Nobody could stop him this time. Nobody. Because nobody cared, and nobody knew about this place. Nobody needed to see this. Nobody loves a nobody. Nobody. Jehovah had said that he had Bomani and Erik, and asked him why he wanted to die. Well, fuck both of them. And fuck Jehovah too. Lucifer was a nobody, and didn't even deserve to be loved.

A bloody knife lay on the ground, about two feet away from Lucifer's shaking figure. Lucifer, apparently, knew what he was doing. He'd cut himself as he'd sen Erik do, and with a purpose. A purpose to die, and never come back.

It'd just been too hard to deal with meeting Jehovah, and him bringing up... everything. He didn't want to deal with anything at this point, especially life.

It was raining, if only lightly, and Lucifer was damp. His clothes, which were just a sweatshirt and jeans, were getting a lttle bit more than damp, and his wet brown locks clung to his forehead, and hid his green eyes, which flickered open and closed. They'd been doing that for a little while, althoughLucifer tried to just keep them closed.

He was sure nobody could find him. And if they did, it would probably be too late. Everything was too late, and everyone was too late.

Lucifer never even thought, for one moment, about the people who might've cared. Nobody loved him... nobody...

His bright green eyes flickered open again.

It had been hunting away from the city. It hated the idea that it might eat a random four legged furry animal and It's subconcious making It guilty for thinking it may have been someone's pet. That's when it found him.

It cocked it’s head to the side, curious what was happening. It had been observing the human’s in this country for only a few months and had already come to a realization. These human’s were much different then the humans in Japan. They looked different, acted different. Some even smelled different.

It had also noted that these humans had different food, different laws, and different customs. And so it was that It was curious if this human was performing yet another one of these strange customs. It looked painful and exhausting and why someone would do such as give your blood to the earth in the rain made It curious.

But, apparently, this human wanted to do it and knew what he was doing. But she couldn’t fight down the questions she had and so stepped forward. To Lucifer, it would look, if he could or was looking, like a shadow of a tree had split in two and one part of it took no shape and hovered over the ground slightly. The core of the shadow seemed to sparkle softly. It glided over and hovered near the man and took a sort of shape, the shape of a humans shadow. A woman’s shadow. It’s head cocked visably at the knife.

When it spoke, it’s words seemed to come from the air itself, not from her. And it seemed to be a whisper, not too much more then wind. It pointed at the knife, brought it’s hand around to him.

“whaaat?”

Lucifer saw it. His eyes were open, and he saw it. Saw the thing...saw the shadow. Though, you must take into consideration the fact that Lucifer had been out here in the cold, wet rain for a while, and was losing blood fairly quickly. Even though he saw it, it could've easily been mistaken for a hallucination of some sort.

He swallowed, and took in a shaky breath, letting his eyelids slide over his tired eyes. He was so tired... he just needed to rest.

"go...'way." he choked, taking in another painful breath of air.

(Argh, bad post. Sorry. >_>)

It shook it’s head. Persistant little bugger it was I was not going away without an answer. It wanted to know. He sounded so tired. Why would you take up a ritual that made you exhausted? It had been part of a human once, and it’s human had died. It knew the signs of death.

”Whaaat you aaaare doing?”

As these words were spoken it reached out, touching him. It’s touch was as cold as shade on a hot summer day. Comforting. And it felt more like wind touching your skin directly, usually wind just blew about it’s own business. It’s ‘hand’ wrapped around his wrist, it seemed semi-solid under it’s touch, but should you touch it, you’ll find you’d fall right through.

"Leave... me 'lone." He didn't jerk back or anything, because he was too tired. He couldn't move... didn't want to move. He just wanted her to leave him alone so he could die in peace... alone. He was sure nobody knew about this.

"Let me... die by m'self." He whimpered, softly.

The touch was cold, and unexpected. Had there been flesh, and an actual hand, it would've been soaked with blood.

Slowly, the solidity of the shadow furthered, now should you reach out and touch It, your fingers would feel a cold, smooth surface, and they might tingle.

It shook it's head, too persistant maybe. It wanted to know what this was all about. Why should someone want to die? It had watched one man once, in the city park, he had been doing some strange things with a rope, tieing it to the tree. Then he'd wrapped it about his neck and jumped. Before It had understood this, he was dead.

He'd been the inspiration to the long white hair that was forming, as if fading into focus. It was becoming a rather pretty woman, mimiking the parts of many different humans to become one very pretty creature. It wore nothing, as it was in the woods and shadows can't very well ware clothing. It's skin was bronzed color, not sunned but naturally there, the eyes were emerald, the hair past the waist and white as paper.

It crouched closer to him, hand still on his arm, and blinked with those wide green eyes. It sniffed and it's nose flared.

"Whhhyy?"

It still spoke as if the voice wasn't coming from vocal cords but more from the air itself.

"I'm so... tired... just let me be..." he murmured, and almost as if against his will, his eyes fluttered open again. His eyes took in the appearance of the... woman, was it? as she... well... appeared. And then, as if somethin was making his eyes sore, he shut his eyes again.

This was just too much. "I just need to die. Go away." The words were firmer this time, with a slight edge of the pain he was feeling. Maybe he should just give up. He was so good at giving up.

What was keeping him here? This... thing? Couldn't she just let hm die, and understand what he was saying?

It kept it's hand there, and, maybe the man hadn't noticed but it was holding the cut's he'd made as best it could with one hand. it had stopped the blood flow. What little blood he had left. It, being a shadow, didn't know much about human anatamy but It knew that they needed their blood. And he was looseing his. Trying to loose his.

It brought the other hand up to rest cold fingers on his closed eyelids. It was a sort of guesture mothers often do to sick children, it's soothing. And that was It's intintion. It touched his forehead, mimiking something it had seen someone do to a sick person. It didn't know exactly what it was suposed to be feeling on his forehead but he felt clammy.

"but whhhhyy?

Why die now?

"You wouldn't... understand."She wouldn't understand because she was a shadow? No, she wouldn't understan because even most people didn't understand, and it was Lucifer's business, not hers. He didn't understand why she couldn't just leave him alone.. just for a little while. Just until life was out of his grasp.

"I..." he whispered, and his other hand twitched. He what? He didn't even know, but even as he wanted her to leave, he wanted her to stay. Such a contradiction, too... he just... wanted to be alone,but at the same time, didn't really want to die alone.

And and he didn't notice what she was doing with his cuts... didn't know she stopped the bleeding.

But It wasn’t most people. It was just a shadow. And it wanted to know. It wanted to understand. And It was not letting go of his wounds. It was...closing them? No. It didn’t know how to do that, but it knew how to hold flesh together so that it could be stitched. Only...it didn’t have anything to stitch with. So it just continued to hold the flesh together, cease the bleeding. It’s skin was pale in contrast to the blood that now covered it’s hand but it was not disgusted by blood. Maybe because it did not need or have blood.

“Waaaant tooo uuunderstaaand.”

It’s face neared his innocently, curiously. It’s hand still worked over his face. His other hand twitched and It lay It’s slender hand in his palm to hold his hand.

“Leeet meeee.”

"I... can't," he murmured, opening his eyes to look at the shadow. His expression was pained, among other things. His eyes looked so sad and empty at the same time. Damn Jehovah... damn him for making him do this... but it was what he wanted, anyway... Jehovah just happened to push him over the edge. He couldn't take it any longer, and just... tried this. And now... it wasn't working.

"Just... let go... please."

It shook her head.

“I waaant to knooow.”

It decided on one thing that must be done. It had seen human doctors, what they can do. It would take him to a doctor and fix him.

“Whhhy? I maaake it beeeter forrr you.”

"I can't... tell you," e whispered. Those things were too personal to Lucifer. This shadow couldn't know, and he wouldn't tell her.

At the idea of a doctor, Lucifer would hve shook his head furiously, despite how tired he was. He hated doctors.

"I don't want it better..."

“Dooon’t you have frieeendds?”

Friends love friends right? Why would someone want to die if they had friends? It let go of his wound and his hand briefly, tearing a strip from his shirt. It had a strong girp as it pushed the flesh to his wound back together and tied the strip over it, binding it.

It walked away to pick up the knife and look it over, testing with it’s fingers. It pricked it’s fingers, let out a yelp that sounded more like a lash of wind against a window pane and came back, throwing the knife away from them. That vile evil little thing! It bit me. Just like he made it bite him.

"I did...I..." he was using past tense for things, which wasn't a direct 'yes' or 'no' answer. Maybe his friends did care about him? Maybe his friends... no, that was stupid! Nobody loved a nobody. Lucifer was the biggest nobody he knew.

He stared down at where she had bound flesh nd shirt together, and let his head drop tothe ground again with a soft,miserable thud. He shut his eyes again,eyes blurred with tears.

“whooo arrre...weeere they?”
It cocked it’s head and crawled over him to sit on his other side, curiously poking about his body. This was the first human on this continet that It had actually got to touch, It wanted to explore him, understand him. Probe his thoughts. Impossible, unless the stubborn man was willing to cooperate. It’s fingers roamed around his chest, under his shirt, searching for anything different from the people it had already explored from different cultures. It had never found any differences. It also search with tender fingers for anymore of these ridiculous self-apointed wounds.

“Iiii can beee...” Be a friend for you. “[I]woooould liiike that. Wooould you?”

It’s hands came out of his shirt and began to probe over his face gently.

"People... like me... they used to be," his voice was quiet. Too quiet. It was nothing more than a barely audible whisper, but he didn't notice. He had sensitive hearing, and was feeling too... overwhelmed to speak in more than a whisper.

If she noticed, all around his flesh was completely... almost ice cold to the touch, and his spine jutted out from self-starvation, as well as his ribs stuck out. He had a pretty face, but his body was pathetic, and he looked to be just an underfed kid.

"I... don't know,"he replied,blinking away tears.

It had noticed. But It had felt some like that before. And It was wondering if this rib jutting, back bone showing thing was some other sort of culture that was scattered all over, or if they just weren’t normal. It’s fingers brushed away the tears, fingers gliding over his eyes to press away the wetness from his eyelashes.

“beee what?”

He fingers moved on, his hair, his shirt, wet as it was, was soft in It’s fingers. It liked the feeling. It became aware of it’s own nakedness. It had learned that society didn’t accept people walking around naked. It doubted He noticed nor cared. It didn’t understand why one must wear cloths. They were confining and pointless. What was wrong with flesh? It found it rather liked flesh, though not nearly as much as it liked it’s own form.

“III would liiike. Caaaan I beee friend?” It hadn’t quite caught on that friends don’t actually ask to be friends. It just sort of happened like that.

"Used... to be like me. Used to..." no, what was he saying? "I have no friends..." he had no friends in his perspective, anyway. To Lucifer, being a friend was a very hard thing for someone to do for him.

When she gently wiped away the tears, he was slightly reminded of his mother... of people who cared, and people who used to care. Sadly, there were more that used to care than actually cared, right now. But she seemed to care.

Lucifer didn't notice the shadow's nakedness, and nor did he want to. It wouldn't have been right, although he probably wouldn't have cared.

In his mind, his reply was no. To his desperate lips, a soft mumur of 'yes' came off them.

A slow smile crossed It’s lips when his reply was yes. It didn’t know why humans made this guesture but it knew it must be good because they always returned it. It pressed wet fingers to his shoulders, testing the bone structure, learning his texture, his appearance, his curves, commiting it all to memory. This was It’s first friend, and it wanted to know everything about him.

“Leeet me heeeelp you?”

It’s fingers went back to the bandage to check that it was still tight. Then it’s hand wandered into his, to hold his. It liked the touch.

"If you want..." he whisered again, before he knew what he was saying. He didn't return the smile, but tried to.

Lucifer wasn't quite sure what was going on. He'd almost been dead, and this... womn, had come to save him? That was the most ludacris idea he'd heard all day. But it was happening right now, and that's all Lucifer knew.

Lucifer looked down at his hand, sadly. He would've liked the touch, too, on different circumstances.

“I wannnt.” It agreed.

It watched him not return the guesture and frowned slightly.

“Wheere you liiiive at?”

It would take him there and find things to use to stitch him together. Or it would take him to a doctor, but how it would explain the non-clothed body and the blood everywhere it didn’t know.

"Close," he murmured, guestering with his other hand, vaguely, in the direction behind the shadow.

It was probably a better idea to take him back to his place, but he couldn't walk well right now, and she didn't really know where he lived.

It cocked it’s head and crawled over him again, It’s fingers on his pant legs, touching. It didn’t like the feel of these as much as his skin or his shirt. It looked up at his face as it’s fingers explored his pants, then up his pant leg on his calf.

“Shooow me?” Did he know how to read minds? How It could.

It slipped it’s hand out of his pant leg and pressed the palm to his forehead.

“Thiiink about hooooome.”

It could only do this with his cooperation. It would see his image in it’s own mind and be able to find where home was. But it had to be physically touching him and he had to project the image in his mind.

"I..." he trailed off, eyes closed. For a moment, he shivered, because it was so cold out. He felt like a human popsicle.

Home... try to think about home... it was hard, since he couldn't think straight. The first thing that came to mind, however, was Bomani. His roommate. And then, the apartment. And the name, 'Bayfield Heights'. And that awful guy behind the desk. And the street he'd followed from home to get here.

And then the images stopped.

"Too... tired."

Tired It had expected. Such a power tired both, the person doing the magic and the person having the magic done upon him. But he had already been tired. And It had only just awaken, refreshed from two days sleep and a meal of rabbit. It was not drained. It removed it’s hand from his forehead and reached around him. He might be cold, but walking around town bloody was one thing, walking around town bloody and naked was not good at all. So It easily slipped his shirt off of his body and pulled it over It’s own head.

Then it reached around him with strong arms and pulled him to his feet with a little struggle. Slowly, the solidity disappeared again. If he were touching It, he’d fall through, but if It was touching him, he would be supported. It was much stronger in it’s own form then it was concentrating it’s power in being solid, so it could easily loop his arm over it’s own non-solid but solid looking shoulder and half drag him half carry him.

“seeeelp. I taaake you hooome now.”

Lucifer's shirt was damp, so he expected it to be hard to take off... to tug off his body. But the shadow didn't seem to mind. Besides, it would cover her naked body most of the way, because the shirt was so very big.

Sleep? Sleep sounded so good right now. He didn't object to being pulled to his feet, though his brain only half-transmitted the message, being so very tired...

So very, very tired...

"Yes..." the sound was quieter than a whisper. He had no problems obeying the commmand... not right now.

His eyelids relaxed a little, and he almost fell asleep on his feet.

Indeed, since It had lived for so long in Japan, and had belonged to a small Asian woman before she died, in a human’s form, it took a petite, short posture. The shirt that might be big on Lucifer’s small frame practically swallowed It’s body. It was just big enough not to be called a kid. It was the face, the eyes, that made one believe in at least twenty years to It’s life.

It had no problem carry-dragging him at a fair enough pace, taking the route he’d shown It, pausing often to look around for glimpses of what he’d shown It. Bomani? It was something he showed It. It didn’t know what to make of him. He was not like a culture It had explored yet. It was excited to have made a friend, and to maybe get to see another culture.

It wasn’t long before it had found the building. And now it stood inside the doorway. Now what? It pressed a slim fingertip to his temple.

“Waaaake up. Shoooow where now.” If It could get him to his home it could put him in bed and sew his flesh for him. Make him better.

Lucifer, if not for the support of the shadow, would have probably collapsed. But, as insane as it sounds, he'd fallen almost all the way asleep as she carry-dragged him across the road, at an even pace. He hadn't enough energy to stand up on his oqn, let alone walk. Which might've been why she was half carrying him, half draggin him, after all.

Lucifer's eyes didn't open, but he was still half-awake. "Just... down the hall... and three to the right." Of course, by three to the right, he'd meant the third one on the right.

It nodded and continued down the hallway and stopped at a cross path. Which one was right? And which one was wrong? Wait! It knew this one! It learned this once. He didn’t mean right and wrong. He meant right direction. Which was right again? It held up It’s hands to do the trick taught to most children when they are learning left from right. The Left hand had an ‘L’ with the thumb and finger.

It smiled, satisfied with itself and turned right and three doors down. It step through the door and was suddenly stopped. Frowning, It stepped back and looked apologeticly at him. It forget that he was solid and could not therefore walk through doors. It reached out to put a hand on the doorknob.

“Loooocked?”

Lucifer let out a low groan as he was bumped into the door. She didn't mean it, but Lucifer's brain wasn't working with that logic right now. The logic it was working with was that he'd just been hit into a solid object, and he was feeling pain. He could've cared less that she was apologetic... not right now.

"Not locked... usually not."

It pushed the door open and pulled him into the apartment, taking in the room as slowly as It could, trying to catch every detail. But be quick enough about it to get him into the room, shut the door and look for his room.

“Rooom?” The wind sounded more hollowed then it had outside. Like it was coming from a bottle. “Needle and thrrrreeead?”

"I... don't have a room of... my own." He paused to think. It was hard to think, really. "The couch... is fine." Bomani's bedroom didn't come to mind.

"Needle and thread is... in the bathroom." Or at least he hoped it was. He didn't exactly rummage through there on a regular basis or anything.

It pulled him to the sofa and lay him out across it and cocked it's head.

"Baaathroom?"

What the heck was a bathroom? A room with Baths? Well, that shouldn't be too hard to find.

It was the most disappointing bathroom It'd seen in a long time. No wander it was called bathroom not bathhouse. It only had one bath. And some sort of weird seat and bowl. It began to search around for needle and thread, finding a needle but no thread. It found floss, or what it thought was a particuluar sort of shinny string in a box, and threaded the needle. Then it turned on the water to the bath. It had no feeling for hot and cold so made it barely warmer then cold and went back to drag it's new friend in to clean the woulds.

It sat him on the weird seat thing (the toilet) and soaked a towl, untied the strip of shirt from the wound, and started cleaning.

"Iiii no mean tooo hurt you." It said this in advance, in case it did hurt him.

"Yes," he answered, weakly, to her question, letting his eyes close as she wandered off into the bathroom to get what she needed. She, not it. It was odd how Lucifer so easily placed a gender on the shadow.

Lucifer's eyes cracked open again when she (it?) came to retrieve him, and... help him? Was that all she wanted? To help him?

Lucifer could hardly sit up right, and he stared blankly and dizzily at the bathroom floor.

"It's... okay."

It moved over to the bath and turned off the taps. It stuck a shadowy hand into the water and shook it’s head. It couldn’t feel. It removed it’s hand and slowly, the misty look turned solidly to flesh and it stuck it’s hand back into the water. Just slightly above warm. It’d have to do since It wasn’t a doctor nor did it hardly know how to help heal him.

It turned and pulled him over carefully to the bath, lowering him into it, pants, shoes and all. How was it to know that clothing is harder to remove when wet then dry? It let him lay in the just warm enough water and pulled out one of his arms, drying it carefully with a towel, bloodying the towel terribly.

“Soooory.”

It said before pushing the needle through his skin and pulling his flesh together because it knew it would hurt him. It did not know that sewing a wound like clothing would probably leave a scar and while effective in stopping the bleeding, it wasn’t the right way to do it.

Lucifer thought nothing of his shoes. And he didn't care. He'd get new ones. He was just too tired to care, too cold to care. And, about his clothes. Well, those were wet anyway. Soaked from the cold, merciless rain. But speaking of cold... any temperature water above cold would do for him. He wasn't picky about his water temperature, anyway.

Lucifer did wince when she pushed the needle through his skin, though. It hurt. And the towel... well, the towel wasn't his. He'd explain the bloody towel sometime later to Bomani. Maybe.

"It's okay..." he murmured again. She was only trying to help, even if it did hurt.

It nodded and held his arm with tight fingers, trying to minimize the flinching as best It could when it next pushed the needle through. It was a very good thing blood did not bother it. As for the towel, to it, a towel was just a towel. It was there to dry blood and water and whatever else. For no other reason. And it had forgotten the room mate as well. He didn’t matter now. What mattered was taking care of it’s new friend.

It didn’t take long to finish one arm and move to the other, tieing of the floss with a simple knot that it saw people use to tie their shoes. When done with his other arm, it put the needle on the sink, leaning bloody fingerprints everywhere and started trying to work off his shoes, splashing water over the floor. But such things as wet floors didn’t matter to It. It didn’t understand that things worked different indoors then they would outside.

Lucifer either had his eyes closed or looked away during the whole process. He did not like needles at all, and watching one being stuck into his flesh wasn't the best sight for his sore eyes. He tried not to flinch, but it was hard not to, since he got nervous on these type of things.

The towle didn't have feelings, so Lucifer was sure it wouldn't mind. Lucifer would just buy Bomani a new towel, is all. He'd feel bad about it afterward.

Wet floors currently didn't matter to Lucifer, either. Not right now. Maybe later, but not right now. He'd be sure to clean that up, too.

"Th...anks.."

It nodded to reply to his thanks but kept it’s lips sealed firmly, it’s face set in concentration on it’s work of peeling off wet socks, dropping them in the sink and then trying to pull his pants off unsuccessfully. How should it know that you had to unbutton the button and zipper to get pants off, but after a long silent inspection, it figured it out and had his clothing removed. That was how a human should look. Not with all the interfearance of cloth. But since nakedness seemed to bother humans, It would find him something to dress in once he was cleaned of the blood.

It frowned, noticing for the first time, the bruises on his body. Of course, it didn’t know they were bruises or what caused bruises. It pointed with one hand, wetting a washcloth and cleaning the stitched wounds with the other.

“Spooots?”