shadow over the city

a star fell and another's bright glow started to fade on the artificial sky. in the night a shape could be made out. shadow sat his coat tails flapping out behind him as the wind cut across the surface of the billboard he sat against. his eyes fell across the body that lay near him. a slight trickle of blood shimmered on shadow's lips and down his chin. he was breathing hard, the last of his ravaging coughs left his chest. he stood slowly and tapped the body with his foot. the other man was like him, a contractor. shadow was a reaper of these beings he fought against them, though he was his own worst enemy, but he couldn't let himself die if the bad ones like this man plagued the world. shadow knew that the contractor was dead since he saw the man's star fall from the fake heavens, but shadow had to be sure. his life had been filled with uncertainty. the more he killed the more who wanted and tried to kill him and the horrid cycle repeated. his price though was harsh. he coughed up blood every time his contract was brought to his aid, though he had to admit he was getting better. the pain had lessened since his first attack of coughing. he had been what four years old? his parents attacked and then the attacker turned on him.

he could only remember later sitting in the middle of an endless darkness he didn't know how long he sat there but the black slowly faded leaving charred barren land that was his whole home. it wasn't even a year after the real stars had fallen more like a few months. he was one of the very first contractors. he remembered sitting in white rooms and people in suits both official and protective, him getting tested and their faces....always scared. his star being named officially and him taking a shadowed way out. the noise around him of others shouting "OPAZ17 is gone OPAZ17 has escaped!!!".

shadow grabbed his bag from where he had dropped it as the man attacked him. he sighed and looked at the red mask inside it. he rummaged past it and grabbed a small cylinder. he shook it roughly and placed it in his mouth to hold. he shrugged the bag over his shoulder and moved to his deceased enemy and placed the glowing item beside him. before stumbling off toward the stairs rubbing some of his wounds as he dodged the glass the man's contract had let him summon. shadow left the building and made his way to his park. he was still searching for a place to live and until then he would stay in the park. he didn't have much stuff so he could just sleep on a bench or something he sighed and got into a cab, asking the driver to take him to his destination and soon he was searching the area for a good bench. finding one he sat and removed his bag placing it beside him he draped himself over the back of his new bed looking up at the stars. he wonder what he would do here and how long he could go before he was forced to kill again....

(reapor contractors have known eachother forever)

"Something the matter" Hei said as he popped out of no where with his back facing shadow

(how about know but not to well....so not like they were friends but they had seen each other a few times before.)

without flinching shadow kept his eyes on the stars. "nothing at all other than no house yet. its been a long time hei, a long time." shadow brushed hair from over his bad eye and his good eye could stare at his fellow reaper. reapers would be the last he killed due to the fact he couldn't take down all of the other contractors in the world without them. he got up and stretched giving a faked bow and said "welcome oh BK201 to my humble abode." he sat again "please sit" he said moving his bag. "tell me about the city, hei, all i have seen so far is one man trying to kill me as i was home hunting...." he gave a pained smile and crossed one leg over so his ankle and knee met. hands behind his head he looked back up at the stars as two began to shine. he tilted his head. more contractors in this part of the world?

"Its been to long to count" Hei looked up at the stars as well. He took his mask off and sat down "South america is going on a ramapage because when heavens ate came back and deleted hells gate it took part of south america with it" Hei looked at shadow
"I think out of all of the contractors my price to pay is the best" hei smiles a bit "So are you hungry" hei looked at shadow again "I know we haven't gotten use to eachother yet but we still have to be their for eachother if not as brothers then as friends if not as friends then as allies and if not as allies then i don't know what" Hei put his mask back on

Danni stood on her balcony that overlooked the area the men were in. She sighs a bit, out of exhaustion rather then boredom. She never bored of listening to the elements or listening to other's conversations, even from as high above them as she was she had a perfect image of both of them, she also knew they were contractors. She listens to the whispering wind for a while before sitting on the balcony's ledge, not caring if she were to fall. She looks around the balcony, unseeingly, and takes in the smells and sounds.

shadow got up and shouldered his belongings. "not like the bank is gonna close my house so i have to wait around. though i may have to fight off a hobo later" he chuckled "but going out with your mask on come on hei no need to scare little kids." he looked at his clothes. not much better. he tried to scratch off some of the dried blood. at least his clothes were darker to hide the fact of his fighting. "so any good places around here?"

Hei took of his mask and cloak and hid it in a bush "there is the world famous Negima Huri shooma resturant" hei wiped his lip as he started to drool "That sounds doable"

She feels the wind around Shadow is rougher from something caked on, upon sniffing she can tell it's blood. She climbs off of the ledge and goes into her room, losing interest in their conversation.

shadow smiled "sure" he buttoned his jacket up to hide his more vividly blood stained black and white striped shirt. before he smiled "any where i could get some laundry done aswell?" he asked with a rueful smile. "which reminds me how long have you been in this city?"

"I have been here for a couple months i am on a mission oh and you can stay at my place for a while"Hei looks at shadow alittle strangly but keeps his thoughts to himself as the walk to the resturant

"thanks" he laughed "we dont have to worry about killing each other in risking both our hides" he followed hei not to far but not to close. he couldnt help but look over his shoulder as a chill ran up his back. something was gonna happen in the park and he didnt want to be caught in the middle. he walked faster catching up to hei's pace. "so how about it be my treat? a meal for a shelter?" he patted his bag.

Then is happened an explosion occurd "No time for that" hei said as he grabbed his cloak and mask and put them both on "Are you in the mood for a quick battle" hei said as he opened up a cellphone "We found him" and then he started to run

a wrinkle over shadow's brow showed his confusion. his walking strides turned into a jog as he followed hei. his legs brought him ahead of hei where he stopped. a slim sword in hand. "i aint risking my skin for something i dont know about. tell me now or the battle will be between the two of us reapers." hi eyes were cold and his words dripped in poison to show he meant what he said if they both fought they would most likely both die. he pulled his mask out from his bag and placed it half over his face. the red catching the light of the moon and the marking on his neck looked as if it was taken off the mask. the white a mimic of the red on his neck. "shall you speak or shall we fight against one another?" he didnt like being used and he liked to be in the loop when it consisted with him. his humor had vanished and his anger shone through as the smoke drowned into the sky and fire shone behind him.

Hei looked at shadow through his mask "Now is not the time for this shadow stop acting like a kid i am trying to save a life and who are the road block preventing me from accomplishing my mission" Hei brushed passed shadow and continued to run. Hei made a quick turn and heared another explosion occur. "Got him" he said as he ran up a building scoping out the entire area.

shadow swore. he had nothing better to do. he ran catching up to hei. "i do expect and explanation after. " he said looking for what ever hei could be looking for. "i can scope the shadows if you want me to."

"Don't worry but in this mission there are 2 people we have to get" hei took his mask off "The reason i said "got him was because this contractor can duplicate himself meaning that he could be all over this place but thats onething he can't do....he can only duplicate himself making only one clone....the explosions are gunfire caused by the clone as the real duplicate is hiding" hei put his mask back on "just look for feathers scattered aaround a certain area with your shadows.His price to pay is simple...he has to glue feathers to the ground"

shadow sank to his knees. his hand gripping a shadow near the wall, he gave a sharp tug. and the shadow snapped and warped, taking on the texture of a rope. he looked at hei. "follow the rope but no doubt it will get to him." shadow said as he began to jog along the length, the shadow rope his sword was suddenly in hand again. he drew closer when he saw the first of the feathers....and clones. he dashed out at them and sliced, at them.

Hei followed the rope looking and examing every ince of land the covered getting to there destination."I can feel that we are almost there" he said taking out a knife with a long metal string attached to it. "This time i won't lose"

shadow sliced through the first and second ranks. he would trust that if he made an opening then hei would bust through to get the contractor. get the problem by the root. his sword flashed and fake being's blood splattered. i am gonna need a dry cleaners defiantly he thought to himself.

"There he is' hei said as he stopped shadow right in his tracks "No sudden movements this guy is crazier than an animal"

shadow nodded. "i can hide us if we can get into the shadows." he said looking at the shadows he could have used.

Thats would be good hei said as he prepared to attack waiting for shadow to get them closer

shadow touched hei's shoulder bringing him into the shadows. it was cold and dark, he couldn't see anything and knew hei couldn't either. his right eye closed he used his left. the blind eye wasnt all it was put out for, he could see all the shapes of shadows everywhere. when he was young it had been hard to see straight with all the distractions mostly after dark. shadow brought them around to the mans back slowly stepping out of the shadows his color coming back and his body seeming to feel more real, less lightweighted. he pulled hei out into the world again and shuttered. even that short distance was a good move but it was terrible for his body. now he would leave the man to hei, he fell to one knee, breathing hard mind buzzing, he would have to pay alot this time. even now he felt the tightness in his chest, the tickle in his throat.

hei appears behind the contractor and he instantly brings back his clone "Sorry but not everyone gets a second chance" with those words said hei though the knife at the contractor and instantly killed him "mission complete"

shadow shuttered and coughed twice as the flow started. his lungs filling with blood, hot , it burned down his throat and spilled from between his lips. he raised a hand motioning hei to give him 5 min, and he got up, coughing into the crock of his elbow. and moved into the shadows, coughing noises trailing after him.
a few minutes later he came back wiping his mouth. "sorry" he said. he would try to speed through his payment when he was younger but now he let it take its time, if he rushed he would get light headed and eventually faint. that was worse for him than the pain that had later slowly started to ease in pain, he did get a twinge now but not the blinding pain he had before.