"Kageko!" Eld reached out instinctively as she was pulled away from him, hauled up by her neck by...what the hell was that? It wasn't human by any standards; it was some kind of freakish mutation...a monster. But the person they were chasing was definitely human.

His blood ran cold, but not out of fear. Is this how she sees him?

"And you're the one who did this to her." It wasn't a question--there was no reason for anyone else to be here. His voice was dark, and while it held a calm quality to it, it was strained. Something inside him was stirring.

In the real world, he tried desperately to move his body, to get a direction. If he was able to talk to her, to see her, he must be nearby, he had to be! But whether or not he succeeded in that, Lelan would notice something: the way his body began to shake, without his consciousness fully there to contain the reaction.

"Please...put her down." Perhaps if he did, he could prevent something terrible from happening.

The man replied boomingly--short and simple: "No."

He didn't twist her neck, though it felt like it to Kageko. Her windpipe was collapsing. It was the only explanation. He was squeezing her neck too tightly. She couldn't breath.

Kageko did all she could to lift her hands up to her throat, and with mangled fingers, attempting to touch the pincer that gripped her by the neck. Oddly, the marks upon her neck resembled human hands, while the pincers were just that: pincers. Likewise, the detail of her abuse would have been lost upon a monster like this. It would have been more blunt, more destructive--not meticulous and consciously placed. She'd just be a pile of flesh if this is truly what abused her so.

Then again, that was about how she felt.

The beast ignored Kageko's attempts to lessen the stress upon her neck. To him, she could get over it. Tomorrow, she'd be somewhat all right again. He just didn't care if she had to go through a day off breathless pain or not.

"She belongs to me, now. I can do whatever I want with her. There's nothing you can do about it."

"She belongs to me now. I can do whatever I want with her."

The words echoed in his ears, growing in volume until they became a roar that drowned everything else out. Before he could process anything at all, he was running, charging the monster.

What are you going to do now?

It was his voice, and yet it wasn't. It was familiar though. Calm, but expectant. Normally it was easy to shut out and ignore. But right now, he was afraid, because he knew what it would tell him.

He had no plan--if he reached the monstrosity, he'd lash out in any way available to him: fists, feet, spirit, whatever he could do to make the abomination drop Kageko.

Eld didn't get far enough to touch him, though. The monstrosity remained standing, in the end, with Eld at a sufficient distance--he couldn't touch him, and he especially could not reach him. There was no attack that allowed for this, though. Eld simply couldn't reach him. No matter how far or fast he ran, the distance was the same. It was like he was running in place, except it would feel as if he was making distance. He was moving, he was making ground; he'd be able to feel that much, but the distance never changed--and as much as he might like to use spirit here, there was none to use, not his own, not Kageko's, not the monster's. This was a world of the mind, not the spirit . . .

'ch, way to waste the ass kicking! Moight as well both sod off, oI say.

"That's the best part," the beast declared as he let loose his grip upon Kageko's throat, "I can do anything I want with her mind, too!"

He may as well been the god of this world. Kageko should have been. Her perception of a person could even change how they appeared here. Kageko didn't even fight back in this sense. He could do whatever he wanted here, and there wasn't a thing she was going to do about it . . .

Kageko fell down to the bed, hitting knees first, and hunching over. She coughed hard, repeating several times over until her windpipe opened up again. At first she couldn't even cough, just choke--choke on absolutely nothing until her battered neck could open up again.

"I could even tear you limb from limb."

Kageko's head snapped up, looking up at the monster's face pleadingly. It hurt just to move slowly; a fast movement like this made her want to die. But that didn't matter--not when he was talking about killing Eld. It was a metaphorical death at best, but possible. Kageko didn't know if it would even affect Eld in the end, though. That wasn't a risk she wanted to take.

"N-no . . . p-- . . . please don't . . . hurt him . . .!" Kageko pleaded meekly, unable to bring her voice higher than a whisper's pitch.

He ran, but never got any closer. Somehow, impossible though it seemed, this monster had gained complete control over this world. How? Kageko should have been in control of everything; it was that way all the time.

Eventually he stopped, realizing it was pointless. "G-Go ahead."

Go ahead, and do what you want to me. Every second you use on me is a second she's spared.

His face hung low, his bangs covering his expression, which was twisting as all the negative emotions he buried began bubble up, finally making themselves known.

I doubt you'd believe me, even if I told you that nothing you do to me could hurt more than it hurts to see her like that.

And the saddest thing, for Kageko . . . was that she could look at Eld and know he was in deep thought--and she couldn't hear it. It made her want to cry again. That wasn't a blow to her mind; it was a straight blow to her heart. It felt just like it did for Etsu when Eld had to go on missions that took more than a couple of weeks. Eld had talked about it before, if not directly to Kageko, then something she at least overheard; the length of time of distance did a lot to that girl, and it did the same to Kageko to be absent from Eld, so absent in fact that she couldn't even hear the slightest thought. He could call out to her and she'd feel it, but that was it. Just a feeling.

"He'll let me, see?"

"N-- no . . . please . . . please don't . . . h-- urt him . . ." Kageko continued to plead.

"What reasons do I have, huh?" the beast held out its pincers in Eld's direction.

". . . pl-- ease . . ."

"Fine. Then, how about this? I won't kill him if you say it," the beast leaned down to her face, "If you call me Master."

Kageko stared up at the beast's obscured face. She couldn't see any eyes, nose, or even lips. It spoke from somewhere else, somewhere behind that face, somehow penetrating it as if it had a mouth of its own--but she couldn't see that. She couldn't see this for anything else other than a faceless monster. She couldn't see this as the person she called master.

Nearly a minute of silence passed. Kageko simply kept staring up at the monster, her lips moving as if she were going to speak, but she never could bring herself to do it. In the end, she turned her head, looking straight to Eld. Her longing expression could be seen even while she was so beaten up. Kageko wished things were different--that it was him in possession of her, that it was him that she had to obey.

There were some things, though, that she just couldn't obey.

"Goo-- . . .d . . . bye, Master . . ." Kageko sniffled, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she stared solemnly at Eld's face--feeling deep down inside that it was a goodbye, a final goodbye, spoken as if she wouldn't see him ever again.

The darkness faded. Eld was on the ground, Lelan sitting beside of him, waving his hand in front of his face, trying to knock him out of what seemed to be a convulsive trance . . .

Don't say it! Let him do what he wants to me, give yourself a breather! I'll be there soon, so just hold--what do you mean, goodbye? Kageko?!

"KAGEKO!" He was back in his body before he knew it, releasing a shout at the top of his lungs. His body gave one last convulsion as he was brought back into it, simultaneous with a burst of uncontrolled spirit that Lelan, lacking the powers of a Reaper, would only feel as a strong wind.

Not paying the other boy any mind, Eld lurched to his feet. He reached out with his mind, but found nothing--Kageko had kicked him out. Worried about his safety--as though he could really get hurt in there!--she intended to sever ties with him.

"She belongs to me now. I can do what I want with her." The voice spoke with more surety this time. That is the fate that awaits her, at the hands of that monster. To be violated in mind and body, to endure tortures that would kill a person out here many times over. For as long as that man lives.

Every.

Single.

Day.

"No, no, NO! Where is he?! He's got to be nearby." With a deep breath, he dropped into another state--not one of darkness, but one of spirit.

The question is, then--

He reached out...how many souls were nearby? Where were they? He'd search them one by one if he had to, even if it took all night. He would find that bastard.

--how long does he have to live?

"C'mon, man. Get up. Get--"

Eld's shout scared the ever living hell out of Lelan Jericho. Instantly. He jumped back, falling onto his rear, left to simply stare at Eld. His eyes narrowed as he watched Eld get up frantically, shouting and waving about like a madman. If Lelan never questioned Eld's sanity before (and he certainly had), then this would be more than enough reason to severely consider the possibility that Eld was completely crazy.

"Eld!" Lelan shouted at him, hoping to get the other boy's attention, "Jesus man, calm the hell down!"

Lelan stood up, brushing the newly acquired dirt off of his pants. Eld needed to calm down before they made themselves known. If he shouted like that anymore, not only were they going to scare the thief away (if he was even close enough to hear), but he might draw the attention from local authorities, and that was the last goddamn thing they needed right now.

Assuming Lelan could get Eld out of that rageful trance, he'd ask as he approached him, "What the hell just happened? You started walking, then you fell and starting shaking. God. I thought you were having convulsions or something. What are you, epileptic or something?"

"Shut up, you're breaking my concentration," Eld snapped at the suggestion that he calm down. But unfortunately, Lelan was right; he was panicking and only wasting energy. Kageko's world was one of the mind, not the soul; no matter how much he might try, he wouldn't be able to identify the thief just by his soul.

When Lelan asked him what happened, he hesitated; he didn't know if the connection he shared with Kageko was something that was normal for a Gaiasoul or specific to her, and if he told him, he might think he was crazy(er).

But he needed Lelan's help still, and he was terrible liar anyway. The sudden energy brought on by rage faded, and he slumped where he stood, looking drained and desperate. "I...was talking to her. Kageko. That's her name...I...it's horrible...the things he's done to her. If I don't find her..." He shook his head, defying the thought. "I will find her, and when I do..."

Clenching his fists, he brought himself up to his full height again. "Actually, though...you've given me an idea. When I spaced out earlier, I was also talking to her...then, I could only hear her voice, but just barely. This time...I could see her...and him...or at least, him how she sees him...or something. In any case, I think that means he's nearby."

He turned, facing Lelan for the first time since coming out of trance. He seemed to regain most of his composure, but...just below the surface, his emotions still raged desperately. "I can sense souls in the area...so...if we can do something--shout, send some kind of signal, whatever--that would cause our thief, and only the thief, to flee...I should be able to tell which one's him."

When Eld snapped at him, Lelan had it in his right mind to tell Eld to "go to hell" and to go ahead and "find the thief on your own." Here Lelan was doing him a favor, helping out with this thief issue, and Eld was snapping at him like that? Eld wouldn't have gotten this far without Lelan's help. The thief would be long gone, and eventually, probably a few months from now, Lelan would have just caught up with the thief after tracking him down, tricked him into letting his guard down, beat the hell out of him, and took back both his Gaiasoul and Eld's for his own. The very fact that Lelan was helping Eld now should have received a bit more gratitude than this! Fortunately, though, Lelan cared little for Eld's personal feelings.

Be they feelings about him or about Kageko--or about other people as a whole. The same went for nearly everyone else, too. Eld had very little to do with his interests, interests regarding that which wasn't human; the only thing that Lelan could be genuinely interested in anymore.

So, Lelan shrugged off Eld's madness. That didn't mean he wasn't irritated with Eld, though. It was a lot like investigating a murder, except the investigator's partner was completely inept. Actually, that was pretty much it. Lelan was looking for a thief, and his "partner," regardless of his book smarts, was a complete idiot when it came to this kind of thing.

"You shut the hell up," Lelan remarked haphazardly. "Goddamn, are you retarded or something? Kicking and screaming like a madman, you probably already scared him off. He's probably long gone by now. He was probably gone by the time you even got an idea."

Eld's temper flared again Lelan's remarks, but he kept it in check. Rather, he figured he'd point something out. "Look...when you talk to her, it's...well, it's like being in another world. It was a long time before I could even remain aware of the real world, and only recently have I been able to move out here while I'm with her."

Given the person he was talking to, Eld figured he'd better spell it out. "He's had her for a day; he'll be totally blind and deaf here in the real world while he's with her. He was there up until I was...kicked out. So, he didn't hear me. If he went in there, it probably means he's found himself a hiding place he's comfortable with."

"Also, I'm pretty sure he didn't know who and what I am," Eld added. It wasn't much, but at least it meant the thief wasn't hiding from Reaper, but rather (somewhat) normal people.

Neither would the thief know that the fact that Eld was able to enter meant he was close. And since he didn't know Lelan was on his tail as well, it probably meant he already thought he'd gotten away clean.

Exhaling deeply, Eld swallowed his pride. "I'm sorry." He considered explaining further, but decided against it. He doubted Lelan would care anyway. Just as he'd never be able to see Gaiasouls as just tools, he doubted Lelan would understand that he considered them just as much people as either of them.

"Well, now you got my interest again," Lelan declared as if it were a bad thing.

It would've been easier for him to just ditch Eld and hunt down the thief later on. He could always trick someone into being a human shield if he needed. Something that deserved it, preferably. Again, Lelan thought about it, but only with idle interest. Kageko and Eld were interesting again. Well, Kageko. He wanted to know a little more about her, now.

Now, Lelan at least wanted to meet and speak to Kageko--in her "world." That was what he wanted, at the very least. It was easier said than done, though. They didn't have Kageko currently, and Eld would probably never agree to letting Lelan meet her. Well . . . for now. After they got her back, Lelan could claim that Eld owes him the favor.

"That's a little weird, man. How you talk to her," Lelan remarked, voicing his interest: "Sarrevous and I . . . I've never seen the guy. Not even when I sleep. Some Collectors say they can see the Gaiasouls in their sleep. I can't. Not with him. But I can hear him whenever he talks. I'd like to see her world."

The final sentence was almost completely random, but everything before that had merely been building up to that. Gaiasouls were of interest to him. Gods were of interest to him. To see the world of something that people might call a god--something he'd never seen before . . . it would've been worth all of this. Lelan, however, did not leave Eld a single chance to reply to that. Not even half of a second passed before he chanced the subject, back to what was important for now: there was a flaw in Eld's plan.

"In any case, if he's blind and deaf right now, how would we startle him into running away? There are so many people sleeping right now, too. A lot of people not moving . . ."

See her world? It was an odd statement; Lelan's interest thus far had seemed to solely stem from his desire to acquire Gaiasouls. This, however, sounded different, not at all like he just wanted to acquire her.

But before he could put any thought into it or even form an opinion on the idea, Lelan changed the subject back to the task at hand. Eld hardly noticed; he was far more concerned with getting Kageko back from the thief than with whatever Lelan wanted.

Unfortunately, Lelan pointed out what he realized was a major flaw in his plan. "Okay, so...I sort of spoke without thinking," he was forced to admit. Now that he cooled off enough to think clearly, it was pretty plain that their thief wasn't going to be reacting to much of anything right now. "I can't think of any way to get his attention if he's with her." He was remaining calm, but at that thought he couldn't help but bite his lip and clench his fists.

"So...we could do the opposite--try to do something to scare away everyone else...it could be risky, though." Eld even had an idea of how to do that, but he wasn't going to mention it if Lelan outright rejected the idea. Their only other option, though, was to continue searching likely hiding spots. Even if they knew the thief was nearby, that only narrowed it down so far.

Of course, if Lelan had a better idea, Eld was all ears.

"N-no, let's not do that, either."

Lelan glanced around awkwardly, making sure no one else was around to hear them. No one. Good. That means Eld's earlier shout didn't cause any trouble. Future shouting would cause just as much, though.

"Do you really want to repeat Emain Macha? Seriously. You don't involve the town guard unless you plan it that way."

Which was the major flaw in Eld's new plan. If they made a fuss, then the town guard would be all over them before they even figured out who the thief was. Sure, Eld could go into Purgatory or something of the like--but what of Lelan? Eld wasn't permitted to drag people into Purgatory anymore, after all. Though, granted, when he wasn't barred from doing so, he may as well have been the god of Death himself in the territory of the dead . . .

"And even then, well, you know how that turned out." No thanks to someone . . .

The problem with Lelan was that he knew just enough about Reapers to make some assumptions but not enough to be truly informed. Well, he couldn't really be blamed--Seele Ubertritt took on nearly as many forms as there were practitioners of it.

Not bothering to point out that Lelan had initiated this entire fiasco to begin with, Eld replied, "Emain Macha was...different." For some reason, half the time he was in the city he lost his ability to use Qi; here he didn't have that restriction.

"The guards might come running if a couple of young guys are causing trouble, but if a freak whirlwind breaks out there's not much for them to do, right?" he asked.