The Gift

Strife allowed himself to hang on the steel chains that were imprisoning him, panting softly. He felt like someone had just run him over with Conniption and then had the horse stomp in on his skull a few times just to make sure that he was hurt. The demons almost seemed to enjoy hanging about where he was, watching with greedy eyes as they seemed to wait for him to die. He kept up the dead look even though he felt like his inside were bleeding and he was surely alive. It wasn't like he could just die anyway, being bonded with Conniption. They would not only have to die at the same time, but they would have to separate their hearts from their bodies and bury them fifteen feet into the ground. Once or twice one of the demons would become impatient and they would rush him head on, a hungry look in their eyes.

Each one fell down hard.

The problem with defending himself against the demons was that every time that his fist would connect with a head, the chains would be pulled back deeper into the stone wall, pulling him in closer to the wall. If he kept going the way that he was, he would have his arm being pulled through the stone. He was running out of options. When he kicked them, they normally only bounced right back and went at him tooth and claw. He already had one gash that was bleeding on his chest where a demon had come back at him after he had slammed his heel into its jaw. But he kept up the act, falling forward and breathing huge gasps that he truly did need.

He was also starting to get tired. Every time that he moved, his vision would blur from the pain and his body would sometimes fail him, making the attack that would have been lethal at one point connect like a baby. The demons, being who they naturally were, enjoyed his pain and only doubled their attempts to kill him before he got a hold of himself again. They would retreat after he killed one of them but he was always getting closer to the wall and now his foot was being pressed up against it.

He could tell that the demons were organizing themselves for another attack on him when they suddenly backed off, creating a path for someone three times their own size. Strife groaned and picked himself up to his feet with an annoyed set of words playing on his tongue. He knew who was going to be walking out in front of him. Those demons wouldn’t just move out of the way for just anyone.

“Strife, how nice of you to join us!” exclaimed the one and only Samael as he paraded forward, a nasty grin splayed out on his ghastly face. Samael, one of the most powerful Demon Lords after he cheated out Rasha, stood before Strife with a smug smile, his pointed teeth glistening in his mouth. His armor on his left side cleaved into him, leaving scars that pulled at his skin, begging for more. Twisted, blood red wings stood out wide and proud on his back. Two large horns were on his head that played out high and they were above his two fiery red eyes. “I thought that my little soldiers would have run you out by now."

In English, he had been hoping that the demons would have killed him by now. Typical, Strife thought to himself as he tried to straighten himself up all of the way. He wouldn't want his own hands getting dirty and into trouble, now would he?

 “Yeah well, I thought that the bastards look rather nice when they were trying to beat the shit out of me, you know?”

Samael threw back his head and let out a bellow of a laugh, which he ended it by swinging his arm back around and producing one little fireball in his palm. “Yes that they do. Give me about five minutes and I will blow all of the shit right out of you, Horseman.”

Strife smirked. “I can’t die, remember?”

An answering neigh filled the room as Conniption reared up out of the ground in a ball full of flames, his anger at Strife being kidnapped only making his flames more intense and extreme. Shrieks sounded as the flames ate some of the demons alive, trapping them in its hellish ways. Conniption bucked once, literally kicking the head off of the demon that had tried to get up in behind him, before he swung his head around and snorted at Samael. He neighed again and charged forward, head down and preparing himself to ram him. The Demon Lord bent down, pulling out a chain and then tossing it up into the air to have it fall upon the horse’s back. It was strong enough to slow him down and Strife yelled as Conniption was lifted off the ground by his saddle, being thrown right back down to the ground in a withering mass of flames and flailing white limbs. Demons jumped onto top of Conniption and he neighed out again, exploding out and then somehow allowing himself to be backed into a corner. He reared up, kicking out a few times before Samael made a motion with his hand and a net fell down on Conniption. The horse let out a surprised squeal that Strife hadn’t known that he could make before he tried to let himself out but failed.

“Well, well, look what luck has come upon me?” Samael asked with a smirk, waving his hands. Demons rushed forward and clamped huge chains upon Strife’s horse, trapping him in them. Conniption tried to escape once the net was off of him but he was yanked down to the ground, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily and his body shaking violently.

“Damn you! Damn you all to Heaven!” Strife roared, using reversed effect on the demons in front of him. Some gasped at his language and mumbled crossly under their breath.

Strife! You’re only going to make it worse on us! Conniption snorted from where he was, his mouth hanging opened wide as he tried to disobey the demon that was trying to pull him one way. Shut up and just let me take care all of this!

The Horseman bowed his head, his nostrils flaring as he fought to control his anger. He swallowed heavily and continued to stare at the ground even when Samael called out his name like some pervert, Conniption’s answering whinny full of anger. Strife ignored them all, doing one of the things that he had always been best at doing anytime, anywhere.

Blocking out the world.

He had learned this during the school that the Nephilim used to have; it was a simple mind trick that told the brain to shut off sound. Fury had actually taught him when they were younger. She had told him that she did it when she was bored and was trying to do something and he was trying to get some reaction out of her when he was pulling on her hair. All he had to do was tilt his head down, breath in deeply through his nose and close his eyes. That wasn’t the only things that he had to do, perhaps mentally allowing himself to go dormant inside. Emotions flickered right through him and were pushed away from him, feelings to the matching surrounding were blown off like smoke, and the scent of everything was just caught off and all that he could smell was air. It was strange whenever he went into this; like he was preparing himself to go into outer space and hibernate for a thousand years. But he needed this silence now. He’ll let Conniption do all of the work like his horse had promised him that he would.

“No! Stop! Samael, you’re breaking the deal!” Strife’s mental blocking broke like glass and shattered onto the ground when he heard Rebecca scream, her voice tight from anger. He looked up to find Samael’s clawed finger pressing into his bare forehead, his mask in the other hand.

Rebecca stomped up, her hips making the hunting dress that she was wearing to swish back and forth and make most of the demons stare on with lustful eyes. She literally slapped Samael’s hand away from Strife to stand in front of him, arms crossed over her chest and blue eyes narrowed. “What in the name of Absalom are you doing, Demon Lord?”

Strife couldn’t help but smile to himself as he allowed himself to slump forward again, mentally commenting on Rebecca’s choice of words. Absalom, the old leader of the Nephilim, would never be forgotten and adding on to the fact that they both used to work for him was perfect. Geisha had a demon up in her jaws and Rebecca shot a glare at her before she tossed it back down, snorting.

“I’m taking care of old business. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Seriously? You don’t realize how much I would love to get my hands on this guy.”

Samael smirked, the demons in behind him laughing loudly. “You mean that in a different way.” Strife jerked his head up from where he had been letting it hang to stare at the back of Rebecca’s head. Did she? “Now move so I can carry out my own end of the deal! You remember the bargain! I kill Fury and Strife, the two weaker of the Horseman, and you and the Cyborg twin will get the gift.” The gift?

“Yes, yes, I know this! But you don’t have Fury yet! Won’t it be much more grand if you can admit that you caught both Fury and Strife at the same time? That way, no one will be able to deny that you killed them and it will look way more hellish. Plus, you can have fun with them.”

“Fury yes…”

“Touch my sister and I will rise up out of the grave to kill you!” Strife roared, pulling on his chains to try and get at the Demon Lord. There was a popping noise and he was yanked right back into the wall, Samael looming up above him evilly.

“I will do what I want with her once I get my hands on her!” Samael snarled back, his threat rumbling through Strife’s very core. The snarl that was on his lips fell a little and the Demon Lord smiled at that, leaning down to look him dead in the eye. “Can you just imagine how I can torture her so? Can you imagine how she will look once I am done with her?”

Strife managed to wake up and he growled. “You pervert.”

“You get bored all by your lonesome down here, Horseman, and there's only one real woman to pleasure yourself with.” Samael pulled away to glance at Rebecca, who seemed to have gotten weaker with their little conversation just now. Her face had turned pale and Geisha was struggling not to let her leg shake. “That one won’t let me get fifteen feet from her. The closest that she’s ever gotten to me is just now when she was protecting your ass.”

“And because of her brother.”

Jonathan and Wrath walked through the demons, each one staying a protectively distance away that made Strife curious. He watched as Wrath snapped his jaws at one and it almost scrambled over another to get away from him. Strife stared at Jonathan, telling him that he needed to earn some answers, until the Nephilim did the old hand signals that they used to do in school to make fun of the teachers. Later friend.

“I did not know that you were still here, Jonathan,” Samael spoke with an almost uneasy tone, taking a few steps away from Rebecca and Strife.

The Nephilim Cyborg waved his hand dismissively before he messed with his robot hand, twirling one of the rusted screws tighter most likely. “I was leaving until I heard an awfully large commotion. I just assumed that it was over Strife so I just decided to drop and check it out before I left, maybe leave a few threats on him.”

“Sure, sure, do as you please.”

The second that Samael and his demons had left, Rebecca was pulling at his chains with an almost gentle way. Strife ignored how she was loosening him and looked up at Jonathan almost accusingly. “You could have gotten here a whole lot sooner.”

“Always the sarcastic one, Strife. I couldn’t make any escapes while those demons keep their noses up my ass.” Wrath neighed out from where he was with Conniption and Geisha, who were both shoving their noses up under the net and lifting it up above their heads. “Oh and because both me and Wrath had to loosen up the gears. But seriously, those damn demons don’t know shit about having privacy!”

“They probably do that the entire time down here,” Rebecca smirked, freeing Strife’s hand at the same time with a yank. “Samael said that they did get lonely.”

Strife fell down to the ground to catch himself on both hands and just pant when Rebecca freed him, tossing the last chain into the lava. He stayed like that until Conniption was up on his hooves, nudging Geisha thankfully on her cheek and shaking himself for Wrath. “Why?” he panted. He needed and wanted some kind of answer for this. Why were two Nephilim still alive when they were not only promised that they were dead but he, Death, Fury and War had watched the last of them die out? If it wasn't for the point that they would kill him if he jumped up and tried to force them out of one of them, he would probably do it. And he would never beg for them either. Rebecca would never leave him alone ever again.

“You need our help.” Rebecca bent down to touch his shoulder lightly but he threw her off, growling.

“You deliberately brought me here to Samael’s and now you are about to deliberately catch Fury and bring her to this hellish place! How am I even in your help?” he snapped.

Rebecca growled again and just listened to him ramble on until she finally got tired of hearing him talk over and over to himself. Jonathan, on top of Wrath, had left a long time ago and that left her with the Horseman all to herself while he tried to get a grasp of what was going on. Conniption seemed to be fine beside Geisha, listening inventively while she probably gave him the full layout of the plan. Why the two were so different from each other she didn't know. Well, there was only one option that she really saw that should bring him back down to Hell.

Still growling threateningly, Rebecca seized his collar and ripped off his mask with the other hand that he had managed to find and place back onto his face. Strife gasped and was about to scream at her when she slammed her mouth up against his, waking him up from the dazed slumber that he had shoved himself into. His eyes rolled up into his head and he was starting to kiss her back when she pulled away from him, trying to look disgusted as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The Horseman stayed down on his knees, looking up at her with his hands opened and confusion lying in his yellow eyes. She smirked, crossing her arms. “Did you wake up?”

Strife continued to stare up at her until he stood, rubbing at the back of his head almost like he was embarrassed from being kissed. Inside, his heart was pounding up against his chest and he could feel organs inside of him start trying to wake themselves up all of the way. Rebecca showed nothing on her face but mentally she was forcing herself to not kiss him yet again while he was fighting with such emotions and take advantage of him.

Conniption, who was alongside with Geisha by dropping their jaws, shook out his mane and shot a glance at Geisha. He’s probably going to be speechless for a while after that.

I think that I am too, Geisha commented sourly.

“Shut up!” Rebecca snapped, grabbing Strife’s shoulder. Strife found no affection in her movement at all as she shoved him toward his white horse, anger lining her features. “We need to leave once Jonathan gets that gift.”

“What’s the gift?” Strife asked, finding his voice. When she didn’t answer, he took a hold of her wrist and yanked her to a stop, his eyes boring into hers. “What is the gift, Rebecca?”

She paused, noting how close that he was to her. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Right, and like I believe the shit that Samael just told me a while ago.”

The Nephilim bounty hunter blinked, trying not to say anything by biting her lip and leaning into Strife’s stomach with her own. Her body being pushed into Strife seemed to knock him off a little and his eyes clouded over for a minute before he roughly separated her from him, pointing at her with one finger warningly. “The gift is a baby Nephilim.”