Set Fire to the Rain (Karsen)

Karma ran, through the hallways of hogwarts. There was a storm outside, and it was brewing. The irrational fear that was growing inside her was making her angry. It was because of this dumb fear that her and Arsen had gotten crownapped. If she'd been stronger... if the lightning had left her alone....

She burst through the doors of the astronomy tower, the wind howling in her ears. She glared up at the clouds, they seemed so close from this high up.

Finally coming to a stop on the ledge of the astronomy tower, she came to the conclusion that if the 'higher power' wanted to get her, she should give it a fighting chance. "IF YOU WANT TO GET ME HERE I AM!" She yelled at the sky. Her voice was snatched away by the wind, but she continued. "I'm RIGHT HERE!"

A bolt of lightning struck directly to her left, and then to her right. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU'VE GOT?" She demanded of the sky. She laughed maniacly as the lightning hit the tower behind her. She lifted her arms up, laughing, daring the sky to attack her.

And she felt no fear.

Arsen had been on his way to the library as promised when he heard it. A shout! From a voice he recognised as the person he was looking for. So changing direction he headed up. Straight up to the top of the astronomy tower. "Karma what are you doing?" He asked pausing in the door way away from the rain. He really didn't feel like causing himself pain right now.

"You shouldn't wind him up like that!" He shouted over the thunder.

The rain had started falling on her, and Karma smiled up at the sky, spinning in a circle in a dangerous dance on the ledge. "Arsen!" She sang, dancing along the edge toward him, smiling as the lightning kept hitting in front and behind her. She leaned toward the edge of the tower, but a burst of wind had her back on balance again. She was barefoot, as she'd never got her flats back after she'd drop them. She spun again, laughing. "It can't touch me, Arsen!" She said happily, taking a step backwards as the lightning straight ahead of her. She stuck her tongue out at the sky dancing out of the way of another one.

The rain was seeping through her uniform. She shrugged off her robes, watching as the wind took it and the lightning struck it. She laughed again, smiling happily at Arsen. "Arsen!" She said again, realizing he was still there. She slid to the right, dodging another bolt of electricity. "I can't die!" She laughed again, hearing another bolt og lighting forming, she turned and smiled up at the sky, spinning in place. The lightning struck just to the left and right of her, she ended her spin and found herself looking off over the hogwarts grounds. She cocked her head to the side and looked down at the ground.

Four minutes.

She smiled, leaning over the edge a bit to see if she could see the bottom of the castle. Ignoring the lightning as it hit the tower around her, she furrowed her eyebrows. "I can't die." She said again, softly.

"Yes alright just come away from the edge would you? And stop testing him, he wouldn't think twice before taking you from me." He said begging her to come to him. She wouldn't be the first he'd lost to people more powerful than him. He took a step forward before stepping back again. He couldn't be out there, not without causing himself intense pain. He'd never felt so hopeless.

He watched her move, all the time worried that he would actually hit her or send her falling to her death. Even way he'd lose. Either way he would get one over on him once again. "Come away from there would you!" He shouted above the rain. "Karma please!"

Karma looked down at the very far away ground, wondering how long it would take her to heal if she jumped... she leaned forward a bit before looking back at Arsen. He looked... almost scared. "Arsen...?" She asked, cocking her head to the side and straightening. "It's okay..." She was suddenly worried about him, so she stepped onto the floor of the Astronomy Tower, her eyes on him. "Don't be worried. I can't die." She soothed.

She took a few steps toward him before there was three quick flashes of lightning, all three in front of her, between her and Arsen. She paused and glared upward. "That's not fair!" she yelled. "Let me..." She took a step forward, only to have to jump backward again. She growled, low and dangerous, looking upward. "Will you stop it?!"

The lightning continued to block her path everytime she tried to step toward him. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling her usual phobia starting to peek its head up. She looked at Arsen, her eyes bright, calculating the distance between them and the speed of the lightning. If she ran fast enough... she would be able to reach him without getting hit, right?

She took a step back, only to have Lightning hit directly behind her to. So she was trapped.

Again.

Something that sounded like a whine rose in her throat. She didn't like to be trapped. She wanted... she wanted...

"Arsen...?" she asked in a small voice.

"Everyone can die Karma. There is always a way. My uncle said exactly the same thing you did, not even the protection of Satan could keep him alive." He said watching her carefully. If it came to it he'd have to run for her and drag her back. If, hopefully it didn't, that did happen then he was not going to be in the best of moods afterwards.

"Don't speak to him like that Karma, you'll only anger him more!" He said holding his hand out for her to take. Once he had hold of her he'd be able to take the pain and heat. Lightning was only fire, he could take that. Even if it did come from his biggest enemy. "Come one Karma. Its strikes and then you run got it!" He said looking her in her eyes to make sure she knew he wasn't going anywhere without her.

"Come on Karma. Just run." He said taking a step forward so his hand was closer.

Karma looked up at the sky, the stormclouds darkening her eyes. "I can talk to him however I want." She said with a growl, putting her hands on her hips. She looked upward with narrowed eyes. "You better let me get to him, you hear me?" She said threateningly. "I'll..." She grinned suddenly. "I'll do it. You know I will. Let me through." When there was nothing to answer her, not even thunder, not even wind, she smiled a winning smile and took a step forward, smiling wider when nothing happened.

Then a flash of lightning hit the ground behind her, and her eyes widened.

With a yelp and a running start, Karma grabbed Arsen's hand pulled herself closer to him, shivering. "Oh..." she said, noticing she was dripping. "I'm... I'm all..." She stepped away from him, not wanting to hurt him by getting him wet.

The storm had resumed outside, full force, lightning hitting the tower uninterrupted and accompanied by roaring thunder that shook the entire castle... or maybe it was just Karma, shaking. She bit her lip and looked at the floor. "Sorry about that. I had a theory."

He closed his eyes and sent a silent plea to anyone who would listen. God was out of the question, they were natural enemies and he was the reason he'd spent most of his life alone. He was sure of it. Now he wanted Karma but that was never going to happen. He was NOT going to lose her too. Not now, not ever.

He took her hand, ignoring the pain that shot through his hand as he came into contact with water. "What possible theory could have you out dancing on a ledge suring a thunder storm. You could have died Karma, you're not as invincible as you like to think!" He said wiping his hand and setting in on fire to try and dry it out.

Karma sat on the top step and grinned at him, almost brimming with happiness. "Ah, but Demonboy, that's where you're wrong." She leaned back on her hands and looked upward with a smug expression. "I am exactly as invincible as I think."

She smirked. "My theory was simple. Lightning. I'm supposed to be terrified of it, I mean... I am... but, only because I got hit by it. Since I was so scared of it before, the Crow, it got us. Since the Crow is half angel, or something of the like, it must of been on orders from..." she looked upward, refraining from using the name, as it only brought Arsen pain. "So I was thinking, why exactly were we, out of everyone, taken? We're the farthest thing from 'innocent' and that's what the crow was protecting, so..."

She smiled, meeting his eyes. "I can't die. I'm protected from both sides."

Then she was shivering again, the wind and rain outside had been multiplying as she spoke, and at the end there was a clap of thunder that almost, almost made her wince.

"I suppose the whole 'blocking you from me' thing was supposed to be his hint that he doesn't approve of me..." she once again shrunk away from the L word, and wondered why exactly she kept almost bloodly saying it. The pause was only a halfsecond long, though, before her train of thought continued. "...wanting to be with you, but he can shove it." She frowned. "I wonder what his comeback will be, when he stops throwing this little tantrum." There was a few flashes of lightning uncomfortably close to the tower and a deep long crash of thunder. "You're only proving my point." She teased, which only made him angrier.

She rolled her eyes.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and rubbed his forehead. How could he get across his point? He looked up and set his hand on fire so she could see. "I could kill you Karma, in a matter of seconds. Who is there to stop me? Him?" He said pointing up to the sky. "Satan?" He asked shaking his head. "No one would get here in time. You are even less invincible than i am?"

"The crow is not half angel. Do you think it would have been able to take me if it were?" He asked trying to get through to her. "Karma your theories are insane! He..." He said pointing up to the sky. "Would hurt you to get to me but he can't and not because he's protecting you, but because he's supposed to be the saviour not a killer." He said hoping she would listen to his words.

He sighed and held out his hand for her. "Wipe it first, i don't want to touch that stuff." He said shivering at just the thought of touching the water again. "Of course he doesn't! He hates me. I'm an abomination, i shouldn't exist." He said looking over his shoulder out to the sky. "Will you stop pissing him off! He cant kill you but he can me! Im part demon, he can over look my human side."

"You won't kill me." She said, humming and looking at him and sounding absolutely sure of it. "Will you Demon-boy?"

She pouted. "I'm not insane." She whined, wiping her hand on her shirt. That did absolutely nothing. She started unbuttoning it, thinking of wringing it out so the water disappeared. She gave absolutely no thought to current company. She didn't really care.

Karma's eyes softened as she looked at him. "You aren't allowed to die." She reminded him. She looked upward and blew a kiss. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely. "No killing my demon." she wrinkled her nose. "This one." She elaborated, pointing at Arsen.

"No but i could. Im just making a point Karma. Fire is something that could kill you, and im not always going to be there to save you." He said starting to pace up and down. Standing still had started to make him feel agitated.

"No your theories are! Theres no way thats what is really happening. It can't be right." He said thinking it through. He was after him! He was always after him and now he wanted Karma! But she was the one that wasn't going anywhere. He'd stop anyone that tried.

He raised his eyebrow as she began to undress. He definitely hadn't been expecting that. Not that it made too much difference, her shirt was now see through anyway. He shook his head to clear his mind and went on. "Im not dying, ever. Not if i can help it!" He said before pausing. "Woah this one? What other demons do you know?" He asked.

Karma hummed thoughtfully but dropped it, knowing that her theory, whether he believed it or not, was closer to the truth than his was.

She stood as she slipped her shirt over her shoulders and held it out in front of her, rolling it up and wringing it out. The water dripped down the stairs and she frowned at her shirt. It was still damp, but better. She fanned it, biting her lip as she pulled it back on.

"Other demons?" She asked innocently, trying to button her shirt up from the bottom but her hands kept shaking. She whined in frustration and decided to leave it until she was dry. She turned toward him, the power of Names stopping her three times before she could say something. "Who said anything about other demons?"

She ran her hand up and down her shirt, drying it a bit."Do me a favor and get me hot, will you?" She asked, holding out her hand out to him and untintentionally giving him a perfect veiw of her chest.

He sighed and held out his hand for her shirt. all he needed to do was place and finger on it and it would be dry in a matter of seconds. "Yes Karma, you said No killing my demon... this one. How many other demons do you know?" He asked folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't stupid and he knew there was something he was missing he could feel it.

He smiled and held out his hand before stopping. "Hmm i don't know. You kind of already look hot from where im standing." He smirked eyeing her up. It had been a while since he'd last just looked at her and admired her body.

She sighed and shrugged off her shirt again, handing it to him. She didn't really care that she was exposing her bare skin. "Demons.... other than you?" She asked again. She ran a few phrases through her mind, getting more and more frustrated every time that the Power of Names wouldn't let her say it. Finally, she realized that she was going to have to lie, or something like that. "Alright. Fine." She said with a sigh. She bit her lip in thought, once again going through phrases. "Demons. I know.... one other one." She stopped suddenly, a faint growl of frustration growing in her throat. "But... I can't..." She wrinkled her nose. "I can't...." Her hands curled into fists. What the bloody hell? He hadn't even been that specific when he'd told her what she couldn't say! Why couldn't she get around it?

"....Tell you." She gritted out finally.


Karma flushed, resisting the random urge to turn around so he couldn't see her. "But I'm wet." She argued. Suddenly she smirked, a daring coming to her eyes. "Wouldn't you rather be able to touch my hotness?" She stepped into his personal space, reaching up as if to touch his face, before putting her hand back at her side. She brought them nose to nose, as if to kiss him, but stopped before she touched him, and took a step back. "Get me hot, Arsen."

"Yes Karma other than me. No demon can walk the earth without being at least part human and the last time i looked i was the only half demon in existence." He said folding his arms over his chest to show he wasn't about to let this matter go so easily. He frowned watching as she tried to tell him something. Only one thing could do that. "Has he stopped you from mentioning him? By..." He thought for a second. "... by power of the name?" He asked, he knew how that felt.

A few seconds later it clicked into place. "Have you been talking to my father?" He asked.

A slow smirk spread across his face. "Hmmm." He said looking her up and down in thought. "But it would be so wrong to spoil something that looks that good." He said holding out. "Well when you put it that way... If i make you too hot, you wont want to put your shirt back on." He smiled keeping his hand out for her to touch.

Karma stayed absolutely silent, looking up at him as it were obvious. Of course she'd been talking to his father! Who else was old enough to even know what the hell the power of names was?!

"And how am I supposed to answer that?!" She demanded.

She turned a brighter shade of red, but raised an eyebrow, taking his hand. "Is that a theory, or are you absolutely sure about that?" She asked.

He narrowed his eyes and began to grind his teeth as he though about his father interfering in his life. It was just great how he just happens to want to be a part of every bit of his life when that first 14 years he was non existent. A low growl rose from the pit of his stomach and up through his mouth.

"You just did!" He said turning and punching the wall. "What did he do?!" He asked turning back around to look at her.

He smirked and thought about it for a second. "Or i could just burn your shirt." He shrugged, sending a heat wave through her body drying her skin. Once she was dry he took her hand and pulled her against him so he call fold her in his arms. "Much better."

"Hey!" She chastised, taking the hand he'd punched the wall with in both of hers. "Calm down." She kissed his fist sweetly, looking up at him through her lashes. "You know I can't tell you." She said softly. "Don't worry about..." She stopped suddenly, frowning as she tried another word. "It. It'll all come together eventually." She promised, her fingers gently glazing over his knuckles. "You'll just have to trust me in the meantime."

"If you burn my shirt, I'll just have to take yours." She grinned at him as he pulled her close, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head on his chest. "You're enjoying it a lot more now that I'm shirtless, aren't you, Hothead?" She murmured into the skin of his collarbone. She noticed that if she listened really closely, she could hear his slow heartbeat. It made her grin. So demonboy had a heart.

She knew it.

"No but i know what he's like so i can pretty much guess." He spat. He didn't mean to take his anger out on her but this was one of his emotions that he didn't control. He just couldn't because Pyro loved it so much. It was his fuel. "I do trust you. Him? I can't bring myself to trust him no matter who he is!" He said closing his eyes to calm himself down.

"It's alright i don't need it anyway." He smirked. "Clothes are to make me fit in with the humans. I don't think anyone could handle me shirtless." He said giving her a wink. "Besides, here i don't have to fit in." He smiled holding her against him. It felt good to have her so close. It relaxed him.

Karma smirked fondly at Arsen. "Of course not." She said. "Trust him? Who in their right mind would?" She shook her head and looked up at him, waiting for him to open his eyes. "When we rule the world it'll be unimportant." She said, more to herself than him. "And by that time, we'll both be invincible."

She smirked and pointed to herself. "Half human." She said. "I could handle it." She tugged on the hem of his shirt, playfully. "Well? hand it over then."

"Don't see him again!" He said it sounding more like an order than a plea. He just couldn't stand to see her with him. There was nothing he wouldn't do to get what he wanted and he couldn't have Karma be in the center of his schemes. "When we rule the world he will be having the run of hell! We can't do this alone and neither can he. We need each other to make this work."

He smirked and went to unbutton his shirt before stopping. "And what do i get in return?" He asked. "Im a demon, we strike deals." He said giving her a wink.

Karma was suddenly worried, her eyes sliding two feet to his left. Never see him again...?

You are mine, regardless of what you or my half-breed spawn happen to think about it. Someday, I will claim you. For now, maintaining a... civil relationship with my son is of far greater importance than any interest I hold in a mere mortal. So, go ahead and have your fun.

Her hold on him tightened unconsciously as she squeezed her eyes shut and rested her forehead against his chest so he couldn't see her face. She said absolutely nothing. What was there to say that wouldn't be stopped by Power of Name? Nothing that she wanted to actually say.

Karma grinned up at him, her eyes glancing at his buttons before back up at him. "And what, exactly do you want in exchange, Demonboy?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

He froze as she tightened her grip, his temperature slowly starting to raise as he began to lose control. "What did he do?" He asked dropping his arms to his side. He knew it! As soon as he finally found someone he cared about he had to take her away. He pulled away, freeing himself of her as his eyes slowly turned orange.

He tilted his head to the side a little and just stayed that way whilst a million thoughts crossed his mind. "Im going to kill him. No one steals my boys girl." He said in a voice that sound more rough and deeper than Arsens usual.

Karma felt him beginning to heat up, keeping quiet, the worry transforming into agitation. She winced as he pulled away from her, her eyes going dark.

Kama smirked up at the orange eyed boy before her. "You demons are always so possessive." She said, her tone halfway between condescending and fond. "Don't be so rash. I think we all know who would win in a fight between you two." She studied him, her eyes predatory. "And no one here wants either of you dead." She stepped closer to him, her eyes daring, before she walked around him, looking at him from all angles. "Pyro." She greeted, coming back around to the front. "You look tasty."