Rise of the Night/Run of Night

Lyla's breath misted softly in front of her face as she leaned over the building's edge, her neck craned as far as she could stand. Her sharp golden eyes flicked over the crowd as her brows furrowed together.

"Come on come on come on," she growled under her breath.

The night was chilly, more so than normal. The dryness in the air spoke of the coming snow. Even so, she only wore a loose hooded coat with the sleeves cut off roughly and a comfortable pair of olive green pants. With an absent flick of her wrist, she pushed her brown hair out of her face just in time to spot her target.

Grinning, she bounced a moment in her light canvas shoes before bounding off the roof to the next building. She skidded to a halt at the next edge, leaning over so far her feet dangled in the air behind her.

Good, there he is, she thought, unable to keep the smirk off her pretty face.

She lived for the chase, the hunt. And she was good. Very good. No one matched her for speed, let alone her knowledge of the city and its' secrets. It was probably why Congo chose her to be the Diamond Dongs lead runner. Handling messages, tailing those that needed it, and providing a level of last ditch security for her fellows. The group never took "come alone" to mean anything other than "appear alone but know your back is watched."

She followed her quarry for several blocks, hopping from building to building with ease. He never once looked in her direction.

"Tsk tsk, you're getting comfortable, sir. Too comfortable," she chided.

Dropping back to street level lost her a crucial moment and she lost sight of her prey. She picked up the pace until she spotted his hair bobbing ahead of her. She took a shortcut to get ahead of him again, watching his confident stride from the shadows.

Not here, not yet, patience, she reminded herself. Too public. You know how this one will react. Best in the dark, away, quiet.

She kept ahead for another block or so before slipping into his destination through an open window. She had scoped the place out beforehand and had been pleased to note that he at least had the sense to do more than lock the door. Not that it kept her out, of course.

She paused a moment to look around his apartment. It was decadent by her standards. Furniture, paintings, rugs, and pieces of his travels carefully displayed. She ran a finger over several of them, wondering about their origin.

Her attention shifted when she heard the heavy boots in the hallway. She eased into her already chosen hiding place as the sound of keys hit the doorknob. He opened the door and walked in, dropping the keys on the table by the door.

Then he paused. He looked around, his hand drifting slowly to the gun at his side.

Ah, maybe not so comfortable, she thought. But no worries, soldier, you're home alone aren't you? Of course...

Slowly, he relaxed, satisfied that he was alone. No doubt reminding himself that no one would dare come after him in his own home.

Now! her mind screamed.

She reacted quickly, aching for this moment. She darted out of her hiding spot and came at him. He managed to get his hand to his weapon before she slammed him against the wall, grabbing his wrist and cracking it against the door hard enough to make him drop the gun to the floor.

His vivid blue eyes burned rage as they met hers, his mouth twisted into the grimace of someone prepared to kill. But it melted away into shock as recognition drifted slowly to him.

"Lyla?" he choked out.

"You're losing your touch, Shadow," she said softly, still passed hard against him. "I'm a little disappointed."

He sputtered for a moment, his cheeks flushing bright red. Though she knew it wasn't anger or shame that got his blood pumping. "What the hell are you doing here?" he finally managed to get out.

"Checking on you," she said, releasing his wrist to keep both hands pressed against the wall on either side of his neck. She felt his hand drop and hover near her waist. "Congo wanted me to run intell on you."

"Are you supposed to be telling me that?" he asked, his dark hair falling across his forehead as he remained pinned to the wall.

"No. Wasn't supposed to make contact either," she grinned mischievously, easing off him to saunter over to his couch. "I was hoping you'd ruin that for me by paying attention but... Here we are." She plopped down on the couch to study him.

He looked much the same as he had six years ago. The intensity in his eyes was still there, the sharp cut of his jaw as he clenched his teeth. Black and blue hair perfectly kept. The dark blue tattoos on his arms looked almost black in the dim light. He was still dressed from work, a short sleeved task force surcoat with a full moon stitched on the chest, over his heart. Green cargo pants made the military uniform almost casual but Lyla knew what sorts of things the Lunar Guard kept on them. His heavy black boots were worn enough that they didn't even squeak when he moved cautiously towards her.

Hesitating again, he seemed to decide to just stand in front of her.

"Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Our fearless leader keeps an eye on the family. I'm that eye, you know that."

"No, why would you want to be caught?" His face was guarded. That was new. "It's not like you."

"Am I not allowed to have missed you? It's been six. years. Shadow. Barely a word from you." She pouted dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes at him as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to sit next to her. "I'm hurt, I thought you would have at least visited."

He chewed his bottom lip, buying it. At least that hadn't changed.

"You know why I couldn't," he said, real longing in his voice. "To keep all of you safe. It's no secret where I come from."

She sighed, resting her elbows on her knees. "Calm down, I'm just pulling your leg. I know the story."

"Then you know it's dangerous for you to be here with me, Lyla! You could be arrested and if that happened... The council wants information about you all. Badly. I hate to think what they'd do to get it." He sighed, looking pained at the thought. But he turned back to her and smiled. "It is good to see you, though."

They sat quietly for a moment before looking away from each other, the unspoken tension forcing them to this awkward place.

Shadow had a crush on her. Everyone knew. They had practically grown up together after Congo brought them to the safety of the gang as children. Shadow had been the first person Lyla talked to after spending nearly a year in silence after coming to live with Congo and his gang. She never told any of the others how she came to be there and the fact that Shadow never pressed the issue had made her trust him. She had feelings for him but when it came to matters of the heart, Lyla was cautious.

She hoped that someday he would realize it and take the first step she was terrified to even admit loomed between them. Better safe and alone than to take that plunge first.

"I should turn some lights on," he said, standing suddenly. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh. Uhm. Yeah, please," she said, standing to follow him into the kitchen.

They chatted idly about politics, the state of Manehattan, the princesses, and his responsibilities as Captain of the Lunar Guard. Never discussing the gang that was their family that he had left for his studies in magic. Lyla found herself longing to grab his hand and pull him back with her. To do something, anything, to bring him back. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until they stood here like old times. Laughing together like the years didn't matter.

She knew then that she had to leave. This wasn't fair to him. And it was quickly becoming painful for her. She made an excuse and they stumbled into their good byes.

Pausing in the window sill, she caught his eye. The words were coming and she couldn't stop them.

"We miss you, Shadow. I... I miss you." She bit her lip, both hands gripping the window tightly.

"I miss you too," he said softly, stepping close enough that she could smell the mix of his lingering body wash and sweat.

She darted close to kiss him on the lips before flinging herself out into the night.

Stupid, she growled in her head. Stupid and selfish. Fool.

She shook her head and focused on getting home.