***NEED WORK

Mivian watched in wonder as all her cuts, scrapes and bruises healed. She looked up at Ava, confused.
Well, it's nice to know my healing abilities are back, she thought. That could only mean one thing.
Her Energy Pulse was back to normal. But why?

Ava was still looking up at the sky. She let out a sigh and turned her gaze on Mivian.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
Mivian gave herself a quick self-inventory.
"Um..." she started, looking down at her hands.
She was still holding onto her dagger in her left hand. Lightly, she bounced it in her palm and tossed it into the air. She cut the air before, swinging her arm down in one direction, and then slashing back in the other, testing the balance of the weapon against her hand.
Surprisingly, the dagger that was almost too heavy to hold five minutes before was now very much at home in her grasp--- the way it was supposed to be.
"Better. No, wait... back to normal." she said, her confusion getting deeper.

What's wrong with her? Or rather, what was wrong with her?

Even Zavius raised his eyebrows in a surprised expression. Ava, on the other hand didn't look surprised at all. It was as if she had expected this sort of results. She gave a slight nod to Mivian and started to walk towards them.
Valton was heaving on all fours couple of good feet in front of Mivian. Immediately, he whipped his head around at the sound of approaching footsteps. He started to frantically look around him, looking for a way to escape. Ava stopped a couple of feet before him. He snapped his gaze back around to look at her and nearly jumped out of his skin. He scrambled backwards, dragging himself away from Ava.
"A... a, a Slayer!" he stuttered, wagging a shaking finger at her somewhat accusingly. "I've heard of you... you---- black hair, sharp eyes, quiet and deadly. You---"

Ava frowned, tilting her head slightly as if she was having a hard time comprehending what the demon was saying. She lifted her left hand. Valton flinched and cowered before Ava, shielding his face as if he was about to be struck in the face. Ava hesitated, then let out an exasperated sigh, and continued to lift her hand to her neck. She rubbed the back of her neck tiredly, shifting her weight to her right.
"Yes, you're right. I am a Slayer of the Four Gates Union," she allowed, her voice soft and almost friendly.
Valton lowered his hand a little to peak over his hands.
"You... you're not going to kill me?" he asked nervously.
Mivian almost snorted.
Oh yea, she really sounds like she wants to kill you, she thought sarcastically.
Ava looked tired. She dropped her hand from her neck and sunk down to the ground in a kneel in front of Valton so she was at his eye level. He let out a sharp yelp and flinched wildly, causing Ava to wince.
"I am not going to kill you. So would you please stop flinching and jerking at every movement and sound I make?" she asked with a slight edge in her voice.
Valton cringed at her tone.
"Pardon," he muttered weakly.

Mivian grimaced at the whole display and looked away. She couldn't help but to feel appalled with herself.
"I can't watch this anymore," she groaned, shaking her head.
Zavius looked down at her and back at Ava, all traces of his teasing gone from his face.
"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding a bit worried.
"I was losing to him? I was at his mercy?" Mivian groaned miserably. "How did I get caught up in this mess anyway? It's a disgrace to any Slayer."
Zavius looked back at the now weak demon, looking thoughtful. He puffed out his cheek and blew out his breath, pulling his messy dark hair out of his eyes.
"Look, Miv, there must be something Ava knows that we don't see right at the moment. You know and we know, that there is no way you would've lost to that wimp like him under normal circumstances," he said, trying to cheer her up.
Mivian hung her head, not feeling much better.
"Yea, but if he did pull something to get me, I didn't catch it. I still ended up being rescued by Ava," she mumbled, more to herself than to him.
She felt a gentle hand land on her shoulder. She looked up to see Zavius grinning crookedly down at her.
"Eh, that's nothing. Cheer up, Miv. That just means you owe her one." he reassured her. "Besides, he didn't win; he cheated."

Mivian thought about it.
Ava had done something to Valton, but didn't hurt him at all. But right after she did whatever it is that she did, she had felt better, healed up and regained her Energy.
Mivian's mind swirled fast with realization, surprised that she could even think straight. Valton must have done something...
Mivian turned to Ava and saw that she was studying her with concern. She raised a hand to signal she was fine. Ava nodded in return and started to explain.
"Mivian, Valton didn't win because he was stronger than you; he almost won because you were weaker," she said.
Mivian winced, the words striking her hard.
What's the difference? she thought miserably.
Then she saw her friend raise a hand.
"I'm not done, Mivian," she said almost exasperatedly. "Everyone agrees that the limited strength you had was not something of the usual you."
"So what was it? What did you do to him?" Mivian asked, not sure if she wanted to know.
Ava looked down at Valton and looked back at Mivian.
"As you can see, nothing that brings the demon harm." she said. "I still kept my Oath. I just broke the connection."

Mivian was bewildered.
"Connected... I was connected to him?" she asked in disbelief.
Ava bit her bottom lip in thought.
"Hmm... in a sense. Mivian, he was draining your Energy. Basically put, you were his live battery."

Mivian felt her jaw drop.
It was too scary to think about what she had just heard. Her head started to spin.
"A live battery... draining me," she echoed.
She remembered how she felt herself steadily growing weaker and frail. She remembered how she had thought at the time it was as if she was getting her blood drained...

Mivian felt sick to her stomach.
Ava must have seen her face blanch because she shot up from the ground, causing Valton to flinch again. She ignored him and took a step forward.
"Mivian, are you alright?" she demanded.
Mivian didn't answer as she wobbled a bit and took a step back.

Zavius was there and took a secure grip on her shoulders. He shook her lightly, trying to get her out of her shock.
"Mivi?" he called.
When she didn't respond, his expression became innocent.
"Ah, it may be a kiss of life that is in need," he mused loudly.
Mivian immediately stood stiff, shoving out of Zavius's hold. She turned and leveled a glare in his direction.
"You wouldn't dare," she said dangerously.

Ava let out her breath in relief and Zavius started to grin again.
"She's back," he announced cheerfully.

Mivian pressed a hand to her face, trying to clear her mind. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Ava. She still looked concerned, as if she waiting for her to crumble at any second.
"Ava, how... How did you figure this all out?" she asked her.

Ava looked back at Valton, who was giving her paranoid glances her way once in a while.

"Well, in brief words, the demon had unusual characteristic that you don't usually find in a low Flame demon. With that were the signs he showed of side-effects from Rejections, most likely from a foreign Energy source." she said. "Which often takes about a full hour to really show signs, shorter time as he was absorbing your Energy continuously for a time."

Images flashed through Mivian's head of when she was trapped in the alleyway with Valton and his gang. She remembered feeling his Flame hovering close behind her as he leaned in...
He was cheating the whole time!!
"How did all this happen?" she asked.
But Ava didn't answer.
"I'd prefer to tell you everything later; we still have the demon to take care of." she said.

Mivian's fingers curled into a tight fist, her fingers going white.
"The whole time... he was feeding off of me," she said, her voice low.

A low chuckle came from behind Ava. Mivian turned, and Zavius sent a dark glare its way. Ava looked over her shoulder to see Valton lifting himself off the ground, his fearfulness gone.
"So you finally realize, Mivian, that you were just being played in my palms? And you call yourself a Slayer?" he sneered.
He let out his maniacal laugh.
"Even now, you all are just puppets in my hand!!"

He dove right at Ava's waist, reaching for her sai. Mivian stepped forward towards her, getting ready to strike.
I could see... I could move... Mivian thought in the back of her mind in wonder.
Though, there was no need for her to step in to aid her.

As soon as Valton got to three feet close distance, Ava dropped down low and kicked her leg around, the edges of her trench coat snapping. Her leg went swinging and her foot connected with his jaw. Valton let out a gawking sound as he flew back a great distance and landed in a messy pile with a heavy thud.
"Idiot," Ava muttered. "You were dancing at the ends of my strings also."
She spun around, returning back to her original casual stance as if nothing had happened. Without another word, she started to walk towards Mivian. She didn't stop as she slid her arms into her coat sleeves and pulled the trench coat over her shoulders. As she glided past Mivian, she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I've done my part. Go ahead and do whatever, I've kept my Oath." she murmured.
Mivan looked at her raising an eyebrow in a mischievous expression. Ava grimaced slightly.
"Do hold back Mivian, and don't be mean. It's been a long night."
Mivian smiled at her innocently.
"Me? Be mean? never,"

Ava rolled her eyes and slid her hand off of her shoulder, walking away. Zavius came up to her, his hands held behind his head in a relaxed position. He was grinning as he leaned over.
"Be easy with that one; he just got beaten by a girl and he's about to be beaten by another. Spare him some pride, eh?"
He winked and lightly punched her arm before walking over to where Ava stood to watch.

Mivian felt a smirk play at her lips as she turned and stalked over to Valton who was still trying to recover from the kick.
He was struggling to breathe on the ground, heaving for each breath. He froze the instant Mivian's shadow came over him. Slowly, he turned his head around.

Mivian loomed over him, tapping her dagger's hilt on her shoulder, her eyes glinting eagerly.

"Hey Valton, you will be begging Ava to kill you by the time I'm through with you,"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mivian got up from the ground, slapping dirt off her hands.
Clean up done, she thought to herself, feeling of extreme satisfaction lifting her spirits.
She turned around and walked over to where her friends were waiting.

Ava was frowning disapprovingly as she approached.
"Mivian, I told you to hold back some," she reprimanded lightly.

Mivian grinned widely and gave a carefree shrug.
"I did, I'm just strong," she said. "Besides, I didn't do anything he didn't deserve. Zavius agrees with me."
Zavius let out a short laugh.
"That was brutal, Miv. Anger management sessions for you." he said, shaking his head.
Mivian punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"No thanks; I like myself just the way I am." she said.

She hung back a little, standing still as she watched her two close friends walk ahead of her side by side.
Sometimes, she felt she couldn't have asked for better friends than them, though they were nothing alike. She had such a strange motley of friends...

Mivian ran to catch up and dove in between the two, weaving her arms with theirs.
"I know this is weird, coming from me, but I think it's a good thing that I have friends like you two," she mused.
Ava clicked her tongue and Zavius grunted.
"Friends? Then this whole friendship thing is like a job. Honestly, if this was, I would have either asked for a raise or quit," he said.
Mivian laughed.
"Ah, then, I'm glad I have someone that cares enough to come out in the dead of the night, just to help me out in a pinch." she said, pushing his buttons.
Zavius scowled in annoyance, not admitting to his caring nature.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just feel bad for Ava who has to stick her neck out for the problems you get yourself in," he muttered defensively.
Mivian grinned innocently at him.
"Okay, so it's nice to know you care so much about Ava's safety to go after her when I need her...cute. " she mused.
Zavius's expression froze before he grunted, looking away without responding. Ava sighed, shaking her head.
Mivian smiled to herself with that small victory.
"Ava, that sighing is turning into a habit. Are you really that tired?"

Ava just glanced at her, not answering in words. She didn't show any signs of fatigue on her body, but she was good at hiding things like that from those all around her. The only thing that looked tired were her eyes.
Mivian studied her, trying to see if there was anything wrong.

Ava's skin looked extremely pale in her uniform black long coat, making her jet black hair gleam more brilliantly. Even in the vague lights of the night, her beauty stood out.
Well it's no surprise that guys fall for her here and there, Mivian thought silently to herself, knowing better than to saying it out loud. Ava's personality was an extreme introvert and hating being center of attention.
Ava hadn't answered her question, though it did nothing to ruin her great mood. Mivian grinned wolfishly and sprinted forward, releasing her friend's arms.
"Hey, I'll race you guys home!" she hollered, already running.
"Take it easy, Miv." Zavius called after her.

Mivian shook off his warning and turned, diving into a sprint. She took off, leaving Ava and Zavius behind protesting. She laughed as air rushed past her. The air was pleasently cool against her face.
Mivian went to go increase her speed.

As she slammed her feet down to the ground, her hearing faded into a dull ringing. She saw her feet touch the ground, but didn't feel it. She felt her head spin, and suddenly, the ground was starting to tilt.

The last thing she saw was Ava and Zavius rushing towards her, sprinting with startled worry in their expressions before everything went black...