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The night is grippingly cold, the sound of anguish unusually quiet for the night. Lights are on in several houses but hidden by shades and boarded up windows, every door locked. In one neighborhood, though, one house is illuminated, shutters pulled back, and the front door wide open. It's the house of the well known Nathan Gritwell, Scientist and Government worker. His daughter Aya lives in the house with her Nanny, whose on a weekend vacation.

The soft melody of a piano comes drifting from the front door, a daily ritual familiar to the neighbors of the wealthy neighborhood. Aya's eyes are closed as she her fingers glide over the piano, her body slightly swaying to the beat. She's lucky (or stupid) in the aspect that she's not afraid of any forthcoming evil. She ignores the noise of the outside world and gets lost in her music. She's expecting a guest, and he's late, but she's unaware of the fact... she continues to play her heart out, hoping to bring some hope to those stricken by loss of life or freedom.

Gabriel walked down the street guns in hand the barrels still smoking from his last shot. He walked as if nothing was going on his eyes focused straight ahead, they were cold and distant. Just then something jumped out of the shadows and without flinching he rasied one gun and fired it at the creatures head. It fell to the ground witha thump. None of this seemed to fase Gabriel. Just then he reached a house with the door open he wlked into it as the music was playing. and stood in the door way untill he was acknoledged

Aya reached the end of her song before turning to face him. Her eyes were cloudy, showing signs of her slowly approaching blindness. A small smile lit her face and she motioned him into the large livingroom. She turned her back and closed the large grand piano silently, then carefully tucked the bench underneath.

Gabriel walked into the room swiftly, his coat tail making a silent whispering noise. Aya pointed to a table of treats and tea, which he gladly accepted. The silence was nice to her, as well as his presence. She was unafraid of the situation in which their small town was wrought, but even so she felt relief when Gabriel was around. He was the only company she ever really had, and could stand for a long period of time.

After a minute Aya walked towards Gabriel and ran her fingers along his arm to gain his attention. He was deep in thought and she was not one to speak, but was unpreterbed by his demeaner. He was tense and studying his tea a little too strongly. She gently grabbed hold of his shoulders-which was difficult with their height difference- and began giving him a massage. He slowly relaxed, though not good enough for her. He was a natural fighter, always on alert-calm, but ready to strike-while she stayed lax and uncaring.

After a minute he faced her and she signed with her hands,

Any news?......... are you okay?

Gabriel tunred to look at her, he did not smile but he nodded at her as to say thank you. "I am fine, the only news i have is my mission to keep you and this town safe from these monsters. That is the mission i was given as a number and that is the mission i will be doing." He told her as he looked into her clowdy eyes with his bright blue ones. "It has been a while since i have been here hasnt it, not since my last mission to protect your father." He added after a minute or two. "how have you been, safe?" He asked her

THough he showed very little emotion, Aya's stomach flipped.

I've been good, she signed, but others haven't. It's sad here...

Her eyes bore the sadness she felt, but she tried her best to hide it. The town had changed alot in the past few months. She shuddered in the breeze blowing through the house and wrapped her coat closer around her petite body. She nodded for him to follow, grabbing a cookie on the way out. They walked through the front door into the night. She wanted to show him something.

Gabriel got up and fallowed her but not before taking off his jacket and giving it to her. "It is cold you should cover up more." He added to this jesture. With his jacket off it was easy to see his two big guns at his side, both black one witha red cross in the middle the other with a white cross. Also the ammo for the guns around his waste and his chest. He fallowed her wondering were she was taking him all the time on the ready for anything to attack

Aya took the jacket gratefully and slipped between planks on a rotting fence, into a neighbor's backyard. The house had obviously been abandoned for some time. She hurried further into the yard and opened a chain link fence, leading into a gazebo. She waved Grabriel into the gazebo and pointed behind the joined yards. There was an ancient graveyard. Many of the tombstones were covered in vines and other plants and further back Gabriel noticed the graves were free from plants, but he had to look away.

The presence of human sacrifice was evident. There was blood splattered on several of the stones and candle stubs littered the yard. Aya let slip a small whimper and shuddered, but not from the cold.

I hear them some nights...and noone tries to stop them.

Gabriel put his hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. He then bent down to her ear. "Dont worry i will put an end to this." He assured her. He then looked around. "It is best that we head inside, before..." but before he could finish his sentance something jumped out at them he quickly drew one of his guns and pointed it at the things head, it had been a body that was atop this gazebo. Gabriel covered Aya's eyes hoping she didnt see that then he guided her back to her house on edge just incase anything were to attack

Aya leaned close to Gabrielle all the way back to the house not taking her eyes off the ground. She was disturbed by the images in the graveyard, upset that the human soul was now considered no more special than an old sweater to fight the cold. Gabrielle was a noble man to fight the monsters of the night, brave even in the most dramatic of situations, and never bent under pressure, unlike several other people she knew who joined the 'gangs' of monsters, afraid to fight for their rights.

When they arrived back at the house, Aya noticed her front door was closed, and neither of them had closed it on the way out. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction, so Gabrielle knew immediately that there had to have been an intruder. He pulled her even closer to him, his hand twitching towards one of his guns.

"Keep your eyes open," he whispered , his mouth not an inch from her ear so she could hear without anyone else doing the same. Aya nodded and slowly walked towards the door, pulling away from Gabrielle. If someone was in her house, she was not going to cower down. It was her sanctuary, and her father's presence lived in that house, even if he was hundreds of miles away. Gabrielle protested at her pulling away, but she jogged to the door and wrenched it open. There was a pungent smell coming from around the house, lingering with the smell of smoke. There was death on her property, and Aya's stomach tied in knots...Something in her house was on fire.

Gabrielle ran after Aya, cursing her under his breath for being so careless. She didn't have any idea what was in the house, and she was already running through the back of the living room. She dropped his coat hastily on her piano and ran towards a flight of stairs. Gabrielle caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist. He'd seen something she hadn't.

Let GO, she signed, struggling against his grasp. She respected him, he cared for and was only trying to protect her, but in the moment she couldn't think straight. Her father's stuff was in danger, her sanctuary invaded... and Gabrielle was holding her back.

"You damned fools, you're gonna get yourself killed." Both Gabrielle and Aya froze at the voice, startled. Aya turned to Gabrielle, not scared but surprised. She couldn't see very far maybe far enough to see the end of her living room, but knew whoever had spoken was nearly close enough to touch, yet she hadn't seen a single person besides Shadow in the room with her.

Gabriel turned his gun drawn pointing at this new man. "Who are you?" Gabriel asked before shooting. He brought aya into a closer hug. He was ready to shoot anything that came close all his senses were hightened right now. He could only hold one gun cause his other arm was around aya making sure she was safe.

((teehee how sweet, so noble.))

Aya grasped Gabrielle's shirt, becoming nauseous from the smells of smoke and death that were drifting through the house. She scanned the room and still saw nothing more than shadows and the lamplights. She took a deep breath, determined not to show any more weakness in front of Shadow than she already had since his visit.

"Determined to protect that girl, now aren't you?" a chuckle was heard from behind them, or was it right next to them? Aya couldn't tell.

"what's so special about her??"

A sound similar to a growl escaped from Gabrielle's throat and Aya put her hand over his, squeezing slightly. He was actually frightening to her, she knew how lethal he could be.

"That's none of your concern," he snapped, "this isn't your house to be invading. Show yourself."

Aya nodded, reaching over and flipping a switch near them, but the lights only flickered and died. She was stuck with the light from her hydro-powered light fixtures. She sighed, defeated, and whimpered when she was able to see orange light flickering upstairs. There was a fire, and it was in her mother's art room, a room that was considered almost sacred to she and her father. Her mother had died years ago, and they left it as she had before she passed away.

Gabriel heared this wimper and saw her look upstairs. He gave a small sigh, he then picked her up and ran her up the stairs with him. he set her down next to the art room, he looked inside and when he saw nothing dangeress he looked down at her. "You can save one and only one." He said to her, she ran into the room trying to find something as he looked around, the smoke was getting to his eyes, and because of all the flickering light it was hard for his eyes to adjust. He knew what to do in this situation. He pulled out a small cloth from his pocket. He then quickly tied it around his face were his eyes were. This cloth filtered out all the smoke but still allowed him to see. So this sloved one of the problems. He kept checking on Aya to make sure she was still safe. After all this was his mission. "Hurry it up please, i would prefere we did not die froma house fire." He told her, this was his form of a joke. When you have been rasied to kill your sense of humor is sacrificed.

Aya ran towards Gabrielle, a small canvas in her arms. She gasped when a shadow passed by the doorway, probably the shadow of thier uninvited guest.

Lets go, she signed to him, with a bit of difficulty. Gabrielle nodded and followed close behind her, back into the hallway. She began coughing and rubbed her eyes.

Gabriel ran her outside with her newly aquired painting. He then pulled out both his guns and took off the cloth. he began to fire into the house everytime he saw a shadow run past. He would turn around to see something behind aya. He fired his gun right past her face and hit the thing behind her. "Sorry" Is all he said as he began to go back to the house

"Hmm, you're a pretty good shot" Shadow turned around instantly. Stand behind him was a young man about their age with long pale blue hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a long white robe with black trim and black crosses on the shoulders. The symbol of the Acolytes, a religious cult holding the sanctity of this world above all else, or so they say. A bullet hole still smoked in Duama's robe bottom. "If I were ordininary that would have severed an artery, I'd have died slwly and painfully." he said strangely carefree.