Smells Like Teen Spirit

[Yuki]

As Aiden drank the rest of glasses, Yuki raised one eyebrow in surprise. He could take on more than he let on. Still, he was no match for her! As Tara poured another round for both of them, Yuki took hold of one glass in her hand. This would be a piece of cake. She could drink this stuff forever. She could--

"...NANDE KUSOI?!"

As the liquid made contact with her lips, Yuki spat out the alcohol. The crowd around her dispersed a bit when the drink went flying everywhere. Yuki wiped her mouth with her sleeve and coughed several times. A burning sensation penetrated her mouth and throat, spreading like a fire through her blood. "What the hell kinda drink is this?! This isn't sake!" she seethed. "You trying to cheat your way out of this contest, you little--Aiden?"

Yuki blinked, her stare locked on the barstool next to her. Aiden was gone. All that was left were four empty shot glasses upon the counter. Huh. When did he leave? The crowd around continued to cheer. Why were they cheering if Aiden was gone? It didn't make sense. Yuki turned around, and people began praising her, patting her on the back and ruffling her hair. Yuki still continued to blink. Wait, why was she sitting at the bar again? Before she had time to process what was happening, she found herself being lifted from her seat and pushed towards a stage.

"Hold on, hold on, just one second!"

But it was too late. She was on the stage. The part of her that was still conscious of her behavior was starting to emerge, and it was fighting tirelessly against the drunk side, telling her to get off that stage, to glare at people for getting too close, to yell at everone around her. Music kicked in, and people excitedly cheered again. A microphone was thrust into her hand. Yuki stared absentmindedly at it. They wanted her to sing? She wasn't going to sing! How did they know she sang?! She couldn't now, she wouldn't--

A familiar drum beat.

A familiar melody.

It could not be resisted. The song was a classic. Yuki cleared her throat, and with her clear, on-key voice...

"Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be alright.

Claps from the audience. Yuki smiled, letting the words of the song flow from her.

Rise up this mornin', smiled with the risin' sun.
Three little birds pitch by my doorstep.
Singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true.
Sayin', 'This is my message to you-ouu-ouuu.'

Yuki closed her eyes, allowing the emotion of the song take over. Or perhaps it was an effect of the alcohol. Either way, she felt...oddly content. The song made her feel at peace. Everything was fine. It made it seem like nothing was wrong in the world, like everything was as it should be.

"Singin' 'Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be alright.' "

If only she had her guitar. Then she could play along with it. People in the crowd joined in, singing in sync with her.

"Singin' 'Don't worry,"

'This is nice,' Yuki thought as she sang. She felt so...at ease. She felt like she could fall asleep singing. Peaceful.

"...about a thing,"

Perhaps parties weren't so bad. Perhaps it was good to have a little of that teen spirit every one in a while. Perhaps...

" 'cause every little thing is gonna be-- ' "

Suddenly, a loud crash boomed from outside. The music stopped, and people looked around at each other in confusion. Then seconds after, like an aftershock from an earthquake, the glass from a window shattered, scattering sharp pieces across the tavern floor. The people in the tavern screamed, grasping onto each other, some running for the door, others cowering in the corners of the room. Yuki dropped her microphone, her gaze immediately fixated on the broken window.

Something wasn't alright.

[Aiden]

Nineteen. In twelve short months, Aiden would cease to be a teenager, and would join the ranks of the adults in the world (though, technically, he was legally an adult when he turned eighteen, and mentally an adult at age sixteen). He felt...old, oddly, and at the same time young, like he had no idea what the heck he was doing in the world. Well, he was saving lives. Right? How many times now had he, Yuki, and Teagan played insurance agent, detective, medical officer, or any of that? And how many times had they gone to a college class, studied for tests, worked a part time job making minimum wage? Then again, Teagan had dabbled into that not too long ago, but he couldn't blame her; hunting sucked the life out of you, and it was hunt or be hunted, Teagan had found that out the hard way.

The longer the party went on, the more Aiden knew that the girls couldn't blame him for acting like a normal guy his age. Teagan, of all people, had even found herself a guy to talk to, so would they resume their chiding about his misadventures with Lori? Of course, they didn't know that the two of them had flings in the past, so yelling at him now wouldn't get them very far.

Suddenly from the corner of the room, a voice filled the air. Yuki was on stage, singing. Strange. Aiden blinked a few times before watching her intently. A part of his mind wanted to pull out his phone and record her, but he knew that somehow, some way, Teagan was on top of that. The other part of him wanted to listen to the lyrics carefully, which he did. He knew the song, naturally--it was a classic, who hadn't heard it? Everything around him seemed to fade away, even the presence of Lori hanging onto him and sitting on his lap. Images of the past decade came dancing into his head.

Nothing is ever going to be alright, not for me.

There was a crash outside, not the usual noise that was brought with thunder. His brow crinkled, but he didn't move. Only seconds later, the glass from a window shattered, and the shape that caused it landed in a slump on the ground, shards of glass littered beneath it. A body, dead. Blood trickled down its arms and face. Shit. The demons had found them.

So far, the tavern had remained hidden from demons, and had been demon-proofed. But if the demons had found them, that meant that they weren't safe. Instantly his buzz vanished, and as the people and patrons of the bar were funneling outside, Aiden bounded over to the bar--with amazing balance and accuracy for the amount of alcohol he had ingested--and retrieved three guns from his stash there. He slid them down the bar to Yuki and Teagan, who were right beside him. He felt a sense of teamwork at their immediate presence, like they could tackle anything. Whatever was outside was going to die. No one ruined his birthday and got away with it.

Putting his back against the wall next to the door, he raised the gun, pulled the hood to his jacket up, and slid out the doorway. He squinted in the pouring rain, trying to find the shape of a human that he knew would be somewhere. It was obvious the demon wanted something from one or all of them. In the darkness, and with the immense cloud cover, nothing could be seen though. He took a few steps, the sound muffled by the storm. Lightning flashed, and there stood...a man. Not Ariel. Aiden's mind was both relieved and disappointed--how he wanted to do the woman in. Pointing his gun and pulling the hammer back.

"Can we help you?" he asked sarcastically, practically yelling over the fall of the rain.

[Teagan]

Teagan's hand flew to her mouth to block any liquid from flying out as she broke out in laughter. "No way," she turned to Will, who bore a bemused look upon his face. "I didn't think that was possible!"

"Anything's possible with a little influence," he winked. "If you know what I mean."

And let us count the ways she did. Deciding she could drink without risk of spraying anyone in a five foot radius, Teagan relieved her hand of the duty of guarding her mouth and took a cool sip from her tea. She hadn't met many people who reached her level in "interesting" activities, but the teen sitting next to her was the first one in an eligible date-age range.

Somewhere behind them, the overbearing music had taken a different tone, and Teagan cringed when it dawned on her that karaoke had started. Slightly annoyed by the turn of events, her eyes shifted through the crowd. "What idiot figured out where I hid the karaoke machine?"

One of William's eyebrows rose, "You hid the karaoke machine? Is that why my ears haven't bleed in a month?"

"The plan was to keep them safe for a little longer than a month," Teagan replied, frowning at the customers and the singer before returning her attention to Will. "I suppose if the singing gets too bad no one will complain if the Tavern experiences a sudden 'power outage'."

"That a'girl," he smiled, bright eyes glowing in amusement. He squeezed her with his arm playfully.

Wait a second-

Teagan flew back around to take a second look at the person singing on the stage. No way. First the drinking game and now karaoke? And sounding half-decent? "I don't get it Will-the world isn't making sense tonight." Her eyes inconspicuously darted to the location of one of her cameras. Red light flashing-it was documenting every minute of Yuki's performance. Blackmail, anyone? "I frankly don't think anything else could shock me tonight."

As if Fate wished to test her claim, a large object flew threw the window, causing glass to shatter in all directions. Having claimed a booth near said window, William immediately tried to cover them both from the pieces that scattered in their direction. While the effort was appreciated -and counted for major brownie points- Teagan needed to see what had happened. Luck would have it that someone drank a few too many beers.

Unfortunately, luck didn't exist in her world.

"Are you okay?" Will lifted himself off of her, concern pouring out of his eyes.

This one was a keeper, Teagan thought distractedly as she tried to come up with a way to get him to safety so she could help assess the situation. "I-I think so," she stuttered and rose to her feet. "I'm going to call the police. You'd better go before they come."

"Wait-you might need help," he protested.

"And the police might wonder why you're here when you're not quite 21," Teagan countered. Her eyes softened and pleaded. "Please, I'll be fine. My roommates will have everything under control. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get into trouble. What if they don't let you come back next week?"

Teagan felt a silent relief when he took the hint and reluctantly followed the crowd out the door. Her eyes turned to the object that had burst through the window and widened. A dead body? "That's not a good sign," she muttered, heading to the bar after Aiden and Yuki. With a hint of familiarity, her hand shot out to grab the gun that the faction leader slid her way. At some point along the way the group perfected their timing on weapon distribution, and as odd as a thing it was, Teagan felt a sense of pride for this accomplishment.

Fingers flexing around the gun, a stinging sensation caught her attention. Crap-the glass from the window had left a long cut across her fingers, a thin red line slowly forming around the edges. What the heck? Disappointed, she wiped the mess off onto her pants. If she was going to be injured in the slightest in battle, it was going to be from something cool. Not something wimpy like collateral damage.

She waited until Aiden had slipped out the door and followed, gun aimed at whatever waited in the dark forest. Something didn't know what they were messing with. The rain pounded on the roof, mimicking a drum roll. Anticipation rose in the air as she stood to Aiden's left, waiting for a response to the leader's taunt.

[Yuki]

Hardly even seconds after the glass had flown across the floor, Yuki, along with the other two members of the Portland faction, were ready for battle, armed against whatever was attacking the tavern. With senses unaffected by the alcohol, she tightened the grip on her gun and dashed to the door next to Aiden and Teagan. From within the walls of the tavern, she could hear the raindrops pelting the rooftop, and in one quick motion, she pointed her gun and drew the hood of her jacket over her head. Following closely behind Aiden, she slid out of the door and aimed it at the darkness ahead of her. The minute she stepped outside, the exposed part of her long hair became drenched, and she squinted to see through the shadowy veil of the storm.

A flash of lightning revealed the creature--a man, human, middle-aged, gaunt in appearance. Yuki's lip curled, the alcohol causing the anger in her escalate more so than usual. As their faction leader addressed him, she kept her aim fixed on the assumed supernatural being. How he had discovered their whereabouts and weakened the tavern's defenses was beyond her, but she was more than determined to weedle it out of the disgusting scum and find out.

[Aiden]

Was it possible that the universe somehow had a vendetta against the Portland faction of supernatural hunters, so that every time they started to enjoy themselves, something had to go wrong? Aiden was starting to think so, because even on his birthday, Yuki and Teagan appeared to be correct; no breaks, not even celebrating your life for a few hours. Behind him, he knew that Lori was scrambling to line the doors and windows with salt--she was one of few employees that knew what was really out there, and Aiden made sure they knew the basics. If anything bad happened, they could retreat inside and hold out until they could make a plan. But Aiden wasn't about to let anything bad happen. This thing had attempted to ruin his birthday, but he wasn't going to let it without a fight.

Yuki and Teagan were beside him, and the trio was united, unbreakable. The rain, the wind, the thunder, the lightning, nothing was going to deter them from making sure this guy was exorcised and sent back to the pit. Of course, now that Aiden thought about it, the guns weren't going to do much aside from slow the demon down, but all of them knew the exorcism incantation. The only problem? They'd have to yell it out over the roar of the storm, so would it even work? If only they could draw it to right in front of the tavern, where there was a Devil's Trap under the wooden steps. If only.

The puddles were growing larger, and even within the short amount of time that the faction had been out in the rain, they were decently wet if not soaked to the bone already. Aiden's waterlogged hood was weighing heavy on his head, so he pulled it off, feeling the water rush down his face. It was helpful, actually, for it made the effects of the alcohol disappear almost instantly. The fact that he'd probably be violently sick, if not passed out from alcohol poisoning later was gone from his mind. The gun remained fixed on the demon--was it even a demon? There had been no proof yet, Aiden had just assumed that it was.

"Christo," he called, watching the man flinch and his eyes flash black. Bingo. Demon, in front of the tavern, with the body through the window in the confidential envelope. He glanced at Teagan, not really wanting to attack this thing right away. It had sought them out for a reason...something was up.

"So this is the Portland faction that has been causing so much heat for us demons, eh? What a pathetic bunch of ingrains those other things you killed must've been. Look at yeh," he said, sweeping his arm through the air, "you're a bunch of damn kids. Hunters my ass." Aiden's brow shot up, and the thought of firing a round into the man's knee sounded promising, but he held still, his finger still on the trigger. "Who the hell are you?"

"The name isn't important. I'm just here to see what you know," he called. "First off, I want to congratulate you on being Casey's puppets. You guys and your blind following. How do you know Casey isn't one of us?"

[Teagan]

Demon.

The cool rain streamed down her face, but Teagan resisted the urge to wipe it away with her sweatshirt sleeve. Rule number 42: never take your eyes off a possible threat. Sighing and curling her fingers, she mentally prepared herself for whatever happened next. At any moment, Aiden would signal them somehow -code word or gesture- and they would roll out one of their dozens of successfully-tested-demon-butt-kicking maneuvers. Too bad the rain prevented her cameras from catching the look on his face when the faction showed him what a real exorcism looked like.

Aiden glanced down at her, giving Teagan the impression that he wanted to put the mud-bath on hold for a moment in favor of gaining information. Begrudgingly she nodded and focused her attention on the man.

The reply didn't quite meet up to anyone's expectations.

Teagan's nose bunched in annoyance. How dare the demon insult them like that? A lot of kids? Not anywhere close. She eyed the man carefully, wondering exactly at what point he would stop with the insults and get to the point.

...Casey?

"Irrelevant," Teagan replied back in an unfriendly tone, gun steadily aimed three feet off. In truth, the question was completely valid and a topic for the faction to certainly consider. No, they didn't quite know who Casey was, but a cold night in the pouring rain and a body decomposing in the bar? Not the best time to discuss technicalities with a demon. "Answer his question. What do you want?"

[Yuki]

She had never held any personal standing towards rain--it had never bothered, nor pleased her. Up until that day, that was. Rain was an inconvenience, to say the least, when it came to being in a situation that put a person up against a demon. As such, Yuki deemed the rain as annoying. At that moment, she hated it. It impaired her sight, slowed her down, and prevented her from speaking clearly and loudly. Shortly after Aiden lowered his hood, Yuki had no choice but to follow in suit. Her hood had become heavy, and it was restricting her peripheral vision. As she removed the hood, the spot of hair that had remained dry immediately became drenched. With her free hand, she tucked her wet bangs behind her ears, keeping her gaze focused upon the demon that stood before her (for Aiden had proved the man to be a demon, as she had suspected). Despite the slight slippery feel of the weapon, Yuki applied the most careful amount of pressure on the trigger of her gun, ready to fire at the foul creature.

"So this is the Portland faction that has been causing so much heat for us demons, eh? What a pathetic bunch of ingrains those other things you killed must've been. Look at yeh, you're a bunch of damn kids. Hunters my ass."

As the man spoke, he sneered and talked with such foolish pride, if it could even be called that. It was more of an ego--an ego that would be his downfall. She felt her muscles tense in anger as he proceeded to refer to them as children. Vile creature. No one understimated her or her faction and lived to tell about it.

However, before she could pull the trigger, Aiden decided to take the interrogation route. Yuki quickly gave him a cautious glance. She would much rather shoot first and commence an exorcism. If the being was still alive or able to respond while it was dying, they could ask questions. But to procure an inquisition while it was still able to attack? She thought it highly unwise. Foolish, even. What information could it possibly have? And if it did come to the tavern to relay something to them, just how much certainty could they place in the truth of his words? It just didn't seem like an intelligent course of action. But if their faction leader wanted to ask questions, so be it. Yuki just hoped Aiden knew what he was doing.

"The name isn't important. I'm just here to see what you know. First off, I want to congratulate you on being Casey's puppets. You guys and your blind following. How do you know Casey isn't one of us?"

He was there to see what they know? So he was a spy, of sorts. He was gathering intelligence on them. But...what for? And...Casey's puppets? Yuki was caught off guard for a split second. She herself had doubts in the beginning. She had questioned several times why they were blindly following Casey's orders, why her mother had received a note from him, how he was able to follow them so closely, so accurately. Indeed, a demon would explain the latter, but it would not explain why her mother would be following a demon. It also didn't explain why a demon would be sending hunters to kill those of its own kind, and other supernatural creatures. Unless Casey was some form of renegade demon, which as far as she knew, did not exist. He was a mysterious individual indeed, but he couldn't have been a demon. If he was, as far as she saw, he had not set them up for betrayal..yet. He had not sent them to be ambushed by demons. Unless sending them on missions was his way of trying to kill them...but still....why would her mother...why would any of them matter so much to a demon?

Yuki internaally chided herself. This was why it was better to shoot first and ask questions later. Demons thrilled themselves in tampering with people's perceptions and belliefs. It was mental manipulation. She would not fall for that. Teagan voiced Yuki's own thoughts, and Yuki glared menacingly at the being before them.

"Answer the question, or the door to Hell will re-open for you much sooner than you anticipate."

[Aiden]

The proposition the demon posed had, like Yuki, already crossed Aiden's mind, and it hadn't stuck. If it had, they wouldn't be following Casey's orders anymore, that was for sure. But why would a demon give them orders to kill other demons? It was illogical, and senseless. No demon would want to kill off its own kind, especially not when the Winchester's were missing. Not to mention that finding the Winchester's in order to turn the tide back didn't seem like something a demon would do. So Aiden didn't even flinch at the idea, and neither did the rest of the faction. They were solid, not one faltered at the demon's attempt to startle them. It was...a moment that Aiden couldn't exactly describe, but it pleased him.

All he really wanted to do was go back inside, get some dry clothes, and spend the rest of the night in front of the fireplace. He was shivering, though he tried his best to keep his arms and hands steady, as well as from keeping his teeth from chattering together. Lightning flashed again, and the man had a grin on his face. Did he really think that he would get some response out of them with the Casey comment? Teagan and Yuki answered for him, giving him a moment of pride. They were bulletproof...well, verbally anyway.

"Jeez, you guys can't take a joke for what its worth. Look, we're just as interested in Casey as you are, I mean, no one really knows what he is up to. Not that he's spitting orders at us. But since you guys are the ones with the guns, I figure I'll let you hold the power for a bit longer. I'm here on orders of someone above me, someone Mr. Wood here has been trying to hunt down alone."

Aiden cursed mentally. Yuki and Teagan didn't know that he would leave without them in order to try and find Ariel. They would maim him if they found out, and they were about to. "See, there is this pretty well-known demon about, name's Ariel. She visited Aiden a while back, brought me along with her so we could get things going. Aiden's grandpa, well the police report says that his mind wasn't as good as it used to be, that he snapped. Killed his daughter and son-in-law. In reality? Yeah, that was me. Can you say possession?"

Aiden's insides burned. His brows dropped, and a death glare was now being sent at the man. His breathing increased, his heart rate was picking up. His body was radiating heat. This man....he'd best be lying, for his own good. Otherwise, exorcism wouldn't be the first item on the list. Oh no, that'd be saved for last.

"Then, a few years later, she showed up again. This time, her and Malcolm made a deal, Aiden was off limits until now, in exchange for his life. Hell hounds didn't leave a piece of him behind, did they Aiden?" His hands were now shaking, but not from the cold. No, he felt hot. He wanted to lunge at him, bash his head in, dismember him. He didn't care if the harm would come to the host, rather than the demon. He wanted to hurt something.

"Well Ariel showed up in town a few months back, and Aiden found her. Did you two know he's been out without you, trying to kill her? Well she doesn't want him dead, see, she has other intentions. She already unlocked it in you, Aiden, and you know it, don't you? That's why you're searches have increased in the past few weeks, isn't it? Do they know?"

Suddenly the demon was right behind him, his mouth next to Aiden's ear. "Do they knew that you're a monster?" he whispered.

"Shut the hell up!"

The scene of the day his parents were killed played out in his head, and suddenly, this man replaced the image of his grandfather. The heat intensified. On the deepest of levels, Aiden was the most upset he'd ever been in his life. Here he was, face to face with his parents' killer. His vision darkened. His body pulsed.

To Teagan and Yuki, Aiden's appearance changed. His eyes melted into a blood red color, almost glowing in the moonlight that shone through the cracked clouds. His teeth, though hard to see, actually morphed into slight points. His body muscle bulked up, and in a moment, they would find that his speed had increased. The look on the demon's face changed, it became one of fear. It backed away, but Aiden was now quicker. His hand raised into the air, and slammed into the demon's chest. It flew into the nearest wall, leaving several cracks in it behind him. In a flash, Aiden was standing above him, lifted the demon by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him back into the ground. Then, with his hand now encased by a black, glowing aura, Aiden's hand slowly slipped inside of the demon's chest--without any incision--and as it retracted, held in his hand was the black smoke of the demon.

As he held it, it wriggled and tried to fly away, but the aura around Aiden's had glowed bright suddenly, and the smoke became just as bright before exploding into molecules of light itself. He turned, his eyes red and trained on Yuki and Teagan. The rain didn't make the situation any better.

[Teagan]

Teagan's eyes never strayed from the demon for a moment as he rambled, attempting to provoke the hunters. Demons were of the slippery sort; ones you didn't want to be quite so open or honest or caring with. Most of them, anyway. They'd try to sneak under the fool's skin and meddle with his thoughts until the moment the fool tried to break free, he found himself lost to the demon's control. She shifted her weight forward. None of the demons they had previously faced were quite so chatty though. What did he want- to talk over tea or something?

Looking back, tea would have suited Teagan just fine as opposed to what actually shot out of the demon's mouth.

She had known about the death of Aiden's parents and he had personally explained earlier the impact it had on his life. Other details he had never made it a purpose to share-nor had Yuki or Teagan desired to ever ask. Clearly the turn of events left deep scars, or Aiden wouldn't be having the reaction that strongly radiated from his core. She didn't have to turn and look to know his reaction. Her fingers tightened their grip on the gun, ready to shoot when Aiden gave the word. Don't let him get to you, she mentally thought to him. Let's just exorcise him and be done with it. The last thing he needed was to find himself unable to even sleep at night from the array of murderous thoughts and pain slamming him left and right.

How could he just stand there and do nothing? Come on Aiden! Move! Do something! Teagan's lips had briefly parted to protest when something the demon mentioned grabbed her attention. Aiden had been doing what without them? She froze, caught up in figuring out if she had heard correctly over the pounding of the rain.

Aiden had tried to hunt a demon alone? Without...Yuki and Teagan? While normally hunting by himself would be an accepted busywork thanks to his years of experience, the past few months had revealed that working together, and as a team, was the most effective way to hunt. Especially demons. She felt hurt that he hadn't asked for their assistance. Like he thought they weren't good enough to help him or something. Sure she and Yuki were both new to hunting, but...but...

No, he has the right to keep things like that away from us, she bitterly accepted, readjusting her grip. Whether she liked it or not, end of story. Unable to resist, she briefly glanced at Aiden, hoping that he would deny everything the filthy thing had revealed, but the enraged expression on his face proved otherwise. Startled, Teagan realized that they wouldn't find a peaceful way to resolve the situation if they continued to let the creature breathe, so she looked back to where the demon cockily stood, complete intent to pull the trigger.

....where the demon had cockily stood.

"Shut the hell up!"

The sudden outburst from Aiden caused her to jump, head racing around to see the demon standing directly behind the faction leader. How on earth had he moved so fast? Teagan swung her gun around, redirecting her aim. Not even she could miss point bla-

A glint of red caught her attention and Teagan shifted her gaze back to Aiden. What the hell? His eyes were glowing red and as she watched...impossible! Was he actually...growing? The demon long forgotten, Teagan dropped her gun and took a step back, shock written clearly across her face. What was happening to him? Had the demon -Ariel, was it? ....hadn't she heard that name before somewhere?- done something to him?

What happened next occurred so quickly, Teagan could barely follow. A moment earlier, Aiden and the demon had stood not even an inch apart. Now? She blinked. Now Aiden stood above the creature, large cracks from a heavy impact tearing through the wall next to them. Her eyes widened as Aiden's hand began glowing. Glowing? No no no no no no no. Humans didn't glow. Unless they had injected themselves with a certain fluorescent chemical she had swiped from her bio class in high school, this was not normal. Not normal.

Not. Not. Normal.

Involuntarily she stepped back as Aiden's hand tore a black stream of smoke from the body beneath him. It struggled, jerking back and forth as it tried to escape. Had he just- Teagan shot a look toward Yuki, wondering if she had seen the same thing. A bright light filled the area, causing Teagan to close her eyes and turn away.

A small burst of something echoed across the tress. Teagan waited until all but the sound of the rain remained, then hesitantly lowered her arm to see the results. The black smoke -the demon- had vanished and all that remained was the scariest version of Aiden she had ever seen. Blood red eyes bore down upon Yuki and Teagan, and a moment of silence passed before anyone spoke.

"...Aiden? Are you okay?" Teagan quietly asked, her hands shaking. Whether it was from the cold or from fear, she couldn't quite say.

[Yuki]

Keeping her gaze fixated on the demon, Yuki let the rain fall on her face without flinching once to brush away her hair or to wipe off the raindrops from her eyelashes. She knew that the demon was only trying to goad them into making a reckless move, and she knew that everything it was saying was manipulation. She knew that it was telling lies, and that she should not listen to his words. And yet, Yuki found herself getting angrier and breathing harder as the demon pressed on. Aiden...hunting alone? She maintained the gun locked on the creature, but she could not help but to look at Aiden from the corner of her eye for reassurance. Surely, this was a lie as well. Aiden had to know better by now. He had to know that he could bring them along on missions without concern over their safety. There was no reason to think that they would hold him down, or just be in the way. Teagan, perhaps...no, not even Teagan anymore. Even the child could hold her own now. They were not incompetent. They had training, they had experience. So...why would he hunt without them?

No, that wasn't accurate. Why would he hunt alone without telling them? Was it because he believed they'd want to help, and he didn't want it? Did he not confide in them? Did he doubt their abilities? Did he not trust them? She had trusted him. Other than her mother, she trusted Teagan and Aiden more than anyone. How could he not return that confidence?

Her eyes returned to the demon. No. It has to be a lie. The being began to speak again, malevolence in its tone, and although the rain prevented her from seeing clearly, she was sure she had seen the demon flash a smug grin when the lightning lit up the sky. Ariel? She was...the demon that killed Aiden's family. She breathed in deeply as she remembered when he had first told her--it had been in the car, after that strange incident that had sent them to the future. She felt like the event had occurred years ago, yet it had hardly been a month. He had never told her how Ariel had murdered them, nor had Yuki ever asked. Once again, she glanced to her side, and from Teagan's frozen expression, she knew that he had not told her either.

The grip on her gun tightened, and she looked at the demon again. It was Aiden's business. She wouldn't intrude in his personal life. If he didn't want to talk about it, she understood. Yuki didn't need to look at him to know that his was a deep, penetrating wound. He had not said anything for a reason. And even if she did ask him, what would she say? Why would he ever want to talk about it with her, or Teagan for that matter?

No. None of that mattered. Aiden, give the command, she thought feverishly, wanting to dismiss the thoughts from her mind. All he had to do was say the word, and she would shoot. Teagan would, too. Yuki was eager to shut the demon up, cast down its lies and send it back to Hell where it belonged. None of it wasn't true. Aiden would've told them. It's not true, she thought bitterly. Her hold on the gun was so tight, she thought her palms were going to bleed. The rain roared, and the howling wind caused her wet hair to whip against the back of her neck. ...Why wasn't he telling them to shoot?! Why did he want to listen to the flithy lies the demon was telling?!

"Do they know?" it sneered. And suddenly, the creature vanished from Yuki's sight. Before she had the chance to swerve around to look for it, the demon was right behind Aiden, whispering in his ear. Yuki could not hear what it was saying, and at that point, she didn't care. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, Aiden let out a shout. Instead of the command to fire, she heard something else.

"Shut the hell up!

The rest of the scene played out so quickly, Yuki had no time to react. The demon went flying and slammed against a wall. One minute, Aiden was next to her, and the next, he was hovering over the demon, grabbing him by the collar. Through the rain, Aiden appeared monstrous. He was angry. It was like all those times before, with his sudden outbursts, but something was different this time...animalistic. She did not know what to do. She wanted to shoot, but Aiden was moving so quickly, she was afraid he would get in the way of her bullet. Seconds after, the demon crashed onto the ground, and Aiden lifted his hand. She squinted to see through the rain, and it was clear, even through the darkness that the clouds were casting on the ground below, that Aiden's hand...it was glowing. It eminated a dark aura, and Yuki felt a cold shiver run down her spine. What...what is he doing?

Violently, his hand went through the demon, but Yuki noted that no blood, no flesh-ripping sound, no physical injury--none of it was present. The creature convulsed, and in one swift movement, Aiden's hand was out and in his palm was a black strand of smoke that seemed to struggle to break free of his grip. How did he...he had.... Yuki lowered her gun in disbelief. What the hell was going on?! Aiden's hand began to fervently glow, and quickly after, the smoke vanished in a blast of light.

And then, all was dark once more.

Gun still at her side, Yuki patned heavily. Aiden turned to look at her and Teagan. Staring back at him with her hazel eyes, Yuki froze as she caught Aiden's gaze. What she saw was not Aiden. With glaring, red eyes, through the shadows, his silhouette had become bigger, and he emitted no sense of friendliness or sign that he recognized his two faction mates. He was like a wild animal staring back at two humans--hostile, defensive. She stared back silently. Yuki looked to the side to see Teagan's reaction, and then the girl spoke. Noting that Teagan no longer had her weapon, Yuki's focus quickly returned to their faction leader.

"Aiden..." Yuki whipsered under her breath. It was all she could muster to say. She did not know where to start. She did not know what to think, or what to ask. She was beyond angry, confused, but cautious, alert, on guard. Her fingers wrapped around the trigger of her gun once more. ...Would he attack them? Could he attack them?

...And if he did, would they fight back?

[Aiden]

Aiden wasn't worried about the rain. He wasn't worried about Teagan and Yuki finding out about his ventures alone. He wasn't worried about the demon--how could he be, when he totally obliterated it? Not the lightning, not the thunder, not the looks that the girls were giving him as he turned to face them. Aiden wasn't worried about anything. Nothing at all. Aiden was focused on the two scents in front of him, he had smelled them before, so they weren't foreign. The impulse to attack was strong, but somehow he knew that should his hand plunge into their limp and lifeless torsos, there would be no smoke cloud found.

His eyes trained on Teagan, Aiden advanced towards them a step. The puddle rippled as he stepped in it, distorting his image in the water. He glanced down at his reflection, his head cocking to the side as he caught the image. He was...different. He knew that his senses had increased, and to be honest there was an innate thirst for blood. He stared for a second longer before taking another few steps closer to Teagan, who called out his name. Aiden...it was so clear, yet sounded so distant. Suddenly Aiden charged forward, seizing Teagan by the arms, and looking straight into her eyes as the color of blood drained from his eyes.

"Don't follow me."

His frame had decreased back to its normal size and stature, and in a swift motion he pulled his waterlogged hood back up over his head, sprinted over to his car, wrenched the door open, grabbed the backpack sitting behind the front seat, and took off down the flooded pathway, disappearing into the darkness and cover of rain only seconds later.

[Teagan]

By night, she faced nightmares. By day, she faced Yuki. From the turn of direction the night had taken, Teagan was nearly certain that this image would be burned forever somewhere in between.

The entire scene drew too many parallels to her nightmares to bring any hope of comfort to the situation for Teagan. She had idiotically dropped her weapon, was completely defenseless, lightening whipped across the sky, she was frozen in fear, and-oh, right, her faction leader was staring at her with blood red eyes like she was something to be devoured.

Don't just stare at me, Teagan frantically willed his gaze toward Yuki. No such luck. The level of safety she had felt moments before with her two faction mates plunged to sub-zero levels and panic rose within her as Aiden's eyes bore down upon her. He took a step in her direction, causing her to flinch. Oh god, she was next. Whatever had possessed him to kill the demon was about to turn on her and she wouldn't get to say goodbye to her parents, or cream Yuki at fencing, or see the reactions to the brilliant prank on Aiden's hidden gun cache or Deacon's freezer or...or...or...

Before her natural instincts that were screaming at her to bolt could react, unnaturally strong hands clenched her arms tightly. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but found herself unable to do anything except raise her head to meet Aiden's cold glare. Her heart pounded uncontrollably as she realized exactly how big of height difference she and Aiden shared. Her tiny frame never stood a chance against him, and that didn't even factor in the possession that transformed him into something that caused her to scream at night.

"Don't follow me."

The sight of blood draining from his eyes stunned Teagan into silence. He had almost picked her up, and her feet dangled limply an inch from the ground beneath them. Without warning Aiden let go of her and rushed away. Unable to react quick enough Teagan landed in the mud, eyes never leaving the darkening figure as he disappeared within the shelter of his car. The rain pelted her as she sat, staring.

Something was wrong with Aiden. And although it went against every fiber in her being....they had to do something about it. Aiden, Yuki and Teagan were a team, and that meant that no matter what happened, they worked together to resolve the issue. Even if her mind and body told her that the only real, safe location on the planet was up north in Seattle....

"Yuki," Teagan broke the silence, her teeth chattering and voice wavering. She looked at the elder girl, knowing she would understand without words what had to happen next. Her eyes flickered toward the fading image of a running figure. "Help me up, please?"

[Yuki]

Watching Aiden closely, her hold on the gun at her side felt frozen, heavy. Would she shoot him fatally if he attacked? Maybe not at first. But if it got to the point where he didn't back off...no. It wouldn't come to that. That...being...the Aiden they knew was in there, somewhere. Alhough he gave them a menacing stare, and his physical stature was different, Yuki knew that the human before them, or whatever he was, was still Aiden. She and Teagan stared back at their faction leader for what felt like ages before Aiden began to advance. Instinctively, Yuki tensed, her eyes trained on his every move. He was getting much too close, and she couldn't predict what he was going to do through the darkness of the rain. Snap out of it, Aiden, she thought furiously.

Suddenly, he charged towards the girl and grabbed her. Yuki raised her gun without a word and aimed it at his leg. Don't make me do this. As the thought passed through her mind, Yuki saw the red glow in Aiden's eyes slowly disappear.

"Don't follow me."

With that command, he returned back to normal. He was off and running just as quickly as he had changed back.

"Aiden, wait!" Yuki called after him, taking a few steps forward, the bottom of her jeans immersed in a deep puddle. Where the hell did he think he was going?! He couldn't just leave! Especially not after everything that had happened. He owed them an explanation. It wasn't as if they would reject him as their faction leader. It was true that it had only been a few months that they had followed under him, but in that time, the three had gone through some rough ordeals, most certainly enough for an average lifetime. It had made them...not inseparable, but they most definitely relied on one another. They used each other's strengths combined to fight their battles. As much as Yuki didn't want to admit it, she and Teagan depended on Aiden for guidance. She depended on Aiden for guidance. This life was new to her, just as much as it was to Teagan. He couldn't just leave without telling them what was going on. A flash of lightning. She stood there, stunned.

Was he trying to leave them behind...again?

Anger that had stayed suppressed behind confusion and tension began to rise. Yuki violently kicked the water in the puddle and turned around, her back facing the path Aiden had taken. Whatever it was he was hoping to achieve, he didn't want them to be any part of it. He was purposely keeping them in the dark, trying to handle it on his own. Whether it was over the concern of their safety, or for his own personal reasons, she didn't know, but it made her hands tremble furiously. Why didn't he trust them?! What a fool, she thought bitterly.

Teagan looked up at Yuki from the wet ground, with confused, fearful eyes. Yuki felt a wave of pity and defensiveness for the child wash over her. The poor girl, so young. She had to be terrified of what had just occurred. Teagan had already faced so much, the last thing she needed was an animalistic version of their faction leader charging at her. Yuki extended her hand gently, but firmly, and lifted her up from the floor. She did not speak. She felt that her own eyes were red hot with anger. How could he just...leave?

If he doesn't want us to follow, so be it.She turned around and stared in the direction he had run in with bloodshot eyes. "Good riddance," she muttered under breath.

[Teagan]

Teagan wobbled after Yuki helped her up, still shaking from the bitter cold. She tried to rub her arms to generate heat, but her soaked attire nullified any attempt at warmth. Yuki's words echoed in her head. Good riddance?Good riddance? .

"Are you insane?" Teagan glared at Yuki. What on earth was the girl thinking? Did she honestly intend to brush off the situation like it never happened? Yes, she recognized that the foreigner was hurt as well by Aiden's reaction, but they couldn't just let him walk away! "We just witnessed something neither of us could begin to explain and you're brushing it off?"

[Yuki]

"What does it matter if I'm brushing it off, he's doing the same to us, is he not?!" Yuki snapped, eyes glaring. "He can go do whatever the hell he wants. If he doesn't want us to get involved, then fine. Seeing as he clearly doesnt trust us, I'm sure he's absolutely peachy taking care of things on his own.

She was pissed. He had kept all this a secret from them, and when they needed him to explain things, he deserted them. Rain continued to pour. Both the girls were drenched, and the weather did not appear as if it would clear up anytime soon. Yuki felt her fingernails dig into her wet skin, and drops of rain fell from her eyelashes as she blinked.

With folded arms, Yuki looked over to the pathway ahead of them. "He doesn't want us around? So be it. We won't trouble our dear faction leader by trying to go after him. He doesn't need our help anyway," she hissed.