Another knife in my hands, A stain that never comes off

[Asphyxiate]

<sup>Ugly... Fat... Perhaps.. Maybe... Oh, there's a hottie...

Normal people might not have expected a macaw to people-watch, nor would they have expected the parrot to be a demon capable of transformation. But, he was. Riku clicked his beak and titled his head to the side, floating in the fact that he could stare at people's asses without getting into trouble. As long as he didn't start sniffing crotches, people wouldn't mind. A few young children stopped to point and stare, glee showing clearly on their cherubic faces, but most other passersby didn't even notice him. This city was already so crazy that a lone parrot must not have seemed all that out of place.

While Riku may have enjoyed the peacefulness of this neighborhood, he still wished that something would happen. A Street fight, maybe. He needed something to watch, something to get worked up on. Lazily, the demon started to preen his feathers, balancing delicately on his perch. He ignored the dazzled voices from below, having never really been one for kids, and hopped down onto his deck chair. Upon doing so, he rolled onto his back and spread his wings, letting out a satisfied purr.

So this was how life was going to be, eh? Work the streets every other night, deal drugs on Saturdays... Maybe even his up a few of the clubs every once in a while. This place seemed so innocent and tame compared to London. Back home, Vampires and Weres had run rampant, practically running the place. They worked from the shadows, striking fear into the heart of the every day citizen. As painfully cliché as it sounded; it was true. Even Riku, at one point, had lived in fear of the 'Creatures of the night,' those seemingly fueled by blood alone.

He must have fallen asleep, because when Riku woke next, he was in his human form. His enviable figure was draped over the elongated deck chair in an almost seductive fashion. He sighed and stared up at the jeweled sky, absently tracing circles on his own shockingly flat stomach. He found his belly button ring and stroked it for a few minutes before moving on, playing with the hem of his white shirt.

He had only been here a few days, and already Riku was itching to sink his fangs into this town. He sort of missed home and the way he had pretty much ruled it. He fond it amusing how other Drug Dealers had been scared to sell their 'wares' in his territory. In fact, they were probably still wary as the remnants of his reign crumbled. Riku had never informed anybody that he was leaving, he just had. His decision had been made in a split second. And, within a few days, he and most of his belongings were on a plane to America. Back home, they probably thought he was dead or worse. It was likely that there had been news bulletins, features and CNN specials on his disappearance. If only he could see their faces as they tried to work out the mystery around the enigma around the puzzle surrounding his fate. But Riku had all of the bases covered; there was no way anybody could locate him now.

Wrapped up in the memories of his shady past, Riku's thoughts turned to a friend of his who had lost his father at a young age. He honestly couldn’t imagine the horror of loosing a parent so soon in one's life. At least he had been old enough to figure out - if not grasp and completely comprehend - what had happened to his parents. But to be too young to understand the concept of death; to be to young to understand that they weren't coming back...

Riku's breaths became quick and short. In a flurry, he was out of his seat and leaning over the banister, shivering in his shorts and shirt. His pupils, like tiny specks in twin seas of blue, seemed to quiver with the sudden waves of feeling that had hit the young man. He retreated into his apartment, grasping for pills, drugs, anything that would make him feel better.

He found a needle filled with a clear liquid. He didn't know what it was, but almost instantly after he jammed the thing into his arm, he felt a wave of relief.

This was pathetic; Riku was pathetic. He knew this, and yet, it still felt so god dammed good. A smile twisted his lips in cruel way and he rolled over, a high-pitched giggle snapping through the air. Oh god, he had no idea as to what the hell was so funny, but he just couldn’t stop. Stars danced before the bird demon's eyes before he was able to finally regain himself enough to just sit there, staring at the wall opposite him.

"This is the face of a train wreck." He whispered, his eyes half-lidded. "There are no survivors." Was that even his voice? Riku didn't know anymore. "The conductor drunk himself into a haze, drunk the train off the tracks." He smirked and pulled the needle out of his skin, tossing the bloodied thing aside.

Another few minutes passed before Riku was garbed in a black button-up shirt and dark jeans. He had applied mascara, touched up his nail polish and checked the weather forecast for the next few days. What else was there to do? It was time for work now.</sup>

[Aphrodesiac]

<sup>Akasuke stalked through the crowd, wading through the massive throng of humanoids. Who would've thought such a small town could house so many residents? As most sensitive people could see, Aka-kun was somewhat miffed. Well, he had a reason to-- some git had just sidled up to him and molested him, in front of the public. The randy assaultant had 'fondled' Aka, grabbing at his buttocks. of course, Aka had slapped the wandering hand away and kicked his overeager 'friend' in the groin, and wandered off. So, naturally, the man-boy ((MY WORD D:<) tried to cool off, and let himself be guided by the general ebb and flow of the crowd.

OoC:

-coughs for Riku to notice him-</sup>

[Asphyxiate]

<sup>Hmmm... Cigarette, yes, one of those would be nice. He stuck aforementioned 'killing stick' in to his mouth and quickly lit it, taking a deep and calming breath. So, what did this dump town have to offer? Leisurely, he relieved the person next to them of their wallet, flipping through it. f course, they didn't notice. So, he removed the few bills, stuck them in his pocket and chucked the wallet over his shoulder. Okay, next!

Riku moved through the crowd casually, shoving random people aside and generally being a prick. Well, that is until he saw widdle Aka-chan. After shoving the younger male, he quickly grabbed his collar and pulled him back, dragging him down the road a little bit.

"Good Evening." He finally murmured, dropping his cigarette and crushing it beneath his foot. He turned around to face Akasuke, looking a right site with a budgie on his head. Oh, Damnit all! He smacked the little bird away and watched it fly off, fingering a small flock of pigeons.

...Perfectly normal.</sup>

[Aphrodesiac]

^{After being rudely pulled out of the crowd and shoved onto the sidewalk, Akasuke was supposed to not be angry at this little git? He looked at Riku scathingly, and crossed his arms. "D'you... Need something?" His voice was surprisingly deep, actually; deep, melodious voices were common within the Soul-Linker clans.}

[Asphyxiate]

<sup>A dancer, you say? Hmm, yes... Aka-chan did move a bit like a dancer. And, that was good for Riku because Dancers = Good in bed. At least, he hoped so. He being Riku.

"I dunno." He murmured, shrugging as he produced yet another cigarette. Bleeding Dina, he really needed to quit, especially since his lungs and other internal organs were so weak in the first place. "Anything you need?" He raised a brow, completely oblivious as the Budgie returned to land on his shoulder. "What's a little kid like you doin' in a dump town like this, anyways? I thought kids like you went to New York to make it big. It's only 200 miles north. You lost?"

He snorted and looked around, flicking the ashes from the end of his 'STICK OF DEATH.' The amount of pigeons sitting on rooftops and such was ever so slowly starting to increase. Annoying little buzzards. "Fucking Dina..." He murmured under his breath, a furrow in his brow. "Anyways, I asked you a question! You gonna stand there like an idiot or ae you going to answer, eh?" Yeah, Riku was a real people-person.</sup>

[Aphrodesiac]

<sup>"Kid...? Hey, you don't look so old yourself, birdy boy..." Akasuke replied, taking his time to mull over the words slowly and carefully, so that each word came out dripping with apprehensive sarcasm.

His eyebrows raised a tad, before he answered Riku's rather suggestive question.

What do I need...? Another chance at life, perhaps? "Sleep. A bath. Maybe some nice reading time. Things like that. And what I'm here for...? Um, college, mayhaps...? I know it seems improbable, some people actually do go to school here."</sup>

[Asphyxiate]

<sup>"Okay, for one... I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM!" He motioned to the pigeons before turning around to face a hoard of them. "AND THEY'RE REALLY ANNOYING SO IT'D BE GREAT IF THEY COULD LEAVE!" He spun back around as some of the birds flapped away. Riku had such a cute British accent when he yelled. <3

"And, PPPFFFTTT!" Yeah... He was just a little high. His nose was starting to bleed, too. Apparently... He’d also been snorting that day, too. Ick. "I'll have you know that I'm ATLEAST 20 years your senior!" He jabbed Akasuke in the chest and crossed his arms, inhaling sharply through his nose. Oh, wait! He still had the fag! That went quickly into his gob.

"Ah, but I suppose I should take that a compliment. Get sexier every year, don't I?" He smirked and exhaled a silvery cloud of smoke. "I guess I make up for you, hey Emo Kid?" He ruffled Akasuke’s hair and then shoved his hands into his pockets.</sup>

[Aphrodesiac]

^{Akasuke watched Riku's tactics, amused by the demon's antics. "Are you under the influence... of some ... Controlled substance?" Akasuke tilted his head in his characteristic chibi/kawaii curious angle. "Sexier every year? Well, that's a new one... At least you're not banal."}

[Asphyxiate]

^{Riku wiped his nose on the back of his hand and scrunched up his face. "Yeh." He muttered. "Heroine... Weed... Oh, I think Crystal Meth, too. I can't remember." He shook his head and reached up to pet the bird on his shoulder. Then, he reached over and smacked Aka-chan over the head. "Oi." He spat. "No disrespecting Demons. You should know better than that, Kid—WAIT! I was drunk last night, too." He grinned, actually proud of himself for remembering. Dear god.}

[Aphrodesiac]

^{"Disrespecting demons..." Aka rubbed the side of his face and glared at Riku seethingly. "No self-respecting person would revere you, demon!" Aka snapped. Wait. Demon? Aka-chan looked at Riku again. "Demon? What do you mean by that?" Ah, the lovely innocence of ignorance. <3}

[Asphyxiate]

^{Riku scowled and smacked Akasuke over the head again. "Demon, you know? Special powers... Special status... Like that guy in the red kimono. Inuwasha?" Riku shook his head. "But, I'm special, you see." He stuck his arm out, waiting as all sorts of birds just sort of, landed. "I'm the last of many. Ever heard of the miracle birds back in Bonnie England? The Macaws? Yeah, we were found out and the fuckin' humane society put most of us in sanctuaries an' shit. Most didn't survive." Riku clenched his teeth, attempting to soothe his harsh tones. "All you need to know is that I attract birds. I can talk to them, too. This one thinks you're a pinhead." He pointed to a magpie perched don his elbow. 'Fiji..." He jabbed a thumb at the budgie. "Agrees."}

[Aphrodesiac]

^{"Oh. Well." Y'see, Aka was... Openminded? XD;; Pinhead... Akasuke rolled his eyes and gently lifted a hand to the magpie. "Di I Ji Ling Huen Rinku {Translation: Level One Soul Link}..." There was a faint zing of bluish light that connected the bird; a faint shroud of sparkling energies swirled around it and seemed to 'settle in'. The magpie seemed to swoon, and then fell off its perch upon Riku's head. He casually flicked up his hand; the bird flapped its wings dumbly and settled into Akasuke's hand. "I can do that, if that's anything special."}

[Asphyxiate]

^{Riku winced heavily and let his arm drop, the birds fleeing as if they sensed what was about to happen. And then, B00M! Riku punched Aka-chan square in the nose. "Don't... Do that." He forced out through gritted teeth. "I mean it." By now, people were beginning to stare, but he really didn't care. Hell, if anything, Riku enjoyed all of the attention. What an attention whore. But, you love it. Anyways, Riku dropped to his knees and ran a finger along the 'Victimized' Magpie's spine, murmuring to himself.}

[Aphrodesiac]

^{"Ow..." Aka rubbed his sore nose. My, hanging out with this boyi was giving him a lot of bruises... He had dropped the Soul-Linked magpie on the ground, and looked at it now. "It's easier to Link souls than to Unlink them, and it's ever so slightly hard to Unlink them with you fondling the bird like that."}

[Asphyxiate]

^{Riku slowly stood up and faced Akasuke, trying his best not to punch the younger male. "Then unlink it before I kick your ass ever so painfully." There was a deep sneer to his voice, one that was almost scary. Would he hurt Aka-chan if he didn't Unlink the bird? Yes, yes he would. Would he hurt him if he did? Yes, yes he would. Because Riku was high and pissed. And... that wasn't really a good thing. Especially if you were on the receiving end of his anger.}