Outrun the Darkness

"This is insane-"
You can do it.
"I'm going to die, don't you get that, and whatever the fuck you are-"
You'll die if you just stand there.

Which was, unfortunately, something close to the truth as he heard the heavy roar from behind him, the thick breathing of the spirit beast on his trail. He didn't know why it was after him, or what it wanted, but he knew that he didn't want to have to deal with the damn thing right about now, and if everything worked out...

There was just the matter of the 50 foot drop below him.

"This is fucking-" he started, swearing before he ran out of time and saw the long beast, half lion, half centipede, half something else entirely whirl around the corner, a thousand legs making their way across rooftop, punching holes in the concrete. It's head roared to him, mouth opening to reveal a whirling gullet of teeth that seemed to spark and grind past the fangs of the lion as it started charging on mismatched legs. He watched it come at him, breathing out quietly as he stepped back towards the edge.

You're the one who won't just suck it up and fight the thing.

"Not the time." he whispered before it was too late to choose anything else, a pair of scything mandible extending from the mouth and lashing out to try and devour him as he leapt backwards, pushing off the concrete hard enough to dent it and sending himself careening down several stories, whirling through the air and realizing with growing panic that he had no idea what was supposed to happen now.

"I thought you said I could do this!"
Anyone can fall.

He swore and ran out of time, punching his fist into the wall beside him and feeling the tug of his momentum stop, his body whirling around about five feet from the ground. The brickwork was shoddy enough that his fist passed through, and though the jerk was intense his body was so much more resilient than it had been before. He pushed off from the wall and skidded to the ground below it only to look up to the sky and see the massive body of the beast extending out into the air, searching for him, hunting for him before it's head rotated down. The chitinous body flexed, needle-like legs uncurling beneath it to reveal the shaggy brown mane as it roared and started racing down the building after him.

"Oh come on..." he growled as he whirled and pushed off the ground, shooting foreword faster then anyone really should be able to run as he moved at full speed for the first time, tearing across the ground and feeling a bizarre thrill rise in his chest.
That would be the feeling you get when you stop holding yourself back, you know.
"Not the time..." he muttered as he raced down the street.
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"Shit!"

The impact didn't necessarily do all that much to hurt Saito, but it certainly spun him slightly and he blinked as he watched the girl who'd rushed so haphazardly out of the alleyway start falling to the ground. There was a flicker before his arm was around her shoulders, stronger then it had any right to be before he slid his other arm beneath her knees without bothering to ask whether or not he should, continuing on running as he looked behind him and saw the beast continuing on, it's eyes snapping to the pair of them as it let out another shriek, hurtling after them. He was managing to keep his distance, but he wasn't sure quite how long he could pull it, especially someone else in tow.
Why didn't you just leave her, if you're so intent on running?
He ignored the mocking thought and sprinted to the end of the block before he even really looked to the girl. She was light in his arms, almost impossibly so, and he spun at the edge of the street and skidded to a halt on the concrete, looking to the monster and setting her down before pushing her, gently so as to knock her over, and looking back to it.
What, so a little girl's gets herself caught up and suddenly you're head over heels about fighting the thing? Pussy.
"Shut UP." he muttered, shaking his head before he motioned to her quickly, waving her back. "Go on, get! You want to get eaten?" He snapped to her before he started foreword, looking back to it and starting to pant a bit as his eyes began to mirror over, the adrenaline rushing through his veins making the world around him seem to throb. "Yeah, yeah, nice and happy now, aren't you fucker..." he muttered quietly under his breath to the spirit flowing through his body as he started towards the beast that raced towards him.
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The beast raced towards him, the distance between them slowly closing as he felt his nails start to harden into claws, his teeth sharpening to fangs in his mouth as he looked to it and cracked his neck, starting to move foreword faster. The space between them was getting smaller and smaller, and as he looked to it he realized that he was waiting for the fight the whole time, had been longing for it, was just waiting for a chance to test himself... and he felt his lips spreading in a grin as he watched the monster approach.

Twenty feet. He could see the blades of the beast's mandibles, dripping as they extended from it's maw, teeth wide and snarling and gleaming in the light. The ground shook beneath him, it's bulk strewn across the ground.

Fifteen. In the space of a second it was closing the distance, rushing at him, but it was in his area now, on his turf. He felt himself relax, felt himself let go and stop caring and start living in the moment without worrying what would come. He was filled with a confidence of motion and action, and he wondered if this is why his spirit friend seemed to want him to relax. It did feel pretty damn good.

Ten feet. He could smell it's breath, rank and wet, as it barreled towards him, and he cracked his neck and set his stance.

"Come on, motherfucker, show me a good time." His grin was wide, and suddenly he stopped being him. There wasn't a barrier anymore, between the stranger and himself, and he knew it. As he moved his limbs seemed to leave a trailing afterimage, his hands spreading as the beast approached before all of a sudden there were two of him, one in front of the beast and one falling down through the air towards it, one leg raised in a heel drop for it's back. He wasn't quite sure how he did it, just that it felt natural, felt normal, as though he'd thrown a punch or jumped, and as the beast slid through the air, he let out a roar of laughter at the ease of it as he slammed his foot down into it's back, feeling the cracking of the chitin under it as it let out a long, roaring howl of pain.

It's head snapped back, lashing for him with a mandible, but he was in front of it again, standing twenty feet away and bouncing slightly before he cocked his head and looked to the girl. "Still here, huh?" he chuckled, the tone of his voice rather different then before. "Funny, I hadn't thought you the type."
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He blinked as he watched the girl put her hands together and create within them some kind of swirling void, the mass of it tearing everything this way and that before she threw it. She looked like she was doing it almost experimentally, and he raised an eyebrow before looking to the beast and watching as it struck it in the side, the forces of it tearing a long gouging hole through it's flesh as it ripped it a new one almost litterally. The beast let out another shriek as Saito looked to the blow, cocking his head to the side.

"That's a nice trick." he noted, curious now about the girl as much as the monster in front of him. The thrill of it was dying, and he could already feel himself separating back into who he was before, sliding back into a world where he was not himself and vice versa. It was confusing, but the strength didn't leave him, and the beast wasn't entirely dead yet, but at the same time it elicited almost a longing feeling in him. It had felt good to be so united, to be so in control, to be so confident and aware... maybe there was something to all this letting go. Either way he approached the wounded monster, watching it thrash and flail about as it walked towards it. With a swift motion that was almost unexpected the beast snarled and shot it's massive head for him, attempting to rip his arm off, but he simply wasn't there, appearing beside it as though he'd whirled out of thin air before using the momentum to bring his clawed hand down in a sharp, piercing jab towards the beast's eye.

"Well that was a buzz-kill." he felt himself say, a last burst of the stranger as he felt his hand punch straight through the eye and whatever else was behind it, watching as it howled and stretched it's mouth wide and seemed to disintegrate around him leaving only a viscous black fluid on his hand where it had torn into it. He looked at it as though it were an alien substance and swept his hand to the side, spattering the ground with it before he sighed and ran a hand over his face, making his way back towards the girl. There was a flicker of an afterimage behind him as he walked, a face split with a grin wider then it ever had any right to be before it was gone, and he was alone with the woman again.

"Sorry about all that." he said as he shook his head, feeling slightly drained after the initial rush of excitement was well and gone. "It followed me here, and I figured it'd be better not to just leave you for it."
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He blinked as he listened to her ramble, not quite sure what to make of it all. He'd never seen powers like that before, but if nothing else they seemed fairly devastating; the beast wasn't as strong as himself (he now knew much to his irritation and his stranger's amusement at him having hauled ass for several blocks instead of just snap-kicking it's head off), but it would have devoured most normal humans without much trouble, and the blast of twisting energy seemed to be stronger in effect then a kick or a punch of his-some part of him realized that he would need something more then martial arts to defeat his enemies, something that would allow him to tear through even the strongest foes, but he remained silent about this as he listened to her talk, letting her finish before he smiled slightly and shook his head.

"You're asking a college student if he wants a free meal." he said dryly, amused. "Have you ever met someone who'd turn it down?"
You're just saying that because she's cute.
Shut up.
"You don't owe me anything, though; I'm sure you could have handled yourself."
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As he walked, he realized that he felt a little odd tonight, for whatever reason; his body was still primed, but now there was a layer of frustration under it, of irritation. The fight with the beast had been so... easy. So mundane. He was startled to realize that he was looking foreword to it, looking foreword to having a real fight where he would have to give it his all... and then to kill it with what amounted to two punches...
The word you're looking for is boring.
You know, having a back and forth with you will get distracting eventually...
You like it.
He sighed and shook his head, walking along after her before he blinked and realized she'd spoken. He swore, if this kept up he would look like one of those insane people walking down the street talking to themselves and everyone around them. He briefly wondered whether or not he WAS one of those insane people already before he shrugged lightly and made his way along after her, hands in his pockets. His teeth had almost returned to normal, only slightly pointed now but still a bit sharp looking, and but his eyes still had the slightly animal glint in them, when they mirrored and reflected the light at certain angles.
248
"Mmhmm." he said with a slight sigh. "I sure hope these aren't the best years of my life, 'cause if so the rest of it won't be much fun. What about you?"

"Not much of a vigilante; it started stalking me, and I don't like being stalked. I was just gonna run from it, but..." he shrugged and ran a hand over his face. Things didn't much seem to end up like he'd intended, often enough, especially when it was becoming increasingly aware that one way or another, he didn't have to worry about that sort of thing nearly as much as he had before. The strength that coursed through him was consuming, tempting... and the stranger in him knew that, and seemed to delight in using it against him. He briefly wondered quite whether or not resisting was really what he should be doing, but either way he had something else to focus on now, and that helped.
"What about you? Seems like I should know your name before just walking in."
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That having been the first really spiritual beast he'd ever seen, he wasn't quite sure what to expect from them; certainly he didn't know what the hell they wanted, if they thought, what the whole stalking thing was about, and why it hadn't just tried to pounce on him when given the chance. The fact that it couldn't have taken him, well... he didn't much bother thinking about that, still not used to the new found abilities he had. As he listened to the girl, however, he chuckled; at least he wasn't the only one who had a few quirks here and there.
"My name is Saito." he said with a slight smile, shaking his head. "And no, I don't have a knife; I've never needed one. Do you often have visitors that do?" he asked idly, wondering quite why he was going with her to her house instead of just continuing on his way, but he let it go. As far as impulses went, following a whim and walking with her wasn't nearly as bad as it could be.
If you're giving me an invitation for worse...
So what, now you're every random impulse I get?
Not random, per se; I just don't like holding back.
One of these days, I'm going to a damn shrink.
It'll be funny when you punch your way out of a padded cell.
Shut up.
232

The woman seemed to have at least been through something last night, and so he shrugged lightly as to her questions about the knives and such. Didn't much matter to him, really; he was odd enough in his own ways that he probably wasn't all that much better. Still, morbid curiosity overtook him, and whether or not she wanted to answer he would at least ask. "What went on yesterday, rude house guest?" he asked idly as they walked towards her house, passing what appeared to be an apartment complex. He was still so unused to how he felt at night, how light his body was, how even a bit more force on his part could send him springing into the air or how little it would take to bend the railing that he was running his hand along as they walked. He looked down into the stoop of the doorway with eyes that glinted in the diagonal light of the streetlamps before he turned back to her, almost languidly.

"I eat most anything, so long as it isn't more ramen." he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders, though for some reason he could feel something in the back of his mind hissing slightly for something else, though he couldn't tell what it was.
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Blood. He didn't know how he knew what it was, or how it was there, but he knew it was about. Instantly his eyes mirrored over and there was a flicker before he was in front of her, his hand grasping the wrist that she'd touched the cut with in a grip as hard as iron, not crushing to the joint but certainly stronger then most humans had any right to be as he cocked his head and looked to the blood on her fingertips, his head cocking to the side inquisitively as he examined it.

"You're cut." he said, voice the same as ever, though the beastial eyes flickered to hers only briefly before returning to the blood on her fingertips. He breathed in and the air was thick with it, close to him, like a heady mist perfuming the air beneath the yellowed street lights. It looked black in the night, and he breathed out quietly as he looked to it. There was an intensity in the gaze that was almost unsettling before he looked to her abdomen where the blood was seeping. There was a slight afterimage of his actions, one that didn't quite mirror his own movements before it syched back up. "You should be treated for that; abdominal wounds especially tend to split back open..." he said, voice almost quiet before there was a sudden shift and his hand slid away from hers, his body stepping back faster then he should before he seemed to relax, untense, shaking his head slightly and letting outa a sigh.

"I'm...sorry, about that." he said quietly, shaking his head. "I'm not sure what that was, but it won't happen again. My apologies, that was very rude."
287

He was a bit caught off guard by his own reaction, the way his mind seemed to focus in on the blood and how his eyes kept lingering slightly on it before he managed to slide them away and back to her face, where he kept them firmly located as best he could before he blinked lightly. "Fixing your own wounds is rarely a good plan." he pointed out dryly, shaking his head. "Especially sewing at the abdomen; it twists and bends enough that sewing it together wrong may be disfiguring. You should probably go to a doctor." As he listened to her other question, continuing the walk to her house and wondering quite how much further it would be, he shrugged.

Go on, tell her all about me. It'll be funny.
How many times am I going to have to tell you to shut up when I'm around other people?
Your eyes will cross before you get there.

"It's...I don't want to say natural, but instinctual, I guess. It just kind of comes out that way. All about letting yourself go, I suppose." he said dryly, shaking his head before he sighed. "I'm not quite sure what to think about them. I think I might be possessed, or something. What about you? It's not every day a girl can tear through a demon like that."
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He sighed lightly, running a hand over his face and kneading at his eyes for a moment as he watched her open the door, shaking his head lightly. "Seems to be more common then I thought, then, I kind of figured that I was the only one." He shrugged as he started foreword, sliding through the door easily and making his way after her to the stairs, moving effortlessly through the hallways. He wasn't sure what to think about all the scars; they seemed rather painful to him, irritating enough, but then again his scars healed regularly. As he made his way up the stairs after her, he shook his head idly.

"You should at least have someone else do it for you." he pointed out dryly. "Regardless of looks, healing like that can become a hindrance. Remind me after dinner and I'll stitch it for you." In all the time he'd spent going to college, he couldn't say that premed wasn't useful.
Are you offering because you want to be the knight in shining armor, or because you want to see her with her shirt off again?
Can't I be doing it because I'm a good person and the situation came up?
You and I both know you too well for that.
I hate you, some days.
Only because you don't understand me. Or yourself, for that matter; one in the same problem, really.
I'll beat the answers out of you one of these days.
Big talk from the boy chatting with his imaginary friend.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes, shaking his head and making his way after her towards the upper levels where he assumed her apartment was, wondering if ringing his own neck would get the job done.
292

He blinked as he heard her mention that said knife wielder may still be in her house. The concept of leaving someone who a) has already cut you once and b) is likely to be a dangerous and relatively degenerate individual in the first place was boggling to him, contrary to most things like sense and self-preservation. Someone that has stabbed you awake is plenty likely to stab you asleep, and they're certainly less likely to miss, but to each their own. He wondered just who this knife wielding person might be and whether or not there would be a confrontation between them before the stranger chimed in again.
Sure you don't just want there to be a fight? His voice was snide and amused in his head, as though trying to bait an answer out of him and bring rise to something underneath, something ugly.
Of course not. If nothing else it would ruin her apartment, likely.
But it would be exciting. It would be a test, and you might even look good doing it.
I'm not trying to test myself against a random knife wielding psycho just because he cut someone who doesn't seem to mind.
Why not? He stabbed someone. Can you really imagine him as a good person? And besides, who the fuck cares? He's strong enough to use a knife on someone, which means he's strong enough to go toe to toe with. What good is all that fancy judo bullshit if you're not going to use it on someone? Stop being such a pussy-
Shut. Up.

He finished the train of thought with a slight sigh, shaking his head and finally watching as they came to a stop in front of an apartment door. He hadn't said much in regards to her statement, but when it came up he shrugged. "I live on my own; I'm used to mess. Let's just hope your knife wielder has a bit of restraint." he said with a slight snort, as though he doubted it.
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Updated Surreal.