Grimacing with pain, Lehona groaned softly. Her eyes closed tightly as she rubbed the sore spot atop her head gently. For a few moments, she laid upon the cold ground taking deep breathes as she dared to open her eyes. Through her blurry gaze, she ventured to guess whether it was day or night and seeing only darkness decided that it was the latter. Wincing as she moved her arms to brace herself up, Lehona gave up and merely rolled her head to the opposite side as her focus slowly came back to her. This place was unfamiliar to her and there was a stench that filled her nostrils that she could not place at the moment.

Giving a great sigh and groaning in pain once more, Lehona forced herself to sit up, feeling a bit woozy as she did. Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, she attempted to shake the heavy sleep that seemed to settle all over her aching body. There was nothing she could remember that would bring her to this cold, dark place which she now saw was not in nightfall, but was part of the underground. Feeling an anxiousness tug at her, she slowly began to pull herself up using a damp stone wall as a brace.

Surveying the cave like room that she was in, she could see nothing more than an outline of a doorless way that was undoubtedly the only exit. Absently stroking her left shoulder, where her crossbow usually rest, her eyes searched frantically about the room as she realized that none of her possessions were near. Panicking slightly, Lehona moved her heavy feet toward the exit doing all she could to stay on her feet while her head pounded with a sharp sort of pain and her body wanted nothing more than to lay back down and rest a while longer.

Peeking her dirty face out the doorway with her nosed scrunched up as the nasty smell became more potent, realizing that it was something similar to something rotten though what exactly she could not tell. She could not see much further into the darkness of the passageway that led only one way and pondered a moment what dangers lie ahead. Taking a look back into the room she had awoken in and stealing a glance up at the stone ceiling, Lehona frowned deeply, allowing her bright green eyes follow the ceiling out of the room and back down the passageway. Feeling defeated and sighing so, she took the only route given to her, slowly edging her way along the cold, damp wall to her right and praying for a light at the end of the tunnel.

Opening her mouth to call out down the passageway, Lehona had to clear her throat before the words actually made their way out. With a weak voice that felt as though it had not been used in weeks, she called out timidly when a hidden pathway came into view. "Hello? Is anyone down there?" Paused for a few seconds, she listened carefully for a reply, hoping she had not just alerted the wrong kind of person to herself as she had clearly been left secluded and in this sort of dungeon for a reason.

It was so quiet here. No voices of different races. No sounds of small animals scarring about. Not even a small hush of the wind bouncing from wall to wall. It was a bit strange being able to hear nothing more then your own breath and moments. Yet despite the strangeness of it all, Kenji rather liked it. It was peaceful here.

Kenji had been finding himself wondering about many caves and caverns lately. He was not searching for anything in particular. He was just simply wondering around aimlessly, satisfying his own curiosity.

He had been wondering around the dark tunnels for a few moments now. Making his way deeper and deeper as the minutes went by. The only thing going threw his mind was if he could or could not build himself a small home in one of the tunnels. After all, it was just a big cave, right?

Sadly his thoughts of making a home here was torn away from him. He had heard a voice. A woman’s voice, or so he believed it to be. It could always be a girly sounding boy.

Kenji frowned. Out of all the rotten luck. Maybe he could just turn around and pretend that he had heard nothing. But what if the other being needed help? He would probably be able to talk them into giving him something in return. Money to buy some new clothes and food! Hum, to help or not to help. Helping was starting to sound very profitable indeed.

"What you say?" He yelled out, his voice crisp and young. Slowly he made his way further down the tunnel, narrowing his eyes as he tried to in the dark. In a few moments he could see a darker shadow further down the tunnel. However he was unsure if it was the other being or just a big rock. With his luck it would just be a big rock.

Lehona heard the voice and at once was thankful. There was no hint of malcontent or viciousness in the young voice that had rang back at her. Slowly, she made her way down the passage, ignoring the hidden pathway to her left. Using the stone wall with one hand as a guide, she gathered up a bunch of her long, tattered skirt in the other so that she might maneuver her way a bit more quickly.

"I have lost my way." Her voice was a bit more strong though still filled with a bit of panic. Now, as she managed her way around a large boulder that appeared to have been apart of a recent cave in, Lehona wondered if she had alerted her attacker. It was not unlikely for bad people to conceal themselves, but she could not help herself from asking out loud.

"Are you a foe?" She hesitated, of course even if this person had ill intentions, there was nothing keeping them from saying no. This thought made her cringe slightly as an outline of a dark figure came into view. It was difficult to see in the dark, but from what she could make out, this person was winged. Could it be an avariel guardian? Sent to rescue and protect her in her time of need?

Regardless, this thought warmed her which was enough to cause her to smile, despite the anxious feeling that gnawed at her insides from being kept underground for so long. Halting a few paces in front of the her hopeful guardian, Lehona hoped that whoever this was knew the way out well enough to take her out of this dark and forboding place quickly.

Lost her way? That was excellent news! He knew the way out and she wants out! That only meant that his chances of talking her into giving him gold for his aid were now even higher. If she didn't have money then he could easily figure out another way for her to pay him back.

"A foe? I could be, if I decide I don't like you." He was only bluntly telling the truth, "But for now I'm just a stranger." He made his way closer to the darker object. Once close enough he realized that there two objects, one appeared to be a rock, or so he hoped it was, and the other had to be the woman.

He stopped walking about the same time that she stopped. He could see her smile, her long ginger hair and could tell that her clothes were all tattered. Aside from that he couldn't really make out much more. Her pale skin glowed a bit in the dark but that didn't necessarily mean she was actually pale. Sometimes the dark could trick ones eyes.

Kenji frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her. Sadly for her he already didn’t like her. Not because she had done anything to make him dislike her but simply because she was a woman. Women were weak, whinny and annoying. The only thing they where good for was sleeping with. Or so he was told. He had never been with a woman to know if this was true or not. Mostly because he instantly hates all women he meets.

"I can show you the way out of here if you want." He replied in a low sharp voice, "but it will cost you 20 coins" As he spoke he straightened his back, lifted his chin and perked his wings. He was trying to make the impression that he was looking down on her. As if he was more important or better then she was. He did this to everyone he met unless that someone really scarred him. In other words, he has a big ego.

She couldn't believe her ears, he was honestly asking her for payment now, before he would set her free? Surely this was no guardian sent to aid her in her time of great need. This was no more than a greedy man, if one dared to consider him a man at all, looking for an easy profit. And the price! Even if she still held her money bag, she would certainly not pay him this high ransom. The nerve of such a thing, this thief could have been the one to knock her out, rob her of all her belongings and then left her for dead back in that horrible, empty room!

"I'm sorry?" She said out loud, finally, after the words had sunk in completely. There was a look of great disgust and loathing plain across her face as she stared back at the man across from her. Dropping the bunch of skirt in her left hand, Lehona used more strength than she had shown since waking, using both walls as balance as she climbed over an oddly shaped rock that had been served as a divide between her and this stranger. As she passed by him rather aggressively, she barely whispered an apology when she bumped against him due to the narrowness of the passage. Surely there was a way out in the direction he had come from. But then suddenly she noticed the fork and whatever hope quickly drained.

"You would have me pay for my own rescue?" It was a whisper of disbelief for she had not even turned to face him. She was filled with rage and fear. She found it difficult to think clearly, to think of anything other than the unending darkness down either path. What kind of person would make you pay for such a thing? When clearly you were in trouble or needed a helping hand? The rage boiled on as her eyes darted from left to right and then back again. It was painful to think of how many more paths there might be and even more so to think of how likely it would be that the one she picked would be correct.

"And where do you suppose I would have these twenty gold pieces?" She sneered, whirling around, throwing up either side of her dirty tattered skirt. "Even if I had the gold, I would not pay you such an absurd amount.." She nearly spat these words at him, for there was a different look about her now, one of madness though only barely visible through the darkness. Stepping backward until her back was to the wall, the madness quickly vanished and fear overcame her as she rubbed her palms against the damp stone.

Kenji said nothing when she said she was sorry. He wasn't quite sure what her apology meant but he took the guess it meant he was not getting 20 coins. It was no lose to him. He didn't really need the money and he wasn't quite ready to head back out of the tunnels yet.

However he did let out a small hiss when she bumped into him. He had an urge to trip her in return but held it in. From her sorry looking state it looked as if she had enough problems to deal with. However he did hope that she would get herself even more lost. It would teach her right for bumping him.

Lazily Kenji leaned against the cave wall and watched as the woman stopped walking. A smirk growing on his face as she spoke.

"Rescue?" Kenji asked with a slight laugh, "I don't rescue those stupid enough to get themselves lost in a cave." His grin faded when he finished insulting her, his dark blue eyes looking down the other side of the tunnel. He was sure the woman would be mad at these words. It was so easy to anger woman. Tell them there fat and they will hate you for the rest of time.

"Such a pity that is." Kenji sneered back at her when she finished speaking. He lifted himself up from the wall and faced her once more, "I would have shown you the way out for some other kind of payment, but if you don't want to take my offers... Well I suppose it's not too hard to find your way out of here. There’s only about 10 or so tunnels to go down from here. There might be more then one entrance as well. Who knows." He couldn't help but snicker at this. He knew that if the woman took one wrong turn she could become hopelessly lost. After all, she wouldn't know she was going the wrong way until she hit a dead end. Kenji had found a few dead ends, but not very many. This tunnel seemed to go on for ages.

"Now if you will excuse me, I was heading in this direction." He opened his right wing a bit and used it to point down the tunnel. Small flickers of light, almost like tiny stars shun off his wing as he opened it. It was not enough light to vanish the darkness in the tunnels, but it did look pretty.

After a moment of pointing in the direction he was heading he turned from the woman again and began to slowly walk away. He would give her enough time to change her mind and take his offer or maybe offer him something else. But incase she really didn't have anything to offer him he supposed he could give her another option. Only because he was such a nice guy.

"If you’re afraid to find your own way out you could always fallow me until I decide to leave." He said in a low voice as he continued to walk away, "I won’t stay here forever."
See, wasn’t that nice of him?

Thoughts raced through her as he spoke to her and laughed at her misfortunes. He didn't understand that she had not done this to herself, it had not been her choice to come down here in the first place. There was a tight lump in her throat now that rendered her unable to speak, but even if she had found words to say, surely they would not have come out making much sense. She could not even imagine what other form of payment he could have wanted, she had nothing to give in this dank place where the darkness when on forever in all directions. No, she still was not thinking clearly, the madness had overcome her ability to think logically.

She had taken to a frown, her disheartened eyes turned up toward the stone ceiling that was visible now that her eyes had well adjusted to the darkness. She was deep in thought, her green eyes wide and glassed as her thoughts ran wild. Frightened, tormented and hopeless, she longed for nothing more than to escape this place that tortured her fragile mind. After much silence, and quiet suddenly, Lehona's eyes had sprung to tears as she sat crumpled against the wall looking at nothing in particular. Fighting back the urge to cry out in pain and frustration, she bit her lower lip as her shoulders shook hard. Finally, she could take it no longer. Plunging her face into her palms, she cried loudly as if the words of this stranger had cut her deeply.

She had not followed the man, she sat there crying uncontrollably without another coherent word. Her sobs echoed down each passageway and rang loud in her own ears, shoving her even further into her distress. It was though she had not even heard his last words, as if she had ignored him completely. Lehona began to rock back and forth, having pulled her knees up to her chest she buried her wet face into them, hitting her back against the rough wall. Wrapping her arms tightly around her legs, her long ginger hair looked dirty and stringy in parts where it had become wet and caked into mud. She cried on about home and a light as she rocked herself rhythmically. This was obviously childish behavior, but she was quite unable to bring herself to do anything more.

Kenji had continued to slowly walk as she began to cry. At first he could not hear her sobs but soon, once she was out of sight he heard them. Loud and clear like a bell in small room. It caused him to freeze and turn around. A look of both disgust and confusion on his face.

She was crying. Crying because of him.

'So what!' Kenji's mind hissed, 'That's the very reason I hate girls. There so childish.' He turned and began to walk again, this time much faster, his every step loud and heavy with anger. The sobs did not stop, and he found himself stopping and turning once more.

'Girls are so annoying!' Kenji's mind grumbled once again before he let out of sight of defeat. He would have to help her or he else hear her cries in his sleep for weeks.

Slowly Kenji made his way back to her stopping in front of where she sat, sobbing.

"Get to your feet." He ordered her, "I'll show you the way out only if stop that horrible crying as payment." He then stood there, looking down at her angrily for a moment or two. Then he turned on his heal and began to walk towards the exit not waiting to see if she was fallowing or not. He was angry and if she was too stupid to take his offer now then he did not care if she cried. One thing was for sure however, he was never returning to these tunnels again.

((Sorry its so short @_@))

It registered to her that he was angry, she even flinched when he ordered to her feet but she stood up quickly anyway. Wobbling for only a moment, as if on an ancient rope bridge, and then took off after him. He was going to lead her out. Through all of this, she could not shake the sobbing, she sniffled and rubbed her dirty face with an even dirtier hand, smearing the dirt even further across her delicate face. The barking of his words had done nothing to console her. When she thought of how furious he was with her, she wept harder.

"I didn't ask for this you know," she managed to choke out, her voice cracking, "you cannot understand how horrible this is for me." She could not go any further with an explanation onto why. She felt grateful that he was there to help her. A true savior, if only in her mind. She sniffled again, keeping close to his left shoulder as he walked with such determination in one direction that she took to be the way out. Her normally pretty eyes were still wet and flowing, but the sobbing was gone save for a few shakes and the running of her nose.

After that, she followed him in silence, not wanting to anger him even further and have him change his mind. She watched his back through blurry eyes, finding herself wondering what kind of being he much be to possess such great, powerful looking wings. She would thank him after all was said and done, would try to make things right. But that would all have to wait until she saw daylight once more, until she could feel a breeze, see the sky and smell the air of freedom.

"I don't care to understand nor do I want to." Kenji snapped back at her when she spoke. She was still crying which annoyed him. He did not like hearing others crying unless it was because he was inflicting pain on them. Or on the rare occasion that they were afraid of him. But he had never had anyone cry because they were afraid of him and she was not crying because he had harmed her. In her torn looking state he would almost guess that someone else had already harmed her. He would not ask.

He quickly made his way down the tunnel's, turning down the paths he knew were correct. Every now and then he would stop, looking down at the ground until his eyes found something and he would continue.

It was only when they had come upon the third last turn in the tunnels that Kenji froze. His slightly widened eyes looking down at the ground in shock.

"Upon entering these tunnels," Kenji began to explain something, his dark blue eyes still looking down at the same spot, "I decided to place small rocks in a half circle pointing in the direction I came from." He pointed down to spot he was looking, the small rocks scattered everywhere, "Someone else has disturbed them."

His looked up, peering down the tunnel for a moment before continuing. It was clear he was nervous of something. When they came upon a fork in the road he stopped again, looking down at another scattered rock pile. Once again he looked down the tunnel before turning to her.

"You wouldn't happen to have friends or someone looking for you, would you?" He asked, trying to keep his own worry out of his voice. However his worry would be for a completely different reason then most. You see he was afraid, no terrified of angels. Of course he had only ever met one but that one was enough to frighten him for life. Or at lest until he grew stronger but he knew he had a long way before then. The angel had almost killed him.

"There is only one more split in the tunnel up ahead," Kenji pointed down the path, "It's easy to se what way you must go because of all the plants that grow down it. If it's still day you should be able to see light as well." He would fallow her, but only after hearing her reply.

Lehona's anxiety had lingered in the silence and suddenly flared when he halted. Noticing the scattered rocks that he directed her to, her eyes automatically went darting around the darkness, searching for whatever may have disturbed them. She sensed his panic, his fear. Her own were intensified as if their emotions had been linked and set afire.

Fresh tears burned her eyes when he asked if someone had been looking for her. The honest truth was that she had no idea where here was even at let alone if someone had been looking for her. They were nearly out, why was this happening? She swore that she just heard the cawing of a bird, but it was impossible in these tunnels.

Turning on the spot, pulling at her long ginger hair in frustration, Lehona silently argued with herself. Through a series of huffs and scowls, few words were audible but it was impossible to understand what she was actually going on about. This was more torture.

"I don't know!" She hadn't intended to shout at him, but she had. At once, she covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. She looked upon him with apologetic eyes and wondered if his anger would rise with her again or if he would understand. Releasing herself, she took a deep breath. Averting her eyes, Lehona looked over her shoulder down the passageway. She searched for someone or something, having had the faintest sensation that someone was watching them.

"I don't know." She started, in a softer voice, almost pleading now. Lehona avoided his eyes, partially due to the fact that she did not want to see him angry. The other part of her was not yet satisfied that no one else was in the tunnel with them. A deep nagging told her that if they went on any further there would be danger but she chalked it up to her nerves and state of mind.

She paced her way between the walls, taking only a few steps before turning and pacing back the other way. She was rubbing her forehead, smacking her palm against it, trying to remember something. But still nothing came.

"I can't tell you who or what might be down here." Lehona started slowly, deciding to tell him all the truth that she could. He certainly deserved it. Lehona faced him again and speaking with her hands, she continued. "I woke up alone minutes before we met, no idea how I came to be here in the first place. That's why I didn't know the way out myself, I cannot imagine why anyone would want me down here. I cannot even tell you the last things I remember, though I know who I am and where I am from and what I was given for my seventh birthday." All of her words had been forced out quickly, as if it was painful for her to tell it all slowly. It was a wonder if he had even understand a thing that she had said and that wonder displayed itself if only briefly upon her face.

But the wonder vanished a moment later and Lehona pouted at him now, wishing that he would stay. There was no feeling of doubt about him, he would not harm her or he would have done so already. She wondered if this was it, if he would turn and run back the way they had come to avoid her unseen dangers. Though it was cowardly of him to make her lead, it was still a comfort to have him near.

"Please do not make me go this alone. If you leave now, I will be thrown into a madness. I do not do so well underground as you have seen before and I fear that it will only get worse if I stay here much longer." She begged him now, which was very much unlike her normal self. Reaching out, she touched his arm with just a few fingers, further pleading with him to stay though thought it useless a moment later. It was unnatural dependency that she felt toward him, one which made her feel completely vulnerable, regardless of her current state of mind.

A bit of shock filled Kenji’s expression when she yelled at him. He had not thought he had said anything offensive towards her to deserve being yelled at. He had only asked a simple question.

He said nothing to her about it. Not after noticing the apologetic look upon her face. Then she repeated her words in a more pleading voice. He figured this meant that she had not meant to yell her last words at him and so dismissed it. After all she did seemed a bit panicked by his last statements and soon he understood why. It didn’t change anything of course. He would have still demanded coins from her if she had any.

“You probably won’t ever remember.” Kenji stated, closing his eyes and shrugging as if it nothing. It wasn’t a big deal not being able to remember something. After all, he couldn’t remember his seventh birthday or even when his birthday was.

Once again a shocked expression crossed his face. He had not expected her to begin pleading to him not to leave as he was never planning on leaving. As far as he was concerned this woman was now his responsibility, his property until she was safely out of these tunnels and on her own way. He told her take her out and he was going to do just that. In other words, he was like a wolf protecting his bone from other creatures. At lest that’s how he saw it.

“I’m not going to leave unless there is a holy being at the end of this tunnel.” He growled, almost disgusted that she would think he would run away, “In that case your much safer with them then you will ever be with me.” And he wasn’t about ready to see what that holy being would do to him.

“If there is someone at the end of the tunnel wanting to hurt you, I’ll kill ‘em” He then stated, the feeling of her touch tickling his arm as he folded both over his chest. This was his best way of saying, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.’ He just had to make sure his way of saying it sounded tough and … well vicious perhaps.

After a moment or so he uncrossed his arms and looked back down the tunnel towards the exit. There was only one way to find out if there was anyone waiting at the end or not and that was to go see. If luck was on there side it would only be a simple wonderer like him self or nothing at all.

“Lets go.” He commanded as he began to walk, taking his time so that he could hear voice if there where any to be heard. He made it to the split in the tunnel and turned down the correct path without a moments thought. It was, as he had said before, easy to tell which way was out from here. The light at the end and the many small plants gave it aay.

Slowly he made his way to end of the tunnel, and peered out it for a moment. Seeing no one else around, Kenji made his way, shielding his eyes from the light with his hand.

“Guess there was noth…” Kenji had begun to speak before stopping abruptly. A sound came from behind them sounding to be only a few feet away. Had someone been hiding, waiting for them to come out?

Lehona had found herself smiling as she followed her stranger out of the caves, excited by the sight of daylight and all the green foliage that had crept it's way into the darkness. She could almost feel the light upon her skin and it was all thanks to her rescuer. She would finally be free in just a few more paces.

It was her thoughts of the outside that had taken her attention away from the sounds that had been made behind her. The half-elf had been so concerned with getting out now, that she had barely felt the thick, powerful arm slip around her waist. The only thing that she had noticed was that while she had been managing to walk forward, somehow, she was being dragged further back into the darkness.

Moments before her protector had turned around, she let out a horrible shriek, one that she would be certain he'd later scold her for. "HELP! HELP M-" A rough hand moved to muffle her and the darkness began to come much more quickly now as the assailant made to flee with her back into the caves. She reached out for the winged stranger, who she had noted was not so oddly colored. She had never seen an winged being before, but the many stories her father had told her did not as much contradict what she was seeing now.

"Listen girly," she heard a low, grunted male voice say just inches behind her, "you had better come nicely or we will toss you in a bag and carry you that way..."

More tears threatened to fall now as hopelessness washed over here as she struggled to break her way free. Kicking and flailing her arms, she did her best to tear away from her nabber. They had been so close that it was unfair now to have it ripped away from her the way that it had been. She beat her fists against the arm that wrapped itself around her waist, but it was little use as she was certainly overpowered.

"Oh Powers..." Kenji grumbled to himself as he turned around just in time to hear her yell. A man had grabbed her around the waste and was now making his way back into the tunnel. He was a rather large built man, one that was out powering the girl and would most likely be able to out power Kenji. That knowledge was not going to stop Kenji from helping her. He had other ways of dealing with people bigger then himself. Had no choice seeming as most were bigger then him in the first place.

Without a moments more of hesitation, Kenji pressed his dark wings tightly to his body, ducked a bit and began to dash forward. It looked as if he was going straight for the man's back. However he dashed around the man's legs, just barley brushing the wall of the cave the moment he caught up. Then, stopping abruptly, Kenji turned a bit and stuck out his leg just in time for the now confused man to trip over it.

"Cover yourself girl!" Kenji yelled out as the man fell, hoping that Lehona understood what he meant.

Once the man hit the hard ground, Kenji pulled out his small, rusted old dagger, climbed up onto the mans back and pointed the blade at his neck.

"Let her go." He commanded in the most dangerous of voices he could master. If the man refused to listen he would simply kill him. If the man listened then he would question the man and then kill him. The way Kenji saw it, it was a win, win situation. He hoped.

Hearing Kenji's words, she had just enough time as the confused man tripped and fell to loosen herself from his grip and scramble away. She would have darted to get behind Kenji if her way hadn't been blocked off by the two of them on the ground. There was the sound of shuffled feet and shouts from behind her, surely their raised voices reverberating through the tunnels had risen attention to her escape. Her eyes were wide with panic as she stared at the dagger in Kenji's hand which was held at the man's throat. Would he really kill him? Would it go that far?

The sounds of running feet became more distinct. Lehona kicked something as she stood up. It was her crossbow! A quiver of bolts were not far from it as well, it must have been her lucky day. Quickly grabbing them both up, she slung the quiver over her shoulder and armed her crossbow. Aiming it at the man who was refusing to speak, she inched her way against the wall timidly, standing next to Kenji as the shouts sounded much closer than they had a moment ago. Resting a small hand against his shoulder lightly, she suddenly realized how quickly she was breathing.

"We have to go, there are more of them coming." She wanted to escape so badly, the thought of being captured again was one that she did not want to give another second. Lehona hoped that Kenji would want to leave this place as well, but he looked to want more answers than he had been given.

She had to admit, if only to herself at this point, answers were what she wanted as well. These men could chase her well out of the tunnels and across half the world if she did not put a stop to it now. She had to know how and why she had been brought here in the first place. Without a second thought she took place behind the head of the man on the ground, aiming her crossbow at his face now, looking quite foul.

"Why have you brought me here and who has sent you to do so?" It was a determined voice she spoke with now, a strong and confident air about her. Her eyes were narrowed as there were a few moments silence. Her long dirty hair tucked behind her slightly pointed ears as she forced the edge of her crossbow against his forehead. There was no more time for dawdling, he had to speak and quickly. Without even so much as glancing at Kenji she shouted.

"Tell us now, or this will be your last breath!"

He heard them too, The shouts and thumping feet of other men in the tunnel. It was begging to appear that was woman was wanted for something but for what was beyond Kenji’s knowledge. All he knew was that he was getting himself into more trouble then he had anticipated by helping her.

“I know, but…” He really didn’t want to let this man go. Not without answers. Lehona was right though. They did have to go. Kenji was fine taking on one man, but if the others where just as big and strong as there friend then Kenji had no hope at all. “He’s got to know something.” Kenji finished his sentence before standing. The man wouldn’t try and run with an arrow to his head.

“Oh we climb the snowy mountains and harsh desert plains. We stand every raging storm, the privation, and the pain.” The man began to sing after Lehona demanded an answer a second time.

“What in powers name? This man has lost his mind!” Kenji announced angerly, looking down at the man in disgust. Was this man really looking to be killed? Or did he believe they wouldn’t have the guts to kill him. Then again, there was always the possibility that he knew something else that they did not.

“No walking ghost or nightmare, will ever force us to our knees. Proudly are we in our breathless chase, our tongues forever crossed.” The man continued to sing causing Kenji to give him a look of disgust. He figured that the last bit of the man’s song meant that he was not giving them any answers. To Kenji that meant there was only one option left.

“Run.” Kenji commanded, taking one last look at the man before stepping over him and plunging the dagger into his head. He did not know if Lehona would have actually been capable or had ever killed anyone before. Kenji on the other hand had once almost murdered a young boy, and killed many others just because they were there. Of course the young boy was why Kenji was now afraid of angels but that was a tale better told on another day. For now Kenji was just simply keeping Lehona from any grief that may befall her if she were the one to do the dirty deed.

After pulling his dagger back, Kenji stood once more and turned to run. The footsteps of the others were getting dangerously close. The dead body of there companion would surely slow them down a little buying Kenji and Lehona a little more time. So run Kenji did.

Standing over her attacker, Lehona could not tear her wide eyes away from the man now laying dead on the ground. The crossbow that was aimed so fiercely at his forehead had dropped loosely to her side, shock and horror washed over her now as the truth of it all settled, very slowly. There was a curse that echoed from the darkness and suddenly she was brought back to the moment and raced after Kenji. The only thing to do now was to run.

And run she did, just as he had told her to do. She ran for her dear life, chasing after him as he veered around a large rock, leaping gracefully over a small mass of tall green grass that had shot up between the cracks of ancient, lava rock. Every few moments, Lehona glanced over her shoulder. Fearful that the others had followed them down the path.

It wasn't until she rounded a thick tree that Lehona realized that they were outside. The scent of rain was heavy on a quick breeze that rippled her long sullied skirt and took off with her hair, throwing it into her face. Finally, she slowed down.

"They haven't followed.." She called out to Kenji, not wanting him to go very far. She couldn't bring herself to look at him though, it was unbelievable the thing he had done to that man. Her displeased tone sounded in her voice which was low and dark.

"Wha-What did you do that for? He was not right in the head, yo-you seen how he wasn't right about it all." Lehona stuttered. She forced herself to lean back against the trunk of the tree which she realized was quite tall now that she was looking up. The sky was a soft blue with scattered gray clouds sailing slowly. They had been left with no reason, no answers, no how or why, which did nothing but further frustrate her with her the situation.

((sorry it isn't all I thought it would be!))

"They haven't followed..." Kenji heard her voice call out he stopped running, gave a glance of what lay further ahead as if longing to keep going and then turned back to her. Slowly he made his way back to her, stopping a few feet away. And then her lecture started. A lecture he had been expecting to come.

"How do you know he wasn’t just faking it?" Kenji protested back, shoving his dagger back into his belt, "Moment you turned your back he probably would have snatched you back up. Besides," He crossed his arms angrily "I didn't like his song. He was bad singer." A grin crossed his face as he said this. He was very much amusing himself now and clearly wasn't going to take her lecture serious anymore.

A yell of another man sounded from far in the distance before being followed by anther. It sounded as if they were arguing about something. It was probably the other beings that had been the cave now arguing about whose fault this whole mess was. Or perhaps they were trying to figure out a way to get the girl back but couldn't agree on how. It really didn't matter what they were arguing about but it did mean this girl was probably going to be hunted down again. Or so Kenji guessed.

"We could spy on them" Kenji turned to the direction of the voices, "Sit up in a tree and listen in on their conversation. Perhaps that would give you some answers. If they see us we can simply fly away." He was great at spying on people. It was one of his best and most likely only good traits.

"All I'll ask in return is that you cook me a nice tasty rabbit in return." He grinned even wider the thought of rabbit for dinner sounding very good, "Here, jump on my back and I can find us a safe spot to spy. Or... I can just leave you to your own devices." He turned, spreading his wings a bit and bending down so that she could get on. He hoped she would. The idea of cooked rabbit for dinner over raw rabbit for dinner sounded extremely good. You see, Kenji didn't much like fire. It burned his skin whenever he came to close. The same thing happened when the sun was very hot and bright. All in all, it meant he couldn't cook which was a shame because he loved food cooked over a fire.

Pouting as Kenji questioned the man's truthfulness, she couldn't help but agree. There was no way of telling whether the man was speaking the truth or not, it was of little use to plead that his life was worth the song. Lehona had been quite disgusted when the man broke out into song while a dagger was at his throat and a bolt aim in between his eyes, it was as though he cared not for his life at all. Her head snapped in the direction of the angry voices, unable to make out exactly what they were saying due to the distance in between.

After attempting to keep her eyes averted when he had told her to jump onto his back, she realized that there was nothing she knew of her new found protector who was risking his own life to find out more for her. She was about to introduce herself when a pang of guilt struck her as he asked for 'payment' for his services. Cooked rabbit was simply not a request that she could fulfill on her own. Fire had been forbidden while Lehona had grown up and she soon acquired the same fear for it that her father had had. It was only her mother who had been able and allowed to cook, for Lehona had never quite trusted an open flame long enough to learn anything about this very useful skill after hearing her father's horrible tale.

"Sorry," she said in an small voice as she glanced over at him, wondering if he could ever understand how truly sorry she was. And she really did look sorry and it wasn't just her dirty appearance, which made her look like nothing more than a poor girl without a home. Taking a moment, standing up and walking over to where he was now before continuing. "I am afraid I have never quite grasped the skill of cooking." She winced as she said this, wringing her hands. Hoping that there was some other way of paying him, Lehona soon realized that payment had been avoided twice already and thought Kenji very kind to have said this far.

"But, if we could find a nice area, I could hunt a few rabbits for you. Or fish, if we find a stream? I could gather you berries or nuts as well if we do not come to a town soon, to at least tie you over?" With her mind racing now, not only for food but money as well, she waited for his reply. If he said yes, she could go hunting for rabbits as soon as they finished eavesdropping on the other two men who were still yelling at one another. With a few pelts and feet, she could easily sell them off in a nearby village. Perhaps she could give him a warm meal after all.

The only problem was that it looked to be nearing evening already and Lehona had no idea where here was let along if there were any villages nearby. Kicking herself mentally, Lehona knew that she should have studied the maps of Imythess a bit more when her father had taken the time to teach her about the lands. Waiting for Kenji's reply and studying him over once more now that it was light out, she had the feeling that he would know and if tempted by a soft bed and a warm plate, he would lead her there with little hesitation.

She did not move to climb onto his back as he had mentioned, for she was not yet sure whether or not her negotiations were a success just yet. Instead, stared back at him, still listening to the furious voices which echoed in the distance. And there was slight spring of joy inside her as she waited, for she had never really been flying before.

Couldn't cook? A look of disappointment crossed Kenji's face when she said this but said nothing. If she couldn't cook then she couldn't cook. Kenji himself could not cook so he had no right to bother someone else who couldn't. He just... really liked cooked food.

"Food is food be it cooked or not." Kenji replied when she offered to hunt, fish and gather berries for him, "I suppose if you'll hunt or fish for me my offer to help you spy will still stand." Besides, he was actually interested to know what these men were up to. Maybe he could get a job as a spy! That would be one of the most interesting jobs ever! Plus, it would probably be one of the few jobs Kenji could actually keep.

"I haven't had fish for a really long time." He then added, turning his head a bit so that he could see her out the corner of his eye, "Come on, they aren't going to stand around yelling at each other all day." Or so he hoped they wouldn't be. He knew his throat would get rather tender after a while.

He looked away from her and perked his wings a little more as to add to last request to jump onto his back.

"By the way," A small grin was forming on his face as he studied the sky, waiting for her to hop on, "I'm called Kenji" After all this time, they had never given each other there names. If he was going to carry her on his back she should at lest know his name.

Lehona had burst into smile after Kenji finally introduced himself, he had a name after all. Sort of skipping toward him, climbed up onto his back, hoping that she was not hurting him in anyway. Excitement raced through her as she hugged him tightly from behind, afraid that she might fall off once they were in the air.

"It is a great honor to meet someone as kind as you Kenji, my name is Lehona Palewind." A soft voice sounded in his ear as she had not wanted to yell this exchange out with her chin nearly resting on his shoulder now. Hours ago, she would not have imagined that the stranger she had met would be so helpful to her. And then her mind had raced on to their short flight.

Obviously trusting him enough to take her up in the air, she wondered how far they would have to go in order to spy upon the me who had just held her captive. When they had been running, it did not seem like they had gone that far but her mind had been distracted with their fleeing and could not tell for sure. Shaking these thoughts from her mind, she realized that now was not the time be be fantasizing about flight as there was a more pressing matter at hand.

These men were trying to take her away, for one reason or another. Thought she would not admit it out loud, she secretly worried that if offered enough gold in return for his services, Kenji may turn sides. Again shaking her head free of these thoughts, Lehona told herself that these thoughts were not wise to have. Kenji could be trusted, he would not have run with her all this way if he could not be.

Lehona had also promised him dinner and as all women know, a way to a man's heart was through his stomach. But this only brought on more thoughts that were completely out of the question for their current situation and decided that she was all a bit irrational since been kept in the cave for so long. Her full focus was now on her attackers and her attackers only, not some silly daydream.

"You are right, they will not argue there forever, we will be lucky to catch them at all let alone any useful information." Unable to help her body tensing as she anticipated his leap into flight, her knees gave a gentle squeeze as she prepared herself. Hopefully, these men were not very smart and they would let slip all their secrets.

Someone as kind... as him? Well he had not been told that before. Was he really being kind? After all, he was still demanding food from her. Payment in other words. Perhaps that wasn't a very big thing to ask for. Ah well, Kenji wasn't about to question it. It wasn't very often that he was called kind or anything else that wasn't insult. He kind of liked the changed. On top of it all, he had been given a hug. Though it felt odd being hugged, he rather liked this one. Felt that he had disserved it from some reason or another.

He did not, however, say a word of his gratitude to her. Instead he just simply smiled as he stood himself up again, his arms under her legs to help hold her up. He figured that in this case he did not have to say anything. The smile would say it all.

Kenji stretched out his wings and gave them a small flap. When he felt her squeeze him, readying herself for flight, he bent his legs a bit and pushed himself off the ground. His wings gave another flap and they off the ground, heading high up into the sky. He had never flown with anyone on his back before and so was finding it a bit harder to fly. It had been a bit harder to get off the ground, and at the same time he was trying to make sure he didn't flap his wings too hard. He didn't want to hit her or knock her off with his wings. Thus his flight wasn't very good at first. He kept sinking down, making him have to flap his wings a little harder to regain his height. As he did this his flight was crooked rather then going in a straight line. But soon enough he began to get use to her on his back and his flight became better.

"Are you alright?" Kenji asked when he finely straightened his flight and was heading in the direction of the volcano. From where they were they could see all the mountains, fields and forests surrounding the area. But the flight did not last that long for soon Kenji was lowering them closer to the still yelling me.

As he lowered, he made sure he kept hidden between the trees, picking one to land in. It was a perfect spot, for the leaves in the tree were thick and hid them well. While at the same time it the tree was close enough that they would be able to hear what was said as long as the men did not begin to whisper. Which from the sounds of it, they were not going to be whispering any time soon.

"I still think she will head to the deep cities." One man growled.

"And I still think your an idiot!" The other man yelled back again. Both men had red faces from yelling at each. They looked so mad that it seemed as if they were about to start a boxing match with each other. However there was another smaller man standing between them, seeming to be keeping them apart.

"She wouldn't go to them cities. The dwarves wouldn't take to her being there. I say she’s heading off to the Gwilikith Moutain Range. There will be others like her there who can take her places she knows." The man who had called the other an idiot continued to yell. He had dark, almost blackish hair and huge brown eyes. He stood to be at lest six and half feet tall and was almost just as wide.

"She wouldn't want to find others for help!" The other man yelled back again, "I'm tell’en yah she would be too afraid of running into the wrong person!" This man was even taller then the other but not as strongly built. He had rather long features, his arms, fingers, legs, neck and even his chin looked stretched and skinny. His hair was a dirty blond, hanging in bunches on his sweaty head while his eyes seemed to be a pale colour of grey.

"Enough!" The man in the middle of the two finely yelled out. This was, as Kenji noted, the first time this man had yelled, "I'm tired of hearing you two bicker! If you ask me the girl has already found herself someone to help her." This man was the shortest of the two and mostly dressed. His long silver hair was neatly combed back in ponytail leaving only a few stray strains in the front.

"Why do you say that boss?" The black haired man asked, the other blond headed man nodding.

"Because," The man hissed, "She would not have killed Multis. Someone else must have killed him and helped her escape."

"That's not good. Not good at all. What we going to do Yuk, sir?" The blond haired man asked, gulping as he did.

"Our lord is not going to be happy until we find her again. We need to find a way of getting ride of her help and... Shhh. quiet for a moment." The man, known as Yuk, held up both his hands, his eyes scanning the area in front of him, "Sam, Fogge, do you get the feeling we are being watched?" Both the black haired man and blond haired man began to look around.

"That's not good." Kenji whispered back at Lehona from in the tree.

Nodding, she said that she was fine when he had asked if she was alright. It was a breath-taking sight from where they were, so high that she could see the mountains reigning far into the distance until they melded into fields and forests beyond. Perhaps on another occasion, one much less stressed than this one, she could travel here again to take it all in properly.

The flight had ended nearly as soon as it had begun, but that did not matter to Lehona for it was not something she would ever forget. It had been nearly everything that her father had once told her, save for the fact was not actually flying but riding. It had been enjoyable though, even with their shaky start. It must not have been easy to adjust to flying with another person's weight on your back.

The return of her smile had not gone unnoticed, but she thought it better not to mention it for they had enough to think about already. Shortly after landing, she quickly found a branch behind Kenji to sit down upon, using another to balance herself there. She sat still, afraid to make any noise to alert the three men who had still been arguing when they had arrived.

As rough as they were, they were not slow to catch on that she had had help escaping. Remarking about how she would have been incapable of killing the man who laid dead back in the cave left her with an indignant expression. There was a sharp crack coming from their immediate vicinity and she shushed Kenji as quickly as she could. Thinking that he had been the source of the noise, she whispered, "They cannot find us here, it is too dangerous."

Thankfully, not all of them appeared too concern with the noise. "It was just a bird you idiots," barked Sam, who smacked Fogge on the back of the head when he turned to look in their general direction. "They are long gone by now, we'd better get to looking for them soon before night falls or else it will be impossible to know which way they've gone."

"Right Sam. You alert the others. They were heading south and she will not go to those dwarfs I tell you, not with the help she's got now." Yuk had spoken again, there was an evilness in his voice that made shift uneasily on her branch. There was silence now and very little that Lehona could see. She wished that she could get closer, but there was no way of doing that now.

Finally, Fogge broke the silence, "And what about h-"

"Kill him." Yuk had interjected coldly before Fogge could finish his sentence. Lehona reached out and rested a delicate hand against his shoulder, fighting the urge to gasp or speak. She had put him in harms way, it was all her fault, and then her thoughts were interrupted as the cold voice continued. "Our Lord wants her alive, so don't kill her damn it. She holds important information on those avariels he's been after. If anyone does, it's our necks."

The tree branch that Lehona was sitting on cracked again and this time sent her lurching. Her small hand searched for the branch above but it had been lost as she began to fall from the tree. Gasping Kenji's name the men had all readied their weapons and began to rush their hiding place.

"Hey! It's them, over in that tree! It was no bird you numskull!"

((I GMed a bit by wrapping Kenji’s arms around Lehona in part of the post. If you dislike this I can change it right away ^_^))

“But…” Kenji had began to try and argue with her, to tell her that it was not him who had made the noise but he stopped himself. If he tried to argue it then he would only be making more noise. Enough noise that the three men would surely know that it was not a bird making the sound.

Well they were a smart enough group to guess that she had help excaping whiched help them rule out some possibilities of where she would go. It seemed this Yuk guy was the brains of the group which was too bad. Kenji had been hoping the one ling dead on the cave had been the smart one.

Now, on top of all that happened, they found out there was even more beings to worry about other then these three. It seemed who ever this lord dude was really wanted this girl. But why? She was just a… well girl. Unless she knew something more about what was going on. Something she hadn’t told Kenji.

I’d like to see them try and lay a hand on me… Kenji’s mind growled in anger before he felt Lehona’s hand upon his shoulder. For some reason that simple action caused Kenji’s anger to subside and he let out a quiet sigh before continuing to listen.

What in the world are avariels… Once again Kenji’s mind was distracted, this time by the loud sound of the tree branch cracking behind him. He turned around just in time to watch Lehona begin to fall, her hand outstretched in an attempt to grab hold of another branch.

Kenji’s eyes opened wide upon seeing this and without even realizing what he was doing his wings were pressed against his body and he jumped after Lehona. His arms stretched out to her and about half way down the tree he finely caught up. He wrapped his arms around her as they fell in his attempt to protect her. Once she was in his arms his wings shot open in an attempt to fly. This attempt was despondently not a success. There had not been enough room between the tree branches to fully open his wings and instead he ended up smashing them off the hard wood. The end result had both its ups and downs. He had successfully protected Lehona, stopping only about 6 feet off the ground. However his right wing had gotten tangled in thick tree branch which of course was what was keeping them from hitting the ground.

Carefully, Kenji slowly let go of Lehona so that she stand safely on the ground. He was then about to proceed in attempting to free him self from the branch but before he could begin his struggle the three men had surrounded them. Each had there weapons hand and each were ready to take Lehona by force. Most likely they were also planning on killing him. After all, he was the one who had helped Lehona escape. He could think of only one thing to do to perhaps help save his own neck and allow him time to save her as well. Not that he thought her defenseless. It was just… well he knew already that she was weakened from the cave and the adventures they had running away the first time. On top of that he… well… In this short amounts of time he… he was growing rather fond of her. Only the craziest of odd creatures could understand why. Kenji just hoped that she wouldn’t look down on him for the tactics he was about to use.

“Stay away!” Kenji growled in a low dangerous voice, “This girl belongs to me! I captured her. She’s mine! You can’t have her!” As he said this he showed his sharp nails and growled. Slowly a feeling of coldness fell upon them all, a small unholy aura surrounding Kenji as he spoke. It was all he could do to try and intimidate the three men.

“It’s a demon.” Yuk stated with a hint of interest as Sam and Fogge drew closer to Lehona. Both men were hissing and smacking there lips at her letting out small comments such as ‘here kitty’ and ‘we won’t hurt yah’. Yuk on the other hand was drawing closer to Kenji, his weapon lowering a bit as a sly grin crossed his face.

“I’m afraid you stole this girl first.” Yuk replied to Kenji, “But I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement with you, demon.” Both Sam stopped his advance on Lehona and turned to look at Yuk in confusion.

“But I thought we were just going to…” But Sams question was cut off by a sharp “Silence” From Yuk.

“A demon is a valuable allie…” Yuk explained, his voice growing darker and his grin growing eviler as Fogge reached out to grab hold of Lehona…

Lehona had gracefully landed on the ground after being so frightened that the fall would surely crack a bone or two. But she was unharmed, a little shaken, but unharmed nonetheless. She looked so surprised and was in sort of shocked awe of how quickly Kenji dove to catch her that her senses were slowed. She stared up at him now as he hung from a branch, quickly thinking of how she could help him to come down. It was was in these few moments that she did not take notice to the men as they surrounded them, all armed and looking quite dangerous. She did not even notice them until Kenji yelled out, scaring her for the first time.

With wide eyes and gaping mouth, she whirled around and out of reach of Fogge, searching for a way to escape but it was hopeless as they had finally closed tighter around her and the protector she had thought she had found was trapping her from above. A hand rushed to her forehead, nothing made sense. She trusted him and so easily too! She was such a fool, this was exactly why she never put faith in anyone. But there was just something about him that had felt right, that comforted her to the point of trusting. Shaking her head back and forth quickly. Her eyes were closed tightly as tears threatened her eyes yet again and she could not remember the last time she had cried so much in one day.

Crying out she swung her crossbow around and took aim at Sam and Fogge as they took their advances who beckoned her in deceivingly sweet voices, keeping a worried eye on Yuk. "Have you all gone mad? I am not some sort of trophy! Who is this Lord that you speak of and what does he want from me?" Tears had streamed down her cheeks, a quick wind took up her long ginger hair and gave her a frightening look that was quite unnatural for her features. She dared not turn her back on any of them and slowly edged her way toward the thick trunk of the tree behind her.

"Ah Miss Lehona, I am afraid we cannot be tellin' ya that sort of thing." Sam was smiling a creepy sort of smile, though he did not follow her as Fogge did. Yuk had taken to standing back silently with his arms crossed over his chest, occasionally stealing a glance up toward Kenji. It was almost as if he was waiting for whatever was going to happen to play out as it would. Lehona had caught sight of the last glance upward and turned her attention up toward him instead of the others.

"And YOU!" She screamed, her voice sounding shrill with disbelief. Her eyes seemed even wider now and fresh tears began to fall. How could he betray her like this? Why had he suggested returning if he was just going to take her away anyway? And what could he possibly want? Soon, all of these thoughts that circled in her mind began to bring a slight pain to her temples. She could not say anything else to him, she could not find the right words to express just how the deception had hurt her.

All of her hope had seemed to crush underneath his words and she wondered if she would ever escape now. There had at least been some chance for survival when it had been two versus three, but now it was four against one and her odds were not at all well. It was then that Fogge reached to grab her arm that was holding the crossbow aimed at him and without hesitation Lehona pulled tightly on the trigger. There was a sharp crack as the bolt shot from it's string and Lehona gasped as it sunk deep into his torso and dark blood stained quickly stained his shirt.

There were a few moments silence when none of the men, nor Lehona realized what had just happened. It felt as though someone else was standing there cornered now as if she watched from another place or time. It wasn't until Fogge's rusted short sword fell from his hand that Lehona jolted from this sort of daydream and dove for it on the ground with a quick reflex. She did not have tell herself twice to run as fast as she could, darting around Fogge into the thick growth of trees as he fell to his knees and looked curiously toward Yuk.

"Sh-She shot me?!"

They were all falling for his words. Even Lehona. She was taking them by heart as if he meant his lies. He hadn't meant to hurt her or to take away her trust in him but now... perhaps it was better this way. In the long run anyway. After all, he was a demon. No one likes demons for very long.

His face did not show any emotions of regret when she yelled at him. He kept the same stone cold glare upon her. He didn't even attempt to give her a sign that he had lied to these three men. He didn't want to risk them seeing it and ruining any distractions he may be causing. If he could trick them into freeing him from the tree then...

Kenji's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Lehona, the woman who had given him trouble for stabbing the man in the cave, shot one of the men. It had brought just as much shock upon Kenji as it had to the other three men, all now frozen to there spots. It had brought so much shock upon Kenji that he had hardly enough time to realize that Lehona was running away.

"She did." Yuk replied to his comrade, looking at ding man helplessly. Fogge seemed to give a small nod to Yuk's words, as if excepting the fact that she had actually shot him before falling lifelessly to the ground. The moment Fogge hit the ground Sam let out a horrible yell of anger.

"I'm going to kill her!" He screamed, his face going bright red as he began to march past Yuk towards the over growth of trees. Yuk's hand came out and grabbed Sam's arm before he could pass, pulling the larger man back.

"Your not going to find her by rampaging your way threw the forest." Yuk hissed in a low, almost whispered voice, "We can't let our anger get in the way of our goal. We must not kill her. Besides there are things we can do to her that are much worse then death." A small grin grew on Sam's face when he heard Yuk's final words. They seemed to be exactly what he needed to hear to lower his anger.

"It's going to take forever to find her in there." Sam grunted now that his anger had settled down. His eyes seemed to searched the area Lehona had run as if the task
was almost imposable.

"No, not this time." Yuk replied, turning to look at Kenji, "You there, demon." He called to Kenji walking towards him as he spoke, "I have a proposition for you. Help us recover that girl and we will free from that tree. After we'er done with her we will give her to you. Do we have deal?" Yuk stopped about a foot away, his dark eyes looking up at Kenji.

"Give me something to hold ransom and we have a deal." Kenji replied, his voice still cold as ice.

"Deal." Yuk replied motioning to Sam to cut kenji down from the tree. Sam grunted, not liking the idea of using Kenji's help, but he did as he was told. He swung his long broad sword at the branch Kenji's wing was stuck in, cutting Kenji loose from three. When Kenji straightened himself up, Yuk handed him a small bag saying here. Kenji took the bag, peeking at it's contents before grinning and ting it to his belt. Inside the bag was small pieces of gold. No doughtily something Yuk would want back after there deal was complete. Sadly things weren't going to happen the way Yuk wanted them to.

"You should never trust a demon." Kenji grinned, opening his wings quickly so that Yuk and Sam were pushed aside.With that, kenji pushed himself off the ground and flew high up into the sky leaving both men looking up in shock. It did not take long for him to get out of sight of the two men and once he felt himself safe, he flew down and landed on yet another tree.

Both he and Lehona had escaped. Not only that but he had gotten away with a small bag of gold. He would defiantly have to go and buy himself some cooked food tonight. But... perhaps he should find Lehona first and make sure that she was ok. That her actions of killing that man hadn't scarred her and that the other two wont find... No. She would be ok on her own. She was strong. Besides, why should he care. She was nothing more then a woman. A woman who no longer trusted him. He had himself to worry about. After all it had been ages since he last eat a good meal.

Making up his mind Kenji opened his wings once more, reading himself to fly off in a different direction then Lehona had run off in. But he did not get off the branch before he changed his mind and turned in the direction that Lehona had run off in. Guilt. That was what he was going to blame this change of heart on. Guilt that he was leaving a half finished promise behind. She was not safe yet and he had told her he would help her. At first he had thought that helping her meant taking her out of the cave but it seemed he had been wrong. Or at lest that's what he was telling himself. There was no way that it could maybe be because he starting to care for someone. To actually like them enough to want to make sure they were ok.

Once again Kenji flew off, this time heading in the direction he was sure Lehona had gone. It took him a while but soon enough he spotted someone making there way threw the trees. He could not make out who it was from how high in the sky he was, but he was sure it had to be her. He hoped at lest.

Luck was on his side for it was Lehona he had spotted. It made him feel happy to see her safe but he did not smile as he landed about half a yard away.

He cleared his voice loudly in order to gain her attention before speaking, "I do not expect you to believe me but I apologize for my words earlier. If you want I will leave. I just wanted you to... well here." He untied the bag of gold from his belt and threw it a few feet away from Lehona, "You need it more then me." He then turned and began to walk away. He didn't know why he decided to give her the gold but for some reason it just seemed right. Perhaps he would kick himself later tonight when his stomach rumbles of hunger.

She had still been crying quietly when Kenji caught up with her though she had slowed to a walk after realizing that no one had been following her. Wiping away spilled tears with the back of her hand, she pouted at Kenji when he approached her but took the small bag with little objection. The bag was heavy in her hand and as her fingers moved to feel what was inside, she soon realized that it was full of coins. At first Lehona looked confused, her eyes narrowed as she stared down at the blackened bag, moving to open it and peer inside and then there was nothing but shock.

"But you said-" Her soft voice cracking as she spoke, her throat was sore with sadness. This was all happening so quickly, it was difficult for her to understand what exactly was going on. He had already turned to leave and she had to take long strides in order to catch up with him. He wasn't after her at all and what was more, he was just going to leave her here. She reached out to him and spoke quietly, "where are you going? Why are you going?" She had stopped herself before touching him, she was staring at his back shyly. Why had he come back to her if he was only going to leave?

Now seeing what he had done, she felt horrible for yelling at him. How could she have not seen his plan? Her anger had blinded her, it was the only answer that she could find. When she had been surrounded, she had begun to feel trapped again and when that feeling rose inside her, it was difficult to think clearly. Lehona wanted to apologize, to make things right, but could not find the words. Noting that the sun would soon be setting, the thought of a warm bed and food crept into her mind and then she wondered how far the nearest village was from where they were.

Stepping forward, Lehona slipped her delicate hand over his shoulder in silent apology and also to stop him from walking away. Hoping that he would forgive her, she promised herself that she would not distrust him again. He had after all, saved her from sure insanity if he had meant her any harm he would have done it then instead of leading her to safety. With her eyes averted to the ground, her only thought was on whether or not he would stay with her.

Kenji had raised his hand to brush off her questions. He had caused her to yell at him, to distrust him and not only that, but he was a demon. The question should be 'Why would she want him to stay'?

He did not stop until she had slipped her hand over his shoulder. At fist he did not speak but simply looked to the ground. It was clear that he was thinking about something important for his eyes did not reflect what they appeared to be looking at.

"I'm a demon." He replied in a low voice before nodding slightly, as if saying made him more positive to his reply, "Yes... You couldn't passably want a demon around." He looked up at her now, slowly taking in a deep breath of air and letting it out quickly.

Demons were considered evil. Unholy. Unworthy of life. Most were afraid of them and wanted them gone. To be killed or to just simply disappear. Kenji didn't blame them. From what he had heard, his kind had done many horrible things. Even he himself had no purity in his heart. Though he would not call himself evil. Not completely.

"I came to give you that gift. Thats all." Kenji suddenly added on. He was trying to justify the reason he came purely on the money and not because he had wanted to. Why would he want to? He never had a need for friends. He spoke to others for personal gain and friendship was not something worth gaining. Though thats what confused things in his own mind. He wasn't gaining anything by giving this woman his stolen goods.

((I postyed this last night and this morning it was gone. I had been all excited cuz I thought you had replied already but no. Hopefully it stays this time))