Challenge 100 - 48 tender

Hizashi liked to talk to his girlfriend when she was asleep.

Her eyes had been closed for several minutes and her breathing was slow, deep and regular as she snuggled against him. She had fallen asleep on his lap on the couch, and his heart ached with love at the sight. 

So he told her.

"Ah, babe. This is great. Just sitting here with you all warm and fuzzy in our home. No matter how much time I spend with you, I always want more."

He sighed, green eyes dreamy under his red-framed eye glasses. When he looked down a strand of purple hair from her side locks was blowing near her mouth. He reached down and very carefully removed it, tucking it away where it belonged. He lightly brushed her lips with his fingers then lifted them to his own.

"So cute," he whispered softly. 

"Mmm." She hugged his leg tight, mumbling sleepily. "Zashi..."

"I'm here," he hummed, bending over to kiss her forehead. "Go back to sleep, my love." Elly smiled sweetly and sighed. He rubbed her ears until she fell asleep again.

Challenge 100 - 30 obsession

"Hizashi?" Elly placed a gentle hand on his studded shoulder pad. "You really don't eat anything other than that frosted, marshmallow sprinkled cereal for breakfast?"

He stared up at her with innocent eyes, spoon end dangling from his mouth. "Nope."

She laughed as she set down her soft boiled egg on the table beside the little toast points she had already sliced. "You're too adorable. I'm not judging you, honey. Don't look scared."

He swallowed the huge mouthful he had taken in relief and then burped. "'Scuse me. N'm sorry princess, I know you weren't. I'm just always catchin' flak for eating too many sweets from everyone else."

She tapped her egg open and set the shell bits aside. "You want to go to that bulk candy place this weekend? They just opened in the mall and I heard they have all kinds of goodies."

He grinned at her. "For reals, yo?"

"Yeah, why not? We haven't done anything in awhile. And I know you want to go."

He threw his hands up, the spoon still firmly clasped in his fist. "Hooray!"

That weekend Hizashi managed to have not just one, but <i>every meal</i> fully sugar loaded. 

Breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes, with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. For lunch they went to a cake cafe and dinner, well...

At that point he just scarfed down some of the bagged stuff they had purchased at the store. 

Elly smiled as she looked on. One day a month and one meal a day he indulged himself. She had come up with that rule almost as soon as she had seen his original eating habits. How this man had such a good body when he used to eat sugar almost continuously was beyond her.

Challenge 100 - 29 exhaustion

His legs felt like they didn't belong to him. He struggled to lift them as if the deadened hunks of meat were intricate marionettes, putting a lot of effort into the motion of picking up and putting down, one after the other. The steel-toed boots had seemed a good idea for the design of his outfit, but damn they were heavy now. His gear was the only thing keeping his neck from rolling bonelessly around, but it was also 

so

damned

<i>heavy</i>.

The fight had been a brutal one. He was raw from screaming, because although the best ones came from the diaphragm, the last few had torn out, ripped from his throat in desperation. His eyelids kept drooping shut but he had to make it home before he could rest. 

No blood... that was good. But he needed to lay down and recharge. He was trembling all over now but so close, the giant gates to his salvation in view. 

Staggering up to them like a shuffling zombie in a horror film, he caused quite a stir from the few clustered around getting ready to enter. They recognized him and somehow got him back to the nurse's office, where he collapsed gratefully on a small cot. 

Blissful rest. 

He would be fine after a nap. 

A good sleep. 

he

just

needed

a

good

Moy Mell 23

It was bad now. 

The nights, they were the worst. She tossed and turned, never quite comfortable, never feeling... safe. She knew she was, but the warmth of Zoro right outside and across the hall was gone. A new man lived there now, cold and logical and different. 

She was so lonely. She had broken up with Sanji as well so there was really no one in her life she was close to. Sure, it was for the best and she didn't regret it. And they were still friends. But there was a very real need she had that wasn't getting fulfilled anymore and it was like someone had torn a chunk of her heart out. 

It hurt.

Elly started to drag herself around, her attitude getting worse as her headaches grew more violent and the circles under her eyes deepened.

Worried, the new head of security headed off to visit the old in the dorms. He found him furiously working out, lifting a set of weights that were so heavy as to be impressive even to him.

"Did you see the notes we left?" Zoro asked.

"Yes." Aizawa frowned a little. "The other was from the bodyguard before you?"

"Yeah." He placed the weight down and sat up to look directly into his gray eyes. "Your job, Aizawa - it's not just to make her safe. It's to make her <i>feel</i> safe. She needs a lot of care. If she's not sleeping, make sure she does. Don't..." He covered his face with his hand. "Don't hide it if you love her. Use it to your advantage and make her feel that."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely as he watched the big man struggle. "She misses you, you know. Why not try to talk to her?"

"I can't. I don't want to take that big a chance. This will be fine, given time. At least I can still see her. And she'll... forget me."

"I doubt that. But you are not going to be convinced, so I'll drop that line of questioning." He walked over to the door, nodding a goodbye. "This has been a very informative discussion, and I will be able to put it to good use."

"Yeah." 

Back at the main house, it was after lunch and Elly had adjourned poolside. The sound of the waves on the beach behind the infinity pool calmed her most days. Today, however, she was jumpy and almost screamed when she felt a light touch on her bare shoulder.

She spun around low, fangs bared and her tail frizzing out in all directions. 

"Oh. It's you again." 

Aizawa was unchanged. Even out in the sun he still wore his black bodysuit and scarves.

"Can I get your back for you?" He offered in a mild, inoffensive tone that suggested to her that he was being polite.

"You don't need to do anything like that. It's not your job." She set the lotion aside and reached for her beach towel.

"If you don't mind, I would like to."

She raised an irritated eyebrow at him. "Why, 'Zawa? Your saving my skin from sunburn count as protecting me?"

"I'm just as infatuated with you as the other men you employ are." He shrugged.

She paused in the middle of unfolding her beach towel, her tail jerking upright. "Wh - what?!" 

"Did I stutter?" 

"N - no, but..."

He grinned creepily. Elly was starting to realize he did this when he thought he had gotten the upper hand. "There's no logic to keeping it a secret and my feelings will only enhance my obligations to keep you safe."

She stood there, doubled over and blinking in disbelief. His direct way of speaking and unemotional tone threw her off enough that she let him step forward and take control. He fluffed the large towel out and gently guided her to lie down on her stomach with her head on the rolled towels already in place. Her mind spinning, she lay there in wait as she listened to the squirt of the suntan lotion and him briskly rubbing his hands together.

The skin of his palms were rough. His first motion was a sweeping caress that took her breath away, the next a deep tissue rub on her tense neck that was so relaxing she began to purr. She forgot her troubles as the stress of the past few days seemed to melt away under his touch. 

"Hey, Aizawa - " Sanji opened the sliding glass doors and called out.

The new head bodyguard raised a finger to his lips in warning. "She's asleep."

"Oh my god. No way... did you <i>do</i> that? She's needed a good night's rest for a week now. I thought she was never going to sleep."

"Yes." He stayed where he was, crouched on his haunches with his arms on his legs, slippery hands dangling off his knees. Sanji wordlessly handed him a towel and he wiped them clean.

"Okay. I might have had my doubts, but shit. That - " he jerked his thumb at the softly purring cat demon laying on the chair in the sun, "That's fucking amazing."

Aizawa watched her back slowly rising and falling with her even, sleeping breaths. "I really like cats," he said.

Moy Mell 22

Aizawa finished unpacking rather quickly that night. He only had several changes of clothing and one formal outfit. His bedding was simple, one black comforter and white sheets with a single pillow and a lumpy yellow sleeping bag for when he could catch a nap on the job. He had brought no personal possessions because he had none, but on the shelf above the bed his predecessor had left him something.

It was a small, purple kitten plush, like the ones from the doki doki crane except far more older looking. He picked it up and the scent of lavender wafted out - her smell. As he moved it around, he saw there was a cloth bag attached to its tail. He opened this and found pieces of paper inside. The paper on top was ancient, the heavily cursive handwriting faded but still legible.

<i>When you love someone you protect them from pain - you do not become the cause of it</i>

There was a newer, fresher piece of paper under the first. It was much different, a hasty scrawl of letters, and he recognized it as Zoro's right away.

<i>You don't protect your heart by acting like you don't have one</i>

He carefully placed it all back on the shelf and stood quietly thinking for several long minutes. 

In the dorm complex beside the mansion, all was silent in the new apartment Zoro was starting out in. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall. He was neighbors with other people now, but thankfully they had taken one look at his thunderous expression and decided to leave him alone.

He had thrown all stuffed animals away except one. It was the first one he had ever won out of the crane, one of the very rarest. The heart was blank, suggestive that the winner could request anything. She had changed those in a hurry, he remembered with a grimace. And as far as he knew, he owned the only one in existence. He placed this bean-filled cat on his empty shelves and sighed.

This was all he had now - weights, clothing, bed. The multilevel security screens were now Aizawa's; he could see her almost any time he wanted and would live with her as a family member. He couldn't walk outside and tap on her door, he wouldn't be picking her up and tucking her into bed when she stayed up too late. No more morning breakfasts or late dinners, interviews and events. No, just patrols and guard duty if and when he chose to start that again. 

Zoro gripped his head in his hands and stuffed it between his knees, his shoulders shaking as it struck him that he was no longer a large part of her life. His teeth and fists were clenched to no avail, as tears streamed down his cheek. 

He stayed that way a very long time.

Moy Mell 21

"Good morning." An exhausted greeting from her new head of security caused the cook to glance over, but Elly remained steadfast with her back to the door.

"Morning. Aizawa, right?" Sanji put on a brave face and greeted him politely. 

"Yes."

"What do you like to eat for breakfast?"

The new guy shrugged. "I'm not picky. I usually just grab whatever I can." He pulled up a chair beside the sulking form of his employer. "Good morning," he repeated blandly. She flicked her ears in a show of indifference. 

"It's not a very good morning at all," she said spitefully. "Zoro's not here."

Aizawa rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He took a soft breath to center himself and didn'trise to the insult. "You're just like the cheshire cat," he told her as he admired the striping on her tail. "The colors are different and there's a split, but the similarities are there."

"I'm a demon, not a storybook character."

"This was <i>his</i> decision, not mine. I'm here to keep you safe."

Elly hissed at him. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to."

"I think he made a mistake. You did a good job, and I'm grateful, okay? That was something else. Your leg..." She shook her head. "But he's wrong. I - err, we, need him."

"I can and will do the same job." He flexed his leg once. It was still bandaged but the healing properties of the nedical team had done absolute wonders. He was walking on his own power and would regain full use in a couple of weeks.

His short, to-the-point answers were driving her insane. "Well, do you have to be so close to me?"

"You know better than that, Cheshire." 

"That's not my name!"

"Would you prefer Ches?" One corner of his lip twitched upwards. Sanji gaped as he watched. The new guy was needling her on purpose! No one but the idiot green haired guy had been brave enough to do that.

"I'd <i>prefer</i> if you left me alone!" She spun about and stormed off to curl up in a furious bundle by the pool. 

"Spirited," he murmured as Sanji set a cup of coffee before him. He took it and drank as he watched her stomp around near the pool.

"Yeah, she is that." The cook leaned on the counter, propping his head in his hands.

"Are you two still an item?"

He let out a great rush of air. "No. Not after all of this. It was a bad idea. We're just not ...right." He stood up and turned around to check the muffins he had in the oven. "I still love her, though."

Aizawa stood as well, grimacing as his leg twinged with pain. "Yes. She seems to have that effect on most of us."

He opened the doors as Sanji frowned after him, wondering about his comment. Him, too? None would have guessed, as his demeanor around her was so calculated. Definitely not like the swordsman, whom everyone knew was harboring an intense crush, if not more.

Had being around that succubus friend of hers for so long rubbed off on the demon cat? How did she do that?

Aizawa strolled right up to her as she lay in one of the lounge chairs near the pool. "It's time to discuss the interviews you have tomorrow." He scrolled through his phone. 

Hearing him talk like that really drove home the fact that he was her new bodyguard. She opened her eyes and found he was watching her closely, calmly. His gray eyes were as bloodshot as they always were. A half moon shaped scar, inverted, curved under one of them. He really wasn't good looking, she noticed again with amusement. He didn't bother to shave often and his cheeks, chin and upper lip were covered in a thin, soft stubble. He wore a black jumpsuit with a gray utility belt and his weapon of choice, the gray capture thread, looped loosely around his neck. His dark, somewhat greasy looking hair hung long about his shoulders.

His dry lips curved in a sly grin. "Do I pass inspection?"

She huffed, her cheeks stained pink. "I don't really know why all this happened, and I don't like change in my home." Elly frowned. "Everything is different now."

"I'm the major difference, correct?" His grin grew wider as her ears flicked curtly and her tail lashed with annoyance. 

"Yes. You are. I was - I <i>thought</i> I was -- close with Zoro." Her eyes paled, the dark purple fading to lavender. "He was with me for sixteen years and just left one night."

Aizawa's grin faded. "He didn't like doing this, you know. He did because it was the most logical course of action for your safety."

"Yeah. Well, he didn't even... all right, whatever." She changed the subject abruptly. "I'm going to have to talk about the change of security and introduce you in those interviews."

"I'll be there to answer questions. A small contingency will also fan out along the perimeter in case of problems..."

Moy Mell 20

It had been an unbelievable feat to move out of his rooms right underneath her nose. But when he realized he wasn't going to be able to sleep he had made his decision and immediately implemented it. Aizawa's things were there and he would finish packing after they had a most important discussion.

They sat in the security office, Zoro in his chair for the last time as he transferred control of the systems to his successor. 

"Almost done. Huh. I think that's it. It will ask you to put your own passwords and shit in when you start."

"All right." The man seated opposite him spoke in a tired voice that seemed to be his norm. 

"What you'll be doing is really protecting her secret." He drew a deep breath. "I'll forget it by the end of the day. Neuro's wiped it from my memory."

"I presume her secret is how to harm her?"

Zoro nodded, unsurprised. "Prayer slips," he said shortly. "They have to be blessed, and they have to touch her to stick. They'll burn her on contact, but that's not the pain. She's told me depending on the type it's more than an agony of a physical wound."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "My capture thread didn't alarm her at first?"

"It did. Probably still does. It would be excellent for binding her. Speaking of which..." He thrust his hand into his haramaki and pulled out one piece of thin paper. "Always keep one on you. Surprisingly, Neuro can get them if you need more. I never asked how."

"The <i>other</i> demon in the compound." He rubbed his dead-looking eyes with the heel of one hand as his other accepted the offering.

Zoro shrugged. "He's a lesser, beneath her. So he serves - but he'll do anything to cause chaos. He helps, but the help can fuck shit up just as bad. He hates humans. You'll figure it out."

"Are you <i>certain</i> I'm up for this job?"

Silence as they both stared blandly at one another. Slowly, Aizawa nodded.

"Your job, by the way, is not only to protect her secret. You have to protect her from herself. She's, ah... she's a handful," Zoro ended weakly. He glanced quickly away before the laconic man could notice the pain in his single eye. 

"I fear she isn't going to take kindly to this change."

"She's not happy," Zoro agreed glumly. He flexed the muscles in his arms as he thought. "But we're  - <i>you're</i> -- the only one she has to listen to now. You have power over her. Don't be afraid to show it but be careful about using it." He stood abruptly and held out his hand. "Take fucking good care of her, please." His vouce cracked slightly on the last word and both men pretended they hadn't noticed.

Aizawa gripped it tightly. "I'll do my best."

Moy Mell 19

"<i>What?!</i>"

"I'm stepping down as the head of your security team." Zoro squared his shoulders in front of the shocked and angry demon cat. 

"Why? Are you bored of the job? I mean, uh..." Elly flailed about, her tail swishing rapidly back and forth in high agitation. "Why?" 

"I'm not doing my job properly."

"You can't get everything perfect, Zoro - yesterday turned out somewhat okay in the end. I mean, you trained the guys that ..."

"<i>No.</i>" He stood, pulling his chair back at the breakfast table. "Aizawa Shota is taking over. I'm stepping down."

"I - I won't let you!" Her face was flushed and her ears laid back so far into her hair that they couldn't even be seen. "Zoro..."

"This is the one time you can't pull rank as my boss, cat. As your head bodyguard, my final act is to step down. You can't stop me."

She banged her fist on the table as he walked to the door. "You're not allowed to just leave like this! Damn it, you coward!"

He paused, but didn't turn back and continued on, pushing it open and disappearing into the foyer. The heavy wood banged shut. As the door closed, Sanji cautiously stuck his head in from his room on the side. He had heard what was said and was shocked. She gasped so softly that the cook didn't hear what she said at all, but sounded so sad that he immediately tried to comfort her. He placed a concerned hand on her shoulder and she reared up, eyes blurring in a frightening way he recognized all too well.

"Ack! Sweetie, it's me, it's okay - "

"No it's <i>not</i>," she snarled. 

"Maybe he'll calm down. It's not the end of the world, even so, right? He just won't be here as much." He winced, hearing the problem as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Elly did, too, and it struck her hard. Her hands unballed and she scratched the counter in distress instead. Sanji noticed but prudently didn't say anything. "He won't be here."

"Nooo, I guess not." He watched her eyes carefully, relieved to see her irises were still there, a faint lavender color, but visible. Applying a different tactic, he tried to salvage something from the situation. "But I'll be here with you." The color evaporated in a sudden blaze of unholy light. Sanji yelped, scrambling backwards.

"This is your fault! If that bitch hadn't wanted to get rid of me this might not have happened!"

"Oh. Well... I did encourage her. I'm sorry." He hung his head.

"I don't want to date you anymore." 

He choked, but stayed as quiet and still as he could. "If that's what you want."

"Does it matter what I want anymore?!" She ran out of the room and they heard the elevator doors open. 

Sanji sank against the kitchen counter, sliding down to the floor as his eyes streamed tears. He had expected as much since she had attacked him that night. He knew he had been rejected then. But it still hurt, and seeing her in this state was maybe even worse. 

"Hey." Chris had been nearby and he offered the chef a hand. He grasped his arm tightly, helping the man pull himself to his feet again. "Sucks. But leave her be, and eventually things will be okay again. Trust me. I've been around."

Sanji patted at his suit jacket looking for his cigarettes. "I'm going for a smoke," he grunted when he felt the outline of the box. 

"Good idea. I'm shadowing." They nodded at each other and went their separate ways. Chris couldn't go into the elevator, but he would stand by it until she came up again. He dragged a comfortable chair up and prepared to wait.

When the elevator stopped, Elly got out on Zoro's side. He was nowhere to be found, so she tapped lightly on his bedroom door. It opened instantly, and she saw to her dismay that he had managed to empty his room out when she wasn't paying attention. 

Not only that, but a stack of boxes, neatly marked with their content lists, were sitting by the bed. They had Aizawa's name on them. She backed up, her hands pressing to her mouth and her eyes wide. She could still smell his musk and steel scent in the room, and what finally caused the tears to flow was the undeniable fact that this room would soon smell like another.

Elly raced into the elevator and into her suite of rooms. She pelted as fast as she could to her bedroom, her vision doubling, stumbling into the doorframe as she went and bruising herself. She barely felt it at the time and flung herself on her bed to wail into her pillow. 

Everything was wrong, wrong, <i>wrong</i>!

Moy Mell 18

Elly did not sleep well that night.

She tossed and turned, fretting and reliving the scene of that bizarre fight on repeat in her mind. Aizawa had been there to protect her, not Zoro.

Somehow that felt wrong. She was disturbed by the fact that the green haired swordsman had not been there. He had <i>always</i> been there when she was seriously in danger. She thought back as she lay in her cool, dark room with the bubbles from her freshwater tanks creating a sleepy ambience she couldn't enjoy. And afterward, he had not lingered with her to see if she was all right. Elly frowned, then realized what was bothering her more than anything else.  

He hadn't comforted her.

The big man would take her aside and tell her not to worry after an event like this. If she couldn't sleep, he would be there by her side until she did and he might even tuck her into bed. 

She had waited until it really was quite late, not knowing why although her eyelids had been slowly closing of their own accord. She may even have nodded off on the couch in the living room...

...and had woken up there, not warm and safe in her bed. She clutched the sheets tightly around herself, frowning as hard as she could. 

"Stupid cat," she hissed, then stopped, a wave of loneliness striking her. No. That was what he called her. "This is ridiculous," she called out in anger. "I'm a grown woman - a demon, even! Why do I care if my bodyguard treats me like..." 

<i>Like a baby? Like he wants to protect me from everything? Like he maybe</i> cares <i>about me?</i>

"No. It's his job. I mean, ugh. Seriously." She flopped onto her back in the large bed, staring up at the ceiling. "He's made that more than clear. It's just a job."

There was one single hallway that separated them, and Zoro lay in his bed as well, even more furious at himself. He had been blind, fooled. She could have come to danger and he had not been there. It would have been only Aizawa if he had gotten his way, but the man had shown initiative and gathered up his own group of off work guardsmen to protect her.

The hooded people they gathered up had all the characteristics of an anti-demon cult. Things could get even more dangerous if there were more of them and, well, <i>was he the right man for the job</i>? 

He didn't know anymore.

The churning in his stomach when he had thought she might be hurt was bad enough. But he had felt equal agony when she had been holding hands with the pale, tired man who had been there for her where he had failed. His predecessor had told him that he would "know when the time to step down" had come.

Maybe this was it.

But...

Leave her alone in the mansion with someone new? Go back to living far away, only coming when called upon? He kicked the covers off him forcefully, snarling in rage at himself. The closet was on the far side of the wall and Zoro stumbled over, sliding the doors open and pushing a stack of shirts away to get at what was in the back.

Piles and piles of tiny, button eyes and hearts, fuzzy, tiny stuffed animals that promised what he wanted but couldn't have. He sat down on the floor, pulling an armful of them to his bare chest. The guys were right; he was the one emptying that dumb crane every chance he got. He didn't want anyone to hold her, or kiss her, or go on dates with her. It was selfish and, suddenly, he understood. That was it. He stared down at the armful of plushes and grimaced, baring his teeth as he pushed the unwelcome thought to the front of his mind through sheer force of will.

He would be selfish to stay just because he <i>wanted</i> to. 

"Shit," he husked roughly, holding the tiny kitten plushie he held up to his cheek. "Ahhh, <i>shit</i>."

Moy Mell 17

Elly left the medical building reluctantly. She didn't want to leave Aizawa or Zoro, and they were both there now. That wasn't to say she was left alone, of course. For some reason, perhaps because they were stretched for regular guards at the moment, Shaggy ended up walking beside her back to the mansion.

"If I'd been there, those guy's wouldn't've gotten any closer," he muttered, cracking his knuckles ominously. His eyes flickered, a white sheen momentarily obscuring the pupils and causing them to glow.

"What was that?" She flicked her ears over at him. 

"Oh! Nothing." His eyes quickly drained back to normal. "I mean, like, they've got people all over, everywhere now! You'll be safe. I know I'm not that strong but I can carry you, and I run <i>really</i> fast."

"You're hyper alert to danger, too," she added. "Those are all good skills. I'd never mock you, Shaggy." She looked up at the darkening sky and he walked a little closer. She could smell the incense on his clothing, a soothing smell, and smiled.

"I know." He grinned sheepishly at her. "Um... when we get back, can I stay for dinner? I'm starved, and Scoob was left <i>all day</i> in our apartment. I doubt there's any food left there."

"Sure! Sanji won't mind. He loves feeding everyone, but he says people like you are the best. You appreciate him a lot."

He nodded vigorously. "Oh, yeah, I do!"

The kitchen was warm and filled with good smells. The blond young man had taken to cooking up a storm in order to dampen his anxiety. When he saw Elly he shrieked and flung his arms around her, crushing her to him in a massive embrace. 

"Ack! Cut it out!"

"But - but I was so worried..!" His eyes were streaming tears, the one as always hidden under that fall of gold hair. "They told me you got <i>hurt</i>."

She growled under her breath. "It's nothing," she said for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I heal fast, and Aizawa took the strike intended for me."

"That's right," the cook muttered. "I'll send him some homemade... what does he like again? No matter, I'll look it up later."

"He hardly eats decent food," Shaggy supplied helpfully. 

"Are <i>you</i> her body guard now?!"

"Everyone was busy." He spread his hands and shrugged his bony shoulders. 

"Shaggy's perfectly capable of getting me to safety, Sanji. He's been in tons of dangerous situations and never gotten hurt."

Sanji thrust his chin out pugnaciously at the scrawny young man and went to set an extra place at the table. 

"Thanks, man."

"Wooow. Good thing you came. There's so much food here!"

"I was nervous." The chef sat down with a glass of wine beside her. "It was all I could think to do. Besides, tomorrow we can set up the leftovers for all the staff that worked really hard helping out today."

Shaggy paused with his mouth full. "Leftovers?"

He coughed. "Yeah, uh. There's more in the cold storage. I may have gone a little overboard."

Moy Mell 16

Zoro's single brown eye widened as he rushed out of the bullet car. He stared dumbly at the scene before him, his fingers clasping the hilts of his swords so tightly his knuckles were white. His eye searched frantically for the single spot of purple in all of this, her striped tail and violet hair.

No ... there, off the pathway on the side. "Cat!"

Aizawa's black bodysuit was ripped and he was bleeding, but the female demon huddled fearfully in his arms seemed unhurt. White robed bodies lay huddled in clumps around them, some handcuffed with zip ties and others bound with his capture thread since they hadn't had enough restraints on hand. Several of his impromptu gaurd team were speckled throughout the yard rounding up the last of the assailants.

"What happened?!" He roared, sheathing both blades at the same time. His fingers itched to hold her but she was too shaken to grab at the moment. He saw real fear in her eyes, something he didn't care for at all.

"We got hit. Hard." Knuckles appeared furious as he dragged a person into the main heap they were keeping them in. The man's eyes were blank, and he was completely silent. "Smelled a real stink before they emerged. There were these weird fire circles and the bastards walked right out of them and went for her."

Aizawa looked up, his bleary eyes watering from having to use his power too much. "The girl... was a distraction. The ones that struck here fought back."

"Zoro?" Elly peered warily out from behind her protector. She was still shaking.

"It's okay," he grunted. "The house and grounds're being checked." He made as if to step forward, hands outstretched and then stopped, a strange expression crossing his features. She was holding the pale man's hand.

"They were trying different techniques," Aizawa said in a lowered voice. "Silver weapons. Holy water."

Zoro swore violently. "You're okay? Both of you? All of you?" He raised his voice on the last part. Hands raised; thumbs ups were a common sign.

"Aizawa protected me," she told him. "They - they splashed me with some of that water and managed a cut or two, but I'm fine. He's hurt worse."

"My leg got run through, but I can still stand on it." The weary man demonstrated, hopping painfully up.

"Don't try to do that on your own!" She stood with him and pulled gently, so he was propped up against her with her arm around him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, nodding. "Lean on me."

They hobbled back to the main house, Zoro staring after them with a look of complete and absolute horror.

The cops had a busy day at Moy Mell. When they arrived to pick up one female, they were informed they would actually be picking up a group of would-be assassins as well. They came inside, asked multiple questions to all the staff on duty that had seen anything and ate free at both the house and the restaurant, as ordered by Elly. Most accepted the offer gladly as they were there all day working very hard with her teams.

She stayed with Aizawa as he got treated for his wound and accepted a cursory bandage or two for her light injuries.

"You're with him." Zoro entered the medical building with one eyebrow raised.

"He took a sword <i>through the leg</i> for me, Zoro." She frowned. "It was <i>horrible</i>. I would have healed faster! He should've let me take it."

"But you would have been hurt." The dark haired man opened his eyes on the table where he lay. "I won't allow that."

"Go eat," Zoro told her, gently pushing her towards the door. "T pervert cook has neen looking for you. He's having a meltdown that you were hurt."

She scoffed. "This is nothing."

"Go."

"I'm going, I'm going."

The two men locked eyes for a long moment. Zoro was the one that finally broke, rubbing a shaking hand over his face. "Aizawa."

"Yes."

"Good job."

"Thank you."

"Did they give you the special treatment?" He waved a hand at the bloody bandages covering his thigh.

"Yes. It will heal much faster. Not as fast as her, but I'll be back on foot duty in a week."

"We need to talk when you're rested. When we're all rested." His voice grew rough as his head drooped, but when Aizawa was about to question him about this he seemed to recall himself. The big man shook himself and straightened. "Tomorrow. Text me when you're up."

Moy Mell 15

Zoro pulled him aside in the living room, his expression serious. "What's wrong?"

"Look," the older man said flatly, "doesn't this whole story sound like some fantasy dream a kid cooked up? It's flimsy."

"People have been jealous of her before."

"I get jealousy crimes, sure." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, staring past the swordsman at the kitchen door. "This just feels wrong. Like we're missing something important."

"Noted. But I'm still taking the woman in. Shiro!" He bawled out loudly and he poked his head out immediately. 

"Yeah?"

"We're going."

Aizawa sighed as he watched them leave. He pushed the kitchen door open and went to sit back in his corner, determined to be even more vigilant. In fact... 

He pulled out his phone as the ladies chatted. He wasn't going to ignore this terrible feeling. Backup was called for. 

Meanwhile, the girl was causing quite a stir at <i>All Blue</i>. She had shrieked the moment she saw Zoro enter with two guards. Sanji tried to calm her down, but the men had to ziptie her ankles and wrists before she would even stop screaming. 

"She doesn't love you!"

"And you do?" The chef stared at her sadly. "Listen - if you truly love another person, sometimes that means letting them go." He glanced sideways over at the stoic man standing over in the corner watching the exchange. "Is that all you need me for?"

Zoro grunted affirmatively. "Keep your cell on you," he added. "When the cops process her they might want to ask you a few questions as her employer."

He sighed and checked it in his pocket. "Um. Hey, the silents just went off. All of them." He gaped. "At once."

Zoro swore as his phone alerted him. "Go," he told Chris and Shiro. "I'm heading back to the mansion."

Elly walked Bella outside with her guard trailing her a discreet distance away. They hugged before she flicked her wings out and rose into the sky. 

"Sometimes I wish I could fly," she mused dreamily. "Get away from everything on the earth for awhile."

"I imagine it's overrated," Aizawa said. "If you could, it would just be a normal ability, nothing special."

"Yeah." She curled her tail around her as the outline of her friend grew fainter and was soon out of sight. "I guess so."

They were making their way back along the gravel pathway when there was a strange vacuum like sound. The smell of sulfur filled the air and she whirled around, recognizing the earmarks of a demonic portal. She didn't see it, but they were surrounded by white-robed figures about the height of normal humans. 

"Shit." Aizawa reached into his scarves around his neck and pulled a pair of strange yellow goggles out. "Stay with me. Spread out!" He snapped at the group he had called in that were in hiding. They emerged from the bushes and trees from around the area, making things a bit more even for their side. Elly stood nervously behind him, aware that she could use her strength to help, but demons usually kept that as a very last resort. As the strange, white figures closed around them she had a crushing feeling of deja vu.

"'Zawa..."

"<i>Stay with me!</i>" The thread around his neck writhed, like a series of snakes, as his hair whooshed on end. Several of the people appeared confused as his gaze struck them while others rushed towards them, brandishing shining daggers and what looked like swords and even spears.

Challenge 100 - 4 hate

Mic flicked a switch on the panels in front of him. "Hey, hey, listener - you're live! Tell me whatcha wanna hear, hmm?"

"Hey, uh. We kind of wanna hear that you're going to dump that lunatic you're with."

Present Mic's face stilled, paling and becoming more Hizashi at the moment than his hero persona. "Hey, now - that's not very nice," he admonished the person. "You're off the air, naughty listener." He cut them off as they were protesting.

<i>I hope Ches isn't listening right now,</i> he thought, worried. He shook himself all over, wiggling right down to his fingerless gloves, and pulled himself together. 

"Awwwright, let's try another call, hey? Hey! Howzit goin' there, listener! You're on <i>putcha hands up radio</i>! You got a request for me?"

"I agree with the last caller," the female on the line said firmly. 

Mic banged his head on the table,  then dragged it wearily back up to the microphone. "You got a partner, listener?"

"What, am I in a relationship?"

"Yeah."

"I'm married," she said proudly. "Just this past winter."

"How'd you feel if someone told you to dump him?" 

"Pffft," she huffed into her phone. "He's fine, though. You're dating someone whose title is 'Insanity Hero'."

"Okay, okay," he said very clearly in a serious, deep tone that he never used when he was on the air. He dropped the caller and then cleared his throat. 

"I call you my listeners - I want you all to do just that right now. <i>Listen up, and listen good</i>. I don't care if I'm supposed to be all PC and say a certain thing. I love Ches, and it's not your place to tell me that I shouldn't. I'm not going to answer this again and I'm going to cut any hate calls immediately."

He paused, took a deep breath and glanced over at his cell phone lock screen. They had gone to one of those silly photo booths and taken a bunch of pictures during one if their first dates. He had his favorite one as his lock, and one other as his home screen. She looked so sweet and happy as he kissed her cheek, both of them smushed together in the tiny area. 

"So, all right! We're gonna launch into a twenty minute music blast from the past, an' when we're done rockin' with those I'll take some more requests!"