Catching the Shadow (Jade)

Azrael narrowed her eyes at the amount of books that lined the walls as she walked on the highest floor for the library so she could see where a certain someone was. Leaning against the golden railing, her wings stretched out slightly to give her reminder that she needed to fly soon before lifting her up and dropping her, silently, in a dark corner on the opposite side down a level. Slowly walking around, wings trailing on the ground behind her, she held her massive book to her chest before seeing the person she had been looking for quite some time. Coming up behind her, her wings seemed to surround the table to give them some privacy. ''Ah, Miss Shadow. Keeping up to your studies, I see?'' She whispered, smirking delicately at the strength in her tone.

Laying on the table in a dark corner of the library in her jeans, slip-on sneakers, and green hooded 3/4 sleeve half-shirt, Jade's tail moved gently back and forth as it hung over the table's edge. She was deeply engrossed in a book about birds. Jade loved how they looked: sleek lines, bright colors, so many little details that made up the whole... The information about them was interesting, too. Soon, she picked up on movement from someplace in the library. Tipping her head to the side and up, her bright hazel-green eyes swept the stacks of books, but saw nothing. Narrowing her eyes, she returned to her birds and flipped a page. When was little light was around her dimmed and a whispered voice she didn't know sounded from above her, Jade lowered her book slightly so that her eyes could look up into those of the woman leaning over her. "Perhaps... Who wants to know?" she asked softly and with a calm that seemed to silence any sound around them, her eyes never leaving the winged one.

Azrael took in the sight of the books about birds, furrowing her brow in confusion but simply chuckled. The girl was fiesty but still calm, making Azrael almost like her instantly but it took more than a few words. Removing her wings from around the demon, she snapped her fingers at a chair and caused it to transform into a large armchair just as her wings snapped up into her back. ''The Archangel of Death and Controller of Demons wishes to know, Jade Shadow. I do hope you know what means otherwise I'd have to speak with your creator about his poor Hell Schooling.'' She said with a raise of her eyebrow, voice growing stronger with authority as she spoke her title before it lilted with pride. Her delicate hands picked up a stray book on birds and flipped through the pages with confusion. ''A panther tailed demon looking up birds with interest? I've never seen anything more ironic. There will always be a cat chasing the birds..'' She murmured, placing the book down on a stack.

At the snap of the winged one's fingers and removal of her wings from around her, Jade sat up, her spotted back to the woman for a moment before she swung her legs over the edge of the table to face her. Seeing her wings vanish as she sat, the title rang in her chest as she knew who she was facing now. "Lady Azrael..." she murmured with a small sigh. She had never met this Controller of Demons, but she knew of her, just like most, if not all, Demons did. Watching her pick up one of the books she had finished reading before, she tucked her finger inside the book in her hands and closed the cover, keeping her place for later. The mention of just what an ironic scene was before the Angel made Jade's tail come to rest across her lap. Giving it a gentle stroke, she smirked slightly. She couldn't deny it was true... "Not chasing. Learning. They are beautiful. Artistic perfection," she said in the same eerie calm as before, only with a touch of awe, as her eyes followed the placement of the book back on the others on the table. Bringing them back to the woman, she asked, "What do you want?"

Azrael sat up as well, the dark part of her, the demon controlling part, wanted to make her bow but she simply let out a smile. ''That is I. Guess I don't have to speak to your Creator after all but if you see him, tell him i miss his little face.'' She said, amusement tweaking her tone before seeing Jade hold a place in the book. Waving her hand, a red velvet bookmark took her fingers place before looking up at Jade's face, taking in the markings. ''Chasing and learning is the same thing in my books, Miss Shadow. You must learn your target to find the weak spots but I suppose you are right. Birds are beautiful. I am glad you like my Father's creation.'' Her eyebrow lifted up as one side of her lip curved up in a smirk but that quickly disappeared at the girls blunt question. Her eyes flashed with fury but pushed it aside and she sat closer. ''Miss Shadow. You seem to be asking the wrong questions. Besides, it is not what I want. It is what you want...Your deepest darkest desire that only I can grant.'' She said, staring deep into Jade's eyes as if she were staring into her soul. ''This is the part where you go 'I don't want anything' but I obviously don't believe you and whisk you off some place to prove I don't.'' She explained, shrugging. Such a casual move that held so much grace.

Nodding at the Angel's request, Jade committed the request to memory for the next time she saw the Demon Maker. Removing her finger as the velvet bookmark took its place, Jade wanted to tell Azrael that she had no intention of harming the birds, that her study of them was purely artistic in nature, but she let it be. Let her think as she wished. "He made many things that I find beautiful," Jade mused softly, a flicker of a smile touching her lips before vanishing as quickly as it was there. One of her personal favorites was the cat that she had been blessed to share features with thanks to her own maker. Pulling back slightly as the woman leaned in closer to her, Jade looked into her eyes and saw the flash of fury dance there for a moment before vanishing. Opening her mouth to answer Azrael, she slowly closed it when the woman told her just what she was about to say. It was true, she didn't want anything. So, why would she doubt her? "The truth is, I don't want anything. But, since you don't believe me, where would you take me to prove that you are the one that is right?" Jade asked, the only expression on her face being the slight head tilt and slow blink as she asked her question.

Azrael clasped her hands underneath her chin and rested there for a moment, reading Jade like the book that hovered behind her now. She was slowly beginning to like her. How she spoke little words but every expression, even the smallest, told a story. ''I'll be sure to tell my Father that. Perhaps he may make something very special just for you to admire and study like the panther you are.'' She said, her head tilting to the side before smirking slowly making it look quite wild for those who were frightened by such things but she knew Jade was frightened by nothing. Standing up causing the armchair to disappear, the books flew into their place before Azrael looked down at Jade. ''I'd show you your weakness, Miss Shadow. It's not where...It's when. You need to stop asking the wrong questions. '' She said, breathing in sharply. ''Now stand up and take my hand. The one thing you have to do when you take it is breath calmly and think of the birds or whatever relaxes you. Like the warmth of someone's arms that care..'' She said, raising her eyebrow just as her lip curved upwards again showing what she knows about Jade.

Holding perfectly still as Azrael's hand rested under her chin and she watched her for a moment, Jade was sure that the Angel was taking a read of her. Her touch was both hot and cold against her sun kissed skin, something she'd never felt before. The idea of The Creator making something just for her, a Demon, brought an uncommon light to Jade's eyes as well as the small glimmer of a smile. "You think He'd do that?" she asked in a hushed whisper. She had never been referred to as a panther, at least not like Azrael had just done. The compliment made her tail twitch happily as the Angel smiled in a way that, if she was anyone other than who she was, she might tremble in fear, but not Jade.

The mention of weakness and what hers was, made Jade's eyes darken slightly as she narrowed them. She had no weaknesses... She was strong... "How do I know-" she went to ask before Azrael told her to stand and take her hand. Doing as she commanded, Jade hopped off the table and slipped her hand into the Angel's, once again feeling the combination of hot and cold from before. Breathe calmly and think of relaxing things... Simple enough. As she began to think of the wind and birds with her eyes closed, Jade's breathing hitched and her eyes snapped open and locked on the woman. Her brow furrowed as she asked, "How did you..." Unable to finish her question, Jade took a deep breath and was sure she didn't even need to finish it for Azrael to know what she wanted to know.

Azrael nodded gently, knowing her Lord would always enjoy creating new things even for those on the opposite side. Narrowing her eyes at Jade, waiting for her to speak but was thankful she didn't before keeping her hand tightly wrapped around the demon's with a bruising grip. ''You must also learn how to finish your questions.'' She muttered with her eyes shining in mischief. ''Field trip!'' She exclaimed, her wings snapping out of her back and lifted them both up into the air, her hand waving so the ceiling opening up to fit them through. ''Also...Don't look down.'' She whispered into the Demon's ear and pulled the girl closer so they were facing each other. Azrael's large wings wrapped around her and began to spin faster and faster causing storm clouds to wrap around them like a cloak and soon, they disappeared with a crackle of lightening.

Landing on a field, Azrael let go of Jade and a golden chain had wrapped itself around Jade's wrist and it linked to Azrael's belt. ''This is just to keep you closer, panther. I can't afford to lose you now...We've not reached the main event yet.'' She quipped, winking playfully before turning around to point to a farm. ''We're just close..'' She waited now for Jade to get her breath back from the odd travel. Most felt faint and had to sit down, others just felt as if their heart had stopped. Some even died but that's a different story.

A small glimmer of what would be a smile touched Jade's eyes when Azrael nodded in the affermative that He would likely really make something just for her. Raising her eyebrow slightly at being told to finish her questions, she thought about that for a fleeting moment. First her questions are wrong and now she needed to finish them... Letting out a small puff of a sigh, Jade let it go, figuring it was pointless to ask further. The Angel's grip on her hand, made her drop her bright eyes before raising them back up. It was firm, and Jade wouldn't be surprised if there were soft bruises left in its wake when she let go. "Field trip?" Jade whispered, her brow puckering in confusion, before her eyes went very wide as Azrael's wings opened up and she was pulled in to come face to face with the Controller of Demons. As they spun faster and faster, she heard the warning of not to look down, which she heeded, keeping her eyes locked on the woman's face at lightning took them...

Once they appeared in a green field, Jade tried to get her footing, but her breathing was coming to quickly and not drawing enough air it seemed to keep her on her game. Sitting down, she took a few moments to close her eyes and focus on catching her breath, her tail wrapped around her, resting on the ground. She had never travelled this way, and she just hoped that this feelnig was normal. When the fuzziness left her, Jade opened her eyes and slowly went to get up when she felt something around her wrist and heard the chink of a chain. Looking down, she spotted the golden adornment that tied her to the Angel. Snapping her bright eyes to the woman, Jade's expression was hard and her tail flicked angrily behind her. She didn't like being tied down and to be on a leash was just as bad. "Wasn't planning to just run of in a place I don't know..." Jade said simply before catching the Angel's wink, which confused her slightly. Getting to her feet, she brushed the grass and dirt from her jeans and looked towards where Azrael was pointing. Her expression softening at the farm ahead of them, she asked in a much more mellow tone, "Where are we?"

Azrael crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the demon to catch her breath. Despite it being a frequent thing, it annoyed her how long it took. ''Come on, I ain't getting younger. Seriously...I'm frozen like this.'' She said to lighten her own mood so she didn't cause someone's death and have to be forced to bring them back to life because it was not their time. Her reaction to the chain helped better than her joke, causing her to let out a sparkling laugh before her expression hardened to match the Demon's. ''It reaches a certain distance away from me. You don't have to stay close but you're still close at the same time. Besides, I'm not worried about you running off. It's about being taken. The past isn't the nicest. Then again..We're only a week from the present but still. Past is dangerous even for a Shadow Demon.'' She mused, lightly shrugging before seeing the expression soften. ''Transylvania..'' Azrael finally answered due to staring into Jade's soul, to read her emotions and walked towards the farm, tugging on the golden chain to inform her to keep moving.

Jade's hazel eyes became unreadable when Azrael mentioned that she was more concerned about someone taking her over her taking off. Why would someone want to take her? She was only a Shadow Demon, nothing of consequence. Being only a week before now... A week in the past? A flicker of confusion danced through her eyes as she tilted her head slightly. Taking a moment to consider her question before asking, she looked back at the farm when the Angel answered that they were in Transylvania. This mattered to her... But, Why? The soft rattle of the chain that connected them brought her back to herself before gritting her teeth and following the woman. Focusing back on the farm, she felt her frustration with being 'leashed' to Azrael fade slowly, as if it really didn't matter. "Why are we here? Why are we here, in the past?" she asked, not taking her eyes from the farm they were walking towards.

Azrael smirked whilst her black hair covered her face to hide the amusement. She could feel the anger flowing off of the Demon in waves and it only amused her more. After they got the farm fence, her eyes slowly moved to land on the girl beside her. ''Finally! Asking the right questions. You're a quick learner, child. Now the reason we are here is because i find you emotionally capable of learning something. Interesting, right? I've not found a person emotionally capable in over a century.'' She quipped, tilting her head before snapping out of her thoughts. ''We are here because these people are quite important...I suppose. Just listen...'' With those words, they were now outside the kitchen window that was opened slightly...

A woman with the same colour hair as Jade rushed around the kitchen sorting out the meal whilst two younger children sorted the table. They shoved each other as they put the cutlery down and the mother scolded them, her eyes dancing with amusement despite the firm line that were her lips. A man walked in, putting his hat on the side and washing his mucky hands before kissing his wife. ''Smells delicious, my dear.'' He said and the children agreed. A teenager walked in, looking like the Shadow demon's reflection, kissed her sisters cheek and sat down at the table. ''C'mon, Mum! I'm starved!'' She said gently, giggling to herself as she did before seeing a plate land before her. ''Eat up then, Jade...Your father will need you in the barn later.'' The mother said, stroking her daughter's hair back before kissing her forehead lovingly. ''Yes, Mum..'' Jade muttered into her food whilst staring out the window, almost at the Angel and the Demon but continued to eat after shaking her head.


Azrael watched with a tiny smile, looking down at Jade with curiosity before sighing. ''This is your family, Jade. Kind of. Before you were a demon, you had this. You were human...You are their ancestor.'' She whispered into her ear. ''I lied, my little panther. Though there are forces willing to take any one who enters the past, the chain is to stop you from rushing in there to be with your family.''

Glancing at the Angel's comment about right questions and her being a quick learning, Jade raised an eyebrow slightly before looking back at the nearing farmhouse. Emotionally capable? Her brow furrowed in confusion along with the uncertainty if she should be offended or not by the comment, Jade brought her dark eyes back to Azrael. What did all this have to do with her? How would people here matter anything to Jade? She was a Demon, not a mortal... Expecting to see the farmhouse inside the gate where they had stopped just before, she was a little stunned to find themselves right outside the kitchen window, looking in on the scene...

The motion in Jade's tail stopped as she slowly put her hands on the sill of the window and watched, unblinking as the family went about their business. Seeing the food placed on the table, Jade realized she knew this traditional dish. She could taste it as if she'd eaten it many times before, smell it as if she was standing in the kitchen beside all of them. So many things seemed familiar, but none struck her as blatantly so until the young teen walked in. Jade's jaw went slack and she froze, even her drawing of breath was slow enough to make one wonder if she was breathing at all. The girl looked just like her. If she didn't know better she would have sworn it was herself taking a seat at the table. When the mother figure called her by name, Jade's dark eyes welled with tears that didn't fall. The girl and she shared a name... A name that was so uncommon, they shared it. When the Jade inside looked right at her, she moved for the first time and put her hand on the window pane, swallowing hard...

Before you were a Demon, you had this. You were human... Azrael's words took several moments to sink in before Jade gave her head a gentle shake. "That's not possible. I have no memories of a life other than the one I have. I was never human..." Jade reasoned softly, more to herself then to anyone. Finally pulling her eyes from the family before her and looking at the Angel at her side, Jade looked down at the golden chain, finally hearing the truth. "You would keep me from them... From the love I've never had, the warm touch of care I've never known, a...family..." Jade said flatly and without emotion as she looked back at the people. Jade had read about families and their love and things in books, but had never experienced it. Now, she was so close. She could have it... She could finally know what it was like... Flexing her jaw, a single smokey tear ran down her cheek...

Azrael's eyes were completely on Jade, her reaction was different to what she imagined but still, she at least had a reaction. Letting out a sigh, she leaned against the wall as she watched the family eat and talk having no idea of the conversation outside. ''Everything is possible, my dear. Even a demon having a human life.'' She whispered into her ear before following Jade's gaze to the chain. ''They'll still be here in a weeks time. I won't be able to stop you from seeing them..however. How would you explain it? By saying you are some distant relative that just happens to look like little Jade in there? You don't age so if you spent a long time with them, suspicions would arise. Not like you can just...make little Jade in there disappear and take her place?'' Azrael said, wiping the tear on the Demon's cheek before she could stop herself. ''You could only watch from this distance in the shadows, feeling the warmth of family love secondhand unless you took drastic measures...Are you emotionally capable of handling that or have I picked the wrong Demon?'' She asked firmly, eyes narrowing.

"But I don't remember..." Jade nearly growled as Azrael whispered about possibilities and everything being possible. Flexing her jaw hard, she pulled away from the hand that wiped her tear. Backing up until the chain between them was tight, she closed her dark eyes and shook her head. "Even if I did come back and tried to tell them, like they would believe me... I'm a Demon... Even if you are right and I was human at some point, I'm not NOW!" she all but snapped at the woman. Not bothering to stop her tears any longer, Jade let the two streams of smokey tears run down her cheeks as she asked darkly, "Why did you bring me here? Why are you teasing me with the one thing I can never have? You tell me I once was like them, but I'm not now, so why show me what I'm missing? WHY?!" Azrael's final question silenced Jade. Falling to her knees, her chained hand extended in the air thanks to her pulling it tight as she backed away from the Angel, she sight heavily. As her tears hit the ground, they dispersed in small wisps of shadows. Giving her downcast head a shake, she answered her that she hadn't picked the wrong Demon, even if she didn't understand what this was all about or why this Angel would chose to bring her here, to show her something she could never experience.

Azrael rolled her eyes, letting the demon back away before watching her closely as she shouted. Anger was something she had a lifetimes filled up with. ''You don't get it do you?! I'm helping you right now! Giving you subtle ideas of what to do in a weeks time!'' She replied, her wings tingling to cover them both to take them back but Azrael growled lightly. ''I am not teasing as you so rudely put it. If i was teasing, I would've put you inside little Jade's body to experience this entire thing before dragging you out by your hair and taking you home.'' She kept saying before going onto her knees. The chain hit the floor in an almost musical sound as her hand raised again. ''I can help you remember. I'll let you remember..everything.'' She whispered, her index finger lightly touched Jade's forehead like there was a button there to help her remember. ''I'm showing this to you because you're not missing it. You simply lost it deep in your mind. Fool..'' She hissed, standing up whilst trying not to stagger.

Raising her dark eyes to the Angel, her face was expressionless. As she wiped the wet streaks left behind by her tears, Jade actually took the time to let her mind compute what Azrael was telling her before lashing out, something that she had learned to do over time and it drove many Demons her age crazy that she did. When Azrael knelt before her and place her finger to her forehead, Jade didn't move. She understood that she was just trying to help, that she wanted her to remember because she was different, stronger, more unique than the others. Sniffing lightly her eyes went back to the window that was between them for a few silent moments. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, Azrael. I spoke without thinking..." Jade said softly before looking back at her. "You said in a week's time you are hinting at something I can do. What?" she asked, settling more comfortably on her knees, sitting back on her heels with her hands supporting her on her knees. "How can you help me remember?" she asked finally, the first glimmer of emotion since her outburst creeping into her words.