Chapter Eight: Little Angel Go Away

Thunder rumbled in the distance after a bright flare of blue lightning crackled across the sky. The wind had picked up, and threw rain heavilly against buildings, splashing in puddles. The village was deserted now, locked in a pressing darkness as angry black clouds obscurred the moonlight and rain strangled the street lamps. The rain was so thick that Lex's keen eyes could barely pick out parked cars and lamp posts that were just three meters ahead of her. As desperation closed in, Lex felt the village had never seemed so big...

Head bowed against the elements fighting her, Tara couldn't see where she was going. She just knew she was vaguely heading in the right direction. Her hair was soaked, turning into a dark blond that looked almost brown, and her clothes clung to her body, heavy and sodden. A sob still escaped her every now and then, but she felt numb now, and lost, unsure of what to do. She struck something solid but soft and bounced off with a startled gasp. Looking up her blue eyes met those of a handsome young...Reaper... He looked concerned and inclined his head slightly to the left.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" He asked, hands on her upper arms to steady her. Tara blushed and looked down.

"Y-yes. Sorry..." She mumbled. Another deafening crack and a bolt of lightning split the heavens in two.

"This is no weather for you to be rushing about in!" He said, brow furrowed with concern. "Why're you out here?" He leaned in slightly, noticing her tears somehow. He rubbed her arms and Tara stepped back, remembering what Lex had said a long time ago... To those sensetive to Death-for example, Soul Reapers-beings that had returned from death unnaturally felt different. Touching them caused a sort of...electric tingling sensation. The Reaper before Tara looked confused, having apparantly felt this, but then smiled. "It's okay. Shall I escort you?" He asked. Tara watched him worriedly, certain his nostrils were twitching as though he could smell something. It was unnerving, especially as his eyes held the gleam of a hunter that had just succeeded in cornering his prey.

"Um...N-no, I'm fine." She insisted, trying to dodge around him. His hand shot out and closed like an iron vice around her arm.

"No, I really don't think you are." He said quietly, smirking, a definite note of menace in his voice. Tara tried to jerk her arm away, but to no avail.

"Let me go!" She cried, pulling at her arm, the nails of her free hand scraping at his fingers. He didn't even flinch. Instead he threw his head back and laughed, as though finding this hysterically funny. Tara's heart drummed painfully against her ribs. She could hear the pounding in her ears. Terror made her rip at the Reaper's arm until blood made his skin slick.

"If I let you go, Lex won't come after me!" He grinned, apparantly oblivious to the damage she had caused. Tara froze at the mention of her friend. "Yes. See, I want to play a little game with her..."

"Game on." Came a voice, quiet and angry. Both Reaper and human glanced over in time to see lightning flash over something metal, and a dark shape streaked through the rain. Iah Li simply smirked and swung Tara in front of him. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she realized Lex would impale her, but the blur vaulted upwards. Lex materialized high above, twisted in mid air to drop towards Iah, blade flashing again. He threw Tara and she fell, scraping her hands and knees on the wet road. She grunted and wiped dirt, grit and blood from her palms, turning as she heard the clash of steel upon steel. Lex rammed Iah away from herself and shot at him, blade held close to her body for maximum impact, trained on his chest. Iah took a hurried step back, his blade pushing against hers to keep it well away from his body. Lex used his defence to her advantage, turning with it, spinning to strike his other side. Iah was forced to move again, hurry away from her attack and defend himself once more, knocking her blade away. He followed through with a sharp jab to Lex's ribs. She grunted, losing her fighting stance for a second. Iah took that moment to whip his blade back, ready to bring it crashing down on her head, but in the blink of an eye Lex had deflected the attack, and slammed her fist down on his forearm. Caught by surprise, Iah staggered back slightly. He checked himself, lunging forwards, straight into a jumping snap kick from Lex that sent him crashing back into a lamp post. When he rose he was alone.

Lex travelled a fair distance before stopping in the shelter of some trees. The rain made odd rustling sounds as it travelled through the leaves above, and caused the branches to wave.

"Are you okay?" The Reaper asked worriedly, holding onto Tara. The blonde stared at her wide eyed with fright. "Tara?" Lex said firmly. Tara closed her eyes and took a shuddering deep breath, nodding. Her hands and knees stung slightly, but she was unharmed apart from that, and a possible bruise on her upper arm. "Why're you still out? It's been raining for ages! You shoulda gone back! You'll catch cold!" Tara's blue eyes turned cold as she glared at Lex.

"Willow is here." She said, her usually soft voice laden with anger. Lex would have known of the red-head's sudden 'residence' in the very village they were staying next to, of that she was certain. "She's here and you said nothing." Lex studied her for a moment before speaking.

"Then you know she's found someone else." She said quietly. It wasn't a question, but an observation. Tara bit her lip to stop her tears, but they fell anyway. A sob escaped her and she burried her face in her hands. Lex looked on, her own expression greatly distressed. "I'm sorry. I thought maybe you wouldn't see her. I couldn't tell you Willow was here, without telling you about the other woman." She awkwardly reached out a hand to tentatively pat Tara's shoulder with her fingers, then grew more confident and placed her hand there, squeezing slightly. Tara sniffed and looked up, ignoring the rain water that dripped into her eyes and burned them.

"Th-thank you." She said, her voice thick with tears. Lex had meant well. Had the roles been reversed, she would probably have done the same for Lex. The Reaper smiled slightly, and nodded.

"C'mon. Let's get back. You'll need a nice hot shower before bed." She said. Tara sniffed and nodded slightly. Lex scooped her up into her arms, and carried her friend the rest of the way back to their room, mumbling words of comfort all the way there.

I couldn't find an end for this chapter without babbling, and so I decided to leave it here.