They had first met on a stormy night in the city of love. He had been wandering the catacombs, admiring the eternal slumber humans slept, when the pitter patter of rain brought him out of his thoughts. Despite being a creature of darkness, he had always been drawn to the purity of the moon and rain. Walking through the familiar maze of winding tunnels, he climbed up a rusted ladder and opened up a pothole at the bottom of a drained fountain.

Pulling himself out, he slid into the shadows. Humans were not fond of his kind and he quite enjoyed having all his limbs intact. Strolling along the empty alleys, he enjoyed the wet droplets as they slid down his face, cooling the burning inferno inside him. It chilled his fiery existence until he was able to run his slightly petrified hands across the ancient buildings. Not often was he given a chance to enjoy the city so he took his time, drifting through the city undetected.

He had been resting by the fountain when a particular sense snapped him out of his reverie. A little ways away from him, blending into the crowd a bit too well, was a girl covered in the blood of his kin. She had a small, petite figure with delicate features and a doll-like appeal to her. Her eyes were closed, lashes creating a pattern against her pale skin. At first glance, she seemed like nothing more than a girl who was enjoying the weather, but he had lived long enough to learn the signs.

Her long black trench coat was ripped at the bottom and faint wisps of smoke curled off the shoulders. A slight glint gave away the hidden weapons on her body. Her hair appeared to be black, but he could sense the miasma of his kind. She did not seem aware of the harm that their blood could inflict on such a fragile creature, so when she drifted closer to him, he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the alleyway.

•<>•<>•<>•<>•<>•<>•<>•

Skidding away from the evaporating body, she wiped the blood off her face before turning to her partner.
"That's the last of them. Report back to headquarters."
She gathered the rest of her needles from the bloodstained floor.
"And be sure to remove of all evidence."
"What about you miss," they asked, "In case they inquire, of course."
Speaking over her shoulder, she answered, "Just tell them I went out for a walk," before slipping away.

Darting through the winding streets, she made quick work of storing her needles into her slightly torn trench coat. She'd have to get another. Inferno blood was impossibly hard to remove. Sighing, she continued walking, ignoring the rain that seeped through her coat. As a child, she had grown in the suburbs. Rain was nothing new to her. In fact, she had often fallen asleep in the window sill listening to its rhythmic beat.

Stopping at the ancient fountain, she tilted her head skywards. Small droplets soaked her head to toe and rolled down her porcelain cheeks. She imagined that the rain was washing away her guilt. Calming her breathe, she let the pitter patter soothe the roiling sea of emotions in her. After calming down, she took a leisurely step forward before being dragged into an alley.

Shocked, she froze before she felt unnaturally warm arms wrap around her. It wasn't until she saw the ashes floating around her did she realize. Inferno. Thrashing, she tried to grab her needles but spindly arms held her firm. Snarling, she made a move to kick the Inferno with her steel enforced boots but he held her tighter than before. Going still, she looked upward at her assailant.
"Worry not. I mean no harm."
His voice floated into her head, silky and smooth.
"Let me go," she growled, teeth bared. He made no move to free her, simply standing still.
"You do not understand, fragile one."
Her anger rose at being called fragile. She was a fighter, a leader, a warrior of the highest order and he had the audacity to call her fragile?!

She fought harder but he didn't budge. He waited until she tired to finally move. His arms loosened and she felt the air around her shift. Suddenly she went weightless. Her blood soaked hair floated around her. Opening his mouth, she watched in awe as the darkness seeped out of her now pure white hair. Dropping to her knees, she turned to look at the Inferno. He stared back at her before softly speaking.
"Danger is gone now."
Warily, she gave him a nod, watching as he slunk to the now empty square, opened up a nearly hidden pothole and disappeared.

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I have no excuses for not updating yesterday. Well I do, but they're pretty lame so I'll spare you the pain. To make it up, I made this chapter extra long. So sorry guys.

Anyways, is going to make this a two parter just because I have a lot of ideas. NanoMortis is the best source of inspiration for me.

QOTC: What's your favorite genre?

Thanks for reading!
- FAH

Written: July 27, 2017
Published: July 27, 2017
Last Updated: January 1, 2018
Picture: NanoMortis on DeviantArt