The muscles of his arms strained, fighting against the force of a being that didn't want to be sealed, or helped. The blood on his hands sizzled when contact was made, gleaming crimson patterns spiraling across the barrier's surface. His senses reached out toward Katt, guiding his own power along. Within the barrier, the air became balmy and heated, but filled with an overwhelming sense of comfort, love and security.

Sera squeaked when Katt's attention found her, her chant momentarily faltering. But Patrick's steadily released power didn't just live inside the barrier. It crawled through the air outside of it too, finding her, filling her, strengthening her. She squeezed her eyes shut, stuffed her clasped hands up against her face and continued her part of the ritual.

Katt hadn't been paying attention to Patrick. In fact Sera was the target until the air became thick, making it hard to breath as shallow as she had been. A flick of confusion found her otherwise lifeless expression. Not completely understanding the feeling that surrounded her. Breathing heavily through her nose she turned her attention to Patrick since he was now offically closer. Twitch. The flesh of her nose wrinkled and relaxed, for the time that pacing ceased.

Toby didn't know what he was supposed to do now. He pulled at the scarf until it came free of his neck, the deep, painful slices there knitting together one by one.

From their talks, albeit ridiculously brief ones, that gist that Patrick had gotten was mostly that when he was done, if he didn't kill her, she was supposed to be something that resembled a Human. Toby had spoken more about the deeper, darker side that needed to be sealed immediately, but there was also another part that would have to go along with it. The outside of the dome, its halves clearly marked with demonic and angelic runes alike, began to hum. The balmy air inside of the dome whirred in a slow, tight circle around Katt..then began to shrink. Patrick wanted to focus on pushing, pulling, sucking..whatever he had to do to that darker part..to get it back inside of her into a managable enough amount to fully seal.

Katt's chin rocked back and she struggled out a breath. Her mouth opened..slowly closing after a hiss. Eyes squinted, glaring at Patrick then over his shoulder to Toby. Her expression relaxed, even softening into a weak expression. "Mhhh..Mak..eee..him..s....stop." The words struggled out of her lungs like speaking them was some great process. With no place to go she curled into her spot, her face tightening up. She felt something..snagging..yanking..clawing.."Sttttoppp.."

Toby stepped around Patrick, his hand closed around the scarf that was sort of ruined in a few spots, and met her eyes. He didn't say anything, there was no expression that flickered across his face..he simply watched. He didn't think he could have done this a couple months ago..standing there useless. Her words, her face, how pathetic she looked..all of that would have eaten at him. But right now..he didn't feel much of anything besides impatience.

Patrick's fingertips curled into the barrier. The half that had the demonic runes skittering all across its surface glowed brighter than the other as he fed steady streams of raw divine force into that cramped space. The humid cuccoon surrounding Katt wound tighter with each passing second.

Katt stared back finding..nothing. Nothing that would help. Her eyes rocked back and hallowed out a shriek. Like shadows meeting light, the blackness that clung to her skin began to shy back, melting away. Hugging her middle she staggered, shaking her head and straining against the wrapping. She could feel it closing it..demanding. To say it hurt would of been an understatement. Physical pain she could handle..had been..but it was everywhere at once.

Sera's sob echoed after Katt's wail, Patrick's head snapping to the side.

"Toby," Patrick pleaded in a voice that weighed heavy with regret.

Toby rushed for the collapsing, smaller figure. Her chant continued through her tears as Sera fell against him, her face buried into his arm. She didn't want to hear any of this. There was always a possibility that doing these things would hurt those going through it, but those screams weren't something she could handle forever.

A golden aura spilled from the crown of Patrick's head to the soles of his feet. Magnificent wings seemingly forged of light stretched out wide from his shoulderblades, shimmering feathers extended. He had to compensate for Sera's lacking strength. At least for now. She'd get herself put together soon. Hopefully. He could already feel some strain on his reserves.

The shriek ended on a choke, Katt's hands falling to her asides, twitching..twitching.. As the last bit of darkness spilled from her an energy began to spill from her, rocketing out violently to trash at the barrier around her. It joined the balmy wrap around her enough that it whipped her hair around her face with the force. It nearly seemed to join, encourage that what was already around her but at the same time emptying her out like a tap with a broken handle.

"My Father..I need your help. ...Yes. Yes, I know what I have said about her, but--" Patrick grunted, his wings shuddering as he held on tight to the barrier. The demonic runes across the surface surged into the angelic ones, glittering crimson letters continuously being written and rewritten along the barrier. This must have been the other part of her. It was just as strong as the darker half that he had managed to keep maintained. He could feel its chaos in an imaginary ball in his left hand. (s)"F-For their sake..lend me the strength to finish this." Patrick lowered himself to his knees, sweat beading on his brow. Even through it all, the amount of energy he shoved into the barrier to chase after the storming power Katt was now releasing didn't waver.

Sera rubbed her face against Toby's chest, unwilling to unclasp her hands, and peeked around his arm. He felt her gasp, he turned his eyes to Patrick, watching his friend's tight, glowing face, his teeth grit in concentration.

"D-Do you th-think it worked?" Sera asked, her hand stilling on the side of Patrick's neck.

Toby knelt down near them, his eyes running over Katt first, then Patrick. "I'm sure it did, she'll be alright when she wakes up..probably hungry as hell. Hopefully."

"Y-your n-neck. Is it a-a-alright?"

"Yeah, Sera..I'm okay. They're healed, it looks worse than it is."

Sera suddenly giggled. "Y-you're the only one s-strong enough to c-carry them back ups-stairs."

"(vsw) Nhhh.." Katt huffed a quiet breath, her fingers twitching. Her brows twitched and her hands shifted sharply. No matter where she placed her hands..it felt..weird. Very ..very weird. She tried to whimper but it was more like a gurgly upset sound. There was voices..and they boomed!

Toby blinked, his eyes wide as he looked down at Katt. "Geez, she's awake already..?" He laid the back of his hand across her forehead, then smoothed her hair back.

Sera's eyes returned to Patrick.

Katt inhaled sharply and tilted her head to the side. She felt something go across her forehead that felt similar to a number blunt needles dancing across. It didn't hurt but it felt..weird. "(vsw) Thh..lahh.."

"T-Toby, t-take her upstairs to the r-room next to m-mine."

He looked up at Sera, her wet eyes landed on him in return..she nodded to his unasked question. He slid his hand carefully under the back of Katt's neck..his other behind her knees.

"Sh-she is th-the priority. W-We will b-be fine d-down here for n-now."

"Sure.. Thank you..both of you, I don't know what--"

Sera shook her head, blond curls sticking to her cheeks. "Th-thank us when y-you're sure the w-w-work is d-done."

Even the softest of the two voices split her head. As much as Katt wanted to try and move but nothing she did would allow it. Her body felt like jello. Cherry jello. The good stuff!

Toby scooped Katt up into his arms, holding her securely to his chest and turned for the door on the other side of the wide floor with one last regretful look on the pair he was leaving behind. As he let himself into the narrow passage with Katt, he hoped she wouldn't open her eyes.

"I thought they'd never leave," Patrick said weakly the moment door closed behind Toby.

Sera smiled knowingly. "J-Just rest for n-now. D-Don't worry abou th-them."

Patrick coughed a chuckle. "Listen to you.. I mean..I love the kid, really. But that girl.." He blew a raspberry.

Toby wouldn't have to worry about that. As hard as Katt tried her eyelids wouldn't rise. A few huffs after the struggle and she gave up. Her head was splitting and her body felt prickly. She murmured, an attempt to talk that didn't quite make words.

Toby wondered if she would still need blood now that she was sealed. He knew she hadn't had any. It reminded him he needed to clean up..and fix his scarf. He carefully navigated the cramped stairwell and thrust his back into the door that opened into a hallway that was just as cramped.

Lordy lordy..it was a good thing she couldn't open her eyes..Katt probably would of had a conniption fit in her state. After a few rolls of her tongue she huffed out a breath and went silent. What effort she could do had her resting against the moving source that was holding her.

"Eek, good heavens!!" a nun squeaked when she opened the door Toby was just about to walk through.

She flattened herself out of his way, he offered her a lazy smile and a nod of gratitude..continuing through to the other side of the nave. He backed into the door that opened to the last corridor he had to take, then into the room neighboring Sera's. It looked exactly the same..just less lived in. Leaning over, he gently settled Katt onto the bed.

Another voice. It shattered the silent air and sent Katt shuddering. The shaking was short lived. But oh heavens! A bed! She hadn't been in one of those in ages. Her brows twitched before her face relaxed and she slowly released a sigh out when she was settled onto the bed. While the rest of her was inactive her brain was waiting...for something. She wasn't sure what though.

Toby disentangled himself from her, moving to the wardrobe where neat stacks of sheets and blankets sat ready to be used on the bottom. He shook out the thinnest blanket and draped it across Katt's body, up to her chest. He would have to leave the room for water.. Sighing, he pulled the chair from the desk over to the side of her bed and sat, his knees drawn up to his chest.