[Aubrey] Wherever I May Roam

[Tyler Owens]

He passed his mother's room on the way upstairs and heard the familiar sound of her soap opera playing. She wouldn't be mad that there was a NEKO in the house, she would probably like Aubrey just like Tyler did, but for now he would let her sleep and take care of Aubrey himself. The teenage boy led him upstairs to his bedroom and allowed him to walk in before shutting the door, leaving them in a comfortable inclosed room.

His room was very comforting. He had a double sized bed with soft comforters and pillows all over it in no certain fashion (who makes their bed nowdays?) and beside his bed was a wooden dresser and a computer desk. Across the room was a stand with a TV on it and there were various objects and clothes laying across the room on the floor. He wasn't the most organized person, but it was still comfortable enough for someone to sleep in.

The bed was pretty high off of the ground, so he decided to give Aubrey a boost up, putting his hands on the boy's hips and lifting him gently until he was on the bed, letting him sit down. The only light on in the room was a dim lamp next to his bed, but it was just dim enough to see and not be pitch black. While Aubrey was getting situated he decided to get dressed for bed, seeing that he was still wearing his street clothes. He pulled off his shirt that had a few bloodstains on it from carrying the boy and tossed it in the hamper, walking to his dresser barechested. It was no lie that Tyler had a hot body, with lean shoulders and a well formed six pack. He didn't have any visable muscles, but his lean slender body was hot in its own way, especially the way his hips stuck out from over his boxers.

He kicked off his skinny jeans as well and grabbed a pair of comfortable pajama pants to pull on, deciding to sleep shirtless. It was pretty warm in the room after all. Tyler walked back to the bed and climbed up next to Aubrey, pulling the covers down.

[Aubrey Rein Dechanté]

Aubrey was never a person to feel that awkward around anybody, but for some reason…he felt awkward walking into Tyler’s room. He didn’t really know why…but it was just…just the vibe of the room made him feel…out of place. He sighed as he realized that there was only a small light in the room…but he could deal with that. It wasn’t like Aubrey was afraid of the dark. Please. If anything he loved the dark. In the dark he could do whatever he pleased and be safe. Yet…yet there was something…unsettling about this darkness. It was a darkness that was disrupted by the dim light of the lamp. Aubrey didn't like when things were like that. When something was disrupted by something else. It bothered him for some reason unknown to even himself.

He felt his eyes widen when he saw the boy take of his shirt. His mind began to shoot in all different directions, and then his face lit up bright red for a moment. He watched the boy walk over to the bed, fangs digging into his bottom lip. No. he was not allowed to react like this. He had to stay calm. He had to regain himself. He ha-…wait. Was that…? Did he…? He heard something. Aubrey froze in his spot. There was a noise. He was sure he heard it. His ears were so sensitive…they picked up on almost everything. It had to have been there. A cold beat of sweat dropped down the back of his neck. He looked over at Tyler, and he felt his heart swell. He couldn’t let the boy get hurt. He wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him. And so, very gently he moved over before the boy could lye down, moved onto his knees so they would be eye level, and hugged him close. He let his tail wrap around the boy for a moment, bringing him close before pulling away with a small smile.

“I will be right back.” He gently hopped off the bed and walked out the room, closing the door behind him. He made his way to the front of the house and walked out the door, gently standing in the night air for a moment. He sniffed delicately before moving to circle around the house. The noise he heard was too loud to be a small animal, but too soft to be a bear. He figured it was the NEKO again, but he wouldn’t let them hurt Tyler.

If he was going to die, then dying for Tyler;

Would be a pretty good way to go.

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[Kura]

The air smelled like rain again, fusing with the other scents in the air as if trying to hinder her sense of smell. But she was already familiar with the scent of smell and it led her through the darkness like a guiding ribbon, stopping before an unfamiliar house. Furry ears turned every which way, picking out sounds in the quiet of night. She heard things that no one else heard, like the silent flap, flap of a bird flying up ahead or the soothing drip, drip of rain water as it trickled slowly off a leaf. And she heard other things, like voices speaking indecipherable things and that horrible, horrible shrill voice still climbing higher and higher in pitch and what in the seven hells was that horrible moaning? Unintentionally, the girl let a loud snarl pass through her lips, baring her fangs and glaring off at nothing in particular.

She waited impatiently in the shadows, looking like a ghost with her pale skin standing out against the darkness. Ears twitched slightly, listening to the constant hum of streetlights. The girl licked her split lip, which was still bleeding even now. It coated her tongue with the metallic liquid and she absently rubbed it against the roof of her mouth, savoring the salty taste.

Her target was a slippery one, managing to get far away that she had to track him. And when she found him, he had gotten intermingled with humans. The fact that her prey got away irritated her. The fact that she couldn’t simply jump into that house angered her further. With a low growl, she turned the single bloody blade over in her hand, resting the dull edge against her forearm. He would come out sooner or later, and she would be there to catch him when he did.

It didn’t take long for the dark haired boy to come out, though, by now Kura was already fuming. As soon as he was halfway across the street, she shot forward, knife glistening menacing in the low orange glow. Like a darting shadow, she stopped a foot in front of him for only a second, using the momentum to turn. Then she was behind him, raising the blade with a confident hand. This was going to be a messy kill and her superiors were probably not going to be pleased in the slightest. But at the moment, she didn’t care, focusing on sliding the thin blade between the boy’s ribs.

(e ___ e fail post is fail)

[Tyler Owens]

Just as he was about to nestle himself into bed, Aubrey had gotten up and climbed out of bed. Tyler almost felt himself frown, but he just watched the NEKO with confusion. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something? There wasn't much else he could assume but he let him leave the room. It was quiet for a moment and Tyler let out an exhausted sigh. It had been a long day, he spent the day in school, the afternoon in karate, and the night saving a NEKO's life. It was after three in the morning, he wanted to settle down and catch up on the sleep he earned.

But he had to wait until Aubrey came back. So he waited.

And he waited.

And he waited.

Tyler was a very impatient person. He got up and left his room, glancing up and down the dark hallway. There was no sign of the NEKO boy anywhere upstairs. So maybe he wanted a drink? Curiously, Tyler walked downstairs and checked the kitchen. Nothing. The teenager sighed- had Aubrey really left that quickly? Just when he thought he had opened up, too. Frowning now, he let his hair fall into his eyes and leaned against the counter. Unsurprisingly, the clock said it was nearly four in the morning.

He headed back upstairs only to glance out the same window from before, which had a nice view of not only the roof, but the front yard as well. And there was Aubrey. Not only Aubrey, but someone else. Glowing yellow eyes made him uneasy, and he quickly ran back downstairs and out the back door. Silently, he snuck around the side of the house to hide in the shadows, watching as the two NEKO approached each other.

[Aubrey Rein Dechanté]

Aubrey was not a person who liked dealing with so much stress in one night. He didn’t like dealing with inner turmoil, nor did he like dealing with stress from his surroundings. He didn’t know how he felt towards Tyler. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to uncover feelings that made life seem pointless to live. No. But he was so confused. Should he smile because they’re friends? Or cry because that’s all they’ll ever be? He didn’t know, but he knew one thing; he would never let any harm come to his new friend. He left his house silently as he searched around it for the origin of the noise. There was nothing. Maybe some cracking sticks here and there, but otherwise…no…nothing. He growled lightly under his breath before walking back into the front of the house. When he was about to go back in, he looked across the street. There, sitting, was Kura. He knew her very well due to the bright yellow glow of her eyes.

She was out to kill him. She was probably sent to kill Tyler too, and that was just something Aubrey couldn’t allow. At this point, he had to admit his feelings for the boy were more than what he wanted. He had to admit it, because without it…without the need to save one, what would give him the drive to fight? What would make him want to keep going? He decided it was better this way. Hell, maybe if he did die…maybe Tyler would be happy that way. Maybe if he was able to kill Kura…maybe Tyler would be safe. Who really knew? You didn’t really know much of anything until you tried it, and so, taking a deep sigh, the boy began to walk towards the girl. He was walking slow…but for some reason…it felt like it was really, really slow. He could smell everything in the air as it whipped by his nose. He could hear the faintest of sounds, and that was when he heard it. The girl. Kura. Her breathing finally evident in his mind said that she had moved, and so had Aubrey. He whirled around just in time to see the girl, but not in time to block her.

Kura was good with speed. Kura was always good with speed. He remembered when he met the girl…he remembered everything that happened in the NEKO mill, and he remembered her. He remembered the smile that always used to be evident on her face, and how now, he saw nothing in her eyes but determination and blood lust. What had happened to her? What had happened to any of them? The mill made you vicious. Aubrey was vicious. He had killed before. He had always trained himself to kill, just in case the situation had to arise. But right now, as the seconds ticked by like hours, and the smell of crimson metal filled his nose; he didn’t know if he was prepared to kill Kura. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could kill Kura, even if he wanted to. But as thin metal sliced through his porcelain skin and blood spurted from the wound in his ribs; he knew he had to. Not because he was going to die, not because he wanted revenge; but for Tyler. He knew that if Kura had her way, she would kill him too, and Aubrey could never let that happen. And so he took action.

His tails whipped around her, bringing her closer, but also forcing the knife deeper into himself. He coughed up blood, but spoke up to the girl.

“T-touch him…and y-you’ll w-wish…I k-killed you…” His right hand made its way to her stomach as he held it there, and then his left want and clawed into her shoulder, to ensure she could not move. He gathered up energy in his right hand, and soon a bright purple glow was emitting from it. A ball of pure, gravitational energy began to form. It got bigger and bigger until they were at arm’s length. The ball was steaming and had a swirling design on it, before Aubrey pushed back and the attack launched. It took all the gravity, including Kura, with it as it was sent flying. He watched as Kura was sent crashing into a pole with a small explosion from the gravity bullet. Aubrey fell backwards. He began gasping and coughing up blood, and quickly he yanked the knife out, body trembling as he tossed it aside. His right arm moved out to his side as the blood pooled around it. His fingers were trembling. His arm was shaking. His body was quaking. His eyes were becoming more and more dull by the moment, and blood was starting to sprout violently from his mouth with some chest cracking coughs.

Through it all, he smiled. He had done his job. He had saved Tyler. He could die now…he could die happy. His gasps were coming quicker as he lies there bleeding.

For Aubrey, this was not a mistake.

For Aubrey, his life was worth less than Tyler’s.

And so he would give it up for the boy to keep smiling.

When Aubrey could not.

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[Kura]

The feeling of the thin blade sliding easily between the boy’s ribs felt satisfying. See the boy’s face twist in pain sent a trill of adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream. Kura could feel blood running down the hilt of the knife, staining her hands with the sticky liquid. Her nostrils filled with the sweet metallic scent.

“T-touch him…and y-you’ll w-wish…I k-killed you…” he managed to stammer out, sputtering and sending flecks of blood to dot her pale face. Involuntarily, her lips tugged upwards in a smirk, saffron pools glistening with mocking glee, searching through the darkness. Kura wasn't quite sure what he was talking about until she saw the silhouetted figure trying to hide near the side of the house. His smell was faint, overlayed with the neko's own scent and blood.

”Oh?” Her voice was low, amused, ”Let’s see you try then.” The neko never noticed his hand, hovering just above her abdomen until she was flung backwards, flying above the pavement.

Kura tried everything in her power to stop her descent, twisting her body so she could plant her booted feet in the ground. The momentum was too much, barely slowed down by her last ditch effort. The girl was propelled backwards until the left side of her back collided with something hard. It reverberated with the force of impact. She let out a loud hiss of pain, vision clouding for a moment in a red haze.

When her vision cleared, she found herself on the ground, the boy several yards away coughing and hacking. 'Idiot,', she thought, watching him pull the discarded knife out of his flesh, 'he'd only bleed faster that way.' Kura hissed again as she tried to move, feeling annoyed with herself. She had gotten confident; she had let her guard down (and god, it hurt. even growling hurt).

It wasn't like her to leave her prey breathing (even if they already had one foot in the grave) but she knew when to call it a night. The some birds had already woken up, sending their calls with alarming frequency through the thick air. Coughing a little, Kura spat blood out of her mouth, picking herself up off the ground. Pain shot through her lower chest, and she winced, wondering just how many broken ribs it was this time. Putting a hand gingerly on the left side of her lower ribcage. And in the next moment, she had already disappeared into the shadows.

[Tyler Owens]

Tyler was watching with horror. He felt completely defenseless, standing against the house and watching his new friend get viciously attacked by this other NEKO. Were NEKO always this violent towards each other? Why was this one incredibly strong, and out to kill Aubrey?

It took all of his strength to hold back when Aubrey was stabbed through the chest. 'Fuck, that's going to need stitches too.' he thought to himself, biting his bottom lip (hard enough that it started to bleed, too.) He was so worried, but he knew that running out there to the middle of the fight would only cause more fighting. "Damn it." he cursed under his breath.

“T-touch him…and y-you’ll w-wish…I k-killed you…”

He was even more surprised when Aubrey let out a large amount of power. It was so dark that it was hard to see the black and purple blur that erupted from the boy- and in the next second, the enemy NEKO was thrown into a tree. Tyler stared (what else could he do?) as the fight dwindled down to quiet words between the two. Aubrey was bleeding and choking up blood.

'I have to help him. I have to get to him before that thing finishes him off.' Tyler thought. 'He did this for me. He ran out here because he knew if he hadn't, she would come in. My god, do I owe him my life?'

As soon as the female NEKO disappeared, Tyler ran out to Aubrey and dropped down beside of him. The knife lay abandoned on the ground not far away. This one was larger than the switchblade that he had yanked out before, but Aubrey had already done the hard part for him. Unfortunately, the amount of blood that was coming from the NEKO was a scary amount. The teenage boy didn't have time to think. He couldn't take care of him by himself any longer- but he refused to take him to the veterinary clinic.

He picked him up bridal style, running into the house and skidding into his mother's bedroom. For the first time in years, he felt like a little boy, begging for his mother's help. "Mom! Wake up! He needs help, he's going to die!" Luckily his mother was up in a heartbeat, seeing the NEKO in her son's arms and jumping out of bed.

"Get him to the kitchen," she said. "Lay him down on the tile, and get me the first aid kit and your old asthma machine."

Of course. If Aubrey had stopped breathing, the respirator would allow him oxygen to breathe until they could fix his injuries. Aubrey would have to be okay.

Right?

[Aubrey Rein Dechanté]

Black. Everything was always forced back into black, and this was nothing new to the NEKO. All his life, Aubrey fled to the dark. It was an ally. It was a friend, and it was one thing he was never scared of. That was probably why he was okay when darkness washed over his vision, flickers of crimson breaking through his vision once more. He let his mouth shut so no more blood would leak up, his fangs sinking into his lip to keep it closed. There was no pain in the act, simply because there was no pain anymore. There was nothing anymore. Aubrey felt like he wasn’t really there. He felt like he was weightless. He knew that right now, he would probably die. He knew Tyler was sound asleep, and it made him…it made him smile. At least he saved the boy…for now. Kura would come back though…but even then…Aubrey would find a way to contact some type of friend. He would find someone to protect Tyler when he was gone…and then…then he would be okay, because he would have friends, such powerful friends…everything would be all right…yeah…everything…

But something was wrong. Aubrey felt someone near him. He felt someone touching him, and when his left eye opened…it was Tyler. W-why wasn’t he asleep? What was he doing out here? Was Kura still here?! Aubrey’s eyes flung to where the girl had landed, but all that was left was a gouged indent in the tree and nothing more. Aubrey smiled faintly as he was lifted up. He cuddled into the boy’s grip was he was brought into the house once more, his blood leaking out of him and onto the boy. He felt guilt…but he knew…he knew it was all right. He knew Tyler would be safe now, and as long as that was for sure…he could die happy. He felt the boy go upstairs and wake up his mother, and he was slightly worried about what she would think…what she would say…but he knew at this point it wouldn’t matter, he didn’t expect to live through this. He felt the boy bring him downstairs before placing him down on the tile, but Aubrey captured his hand weakly before he could go. He looked up at him, and spoke up in a voice that was more than tired; it was exhausting.

“G-guess…I-I’m g-gunna…d-die a…a v-virgin…a-after all…” He wanted to make the boy smile, and so Aubrey let his lips twitch up into something that resembled half a smile. But his next sentence was serious and his eyes told Tyler that.

“I p-promise…n-no one…w-will h-hurt…y-you a-again…I-I’ll m-make s-sure of it…b-because you n-need to s-smile…e-even w-when I c-can’t…” He smiled small again, letting his eyes drift halfway shut, his tail moving to weakly wrap into the palm of the boy’s hand.

He wanted to keep Tyler safe.

And if that meant dying in the process.

So be it.

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[Tyler Owens]

He was relieved to hear Aubrey's weak voice speak out to him, but he put his finger over the boy's mouth to quiet him. "Virgin or not, you're not going to die." His voice was steady, he wasn't stuttering like Aubrey was, or even being quiet. He was convinced that his friend would be okay, even with the multiple wounds that he had endured in the same night. He was so strong to try and stick through everything like that. Tyler doubted that he would have that strength if it was his life at stake.

It was quiet as Mrs. Owens worked. She had turned on the overhead light so she would have better light to work in. Tyler knew that Aubrey didn't like bright lights, but it was necessary, and Aubrey's eyes were closed anyway. He'd have to deal with it. Tyler got his old asthma machine and hooked it up to the wall, taking the oxygen mask and strapping it over Aubrey's small nose and mouth. It would assist him in breathing, and if for some reason his heart stopped beating while his mother performed surgery, it would keep him alive.

Tyler didn't care at all about his ruined shirt that had been bloodstained once more and ripped. Mrs. Owens cut it off of him and tossed it on the floor beside them.

"What happened to this boy?" she asked him. Tyler sighed and put his hand on his head. It was so early in the morning that dawn was almost peeking from the kitchen window.

"His name is Aubrey, Mom. He got in a catfight downtown and I had to stitch him up..." he pointed at the half ripped stitches that were going down the boy's side, and the ones on his shoulder. "He just got stabbed by some rogue NEKO, you've got to save him." Tyler locked eyes with his mother. She could see the dread and fear buried deep inside of him for the injured boy.

"He'll be okay." And that was that. She began to work on him, cleaning the wounds and flushing out the tainted blood. She wouldn't let Tyler help any, telling him that there was nothing he could do for Aubrey except pray. Tyler sighed and left him under his mother's care. His mother was a sweet woman, and she cared for the NEKO. Even though Tyler fought to stay awake, he couldn't. The seventeen year old fell onto the bed upstairs where they had just been not long before, sprawled across it with his arm hanging off.

He prompty passed out.

Mrs. Owens finished tending to Aubrey, who would now be okay, and patted the NEKO's head. "Now little one, you're going to be A-okay. And Mama Owens is going to keep you here with us for a while, okay? Just until you get better." She patted the weak boy's head and carried him to the sofa, laying him down in the comfort of the cushions and walking back to her bedroom.

[Aubrey Rein Dechanté]

Aubrey should have figured that Tyler wouldn’t have smiled for him. He knew the boy was tired, and he could easily see it in his eyes. There was the guilt again though. This was because of Aubrey. It was because he had known the boy, and it was because Aubrey had felt so strongly for Tyler. He knew Kura would go after him, unless she was killed. This was probably why Aubrey fought so strongly to hang on. This was probably why he didn’t end up dying like he had planned. Well, it was mostly because of Mrs. Owens, but still, willpower had a lot to do with it. Aubrey remembered how once, he had a friend in the Mill. His friend was getting tested on again and again…and he too, knew he was going to die. But he had told Aubrey that day, If you have the will power to hang on, then you can never, truly, die. Aubrey still hung on to the boy’s words. He still clung to them like they were in the bible, and like they would always be true. This was why he did not die, and he knew it. He knew he still had to keep Tyler safe and healthy, and that it was just a matter of time before Kura came back, and just a matter of time before Aubrey had to finally end it.

There were so many things going on at once. He felt the oxygen mask over him. He felt Tyler’s moth beginning to work on all his wounds, one after the other; stitching and cutting the lacerations until they were fully healed and okay. He remembered Tyler going up to his room, and smiled small to himself; the boy needed to sleep, and that was for sure. He remembers his mother gently speaking kind and soft words to him, and after they were out, Aubrey nodded in agreement. It would be…nice…to be able to stay with Tyler. It would be a good day, that day he got to be with him for a full twenty four hours and not have to leave his side. He smiled at the woman who was his savior, and told her he was very thankful and appreciated it much before she disappeared upstairs.

Aubrey was restless though. He couldn’t sleep on the cough. His mind and body were racing, and he didn’t know why. He contemplated leaving…but that would probably upset Tyler…and he didn’t want to do that. He contemplated getting up to get a drink…but that would be rude, considering no one was around. After a few moments though, the boy had decided one thing; he needed to get up. With such cautionary movements, he let his legs transition to the edge of the cough and dangle over it for a moment, before his feet touched on bare carpet. He let a small sigh of relief out from his mouth before cautiously moving to stand up. He had to catch his balance as he did, but once he was up, he was all right. The small NEKO began to walk, and soon he found himself at the stairs. He looked down for a moment. Would Tyler be mad at him for going upstairs? Would the boy yell at him?

He decided he didn’t care. He let his hand slip onto the railing as he climbed the stairs delicately and slowly, making sure to make no sound. His feet hit the top floor as he began to walk, strolling past the mothers room, he gently shut her door without a sound, smiling. He found Tyler’s room with ease, and saw the sprawled out boy on his bed. He sighed before walking in and shutting the door behind him. The small Shadow NEKO gently walked to the edge of the bed, and with ease, but not much ease, maneuvered his way onto the bed with Tyler. Ever so gently and slowly, he moved on top of the boy and placed his arms around him, nuzzling his neck before his tail brought the covers up and around then both, tucking it in around Tyler’s body.

Aubrey just hoped the boy would be okay, and he wouldn’t be mad.

He never wanted to see Tyler mad.

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