Hunting the Viruses.

[John Pierce]

John ran swiftly through the desert, kicking up sand and dust with every step. His footsteps were light and swift. His red cloak billowed around him as a warm breeze hit him. There had been reports of Viruses around here, and while he wasn't officially part of the Virus Elimination Squad, he was hunting for them. A black bit of cloth covered his nose and mouth, keeping the air he breathed mostly dust free. He stopped, checking his bearings, and looked toward the north, the direction the sightings had been.

Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a wineskin, pulling the cloth down and taking a drink. He should have enough energy to last him for the rest of his journey. He stretched his legs and started running again. 'I will find them... I will destroy them... That is my goal until I find you...' He thought as he ran. His red eyes darted back and forth, looking for anything out of the ordinary, ready for just about anything.

[iris]

Iris jumped back and skidded to a stop, kicking a lot of sand into the air. She stood back up and slid her sword back in sheath. Closing her eyes, the now-blurry virus in front of her burst into flames and vanished from existence. Finally finishing her mission, she turned to the other side and started walking away from the scene. The fight used up only a little bit of her energy, since she did not waste any time giving the opponent any opportunities and mercilessly executed it. Besides, it was also a weaker virus so she did not have as much trouble as she has with the stronger ones.

Knowing that she still has a lot of energy, more than enough to get back to the city, she focused as she walked and tried to contact base. "... Iris Shiori reporting... mission accomplished, target virus is eliminated and now returning to base..." that was all she said before cutting connection and continuing on her way. After a few minutes of walking, she saw sand flying into the air as if being kicked up by a moving person. Again, she connected to base to send a quick message telepathically.

"...This is Iris Shiori... There is a possible sighting of a civilian bystander in target site... Please hold for further report..." she said as she quickly ran towards the source and saw a young man running, seemingly looking for something. It was an unusual sight in the desert at that time, since base never told her anything about bystanders in the area. She quickly caught up to him and took a hold on his shoulder, gripping it and turning him around to face him. "This is a hostile area, I request that you come with me to evacuate immidiately..."

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 297
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;;

Done the post~

[John Pierce]

John slowed his run when he saw the sand fly up, then the miniature fire. The telltale sign that a Virus was destroyed. He continued again, pulling his pistol out and getting closer. He heard Iris's voice telling him it was a Hostile Area. "Of course it's a hostile area... I've heard the reports, that's why I'm here. I'm here to take out the Viruses..." He grumbled. "I'm not going with any..." His voice stopped and his eyes widened. He pulled the cloth from his mouth and smiled. "Oh my god... IRIS!" He shouted happily. "I haven't seen you in... Ages..." A large smile spread across his face. "I thought I lost you... All those years ago.." He reached into his pack and grabbed his water again, taking a drink. He ran a hand through his hair, knocking the dust from it.

[iris]

The man told her that he knew that it was a hostile area. She let go of him and put her arms on her waist, watching him carefully. With that knowledge about the area, he might be another Virus Defense System. As he raised his head to look at her, the man seemed a bit shocked and surprised to see her. He did look somewhat familiar to her, but she knows that she has seen a lot of people who resemble him in all her days in the cyberspace where she is now.

Everything made sense to her until he said her name and told her that they have met before years back and never thought that they would meet again. She kept staring blankly at him, and with her same monotonous tone, replied. "... You might be mistaking me for someone else... Now state your purpose for being here..."

She closed her eyes and contacted base again for another report. It was telepathic so no sound came out of her mouth. ".. The civilian seems confused and delusional... Prepare proper service once I get back, he might have suffered mental damage from the conditions of target area." she said as she opened her eyes again.

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 206
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; Here you go

[John Pierce]

"Iris... What's wrong?" He asked, she seemed to not know who he was... This struck him as odd... He pulled the locket from under his shirt and opened it, showing it to her. "If I'm mistaken, how did I get this?" He asked her. He listened as she talked about possible Mental damage and exhaustion. "No, No, No... Im fine..." He grumbled. "My business here is the same as yours, apparently, Im here to destroy the Viruses. I'll go, but only because you asked me to... But I won't be happy about it." he said with a sigh, and put his pistol back in the holster.

He thought about it for a moment. The Monotonous Voice. The lack of Emotion... "You're Hollow... Arent you..." He asked with a sad tone. He placed a hand on her shoulder softly. "Im sorry..." He muttered with a frown.

[iris]

Her response seemed to have a negative effect on him, seeing as he asked her what was wrong with her. She crossed her arms and looked at him without much expression. "... All my functions are normal and there is no sign of any distortion." Of course she was fine, the virus was not a powerful and challenging one to face. Even if it was, she was a trained fighter and she will still most likely end up fine. He showed the locket to her and she saw the same picture that she has in her own locket. This brought even more confusion into her. However, she slowly felt her energy being replenished. His emotions were reaching a somewhat unstable state and she was slowly feeding off his energy.

His business was similar to hers, but she has done the job before he did. There was a long pause and the man asked her if she was a Hollow. "... Yes... Iris Shiori, Fire Hollow and a part of the Virus Defense System... I assume from your appearance that you are a Leech.... Is my analysis correct...?" she replied with ease.

Iris recieved an apology from him and she did not know what it was for. "... What are you apologizing for...? Your emotions are getting unstable and you are replenishing my energy... Did you not know that...?" It was getting very interesting indeed for her. If this kept up, she would have her energy replenished fully before she knows it.

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 251
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; Yay my word count went up again

[John Pierce]

"Yeah, I know you're gaining energy... It's something I can't control. You seem to have forgotten about us... The locket you wear is US... quite a few years ago now." He said, almost on the verge of tears. He had lost her once, ten years ago, and now that he found her, she doesn't remember him. His heart was... Breaking...

"You're correct... I'm an Aero Leech... Johnathan Pierce... You know me..." He pleaded with her, he wasnt going to admit defeat... Yet. As he spoke, four Viruses came from the ground around them. John pulled out his Pistol and shot at one, he hit it in the center of the head and it fell over. He grabbed Iris's arm and pulled her in that direction, using a small burst of wind to knock the remains of the Virus out of their way.

He turned and shot a the other three, which had started to give chase. He hit one, but missed the other two. He had missed again as they neared, one rearing an arm up to slash at them. He ducked under the swipe and shot it in the side a couple of times, and looked over at Iris, to make sure she was safe. "We should probably continue our talk elsewhere." He suggested.

[iris]

Iris was getting quite bothered by him being so persistent about them knowing each other. After he spoke about the locket, about them a few years back, and his name, she focused in her mind and tried digging up what's left of her blurry memory of the real world where she used to be. All she remembered were the locket, certain people being close to her, and the loud-sounding bright light that almost took away her existence. The name Johnathan Pierce did ring a bell somewhere in her mind, but it was not fully recognizable by her. "... Most of the components of my memories have been severely damaged since the conversion to cyberspace... For now, I cannot be sure about what anyone tells me regarding my past life..."

Right after she finished explaining her general situation, four viruses sprang up around them. They were the weaker types that can be taken down in a few blows but can still corrupt and distrort uncautious beings. She was about to reach for her sword when John grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the viruses, with him taking down three of the four. As they stopped, she stood straight in a prepared striking stance with her hand on the hilt of her sword and her eyes closed. She did not bother listening to the last thing he said as the last remaining virus appeared right in front of her, about to attack.

Immidiately, she opened her eyes and drew her blade while slashing the virus in half with impressive speed. She did not stop there as she ignited her blade and used her momentum to spin and perform another slash, making the last one of the assailants burst into flames. Gracefully, she sheathed her blade as the flames around it disappeared. She turned to look at him and spoke. "Next time... do not just drag my body around like I am a helpless doll...."

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 324
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; Fight scene~

[John Pierce]

John grumbled as he put his gun away. "You can't trust your Memory, that's true, but you have a Locket as well. We both have one. Theres a picture of the two of us, and your parents in it." He said with a slight growl. He felt his energy draining, and knew he had to try to get control of his emotions soon. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but then She had made the comment that he treated her like a helpless doll. "I wasn't trying to drag you around like a helpless doll... I was dragging you away from danger like someone that CARES about you." He said, staring down at the ground, his energy fading rather quickly. He dropped to one knee and placed a hand on his head. "Lets just get out of here..." He said Weakly.

John pushed off the ground again, pulling the cloth over his mouth. Brushing the sand and such off his clothing he turned to the girl with a nod. "Let's go." He said simply, starting to make his way across the sands again. It should be a somewhat shorter journey, getting back, since he knew where he was going this time, and he had someone to talk to on the way... Sort of...

[iris]

His persistence was both bothering and slightly interesting at the same time to Iris. The locket apparently contained a picture of her, John, and her parents. She just decided to pretend to go with his story as if she understands, since he seemed greatly exhausted from his emotions flowing right into her in the form of pure energy. He will not last much longer if his emotions were to stay in its unstability. Bringing back a dead bystander would stain her reputation by blaming collateral damage on her.

The next thing he said was a bit vague for her. She was dragged around because she was cared for. More so, what did he mean by he cared for her? They have just met and he was already giving her this act of care. It was very strange in her view. He dropped on one knee and got back up, thankfully. He told her that they should go and she simply nodded in agreement. As they started making their way to the city again, she looked at him for a second. "... Stay close... With your current state, you will not be able to handle another virus attack with as much ease as last time..."

She did not know why she just said that. Lookingg straight ahead, she thought about what she had said for a while. Was she simply returning an expression of care or was she just avoiding a situation where she will be slowed down? To maintain her focus and awareness of her surroundings, she just left the question behind and kept walking.

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 265
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; Aww word count went down again...

[John Pierce]

John kept going, keeping a few paces ahead of Iris. "I'll be fine... Lets just keep moving before more of those things show up." He said, turning back and looking at her for a few moments. As he continued on, he looked down at his hands, which were starting to look slightly pale. She was probably right, another virus attack and he'd be done for. As soon as they got back to town, he would have to find someone to feed on, unless.. He looked back again with a small grin, but shook his head. No, he wasn't going to feed on Iris... he cared about her too much. But... He needed some energy... 'Damnit' he thought to himself, weighing the pros and cons of just turning and biting into his old lovers neck for energy. He sighed slightly as they walked, unsure if he should or not. After all, she has extra energy because of him.

[iris]

Iris was in a bit of deep thought about everything that she has heard so far from this Johnathan Pierce whose name sounded so familiar and had so much evidence that he had legitimate information about her past. Of course, since she has just met him, it would be much better to stay cautious and not fully trust him yet. While they were walking, she still kept feeling her energy slowly recovering. It was as if John's feelings are still a bit unstable. She looked at him and saw his skin becoming pale, which was a bad sign.

She stopped on her tracks and thought about it for a while. The excess energy that she has did come from him and she really did not need that much energy to keep going so she might give him that energy back if she just had a way to make sure that he will not go overboard. She then had an idea. "... You will not be able to keep going with that little energy left..." she said as she brought him close to her. After doing that, she unsheathed her sword and put the blade right beside John's neck. "You may feed from me.... however, if you try to take too much, it will cost you your life..."

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 216
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; My muse is slowly getting lower Dx

[John Pierce]

John looked up as Iris grabbed him, and pulled him closer to her. He was unsure of what was going on when she pulled her blade and put it to his neck. Within a couple seconds, his gun was out of it's holster and pointed at her. Then she explained that she was doing this as a precaution as she let him feed from her. "I never do... I feed only to survive, I haven't killed anyone because of it..." He muttered, and grabbed her hand in his. It felt familiar, and he smiled softly as he bit into her arm, drawing in some energy. The energy flow always made him feel Great. After a few moments, he released her, and pulling his 'mask' back up. "Thank you, Iris." He said and looked at her. "Well then... Shall we continue? You've gotta report back, Im sure..." He muttered, feeling a lot better now. His heart still ached because of Iris, but it was a bit better now. Maybe he'd be able to remind her of what the two of them once were.

[iris]

She stood there, unfazed and keeping a close eye on him as he sank his fangs into her arm. Being mostly mechanical, her arm does not feel any pain whatsoever, which usually was useful when she had to block shots using it. Her arm still had the same feel as human flesh, besides the armoured part of it. When he finished and thanked her, she sheathed her blade and nodded simply.

They continued walking as she replied by saying "... Yes... They are surely expecting me back in base headquarters as soon as possible." As they kept walking, she looked at her hands most of the time. Although it can barely sense touch, the moment they held hands felt oddly familiar for her. The warmth and feel of it seemed like something she used to feel some time in the past. Realizing that she is being distracted, she ignored that assumption and continued on their walk. "... Johnathan Pierce... If you were telling the truth, would your views now be influenced by the additional information that I am no longer human but a Hollow...?" She still did not believe that fact, of course, but she did not want to unstabilize his emotions once again and drain all his energy. That was why she simply wanted to pretend as if she did remember knowing him.

~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~Υ~

Word Count;; 224
Tags;; John
Muse Music;; None
Form;; Normal Form
Notes;; It went up!

[John Pierce]

John thought about what she asked for a moment, and looked at her. "Even if you're a Hollow... you're still my Iris. I swore to love you till the day I die, and I'll keep that promise." He stated with a slight smile. "And until you remember me, and learn to feel emotions, I've just gotta work harder." He nodded as they walked. As they crested a Dune he smiled slightly, Civilization was near. "We're almost there." He muttered, and turned to her. "How would I become a part of the Virus Elimination squad? I wan't to join up." He asked her, and looked toward the town. "Theres a lot of people out there. They need protecting. There's no better way to protect them then joining up with the worlds Defense Forces, right?" He was ready to join up, whatever it takes.