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Description
(c) Loner

One Foot In The Grave

Rain

--

It was raining.

Again.

It always seemed to rain in this city.

And it always seemed to rain the heaviest when he was out hunting. Or was that just him, thinking that the world conspired to bring his mood down even further?

Not that he minded. The downpour kept people in, which meant he had an excuse not to hunt. Which kept the body count down. Which in turn, helped his guilt.

Even so... Christian still went out, disappearing rapidly into the wet darkness before Esper could even think of following him. She would anyway, he knew - she always did, a fact that made him smile slightly as he thought of it - because she worried about him. Never mind the fact the Half-life had survived three thousand years (give or take) in Hell itself...

Well...no, that was a lie. Christian landed on a roof and ran across it, easily clearing the gap to the next one. He hadn't really survived it - he hadn't come out whole, that was for sure. Hell had a way of screwing with even the most iron-solid sanity.

Christian shook his head slightly, displacing fine rivulets of water down his face as he banished memories that threatened to overwhelm him again. It was bad enough he had to dream about them, never mind have to face them in the real world-

Christian skidded to a stop, water splashing over the edge of the roof as he caught sight of a purple-haired youth on the ground below him. She hadn't spotted him yet, and Christian sighed slightly before selecting a different roof to jump to and continuing.

That was something else that distracted him, although it was a welcome distraction. Esper Brogan. Not of this world in more ways then one, she was the one person Christian would quite happily die for. And that scared the hell out of him - in a good way - because it was totally new ground. The girl - well, woman, really - had pulled feelings out of him he hadn't had for... too long, and was convinced he'd never have. After all, who could love somebody with half a soul, a tenious grip on sanity at best and a habit of killing humans?

She could, obviously.

Christian slowed, then finally stopped, standing on the edge of the roof and leaning against a chimney. He was soaked through, water pouring down his face. He could feel the wind wrapping around him, winding through his wet clothes, and he knew if he'd been human he would be in trouble. But as it was, he barely felt the cold. He could feel humans walking on the ground below him - obviously the rain didn't keep everybody in - but this place was far too crowded to hunt.

Suddenly Christian felt a... hunger of sorts... to be able to go down there, be able to mingle and move with the crowd, to be accepted and treated as one of them. He must have been human once, he had hazy recollections of fields, and of being happy... but that was so long ago it might as well have been a dream.

Christian had almost pulled off the guns and sword to go down... but the sharp stab of agony and the greyed vision he always suffered from when he'd left a hunt a little long bought him back to reality. He could never be part of the crowd, even if by some miracle Esper did manage to make his soul whole again.

Christian turned away from the edge, green eyes closing briefly as he ran and jumped off the opposite edge, the wind wrapping around him as if to try and catch him as he fell. He rolled as he landed, and couldn't help but grin when he saw he'd landed in an alley. He seemed to spend most of his time in them, one time or another...

"Christian goddamned Black!"

Christian looked up, the grin widening when he made out the silohette of Esper standing at the entrance. He pushed a sodden lock of hair out of his face, walking towards her. "That's my name." He smiled easily, leaning against the wall and looking down at her. Esper had managed to stay relatively dry compared to him, but he'd been up on the rooftops where the wind pushed the rain in every direction - namely his. Down here it wasn't any more then a light shower.

"I've been lookin' fo' y' everywhere." Esper looked up at him, slightly exhasperated but fairly amused too, given the smile trying to escape. "Where the hell y' been?"

Wordlessly Christian pointed up, the smile getting wider. Esper sighed at him. "I always go by roofs, Esp."

"No wonder y' soaked then... how's huntin'?"

"Humans know better then ta come out in the rain." Christian sighed, looking up. "It's gonna hafta wait a night..."

"But Chris... y've already missed two because of this..." Esper looked worried when Christian looked back down at her.

"I know." He said simply. "I'm gonna carry on huntin'... can't promise anythin'..." Christian shrugged, looking down. He didn't want to be discussing his 'hunting' with Esper. He hated it.

Esper gently touched Christian's shoulder, making him look up at her. She smiled gently at him. "Y'... want some company...?" She murmured.

Christian smiled, and nodded. Much as he hated it when Esper followed him he was grateful for it as well. Grateful that while he might not be accepted by the people he hunted... at least he could be accepted by someone who wasn't quite forgiven either.

--

Sometime after the hunt - which was... successful in as much as Christian had taken enough souls to make sure he wouldn't lose control in the next forty-eight hours - he was stood at the open window, leaning against the frame as he looked out, the streets slick in the streetlamps.

"Aren't y' cold?" Esper asked, somewhere behind him. That reminded Christian that he hadn't changed yet.

"No." He replied, not moving from the window. "You?"

"I'm always cold, Chris."

Christian smiled at that, taking the hint and pulling the window shut. He still didn't move from the window, watching the rain running down it.

Then he felt Esper move behind him, to the side of him, and leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. Christian smiled at her reflection, an arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"What're y' lookin' at?" Esper murmured after a while.

"The rain." Christian murmured back. "It makes the world look... I dunno, different."

"Like it's not quite real, y' mean?"

Christian nodded. "Somethin' like that."

"Mmm. I can see what y' mean..." Esper smiled. "Now, y' gotta get changed, Chris. I smell wet dog."

"Woof." Christian grinned, reluctantly moving away from Esper, fingertips trailing over her shoulder and pausing at her neck. He trailed a finger over her jawline - slightly too tapered for a human - and smiled as she leaned into her hand. He ached to kiss her, to feel the lithe body against his and give her a little warmth for a little while... but there was the small problem of the psychotic dragon currently possessing her.

"Brogan's awake." Esper murmured, bringing up a hand to meet with his. Christian nodded, thumb stroking her cheek before he reluctantly dropped the hand and moved away.

"I'll go change." He muttered. He saw Esper looking at him sadly before he turned away.

"Christian?"

He turned back, the silohettes of the rain on the window making Esper look like she was crying. Christian couldn't look at her for long. "Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

Christian looked down. "Ya ain't got nothin' ta be sorry about." With that, he turned away.

~And all it did was rain...~

Description
(c) Loner

One Foot In The Grave

Rain

--

It was raining.

Again.

It always seemed to rain in this city.

And it always seemed to rain the heaviest when he was out hunting. Or was that just him, thinking that the world conspired to bring his mood down even further?

Not that he minded. The downpour kept people in, which meant he had an excuse not to hunt. Which kept the body count down. Which in turn, helped his guilt.

Even so... Christian still went out, disappearing rapidly into the wet darkness before Esper could even think of following him. She would anyway, he knew - she always did, a fact that made him smile slightly as he thought of it - because she worried about him. Never mind the fact the Half-life had survived three thousand years (give or take) in Hell itself...

Well...no, that was a lie. Christian landed on a roof and ran across it, easily clearing the gap to the next one. He hadn't really survived it - he hadn't come out whole, that was for sure. Hell had a way of screwing with even the most iron-solid sanity.

Christian shook his head slightly, displacing fine rivulets of water down his face as he banished memories that threatened to overwhelm him again. It was bad enough he had to dream about them, never mind have to face them in the real world-

Christian skidded to a stop, water splashing over the edge of the roof as he caught sight of a purple-haired youth on the ground below him. She hadn't spotted him yet, and Christian sighed slightly before selecting a different roof to jump to and continuing.

That was something else that distracted him, although it was a welcome distraction. Esper Brogan. Not of this world in more ways then one, she was the one person Christian would quite happily die for. And that scared the hell out of him - in a good way - because it was totally new ground. The girl - well, woman, really - had pulled feelings out of him he hadn't had for... too long, and was convinced he'd never have. After all, who could love somebody with half a soul, a tenious grip on sanity at best and a habit of killing humans?

She could, obviously.

Christian slowed, then finally stopped, standing on the edge of the roof and leaning against a chimney. He was soaked through, water pouring down his face. He could feel the wind wrapping around him, winding through his wet clothes, and he knew if he'd been human he would be in trouble. But as it was, he barely felt the cold. He could feel humans walking on the ground below him - obviously the rain didn't keep everybody in - but this place was far too crowded to hunt.

Suddenly Christian felt a... hunger of sorts... to be able to go down there, be able to mingle and move with the crowd, to be accepted and treated as one of them. He must have been human once, he had hazy recollections of fields, and of being happy... but that was so long ago it might as well have been a dream.

Christian had almost pulled off the guns and sword to go down... but the sharp stab of agony and the greyed vision he always suffered from when he'd left a hunt a little long bought him back to reality. He could never be part of the crowd, even if by some miracle Esper did manage to make his soul whole again.

Christian turned away from the edge, green eyes closing briefly as he ran and jumped off the opposite edge, the wind wrapping around him as if to try and catch him as he fell. He rolled as he landed, and couldn't help but grin when he saw he'd landed in an alley. He seemed to spend most of his time in them, one time or another...

"Christian goddamned Black!"

Christian looked up, the grin widening when he made out the silohette of Esper standing at the entrance. He pushed a sodden lock of hair out of his face, walking towards her. "That's my name." He smiled easily, leaning against the wall and looking down at her. Esper had managed to stay relatively dry compared to him, but he'd been up on the rooftops where the wind pushed the rain in every direction - namely his. Down here it wasn't any more then a light shower.

"I've been lookin' fo' y' everywhere." Esper looked up at him, slightly exhasperated but fairly amused too, given the smile trying to escape. "Where the hell y' been?"

Wordlessly Christian pointed up, the smile getting wider. Esper sighed at him. "I always go by roofs, Esp."

"No wonder y' soaked then... how's huntin'?"

"Humans know better then ta come out in the rain." Christian sighed, looking up. "It's gonna hafta wait a night..."

"But Chris... y've already missed two because of this..." Esper looked worried when Christian looked back down at her.

"I know." He said simply. "I'm gonna carry on huntin'... can't promise anythin'..." Christian shrugged, looking down. He didn't want to be discussing his 'hunting' with Esper. He hated it.

Esper gently touched Christian's shoulder, making him look up at her. She smiled gently at him. "Y'... want some company...?" She murmured.

Christian smiled, and nodded. Much as he hated it when Esper followed him he was grateful for it as well. Grateful that while he might not be accepted by the people he hunted... at least he could be accepted by someone who wasn't quite forgiven either.

--

Sometime after the hunt - which was... successful in as much as Christian had taken enough souls to make sure he wouldn't lose control in the next forty-eight hours - he was stood at the open window, leaning against the frame as he looked out, the streets slick in the streetlamps.

"Aren't y' cold?" Esper asked, somewhere behind him. That reminded Christian that he hadn't changed yet.

"No." He replied, not moving from the window. "You?"

"I'm always cold, Chris."

Christian smiled at that, taking the hint and pulling the window shut. He still didn't move from the window, watching the rain running down it.

Then he felt Esper move behind him, to the side of him, and leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. Christian smiled at her reflection, an arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"What're y' lookin' at?" Esper murmured after a while.

"The rain." Christian murmured back. "It makes the world look... I dunno, different."

"Like it's not quite real, y' mean?"

Christian nodded. "Somethin' like that."

"Mmm. I can see what y' mean..." Esper smiled. "Now, y' gotta get changed, Chris. I smell wet dog."

"Woof." Christian grinned, reluctantly moving away from Esper, fingertips trailing over her shoulder and pausing at her neck. He trailed a finger over her jawline - slightly too tapered for a human - and smiled as she leaned into her hand. He ached to kiss her, to feel the lithe body against his and give her a little warmth for a little while... but there was the small problem of the psychotic dragon currently possessing her.

"Brogan's awake." Esper murmured, bringing up a hand to meet with his. Christian nodded, thumb stroking her cheek before he reluctantly dropped the hand and moved away.

"I'll go change." He muttered. He saw Esper looking at him sadly before he turned away.

"Christian?"

He turned back, the silohettes of the rain on the window making Esper look like she was crying. Christian couldn't look at her for long. "Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

Christian looked down. "Ya ain't got nothin' ta be sorry about." With that, he turned away.

~And all it did was rain...~