Devil May Care... [Any Devil Saint]

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

It had been nearly a yer since Zeshin had happened to run into the girl wandering from city to city, in search for someone who could help her found the man that killed her last relative. To Zeshin a promise was a promise, and after much hard work and saving, Zeshin had finally scrapped up enough money and credibility to be allowed to travel alone, finding himself escorting Nani here to Japan, in a small Flowershop. The place seemed innocent enough, but Zeshin could tell by the design of the waiting area that there was more than meets the eye to this place, not mention the magical energy that filled this place, which caught his other worldly senses like a savory dish.

Zeshin sat next to Nani, itching to go out and see the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, but knew helping his friend in her quest for justice and closure were much more important. Zeshin found himself after a tip from an inebriated customer, a man who spoke of problem solvers and truth seekers that were as vibrant as the colors of flowers, there prowess for recovery and problem solving just as great as the flowers in the shop were aromatic. He mentioned a name, Tokyo, and said that a Flowershop could solve their problems, which happened to be where Zeshin found himself.

"Zeshin look, those carrnations over their, they are so beautiful." Nani said, trying to look chipper, dispite that fact that she would have to revisit that night which haunted her dreams, if she were to be of any use if these people could indeed help her.

Zeshin sat up from slouching in his chair and saw the carnations, a closer look allowing him to see the newly formed stretches in the petals indicating they came into bloom not to long before they arrived.

"They are pretty, I think I'll take some back to mom." Zeshin said, fiddling at the buttoned shirt, Nani insisted he wear today, his rather simple garb seemingly out of place in the modern world. Zeshin looked at Nani and smiled back at her, thinking to himslef about what led them to this place. It seemed as she grew closer to returning to a normal life, her dreams became more vivid and vibrant, her disturbed sleep waking Zeshin several times to rush to he room to find her in what seemed to be a nightmare. Zeshin never told her this though, finding it awkward to tell her he watched sleep, unable to find that words that would make it sound less intrusive.

"Zeshin, they would wilt before we got back anywhere near Amleia, we should get her something else." Nani said, walking over to the counter for a better look.

"Your right I guess..." Zeshin said, unbuttoning his top 3 buttons, sighing in relief. After rusting his once kept hair, Zeshin followed Nani to the counter, and looked around for a moment. "Shouldn't someone be here?" Zeshin said out loud, placing his fingers in his mouth to whistle for service, a gesture he'd seen often in the tavern.

[Tomoshibi Ethan]

As Ethan was walking around the back room of the flower shop he thought to himself "Akuma should be back by now, I think something's wrong.." He then sensed somthing, more like someone or maybe even more than one, person in the flower shop. "Well, since I'm the only one here..." He walked towards the front of the shop; to the front counter and saw two people waiting to be serviced, he then spoke in a calm and soothing voice "Yes, can I help you?"

[Akuma Sara]

[Takes place after 'kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep']

Sara got back to the Devil Saints HQ tired, hungry, a little pissed off. She still could not get over the fact that she was attacked on her day off and now had to deal with finding out who the hell attacked her. She did not want anyone else hurt. Sara also wanted to give who ever it was a painful beating.

But for now she wanted to relax and take her mind off the situation. Walking down the hall way, she over heard that Shadow and some unknown man left not too long ago for a mission. Knowing her brother, she was not going to bother him till he got back. She had no idea where Runa was so that was out of the question of people to talk t. She didn't really know the med girl any well or Ethan for that matter.There was only one place to get her mind off the subject.

Walking to the secret door way that led to the flower shop, she slid her pass card through the slot only to hear Ethan's voice from the front.

Grabbing an apron from one one of the empty stools, she quickly went through the door way and tap the man's right solders with a smile.

"Hi, my name is Sara," she said in a calming voice, "Welcome to D Saint flower shop. How may we help you?"

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

When a man apoache the counter, Zeshin looked to Nani, nodding his head to impart on her the courage to speak, hoping she could gather the aid she needed. Nani was reluctant to speak, but when she looked at Zeshin, she closed her eyes, and turned to the man at the counter, who was soon joined by a woman who introduced herself as Sara, told them that this was indeed the D Saint Flower shop. Fighting back the timidness in his voice, she spoke, her desire for justice outweighing whatever nervousness she felt.

"I heard this Flowershop was special, I heard that things or people lost could be found here in the bouquet of closure. I am in search of a special flower, a rose... a rose that will blossom into petals of justice for my loved one. Will you help me Sara... will you help me find this special flower." Nani said, fighting back tears as she spoke so poetically, comforted by Zeshin who put his hand on her shoulder as he stepped closer to the counter.

"Her grandfather was killed by a man with long white hair who travels with 2 dogs. We need you help to find him." Zeshin said with a stern face, blurting out the more pertinent details, hoping to save Nani the trouble of saying more than needed to.

[Akuma Sara]

Sara made a smirk. While it was smart of people to use their code names to ask of Devil Saints unique services, no one really had put the effort of asking for her brother in such a poetic manner.

It's a shame that I have to let her down, Sara thought as her smirk slowly faded away, Unless....

"The one you ask about," she started with a sweet smile, "is not here. He is away at the moment. But I would ask for the Balloon Flower. They always help me when I am down. Please, follow me, I can take to where we hold these special flowers. Ethan, could you watch the front door for me while I handle these two."

Sara walked back to the side door and pulled out her key card from her pocket once more, stopping to see if the other two would follow.

[Tomoshibi Ethan]

"Yea, I'll watch the front door." Ethan said with a smile as he pulled up a chair to sit down. He then thought deeply and began to ask himself "Why am I always being taken out of the action? I am the 2nd seat of the Devil Saints, I should be right there fighting side by side with the others. Instead I'm stuck with being a watchguard, like anyone would try anything. Oh well, maybe something good will happen this time around." Ethan then sat back, closed his eyes, and began to meditate as he folded his arms calmly.

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

A slight look of disappointment set in on Nani's as the woman who introduced herself as Sara informed her and Zeshin that the one she sought was not there. Then she asked the pair would they follower her, pulling out a key card, waiting for Zeshin and Nani to follow behind her. Nani looked over to Zeshin who gently nodded to her, assuring her that he would be there to see this out with her to the end, grabbing her hand and the two of them made their way to the door where Sara stood. As they got closer to Sara, Zeshin nodded in acknowledgment, thanking the man who helped them as he went back to take a seat and monitor the door. "How long is it gonna take for this guy to show up and help us?" Zeshin asked, looking at Sara, hold on to Nani's hand tightly.

[Akuma Sara]

Sara only needed to hear the sounds of foot steps to continue her walk toward the door leading the the two there.

"It depends on what mission he is on. Besides, if you are looking for someone, I am the person that you need to talk to. My Team specializes in finding others that don't want to be found."

Stopping at a old wood door with the black sign that said Employees Only in green lettering, she slid the card down the keypad near the left of the door. Punching a few buttons on the yey pad, the door itself slid to the right revieling the bright white hallways of the Devil Saints Building full of people walking. They made no worried of the new comers at the door, only of what each person needed to do.

"Follow me. We can find who ever you are looking for in our computer system." She turn around to the two, a smile on her face.

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

"I apologize for my rudeness... it's just that... this guy is a murderer, he has to be stopped." Zeshin said, his hand heating up significantly, causing Nani to squeeze his hand to help him realize he should calm down.

"My friend is just trying to help ma'am, I am sorry if he seems impatient." Nani said, looking at Zeshin who had gotten control over his emotions. The pair came to a stop and listened as Sara explained to them that she was indeed the person they should be talking to, going over the methods as to how they would track this man who slew Nani's grandfather. They followed Sara into a room after she opened the door via keycard to Zeshin's amazement and not through the plain knob that was there. "I'm a ready to give a description when you are ready to take one." Nani said in a voice the sounded with a desire to see this through, no matter how painful the recollection may be.

[Akuma Sara]

Sara gave a slight nod when she heard the little girl's voice.
She almost reminds me of... before she could finish her thought, she stopped herself by clearing her throat.

She turned her look at the young man and smiled, "I'm the one who should be sorry. It's...been a strange day for me. But enough of that, I will call my team to ready the CPU you will be using.

Rika she called out with her mind.

"Yes Miss Sara!" a a young female's voice called out of the speakers above the three.

Fire up The Finder for me, we have a costumer today.

"Right away Miss Sara!" the voice cried out again.

With a point of her right hand's index finger, she pointed to the right hallway that only held one way and only one door. "We are going through that door to use one our 'tools' that will let me see what you had saw and hopefully we will see the person you are looking for." Looking at the girl again, she gave her a stern look.

"Are you sure that you want to live through the events again?"

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

"I'm sorry..." Zeshin said, calming down as he felt Nani's hand apply pressure to his own, his hand cooling back to its normal temperature. Zeshin looked at Nani as he heard Sara's question, and she nodded in acknowledgment to it, Zeshin knowing that she did live thought the terrible event every night, the brutal moment plaguing her dreams as Zeshin could do nothing for her.

The two watched as Sara dispatched on of the young women somewhere in the vicinity to a specific task, her voice heard overhead, stepping inside the room as a Zeshin heard a large machine began to hum silently afar. Upon hearing that she would be undergoing a process to visually identify the person in question. "I am ready to go through anything to find him." Nani said, her face growing more serious as she broke the grip on Zeshin's hand.

Zeshin then watched as Nani followed Sara through the doors to the room in question, Taking a seat in a near by chair, his eyes now closed as he focused his hearing onto Nani, ready to act on a moment's notice if she needed him.

[Akuma Sara]

"Very well," Sara said with a smile. She made her way behind the chair that the girl sat in. Pressing a button located right near a small keyboard, a projector screen began to slowly lower it self down and then stopping with a thud.

Sara went back over to the girl again, this time raising her hand to grab a silver pole and placing it at the side of the chair. She went to the left side of the chair and did the same.

"What I need you to do," Sara finally spoke, "Is to start focusing on the that event. I need for you to not to think about anything happening out here or I won't be able to see anything."

She then turn her gaze on the man that sat in the chairs near the door and said with her mind

And I need you to stand by her, Zeshin. I have a feeling that if things get to rough for her, you will be able to get her out.
she then made her way to the the keyboard again and began typing in the the code numbers and such into the The Finder.

She turned around and looked at Zeshin.

"Let us begin." she said as she pressed the 'start' button', The Finders two poles and itself, glowing. The projector started to flicker on and off and then the scene of butterflies began to show.

"It's working!" she shouted.

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

Zeshin did as was told, he stood next to Nani, providing hr with the comfort of knowing that he would be there for her no matter how bad things would go. "If this gets to intense, you can stop whenever you want." Zeshin said placing his hand onto her shoulder.

"Thank you Zeshin, but I can run from this, not again without doing anything." Nani said as she braced herself for what lie ahead, and the horror and violence she would endure again. Zeshin was taken aback by such a display of bravery on her part, in comparison to her usually meek demeanor, but choose to remain quiet. As Nani closed her eyes, the screen filled with images of a field of flowers teeming with butterflies next to an antique magic shop, a rare gem in the mortal realm, as the town it was located in was smaller than Zeshin's own home town. The video showed the a young woman with blond hair, done in a short fashion in the process of moving some boxes filled with what seemed to be the wares of the small shop.

Watching the video, Zeshin couldn't help but to notice the Nani seemed to be happier then she usually looked, going about her job as if were no mere chore, but soething to be enjoyed. Zeshin then turned to look at Nani's face to notice he eyes closed tightly as beads of sweat began to form on her head. Zeshin also noticed her grip on his hand grew tighter, as he then turned his attention the screen to see the object of her anxiety. There were 2 creatures, both fearsome looking, large humanoid reptiles, with the larger much more heavily clad than the small as they began to wrangle both Nani and the old man present on the screen. Immediately, the night Zeshin's powers erupted began to fill his mind, a nightmare that seemed to follow him no matter where he went, and he tried to focus on being their for Nani instead of his painful memories.

As it seemed that Nani began to struggle against the smaller one that held her, the old man being held up by the smaller one plead for the life of what he revelaed to b his granddaughter, as Nani screamed Papa while she broke free. soon a look of panic filled the face of the lareg scaled ruffian as the old man's breath began to show, as if the tempretue in the room dropped dramatically. The old man was dropped to the floor as the girl fled to a closet nearby. her grip on Zeshin's hand grew tighter and tighter, but Zehsin didn't wince at l, he was going to be strong for her, as strong as she showed hims he could be as h continued to watch the screen.

And then he he entered the store, as man with strange clothing, long with hair and small blood red horns atop his head. His eyes were shifting between green and gold in the haze of cold air that surrounded him, the field of flowers now reduced to frosted waste in the background. Alongside hi were two horrific looking beasts, dogs the size of which Zeshin had never seen, and they to bore a strong reptilian resemblance to there quarry, the 2 serpent men in an frantic panic a she he entered the room and began to speak to the, his words and tone more cold then the ice that formed around his feet. In a brutal display of violence that made Zeshin's jaw drop, he made quck work of the larger beastman, decapitate him after freezing him solid, after which he sicked the large beasts on the smaller serpent man, whom which was torn apart in second.

Zeshin then noticed the small unstable gathering of magical energy coming from the closet where Nani hide, her nervousness making it hard to focus on any type of spell as she watched her loving caretaker brutally murdered, a display of violence tht made Zeshin wince, turning to look at Nani, her tightly closed eyes unable to prevent the flowing of tears. Zeshin could not believe what he saw, "Go back! turn this thing around a gt that guys face, he's right there!" Zeshin said in a loud voice, unable to hid his feelings any longer.

Letting go of Nani's hand, Zeshin's palms burst into flames out of anger, irate at such a petty display of malice to someone who could not have defended himself, a waste of the life of a living breathing being. "We have to find this guy! He's gotta pay for this!" Zeshin said, looking at the screen, at the last images of the murderer who tore apart Nani's life, watching painfully as she clung to now dead body of her grandfather.l

[Akuma Sara]

Sara watched as everything from the day that the young woman focused on was brought to the screen. She could truly see why the she wanted the help from the Devil Saints. It was very sad and all Sara could do was watch in shock as she saw the old man being killed. She was entranced by it and it was from only hearing the young man yelling at her to rewind back to the man that was doing all of the killing that she soon was out of it with a jump.

She then saw something that Sara didn't expect: Fire coming out of the young man's hands. They were bright and she could feel the warmth from her position. It wasn't shocking to see something like that but it was a surprise to see someone with that type of ability. Needless to say, she did rewind back to the scene with the man in it. She typed a few keys on the keyboard and the picture got closer to the man's face.

"So," she started as she made her way to the young man, "This is the man that you seek, no? You better put out those flames before the sprinkler systems comes on. I should know. Removing the The Finder from the girl with her mind with a wave of her hand.

"I will have to find out more information on this with my team. If I found out anything, you will be the first to know....unless...there is something else you need to tell me?"

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

Zeshin looked at his hands, and relaxed his fingers and the flames went away. Fanning his hands cool so he could safely touch Nani, Zeshin looked over to the woman named Sara, trying his best to remain calm. "I don't know who he is, but you saw what he just did! who knows how many times he's done this..." Zeshin said, his hands now cool, he looked over to Nani and extended his hand. "I'm here if you need me Nani." he said with a gentle voice.

"No... I'm fine Zeshin..." Nani said, weeping for a short time a Zeshin withdrew his hand and looked to the ground, unable to to assist in the matter. After several moments, Nani dried her eyes and stood up, turning to Sara with new resolve. "I can tell you nothing more than what you have seen, other than those two monsters that barged in my grandfather's shop knew he was looking for them!" Nani said in anger, her face puffy from tears now vexed, and what seemed to be a gentle breeze began to flow as a strong current, originating from her.

Zeshin was surprised at this, and he grabbed Nani's wrist, "Calm down Nani, she going to help you... I'm going to help you find this guy. He's gonna pay for this!" Zeshin said, trying not to sound surprised. He did not want to doubt that he sensed Nani's desire to attack from he location that night, but her fear and anxiety made it near impossible. looking at Sara, Zeshin's eyes began to sparkle, in the way they would when the flames of passion were stirred in his soul. "What are you going to do to help her, and I want to be apart of whatever it is." he said, his eye as fierce as his resolve.

[Akuma Sara]

Sara couldn't help but smile at the young man's resolve to help this woman. They both reminded her of herself and her brother when they were younger. This and the fact that no one should have went through what she just saw on the screen made her want to help more. She would solve this case and bring justice.

"My brother is going to kill me for this but this assiment, that I will be taking peronally by the way, will be of no charge to you. What we need to do is go that place if it's still around. Maybe that person left something behind that we could use. While we are there, I will have somebody check out our database for our mystery person."

She looked at the young man and the young woman with a stern look and then nodded with a smile.

"I promise you, I will do all I can to help you...."

[Zeshin Lak-el Ury]

"Thank you." Nani said, looking into the eyes of the women named Sara, her voice filled with hope and vigor at the prospect of this killer who had caused her so much pain being brought to justice. Zeshin on the other hand felt a different set of emotions, relief and curiosity. Relief in the fact that he was able to make good on his word over a year ago in helping her find the appropriate aid in this matter, and at the idea of Nani being at peace and her nightmares coming to an end. The curiosity he felt came from being told he would be allowed to escort the women on the mission to find this killer.

"Who he is, he's gonna pay." Zeshin said, his young still cracking voice full of vigor and enthusiasm. Zeshin held onto Nani's hand and looked to Sara. "Is there anything else we have to do today, cause I wanted to take Nani somewhere ice, it's our anniversary.. I... umm... I mean, it's been a year since I promised to help so I wanted to go somewhere nice." Zeshin said, turning his head the other way to hide his embarrassment, Nani slightly blushing on her still moist cheeks at his words, and mannerisms, both of which she had grown accustomed to over this past year.