Plunged into Darkness

((dead and buried.... maybe redux upon request))

Catherine had always been different. Ever since before she could remember, she had known and seen things that were not supposed to exist.

It hadn't been so bad when she was little. Everyone just thought she had an overactive imagination and Catherine hadn't felt the need to label things back then. It didn't matter that she saw creatures made of shadow and leaf in the woods surrounding her grandparent's home. Nor did it matter that she sometimes knew things without having any obvious way of gaining that knowledge.

Now she was 23 and her world was clearly defined into what was real and what her mind made up, because a time had come when her family didn't view her games as cute anymore. Years in an asylum, and almost a decade of counseling later, had convinced her to ignore the incessant thrumming in her blood, telling her that there was far more to this world than what people knew and that every single thing she took those pills for were absolutely real.

Even as she put books away in the local library, surrounded by miles of concrete and metal and electricity and science explaining everything away, even now she heard those words in the back of her head, reminding her, making her see that which she chose to label as fancy, that she was right and her family and psychologists could shove it.

"Catherine....Caaatherine... Catherine!"

It wasn't so much her name, but the hand on her shoulder that made her jump. She had been well buried in her thoughts and her co-worker's voice had done about as much good as beating one's head against a brick wall. Smiling at the older woman, she picked up another book from the cart by her side, checking the decimal marked upon its' spine before turning around and shoving the paperback into its' proper place. This probably seemed rude, but she'd worked here long enough that her quirks were well known. Her fellow employee knew that she was being listened to now.

"Catherine, I'm heading out for the night. Hal and Courtney are still here and they can handle checkout until closing, but Courtney was wondering if you minded cleaning up alone. She has an exam tomorrow to study for."

Catherine nodded, showing that she had heard the woman clearly as she continued organizing the books. "It's fine, Betsy. I don't mind. I'm sure I'll be at this well after closing though, so tell everyone good night for me." The older woman smiled and patted her cheek. Catherine was a good girl and a pretty slip of a thing at that. True she was odd, but she still didn't understand why she didn't have some young man willing to overlook that. Sighing to herself, Betsy walked away, but then Catherine called out, her voice as casual as ever.

"Oh and tell everyone to watch out for the storm. It's going to be a rough one tonight."

"What st.."

At that exact moment, lightning chose to flash across the sky, showing plainly through the wall-length windows that adorned most of the old building, followed soon by thunder that could be felt faintly through the floor. Betsy's eyes widened but she walked away, now in a hurry to get home before she had no choice but to camp out here for the night. For her part, Catherine had slammed a hand against her forehead. She'd done it again, speaking of things she had no right in knowing. Her breathing hitched as she frantically wondered if Betsy had noticed how odd it was. Shaking her head, she forced herself to get back to work, her fingers only shaking a little. Weather was good. Weather was safe. For all anyone knew she had been avidly watching the Weather Channel today, never mind the fact that she hadn't stepped foot into the office where the tv was kept since earlier this morning. No one ever paid attention to her enough to realize that.

About twenty minutes later, she was done with her original cart and working on another. Rain was pouring steadily now and most of the Library's patrons were gone, save a few college students that had no choice but to tough it out or fail. Any moment now she was sure the rest of her co-workers would pop up to tell her they were heading out. That wasn't pre-cognition, she just knew her fellow employees well enough to know that they'd use any excuse to leave this place.

She wasn't sure why. Catherine liked this library and not just because of the books, but because of the building as well. It had been built in the 30's a truly magnificent bit of architecture, highlighted by enormous windows set into most of the walls. There had been a debate a few months back. They were speaking of taking away the windows, deeming them unsafe. Putting yet another book away as she came closer to one of the large glass openings, Catherine snorted at that. It wasn't as if they could open or that people were rowdy around this old plus, not to mention the things had survived decades worth of earthquakes, tornadoes, and the odd riot. She doubted they'd present themselves as dangerous anytime soon.

Coming closer, her gaze was drawn towards the window again and what she saw made her almost drop her book. The parking lot was crawling with shadows twisted into shapes that she had only ever found in the more grim fairy tales. Shaking her head, she backed away from the glass.

"Not real. Not real. Not real"

She didn't have her pills with her. They were at home in her bathroom. Even if she had brought them to work though, it wouldn't do her any good. They had never really helped her stop seeing things and anyways she couldn't bring herself to turn away. Almost hyperventilating now, she finally squeezed her eyes shut, pressing the palms of her hands over them to shut out any invading light.

She didn't see the lightning that lit up the sky, but she felt the rumble of thunder in her bones. Even that stubbornly steady glass before her shook faintly.

When she opened her eyes, for she couldn't keep them closed forever, it had been a good few minutes since she had seen those creatures. They weren't there now though. She even stepped forward, pressing her nose against the cool glass to get a closer look, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief. What's more the library had been plunged into darkness, not even the emergency lights had kicked in. That didn't bother her though, she'd never been afraid of the dark.

However, she was bothered by the absolute silence that greeted her ears. People were rather frantic in black outs. They tended to scream and shout for those near them, or at least giggle nervously at their sudden blindness. Now there was nothing. She was just about to turn around and call for someone, anyone, when a hand brushed against the back of her neck, coupled with a voice that she both instantly recognized and never heard before in her life.

"I have been searching for you, my darling. Searching so very long."

He had been there when she was so young, oh so young, hiding in the forest, everyone thought she was just another mortal until she waved to them, not to the general area, she would look them all in the eye and wave, she had been of interest to the whole supernatural world since then.

But he was special, he was more intrigued by her than anyone else, he was far to bad for anything else, they shunned him, he was to great, all knew him and all feared him, they would run, they would hide, the most he could get from them was the occasional plea for a quick death or a grimfaced desperate attack to kill him.

She didn’t know him, she didn’t fear him, she didn’t hate him, he would follow her, she might not remember but he would play with her, she was so tiny then. Then they decided she was insane, why did they get to decide? Shouldn’t she get some kind of say on the matter? Shouldn’t he? He had been with her almost as long as her parents, he couldn’t always help and she didn’t always know it, but he was there.

He had tried to keep everything else from where she was from away from her when she was in the asylum, he tried so hard so they wouldn’t get her hurt but he didn’t stop all of them, he gave up and then tried to go and help her some other way, but she was gone. he searched and searched for her but all he could find was a straight jacket that she had worn once.

He kept looking for her, going everywhere, every continent, every plane of existence, but it was hard, he had no leads, no hope.

But now he’s found her, he knew he was never going to leave her again so he found a way to bride the gap between the two planes so that he could get himself stuck in both worlds at the same time, he had to kill, maim and destroy to get it done but he did it with a smile on his face.

And now here he was, walking through the library in the darkness, he walked up to where she was standing by the window, hesitantly stepping in to the thunders light. He looked normal enough, then he stepped closer in to the dim light, he was tall, just off 7 foot, a little over if you counted the horn jutting out of the right side of his forehead, short messy blood red hair sticking up wildly. A skeletal, spinney tail swished in to view as he took another step, looking like an extension of his own spine but without anything holding the individual bones together. A pair of shredded fairy wings shined dark purple in the light, twitching in anticipation as he slowly raised his right hand, covered by cloth with a spike protruding from the elbow and clawed fingers emerging from the opening at the end.

“I have been searching for you, my darling. So very long” his voice was filled with longing, and although he may look fearsome, his face held a certain sadness yet at the same time it was a happy face “you’ve grown so much, but you still look the same to me”

“You’ve grown so much, but you still look the same to me”

A shiver ran down her spine as he said this, his hand moving from her skin to stroke her dark brown hair. From fear? She didn't know. She doubted it, though. Her heart was slamming in her chest but she didn't have the urge to run or scream.

It had once been long, flowing down her back only to be tied up in braids during the night to keep it from becoming a mass of tangles while she slept. Now it was short, out-lining her jawline. She cut it all off in a fit of rage some weeks ago. Her mirror was still cracked from where she had thrown the butcher knife when she was done. Not that it mattered. She lived alone and not even her family visited. So there was no one to care that she looked at a fractured reflection each morning.

She had yet to look at him or speak, her eyes lingering on the falling rain outside as it flooded the parking lot, having long over-filled the gutters. She was building up her courage. If she saw a human, then she had very little to worry about, save for probably a stalker. If there was no one there, she had obviously shot years of therapy to hell and they'd pump her so full of drugs that she wouldn't be able to spell her name. This was slightly better than when she was younger. They had still been using shock-therapy back then. She didn't consider any other options. Ever since she had re-entered society, none of her imaginings had ever bothered speaking to her, with the exclusion of a sprite that had called her rude names for staring at him in a drive-thru. Which she hadn't. She had been studiously ignoring his presence.

Heaving a sigh, she turned her head, instinctively tilting it up to meet his eyes. "Oh" Her voice was soft and mild shock registered on her face. He was like a nightmare. Her nightmares. The ones that they had yelled at her for having as they strapped her down and placed electrodes on her pre-pubescent body.

He was her dreams as well though and she reached out a hand, almost touching his face but not quite, almost completely sure her fingers would go right through him. He was too wondrous. She had only the faintest memories of him, but is was the feeling behind it. Like her best friend in the whole world had died and then come back just for her.

Tears pricked her eyes as she choked on the lump in her throat. Pulling her hand back, she sank to the floor, sobbing now.

"I've gone positively mad haven't I?"

It was quiet, the hints of happiness faded from his face and what little colour he had in his skin faded, the dull roaring sound of the rain beating against the window, why didn’t she turn? He made himself real, they hurt her because he wasn’t real but now he was so he could touch her and everyone would see how happy they were… What if he didn’t do it right, the question ate away at him, if it lasted to long he would go insane what if he would never be able to touch her or talk to her again, he had sacrificed so much, how could he have possibly failed?!

Then she turned, the colour jumped back in to his face but his tongue caught in his throat when he saw her face illuminated by a strike of lightening, she looked confused, or afraid, he couldn’t tell, maybe she had forgotten him, he prayed that she hadn’t, he couldn’t bare for that to be true after all this.

He was frozen as her hand reached out, his face inching closer, longing for her touch but to afraid of rejection to do it himself. His mouth opened in an expectant smile, the anticipation making the second feel like hours to him, he could feel her hand hovering just a hairs breadth from his skin, he began to move his hand up to take hers but she pulled away and dropped down before he could.

"I've gone positively mad haven't I?"

Those words were like an icy knife, cutting in to him, his eyes welling up with tears but not a single on would drop, he didn’t want to cry in front of her. He bent over, crouching before her momentarily “that’s not right” he placed his hand on her shoulders and pulled her closer till her head was resting on his chest.

“That’s not what your supposed to do, your meant to be happy, the electrics gone, the shoutings gone, its just me, just me and you” he held her close and rested his head on top of hers, his tail wrapping around her possessively as he gently stroked her hair.

“I’m sorry I got lost, I wont do it again” he let her stay there crying, she should let this out so she can be happy with him. He began to hum a tune, remembering that it was what he would hum as she tried to sleep, it was totally otherworldly, like no sound a mortal could make, melodious and slow yet unpredictable and uplifting.

Once she stopped, he loosened his grip slightly, his wings flapping and making the air around them shine “there, now your happy, the sads all gone” he said with a blissful smile “the sad is gone and it wont come back”

“that’s not right”

She had stiffened when he touched her, pulling her close. It wasn't rejection, but she wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to being held anymore, not kindly, not gently as he was, now. She had no idea how to react.

“That’s not what your supposed to do, your meant to be happy, the electrics gone, the shoutings gone, its just me, just me and you”

A memory flashed in her mind, crying in the dark after a particularly painful session with Dr. Garner. Trying to be silent, she had buried herself aginst her friend. The oone they insisted wasn't real and punished her for telling them truthfully that he was. It wasn't fair. Her mummy had always told her to tell the truth, but when she did they hurt her.

“I’m sorry I got lost, I wont do it again”

Relaxing, she leaned against him now, tears still flowing as heart ache filled her. If all this was real. If he was real and she had been telling the truth all along, then she was still mad. They had driven her there, using electricity and drugs and fear to cause doubt in herself, making it run so deep that she'd never been able to get rid of it on her own.

A melody reached her ears. She knew it, had known it and she smiled faintly as she realized it had been a tune she'd had stuck in her head for years and years. She'd actually gone and hunted for it one week. Turning every website and music store upside down for the song that no one else knew. At least that had been hers. They had not thought to make her think music did not exist either.

“there, now your happy, the sads all gone”

She looked up at him, purple glimmering faintly around them. He was smiling at her and a blush rushed to her cheeks. It was an honest smile, a joyful smile, the kind of smile she had never seen directed her way.

“the sad is gone and it wont come back”

Her eyes wandered at this. He hadn't known her for a very long time. The wounds that had gathered in his absence ran deep and she couldn't promise that she wouldn't be sad again, not right now.

A hand cupped her cheek, turning her face back towards him. He looked worried as if he thought he'd done something wrong and she smiled to comfort him, asking the first question that came to mind before she could think.

"Who are you?" And then... "Why did you come back for me?"

Why did she look away? Did he say something wrong? Didn’t she want him to be here? He pulled her back to looking at him, worried that it was all his fault that she did but he calmed as soon as she smiled, she was happy again.

"Who are you?" And then... "Why did you come back for me?"

His eyes then wandered just as hers had, he desperately searched for an answer to her questions but nothing came to mind, he searched him scattered memories for the answer, but unless they were about her, they weren’t there, nothing was there. A single tear rolled don his cheek when he tried to remember where they went.

He knew he had done something to get here, something bad, he tried to remember exactly what it was, a shot of pain ran through his wings and another tear streamed down his face, something had happened, he was sure of it.

“I… I don’t know, I think I forgot my name” he looked back at her, the smile on his face back to normal, a tear stained cheek the only evidence that it happened “I know why I came back though” he wiped his cheek with his normal left hand “im back here because you were here, we were happy and I wanted that back”

He pulled her back in to him with a hug, planting a kiss on her forehead “ive missed you so much, I can get a new name, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as you stay happy”

He let her go and looked down at her, questions and doubts creeping back in to his mind “you do still like me don’t you? Do, do you still want me here?” his voice lowered “if it will make you happy I’ll…” his eyes looked down, he couldn’t face her and say this “ill leave if you want me too”

“you do still like me don’t you? Do, do you still want me here?” his voice lowered “if it will make you happy I’ll…” his eyes looked down, he couldn’t face her and say this “ill leave if you want me to”

She looked up at him as he held her against him. There was a tear on his cheek. He had been crying and it had been all her fault. That knowledge made her heart hurt.

Reaching up she wiped the tear from his cheek.

"No I don't want you to leave" She'd be all alone again if he went. He was real now but if he disappeared and she never saw him again then she'd begin to doubt. She'd tell herself it was all a dream and she did not want that.

She'd missed him. Nevermind that in her mind she could barely recall him in her memories. Hugging him close, she was just glad that a vital piece of her life had been put into place.

"I don't remember your name."

Surely he had told her at some point, but looking back she had only thoughts of him as her friend, hers. Catherine guessed it was up to her to name him anew then. This time when her gaze wandered it was for inspiration. Something normal like Tom or Harry wouldn't suit him. It'd be like saying a forest was a lake. Her eyes shifted to the window next to them as lightning lit the dark sky once again.

"The rain.. rain. Rayne. I'll call you Rayne." She grinned at that until a thought occurred to her. "unless..you don't like it.."

"No I don't want you to leave"

He gaze perked back up when she said no, it made him so happy, he held her close when she hugged him back.

"I don't remember your name."

He didn’t care, he had forgotten it too anyway, he was just overjoyed that she wanted him and remembered him at all. He waited patiently when she looked around, she was searching, what for? He curiously followed her gaze around until it rested on the window, the flashes of lightening captivating him.

"The rain.. rain. Rayne. I'll call you Rayne." She grinned at that until a thought occurred to her. "unless..you don't like it.."

“no no no” he lifted his right hand to her cheek, rubbing down with the back of his clawed fingers “you gave it to me, so I like it” he looked back to the window “Rayne rain Rayne rain Rayne, Rayne is perfect”

He stood up and held out his normal hand to her “common, you shouldn’t be on the floor, its no place for you to be” he helped her to her feat and rubbed her shoulders “where should we go? Where do want to go? Some where fun, ill take you there, where ever it is”

“where should we go? Where do want to go? Some where fun, ill take you there, where ever it is”

She giggled as he asked her this, her gaze turning thoughtful. She didn't know where she wanted to go. She'd never wanted to go anywhere before, except away. Even then that urge had eventually died.

The library was still deathly silent. In fact the whole world seemed that way. There was no sound of traffic, no sirens in the distance that tended to follow stormy weather. No one shouting in the night to their companions as they tried vainly to stay dry.

Instead she only heard the rain, thunder, and the sound of their breathing. She didn't care where they went. Reaching up she twined her fingers with his clawed ones that laid on her shoulders. There was nowhere important to be. Still..

"Where are we now?"

This place wasn't her world. Not reality as it was so defined.

"Where are we now?"

Rayne went silent as he deciphered the question and its answer, she didn’t mean the library, she knew that part, he did something to the world to get here “we’re here and there, I was in one world, you were in the other, I made them one” he walked to the window looking out of to the world, if you looked long enough you would see something out of place, soon the worlds would begin to bleed in to one another as their joining continued.

“Now everyone will know, if they wont look the I will force them to, make them see the world through different eyes” he turned to her with a proud smile “eyes like yours” he took her hand and pulled her over to the window.

“it will be beautiful, and I did it for you, all for you” he put his clawed hand on the window, the would shimmering out of focus for the briefest moment, a few of the sounds from her world returned, accompanied by some from his “I don’t know how I did it, I doubt I want to know, but I regret nothing, because im with you and no one can say that im not”

Something in her went cold at his words. It was faint now, but screams were building.

"No."

Grabbing rayne's arm she looked him full in the eye. Her gaze was pleading. For the first time in her life she was afriad around him, not of him, but of what he was doing.

"You can't. They can't. There's a reason they don't see. They can't handle it." She was sure there was more to it than that but she didn't know what. She just knew that whatever it was, there was a damn good reason the people couldn't see the world that flitted around the edge of theirs. True, dreams lay there. Wondrous things that had been written into legends and even now filtered into every day happenings. There was so much more though. Things that would drive them just as insane as they thought she had been.

"No."

He didn’t understand, the idea of what he did being bad was completely beyond Rayne’s comprehension, but he could tell that she didn’t like what she had heard

"You can't. They can't. There's a reason they don't see. They can't handle it."

He still didn’t understand, she could see and she was fine, why couldn’t they learn to be fine? He took one of her hands in to his, covering them both with his clawed right, he pulled it up and kissed it lightly. “but it’s a good thing, I sacrificed, I worked until I bled, and now were together and you cant be hurt for it”

There were things out there, terrible things, but if the humans were careful then they would be fine, they would just have to go about their business with a little caution “you have to see that, you can be happy, we both can be” he pressed her hand to his cheek “see? Real now”

He didn’t know what he had done, all he knew was that he was with her, he was happy, and it was far to late for anything to be done to stop it now anyway.

“you have to see that, you can be happy, we both can be” he pressed her hand to his cheek “see? Real now”

Silently tears trickled from her eyes as she stared at him, the salty wetness running down her cheeks only to fall into the dark carpet at their feet. The screams were coming more often now and they were getting closer. People were getting hurt, some dying. They didn't know how to handle this change, didn't know what to do about it. Maybe it would have been different if this had been done a thousand years ago, when humanity had known enough to treat legends as real and guard against them.

Now though, they were all defenseless, too deeply rooted in what they'd been taught as fact. She couldn't tear herself away from him though. All this chaos and terror and she was too bloody selfish to even try to fix the worlds, because she knew if she succeeded in that Rayne would be torn away from her forever.

Even as they stood there the worlds were further melding together. The shadows that she had first seen in the parking lot were becoming more than shadows and they were climbing up the library walls, seeking entry. She didn't see that though. All she saw was him. Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but the window behind him choose that moment to shatter inward as something forced entry.

Rayne's eyes darkened, he was oblivious to the screams from outside, it was the fact that she was crying that made him sad, why couldn’t she see that this was for the best? He just held her hand silently and waited for her to say something, to tell him what she wanted.

He instantly moved between her and the thing that broke through the window, shielding her from the shards of glass that dug in to his back. it was a four legged creature, foot long spines jutting from its back, its human like head missing its jaw, a long disgusting tongue hanging loosely from its maw.

He tried to make sure he was in-between it and her the whole time, to block her view and block any of its attacks. it growled, testing Rayne to see if he would be a challenge, he growled back then instantly let out a sort of barking roar, the creature cringing and turning tail on them, realising it was outmatched.

"Where do you wan to go? Quick, before more of them come" he turned and pleaded with her for an answer, a disillusioned smile on his face "I can take you where you want to go, somewhere away from those scavengers, so we can be happy"

She had been surprised when the four-legged creature turned tail and ran. Why were they so afraid of him that they would back away? She stared at the fleeing creature for a few moments.

"Where do you wan to go? Quick, before more of them come" he turned and pleaded with her for an answer, a disillusioned smile on his face "I can take you where you want to go, somewhere away from those scavengers, so we can be happy"

She wanted to be happy, to be with him, she really did, but a scream a good twenty feet away starled her, the sound quickly turning into a faint gurgle and a stampede of feet as more of those creatures found there way inside by other means.

She could leave this place. Never even have to think of the people around her again nor what they thought, but there were others out there. Others that had never done a thing to her and this new world would tear them apart. She was torn. Finally a thought occured to her as more screams filled the air and she stepped towards Rayne before she allowed herself to second guess.

Standing up on her tiptoes, she placed her hands on his chest and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, a quick one. The tears that had been her eyes threatened to spill forth again.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry"

Turning away from him, she ran. She ran back towards the office behind the check out counter. She had to at least try and help the people here. There was salt back in that room. Salt was supposed to be great for warding away evil spirits. Maybe that would buy the few people left around here some time. Crying now she stumbled into the office and scrambled to the cabinet doors, searching for her prize. Even if this worked, she'd probably die. Those scavengers seemed out for blood. She'd never see Rayne again. What was worse is that she'd turned away from him.

Rayne's eyes closed as she kissed him, a blissful and happy oblivion overtaking him, the scavengers faded away for him ant it was just the two of them there.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry"

He was confused, he opened his eyes to see what she meant but she was already off in the distance and disappeared around a corner “what? No, come back” he reached out to her, his feet rooted to the spot “why did you leave?” he fell to his knees, sobbing and repeating those words again and again to himself.

He pulled himself to his feet and ran through the library, passing countless books, now hearing the screams all around him, he tried to block them out, covering his pointed ears with his hands, the claws on his right digging in to him as he mumbled pleas for silence under his breath.

He stopped after a while when he came face to face with a scavenger that had managed to corner an unfortunate human “go away! Now!” he shouted at it, but high on its recent capture it stayed, deciding to attack Rayne. It jumped through the air at him, only to be batted through the bookshelf beside him “I said go away!” he picked up the other bookshelf and continued to slam it in to the scavenger relentlessly.

He stood there, breathing heavily, his eyes taking on a evil appearance, red with slitted pupils, black veins pulsing out from them, he saw others in the shadows, a mere glance from him making them scatter in fear. He roared in to the air, the deafening sound managing to instil fear in to every thing in the library, almost everything out to the edge of the town hearing it.

He started to walk again, turning to the human he had saved as he passed “why are you still here?” his voice was cold, he felt the urge to kill and maim the poor bastard “do I need to spell it out? Leave!” he ran away from Rayne, screaming as he went, he needed to find her, he needed to know she was safe, he didn’t know what he would do if he had lost her again.

He wandered around the library, the scavengers gone and the screaming silenced, a few people cowering in the dark corners, cowering at his presence and moving to another spot when he had passed.

A loud roar filled the air. It was definitely not thunder. She'd been some feet away from the office, an industrial sized container of salt in her hands, when she heard it, giving her pause.

"Rayne"

She turned on her heel ready to run towads him. He was pist and rightfully so. She wanted to make things right. Then she heard a cry behind her and glanced at it. A little boy, no more than zeven was backing up towards her. He didn't see her though, all he saw was the monster that stalked him. It seemed a cross between an alligator and a hyena, with an angular tooth filled snout and arched fur-covered body.

"No!."

She spoke without out thinking as she stepped in front of the boy, who screamed and then hid behind her legs.

The beast only snarled at her. It looked almost smug, knowing that such she was patheticly matched against him. Catherine didn't happened to particularly care at the moment. Her voice was filled with fury and almost deathly soft as she brandished the salt container.

"Don't you dare harm him."

This had absolutely no effect and the creature launched it self towards her, it's jaws open, read to snap shut the moment they touched her. 'What have I done?

Closing her eyes, she made an arc in the air fling a good amount of salt straight into the creature's face. She was delightfully surprised when it screamed.

Rayne's ears perked up when he heard a scream, just a scavenger that was to stupid to run at his warning, he jumped over bookshelves and raced to the sound, he landed on one of them and spied the loud bastard, it was facing down... Her, there she was, he had found her... and he was about to lose her!

He launched himself off the bookshelf, crashing in to the creature with enough force to kill it just before it struck her. they both tumbled across the floor, stopping when they hit the wall. he climbed up on to the creature, the last traces of life draining from it face "you don’t make her sad" he said before he began to punch and claw at its face in a berserk fury, not stopping until his knuckles were torn open down to the bone.

He stayed over the creature for a while, staring straight in to the shapeless pulp that was now its face "why did you leave" he turned to her, letting her see his darkened and twisted face "you gave me a name, you sounded happy, what was wrong? tell me so I can fix it for you"

Deep red tears began to stream down his face, he didn’t understand anything now, it didn’t make sense, he thought he had everything worked out when she had kissed him, he thought he had fixed it, but he didn’t, and now he didn’t know what to do.

"why did you leave" he turned to her, letting her see his darkened and twisted face "you gave me a name, you sounded happy, what was wrong? tell me so I can fix it for you"

The child behind her screamed again and started crying as Rayne came closer. For her part, Catherine was shocked. He'd been nothing but gentle to her, and while she had seen how scared the scavengers were of him, it was a completely different matter to watch him pummel one of them into a pulp.

Even now blood dripped from his clawed hands, even as crimson tears streamed from his face. She could understand while the boy was so terrified and she gathered the kid into her arms, letting him cry against her shoulder as her eyes never moved from Rayne's.

The tears hurt, his words hurt, holding her heart in a vice, because she'd done this to him. She'd made this fierce reature that terrified the stuff of nightmares and had played with her as a child cry.

"Rayne.."

She paused adjusting her grip as the little boy's cries were silenced, grief becoming a suitable aid for sleep. She wasn't sure how to make him understand. He had done all this for her, but she didn't view herself as important, wasn't driven by revenge against those that hadn't understood her special abilities. These people, like the slumbering kid in her arms, were not worth sacrificing for her happiness and if that was all it was she would have told him to seperate the worlds right then. It wasn't that easy though. If she asked him to do this he would be sad and it would be all her fault.

"Rayne. I don't want them to be hurt. It's not worth it."

Her voice cracked at those last words, because more than anything right now, she wanted not to care and let the world burn.

The child screamed, he must have been so terrified of Rayne, he looked down at the blood drenched fingers that seemed so familiar to him, he wasn’t going to hurt the child, it wasn’t a threat, but then again, his fingers were twitching and his mouth watering at the prospect of doing him in.

"Rayne.."

He couldn’t look her in the eyes, he didn’t want to see what ever terror was in them, he didn’t want her to fear him, that he couldn’t take. If he was responsible for making her sad then he would probably have some kind of breakdown.

"Rayne. I don't want them to be hurt. It's not worth it."

His eyes dried at her words, he knew something was wrong about it by her voice “that’s not true” he went to move closer but hesitated, he didn’t want to know if she would mover away “you are worth it, its not this way permanently” just some of them are here, the little ones, they have no control, when the rest get here it will be better”

He chanced a step closer, the tears now completely stopped, he looked in to her eyes, the pupils back to normal but the veins running from his eyes still black “please, let me do something to make this better” he walked until he was close enough to touch her “let me make you happy”

She didn't want to tell him that it was too late. That if she had to guess, millions of lives had already been snuffed out. She felt it was all her fault, but she knew the past could not be changed and she would have to bear their murders for as long as she lived. She just hoped the rest got here soon enought to prevent more deaths.

“please, let me do something to make this better” he walked until he was close enough to touch her “let me make you happy”

She hadn't moved when he stepped forward, for all his mayhem she still trusted him and knew he wouldn't harm her.

"How?"

She didn't understand how he could make any of this better and she had been depressed for far too long to remember what actual happiness felt like.

"How?"

hHe didn’t know what to say, he had no idea how to make her happy nowadays "I don’t know, but i want you to be happy" he moved forward put a hand to her cheek and pushed some of her hair up behind her ear "all I know is I want to make you happy any way I can"

His hand fell back to his side "the thought of you being sad is just..." another tear rolled down his cheek but this time he wiped it away "to much for me, ive worked so hard to make you happy again, I need you to be happy"

He pulled her in and hugged her gently, not wanting to disturb the slumbering child, stroking her back as he hummed his otherworldly tune. He wanted her happy, he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t tell him how to make her happy, unless she thought it would be something he wouldn’t like. The tune turned somber, like an angels funeral, she wanted him to leave.

(OOC: oh look another char....lol she's only going to appear momentarily though)

"The thought of you being sad is just... too much for me, I' ve worked so hard to make you happy again, I need you to be happy"

She was silent now as he pulled her close to him, his voice filling the air with music. It was a dirge that much she could discern from the melancholy notes. She didn't want to say anything. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his chest. If she talked, she'd have to say something sensible and absolutely shattering. She'd much rather linger in this moment for as long as she could.

'Oh my what do we have here?'

Startled, Catherine's eyes popped open at the new voice. She didn't recognize it as she had Rayne's but there was something to it signifying the owner wasn't human, an under current of echoes held in each syllable. Wary, she stepped closer to her friend.

It was a woman, or what appeared to be a woman. She was unnaturally beautiful with alabaster skin and mesmerizing eyes that seemed to shift colors like the sea in a storm. Despite the sympathetic smile on her face, the creature reminded her distinctly of a winter landscape.

The woman-thing only barely glanced her way before turning her attention to Rayne. The smile shifted to reveal a frown.

"You've torn the veils. They were meant to hold for beyond eternity. Yet you have held a long and bloody campaign to see them ripped asunder. What in the world could have posessed you...?"

The stranger paused, seeming momentarily confused.

"Your name has changed. I can see it now., but that begs the question. Who or what did you allow to change your name.."

Then, as her eyes alighted on Catherine once more, knowing crept into her gaze and she smiled. It was a warm smile, well, warmer, she still excuded the feeling of ice, but mirth reached her eyes this time to combine with the other things held there.

"That is fantastic! Simply marvelous! My.. I'm amazed at you! " The woman even danced around a little. It was faintly amusing. She, what ever she was, was acting like a child on Christmas.

'Oh my what do we have here?'

At first Rayne didn’t realize the voice, it was normal to him, it was only when he though that nobody here would be so calm. He turned, she familiar, but they weren’t good feelings, memories of pain and sadness popping up in his mind, but there was a strange feeling of cold, ice and calm from her too, how did he know her?

"You've torn the veils. They were meant to hold for beyond eternity. Yet you have held a long and bloody campaign to see them ripped asunder. What in the world could have posessed you...?"

He listened intently, he knew she was telling the truth, but he didn’t know what he had done, he hoped she would say. When she stopped he got nervous, double checking that she couldn’t get to Catherine before she tried anything.

"Your name has changed. I can see it now., but that begs the question. Who or what did you allow to change your name.."

Now the vague familiarity in her words was gone, he was back to being clueless and he didn’t like it.

"That is fantastic! Simply marvelous! My.. I'm amazed at you! "

Her giddy display didn’t catch him off guard, it seemed like just some routine he had been through a thousand times before “who are you? What do you mean? Why are you here? I wont let you hurt us” his mind jumped from one conclusion to the next, not knowing if he should be asking her questions, running away or trying to get in the first strike.

She stopped dancing then and tilted her head to the side, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Of course you don't know who I am. You've sacrificed worlds including the one made up of so many eons of memories just to get here."

She sobered up now, her expression turning somber.

"Of course all know who I am, even if it is only in death. Forgive me I should learn to introduce myself properly. I am Sorrow and I have ever been your companion and yours, dear heart, even if you never once knew I was there."