Worlds Collide

[Neki]

Sunlight brushed the tops of the buildings as the sun rose over Haven City. The air was warm and a dry, pleasant breeeze was weaving it's way through the buildings. The sound of work echoed through the streets as people began thier day. And some days had begun musch earlier than others.

Shinrah watched as workman moved around like angry ants, home upturned by someones careless boot. Or rather, a very large, very angry metalhead. She had been sitting in that spot since before dawn, thinking. Thinking about who she was, and what she was doing. Self doubt hung over her like an angry stormcloud, a new feeling for her. The men below shouted directions to one another but she wasn't paying attention to any of that. She was deep in thought, eyes looking for only one thing. That shock of bright blue hair.

What has come over me! I don't act like this. Not Ever! But he was there, in my hide, my home. Can I trust him to keep it a secret? Or will I regret this for along time. Her thoughts rumbled on, tinged with worry and another feeling. One she had not felt in a long time. She shook her head, worry visible on her face for a moment. Then it was gone, and she was a statue in the darkness once more. But that one word burst unbidded through her thoughts.

Love

No! How can I let nanyone in to see the ugly monster that I am. How could anyone understand. She cringed away from the house and builders. She hadn't though of herself as a monster before now, but the cold ice of her heart was melting. Slowly, but it was. Shinrah moved deeper into the shadows, rooftiles cool under her skin where she touched the,

She watched, unsure what to do. It was yet another strange feeling for her, the feeling of unsureness, not knowing what her goal was. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

[Altairas]

The desert sand was cool beneath Leo's feet as he watched the sun rise over the mountains in the far distance. He was filled with a great calm, everything around him seemed serene and full of bright warm colors. Leo's hand rested on a shovel and in his other was his journal, he was obviously ready for whatever was buried beneath the sands. As he began to walk forward though the city all the color began to fade off of the walls.

Leo began to panic, and began running, the shovel and notebook dropping to the ground. A dark pit materialized in front of him and began falling, screaming as he flipped head over heal through the darkness.

Leo's own screams awoke him, and he shot up, eye's wide and unseeing. His face was hot and sweat droplets were forming all across his cheeks and brow. His hands were shaking as he sat there, sparks of blue eco arching across his fingers sparaticly. His world was dark, and the strange hotel did not feel like home to him.

Slowly he managed to get himself up, stumbling around the furniture even with the aid of his staff. As he got dressed his mind wondered about the idea of how he ended up here. Shinnrah Was the only thing that really came to his mind. She was one of the reason's his house had been destroyed. She is also the reason that I got out He reminded himself. As he slipped off his shoes he wandered to the door and crept out.

The halls were silent and Leo could tell that he must have gotten up early. His hand was raised in front of him and as he made it to the elevator a spark of blue eco guided him to the buttons. Stepping inside as the doors cracked open he ran his fingers across the braille on the buttons and selected, the cheesey elevator music reaching his tattered ears. Rubbing his hand through his hair he listened for the ding. As the sound greeted him, he exited and walked into the main lobby.

"Good morning sir." The doorman said and Leo nodded and proceeded out the opened door. The streets were unusually quiet, only the sound of crocodogs as well as the occasional zoomer could be heard. Leo walked down the road, his staff tapping agenst the ground, he could just pick up in the distance the sound of workers. Well then that's where I should be heading. He thought as he made his way through the streets.

[Neki]

She looked down on the worlkers, wondering exactly where Leo was at the moment. She wasn't going to follow him around like a lost puppy, but she felt drawn to him as she had no other. It made her frown, thinking.

I'm supposed to be around people that draw you to them. Isn't that how this works. But I'm a killer, or was anyway. Maybe thats the problem. Maybe I need to stop being a killer and let something else replace that. But how? It wasn't an easy thing to think, to give up her whole being. But the moreshe thought about it, the more she realized she probably could.

The whole reason she had started this was gone anyway. She hadn'r seen Jaythen in eyears, and her years of rampage and killing were caused by him, indirectly. When he left she had no link to what normal should be, and her heart shut down, frozen in a cold sleep while she danced through life.

Maybe, just maybe this is a new beginning for me. She thought, watching the workmen from the darkness, waiting.

[Altairas]

Leo stopped when the sound of construction became more then his tattered ears could take. He plugged his head like a innocent child and stared at where the loud sound was coming from. That's my house. . .He thought almost still in awe that a large metal head had crashed in through his roof and destroyed most of his home. That was a crazy night. . . He mused, thinking back to the time he had spent inside of the strange girls 'home' after the chase. Her name was Shinrah, He remembered trying to commit the girls name to his memory.

Tilting his head he silently wondered where that girl had gone. It's none of your business, she is some kind of gang member or something. She is probability out there chasing down little old lady's or whatever they do now. He tried to convince himself, but something about her didn't make her sound like she was some kind of killer. She had saved him after all, if it weren't for her picking him out of the dust he would have been crushed. He sighed and tried to shrug away the thought.

[Neki]

Shinrah saw something out of the corner of her eye, a bit of blue. She became instantly alert, moving slowly through the shadows. He was there, Leo. Standing there listeing to what was happening to his house. She wondered what he was thinking about, and considered going down there to ask him. Or maybe she should play a little game and see just how good he was.

She moved closer to the edge of the shadows, fishing a marble from one of the pouches on her waist. With a grin she threw it at him, aiming to hit him square in the back. Maybe if he was smart enough he would figure its her. Then again maybe he wouldn't. She wasn't sure.

[Altairas]

Leo's hand sparked, his inner frustrations carrying into his eco. He felt the spark echo up his arm ending around his shoulder blade. He sighed and shoved his hand into his pocket letting his excess eco fuel his twitching hand. Suddenly he felt a brief pain in the center of his back, he growled turning his body around quickly to face the direction that the object had come from. His finger floated over the button to activate the hidden blade on his staff. " Who are you?" He asked into the air, his ears trying to pick up footsteps or something in the loud banging of construction.

[Neki]

Shinrah heard him speak, and sighed. So he couldn't figure out she had a trickster personality. She cocked her head to one side in silent laughter when she watched hius reaction. It was funny to her, to se him so cautious. With careful quiet steps she moved forward, into the sun. The wind caught her hair, gently moving around her face. It was a wave of black, reddish highlights glistening. She looked down to where his hair waved gently, and smiled. Something about him just made her smile.

She stood upright, and stepped back. With a running start she leapt off, spiraling in the air. She hit the ground with the calloused edge of her hand and summersaulted, standing up and walking over to where Leo was standing. It felt good to practice something in the warm summer air. There was a current running through her blood that wouldn't let her sit atill, and she wanted to talk to him.

" Relax Sparky. It's just everyones favorite night owl." She stoof with her weight to one side, realxed but still watching. She didn't seem tense at all, as if running around scaring people was what she did for fun. In fact it was, but she didn't do that as much as she used to.

The young assasin gave a cheezy, relaxed smile and put a hand on her hip, the other her voice as it moved when she spoke.
" So what are you upto on this lovely day? Come to check out the overturned anthill they've made of your house?" Her voice was light and joking, trying to convey more in words that in actual gestures.

[Altairas]

Leo's wipped his head around, wishing for once he could see what he was looking for. In his hand a small glowing ball of electricity arched, the sparks traveling up to his elbow and then disapearing into the air. He heard the sound of footsteps raddleing on the thick tin roof above him. Holding his hand defencivly in front of him he listened as the sound stopped and then returned lighter and almost infront of him. The sound of crackling grew lounder untill the sound of the familure femme voice reached his ears. With a deep sigh, he relaxed, the arching eco disapating. " Your gonna give me a heart attack if you keep it up." Leo said taking his fingers off of the button to his hidden blade, his hand shaking with anxiety.

With a deep breath Leo concentrated on her question. "Ya it sounds like they are buisy, at least I am sure that they are loud enought to be buisy doing something." He said bringing up his still shaking hand to his ear as if to clean it out. " I can't beleive they got out here as fast as they did. . ." He muttered turning away like he was looking at the construction workers hammer on his house. A small spark crackled up his arm as he thought about how his dad used to live in that house. "What brings you out here? I would think you would be buisy" He asked, his body not even turning around.

[Neki]

Shinrah laughed when he made a comment about a heart attackt.

" I'd say you're a bit young for one of those. Besides, I'd...." She stopped, realizing she was about to echo words she had said years ago. I'd never do anything to harm you, even if scaring you to death would be fun. She gulped back the words before they went any further, replacing them

" I'd never give you too much of a heart attack." She amended with a smile. " She watched as they repared his house, little by little.

" Usually I am busy, but lately things have been thin. So I've been making sure these sneaks didn't runn off with your stuff. They're all pretty crafty, but i'm sure they might think they can run off with your stuff." She gave a hearty chuckle.

" Not likely."

[Altairas]

Leo noticed the girl pausing in mid sentence, her words trailing off at the end a bit before she completed her thought. He wondered what was troubling her but decided not to bother asking. It's rude to pry. He thought running a still shaking hand through his thick blue hair.

Leo gave a small chuckle at the idea that she was guarding his house from thieves. " So are you like my own personal watch-human?" He asked lowering his shaking hand and placing it into his pocket, channeling his eco into his hand so that he could calm down his nerves a bit. The loud sound of the foreman yelling behind him didn't do a thing to help him. His head instinctively jerked and his hand flew out of his pocket the brilliant blue sparks of eco channeling towards the ground.

Leo's vision lit up, the pale outlines of metal and machinery lit up within his vision. He could see the faint outline of the metal scaffolding as well as the drills and screws. As quickly as it came the vision left him, leaving Leo with the beginnings of a migraine. "What the hell was that?" He asked himself, his voice coated with fear and awe.