Evil on the mind and blood splatter in the air

Lying on the pavement, beating in despair

Cruel were the blows as they battered and impaired

He was shown no sympathy and he wouldn't be spared

And all the townspeople were gathered and stood there

Watched the punishment get delivered with no care

But when he looked around at the faces that all stared

He saw his own face, that's when he became scared

I awoke with a gasp and a heave as rain pelted me and the asphalt I apparently passed out on. I could feel the sweat falling down my face and suddenly found the mask to be stifling. I struggled with the seal and finally yanked it off as I breathed in deep as rainwater soaked my hair.

"Great..." I said wearily, "Caught in the rain again..."

It wasn't like I forgot about what I did, no the pictures were all coming back. And so were the voices...

"Jacob?"

"Hey you alright son?"

I laughed a little and looked down at the mask that looked new thanks to the rain, "What do you think?"

They were all silent but I could feel their concern radiating from each of them. I looked down at my sides to see I still had the sword and gun. It was strange.....I had done this before but....why did this one time make me feel all wrong about it.

I slowly began to stand when pain sent me back down with a yell.

"Easy man!"

"Hank is right. You're hurt. You're bruised in your chest and shoulder from those bullets. And you twisted your ankle. It's a miracle you were never hit with anything where you weren't protected."

I held my side and breathed fast for a minute before the pain finally faded to a dull throb. I looked up into the dark sky as rain pelted my face.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Around fifteen minutes. Not long,"

"Ah shit....Fluttershy." I said as I stood back up and turned to the apartment only to have Guard appear in front of me.

"Wait a minute Jacob. Now I am not gonna lie, she is probably beyond scared of you right now. But you have a chance to fix things. You need to make her see that what you did was the right thing. And above all else you cannot reveal that you are the Firestarter."

"What? Why not? She already knows I'm a murderer. Let’s just get this out of the way and be done with it."

"No damnit!" Guard said while trying to push me away from the door, "You're not listening to us!"

"Guard, get out of my way!"

I walked around Guard angrily and approached the door.

"Jay, talk some sense into him!" Guard said while turning the one voice that he knew for a fact had a chance to get through to me.

Jay loosened his tie in a nervous manner before walking to me and laying a hand over mine as I was trying to unlock the door.

"Jacob, listen please, listen to what we are trying to tell you."

I let out a sigh before turning to look at him.

"Fluttershy fears the Firestarter more than anything on this world. Even more than the Republic. If she finds out that the only person she trusts and loves the most on this planet is in fact the terrorist she fears, what do you think that would do to her? It would tear her apart and she would run. She would run away and I believe that no one else here would treat her with as much kindness as you have shown her. That is a fact Jacob."

My hand fell off the doorknob and I slouched down as I looked at him and realized he was right.

"So what do I do?" I asked wearily.

It was then that Sam spoke up, wringing his hands like he does whenever he's uncomfortable, "Well....I do have this idea and it’s another one that might work. We don't have to tell her the whole truth but we can tell her half of it."

I turned to him and said, "What are you saying Sam?"

"Well......we could tell her that you are a.....well murderer but you only kill the bad people. You do it to protect and to liberate. You're not a terrorist but a rebel. You're a part of the Firestarter's group and you only want to free the people from the Republic. Just something along those lines you know?"

Everyone nodded as they understood what Sam was getting at.

Guard approached me again, "Like I said, you have a chance to fix this. We can help. Just show her that you are not a bad person Jacob."

I looked at every single one of them and then back to the door. I thought long and hard about everything and I decided that I could not lose her.

"Ok." I said and Jay removed his hand and everyone began to fade into my mind.

"Ready?"

"Here we go again."

For the second time, I opened the door and stepped inside soaking wet and from the depths of my home I could hear someone crying. I removed my coat, boots, and armor now riddled with bullets embedded in the Kevlar. I hid them all, including the mask, in the hall closet and slowly approached the door to my bedroom.

I gently pushed the door open and saw a small lump in my bed like someone was hiding under the sheets.

"Wow....deja vu anyone?"

"Yea..." I said.

I walked up to the bed and stood on the same side as when I first found her. The lump that I knew was Fluttershy curled tighter as if to escape me. Like when she would come out that she would be back in her world. But I knew that wasn't going to happen no matter how much she wished it would or I prayed for it to be. That thought is what truly made me sad....

I gently sat down on the side of the bed next to her and calmly waited. I clasped my hands together and waited for her tears to stop. Finally, the covers moved and I saw a pearlescent green eye staring up at me. As I stared into it I could see her fear as clear as a crystal lake. I looked back at her and felt my own tears start to form.

"Hey..." I said wearily, as if talking to her would somehow make the fear go away. But it was still there and it wasn't going away for a while.

To my surprise, she spoke back, "H-h-hi..."

I turned back to staring at my hands, too ashamed to look at her anymore.

"I'm sorry..." was all I could manage to say even though I knew I had to say more.

She began to move her head out of the covers a little more. Her mouth was trembling as she tried to speak again, "D-did you......."

She was having trouble saying the next word and I wasn't surprised. Perhaps this would be the first time she would ever say it. She took a deep breath and spoke again more clearly, "Did you kill them?"

For a moment I was afraid to answer, what would she do if I said yes?

"I...."

I tried to speak, I really did. They told me what to say and that everything would be ok. But now that I was here.....the words would not come out.

I just sat there in silence with a pained look on my face, causing her to come out even more out of concern or something else I did not know.

"Jacob?"

I finally hung my head in defeat as the word that could end everything came out in a whisper, "Yes..."

There was a flash of shock across her face but she hid it behind her mane.

She spoke again, "Why?"

At that question, the voices in my head began to encourage me.

"This is it. Just say what we told you and this will be fixed."

"This will work Jacob."

I sighed as they quieted down again and instead of just staying quiet, I just blurted it out, "Because it's my job. Because they killed that girl and because they could have killed you. I couldn't just let them go and kill again."

I felt a rush of emotion boil up from my gut as I felt the words just come out. Fluttershy started to reach out to me and comfort me but the fear in me just would not let me shut up.

"Jacob its ok..." She tried to say but I kept going, "No it's not! I lied to you about what I am and what I do. I'm a rebel and a terrorist and a murderer. I should have told you but I was too afraid you would run away in fear of me. I did it to protect you, not just from the world but from me as well. I'm every bit of evil as those men upstairs but when I found you I felt that this was one good thing I could do. If I protect you and got you home then at least I would have done one good thing in my life. I had to kill those men because they kill innocent people who don't deserve to die. That's the way this world is, that's how it works! You kill or be killed and up until now I didn't care if I died! I joined the Firestarter to bring down the Republic because I lost everything when they took over. I felt that the only reason to fight was to get revenge. Then you showed up...."

At this point I was standing up and staring out the window next to the bed, watching the rain pelt the glass and slowing fall down the pane. Fluttershy was sitting up on the bed with the covers over her like a hood with tears forming in her eyes.

"You changed everything when I found you. You changed the way I saw myself and why I was really fighting. I'm sorry I lied to you.....I'm sorry I'm not the good guy you thought I was. But I kill not because I want to but because I have to in order to protect you and everyone else who is hiding in fear."

I turned my back to her and finished with a last sentence, "I am not an Angel, I am a Devil but I will always ever be your Guardian."

The room fell silent again, save for the rain and thunder outside. I could see every one of the guys standing in the corners of the room, watching to see what would happen. Fluttershy said nothing, her head was hung low and small streams of tears fell down her face. After a while, I thought that she had nothing to say at all and I turned to leave the room. But as I neared the door, I suddenly heard a rustling of wings and a light weight landed on my back as two hooves wrapped around my neck in a tight hug.

Fluttershy held onto me as she cried, it wasn't an angry or frightened cry like I had expected but she was crying....

I reached around and got her to my front and I held her in my arms. She said nothing, only wept quietly in my arms and I held her as tight as I could. I walked back to the bed and sat down. I held her close as my own tears began to fall. Her fur was very soft against me and her body was racked by huge sobs. I held her as tight as I could without hurting her. In those moments there was nothing but me and her and the rain.

Finally, she started to calm down and when her sobs turned to small sniffles I loosened my grip enough to see her face. Her eyes were red and puffy and her lips continued to tremble. I placed my hand against her face and gently wiped away her tears.

"Are you okay?" I ask cautiously. I had no idea why she was crying like this.

She nodded her head and gave me another hug around the neck. I returned it in kind and then I heard her whisper something in my ear.

"I'm sorry...."

"Wait what?"

I released the hug and brought her to where I could look at her again, "Why are you sorry? You've done nothing to be sorry for."

"I know," she said, "I'm sorry that you have to live like this. I'm sorry that this is how your life is. No one should have to live like this."

"I know," I said, "But I'm lucky now to have found you. I don't have to. Because I have something that can make life here more bearable and happy. I promise this dark world will not hurt you in any way Fluttershy."

"I know." She said. She knew I would never bring harm to her and if I was a murderer then so be it. I would do it for her and anyone who needs my help. I am a killer but I am also a protector. And so long as I kill the guilty who prey on the innocent......then it is just.

Outside, the storm grew in intensity and the windows shook with the boom of the thunder. Fluttershy held onto me and said, "Please don't go..."

"Never." I said back as I held her against me. The others all came closer from the dark corners and, one by one, embraced us. Together, they formed a protective huddle over us both and for one single moment, we were one.

As the entities from his mind embraced their friend and charge, there was one who stood away from it all. He watched Jacob and the others from a dark corner and was actually smiling. He watched with dark eyes hidden past dark, lengthy hair with a sallow and pale face. His name was Tom. He knew of the reason behind his existence to Jacob and had always felt guilty but it was his job. Now, however, he could feel it all changing. Even now it was starting to affect him as he looked down at his hand to see it fading away with pieces of it flaking off and scattering into nothing. He actually smiled at this and looked up again to see the others fade into Jacob's mind as his friend began to lie on the bed with her in his arms. This small, strange creature from another world that was changing everything and solving all their problems even if the others did not see it. She laid in the arms of her protector, the man who wields fire like a god and would bring a republic to its knees. He looked over them and smiled: the American Devil and his Healing Angel.

He saw what they could do....

He saw what was happening....

He saw what would happen...

He saw their future...

And it was bright....

Like candle fire.....

Author's Note

I love making this story.