I know it's been a while and let me just say… meh. I've been doing other things such as sleeping. But anywho! As usual, my thanks go to detrametal for betaing and I don't own Darksiders! Let me just say this as well, I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing this story so if you don't like this chapter don't be too harsh. Or be as harsh as you want. I give no turtles. But other than that, butternut cookies!

"Why didn't they just ride the eagles to the volcano then?" Strife asked his human companion as they entered Samael's palace.

"That's what I'm wondering but I've heard a theory or whatever that the ring was too powerful and would have corrupted the eagles." Faith explained. "But what I think is that-" she stopped, noticing the carnage that now surrounded them.

Dead demons, angels, and some other creatures Faith couldn't identify littered the floor all around them, most in more than two pieces. Blood covered the walls and created small puddles around the corpses on the floor.

"What in the Hells happened here?" Faith asked no on in particular.

"That's what I'm wondering." Strife replied, for once just as out of the loop as the human was.

Ravira came around a corner then, carrying a bucket of water and a scrub brush and was covered almost head to toe in blood, "Oh Faith, you're finally back. I put all of your bags in your room."

"Thanks but happened here? What's up all the dead… everything and blood everywhere?"

Ravira set down the bucket and rolled her shoulders, "Well… you remember that group that tried to kill you? Or actually tried to kill the Horseman but actually almost killed you instead?"

"The Reins of Chaos or Chaos Reigns?" Faith asked.

"Rein of Chaos." Strife corrected.

"Whatever." The she-demon waved them off. "It doesn't matter now. They invaded and tried to kill Master Samael but we took care of them. They didn't even get near the master."

"Well… that's good then. I kind of thought they would be a bigger problem."

"So did we." Ravira agreed. "But I seriously doubt that they sent everybody in their little group so we'll probably hear from them again. But that's just what I think. Now if-"

"Oh my gods! Shade!" Faith interrupted before taking off for her room.

"Well if she'd just asked I would have told her that her Hellhound was fine." The maid huffed as she picked up her cleaning supplies.

"You know she loves that mutt more than anything." Strife sighed, moving to follow that human.

"Even more than you?" Ravira grinned, fully aware of how the Horseman felt. Though she wondered how her master would react if he knew. Then again, he probably did know and just chose to ignore it for now.

Strife gave the maid a withering look, "Even if that little human did have… feelings for me, she'd still love that damn dog more."

"I think you'd be surprised." The demon giggled before leaving to begin her long task of cleaning the palace.

Deciding not to respond, Strife continued to Faith's room, mulling over his conversation with Ravira. If the human had some sort of feelings for him, why hadn't she said anything? She didn't seem like the shy type. On the other hand, he hadn't said anything to her about how he felt and he definitely wasn't shy. Then again, he didn't exactly try to hide anything either.

"Enjoy your walk with my pet?" Samael asked as the Horseman entered the throne room where the demons prince sat on his throne as usual.

"Sure but it looks like you had your own fun here. You should try treating your guests a bit more nicely and with a lot less murder next time though."

"There won't be a next time." Samael snarled, the rage clear in his orange eyes. Obviously, he wasn't too happy about his home being invaded by such pathetic creatures trying to take his life. As if they could.

If he could kill them again, he probably would. Strife thought to himself before striding past the demon Jabor and down the stairs to Faith's room. He thought that at some point someone would stop him from just waltzing down there but so far, no one had.

He found the human sitting on the floor beside her couch and doting on her Hellhound with some of the new toys and treats she had bought him.

"My poor baby." She cooed at him. "I'm so sorry I had to leave you here. Next time I'm going out, I'm taking you with me, no matter what Sammy says. Look, I even got you a collar and leash." She said, pulling said items from a bag and fitting the studded collar around Shade's neck. Though if this Hellhound was like all the others he'd seen, he'd quickly outgrow that collar.

"I don't think many humans would react well to a dog that looks like it was just on fire." Strife commented, ruining the moment between the girl and her dog.

"They'd just have to deal with it and if anyone asks then I'll tell them that he's dirty and refuses to take a bath."

A whine from Shade made Faith turn her attention back to the puppy.

"What? Don't give me those puppy eyes, you won't take a bath."

"He's a Hellhound, what do you expect?" Strife said, chuckling to himself at the idea of the human trying to bathe a Hellhound who were known for hating water.

Picking Shade up, Faith looked the puppy in the eyes before answering the Horseman, "I expect him to be a good boy and take a bath like he's supposed to or he won't be sleeping in the bed anymore."

Shade just wagged his tail and tried to lick Faith's face, completely unaware what they were talking about.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She smiled, standing and moving to the couch with the Hellhound. "You just gonna stand there all night?" Faith asked the Horseman.

With a smirk, Strife pushed off from where he was leaning against the doorframe, closing the door behind him, and sat down beside her, throwing his arm over the back of the couch behind her.

"I meant aren't you gonna go home or were you planning on blocking my doorway all night." Faith sighed, refusing to look at him and instead continued to scratch Shade behind his ears.

"I dunno," Strife drawled out, "I thought I might stay here for the night. That bed looks big enough for both of us."

Faith looked at him then, her face quickly growing red, "I-if you want to stay here then ask Sammy to lend you a room, he has plenty of empty ones. You can't satay in my room with me."

Her piece said, Faith turned back to her puppy but Strife grabbed her chin to keep her facing him, "Aw toots, I didn't think you hated me that much."

Knocking his hand away, Faith once again turned her attention back to her Hellhound. "I never said I hated you." She mumbled.

"Does that mean you like me?"

"I never said that either." She huffed, standing and sitting Shade in her place beside the Horseman. "If anything, I find you mildly annoying."

Strife put a hand to his chest in mock pain, "Ow, that hurts."

"As it should." Faith nodded, pushing herself up to sit on her desk. Why did she get up from the couch if she was just going to sit back down, she didn't know. Maybe it was because sitting so close to the Horseman made her feel nervous and awkward.

Strife stood then as well and made his way over to the human, "You don't like me at all?"

Faith shook her head, an almost irritating smug look on her face.

Reaching the human, Strife leaned down, placing his hands on the desk on either side of Faith, effectively trapping her and bringing his face barely an inch away from hers. "Not even a little bit?" he asked again.

"I-I told you." Faith stuttered out. "I find you mildly annoying if anything." She smirked, glaring at the Horseman and practically daring him to try something.

Well… Strife was never one to say no to a dare. So he kissed her. He had to admit, he did like making out with the human. Apparently, she liked it too as she began kissing him back like there was no tomorrow and even wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss. He, in turn, found his hands on her waist, pushing her shirt up and mostly out of the way.

"Still don't like me?" Strife broke the kiss to ask, much to the displeasure of the red faced and breathless human.

"I'll start to hate you if you don't shut up and kiss me." Faith practically growled, grabbing hold of his shirt to pull him back down for another kiss.

With a smirk, Strife complied and even took it one step further by grabbing her thighs and picking her up off the desk.

Faith let out a surprised moan but refused to break the kiss and instead wrapped her legs around him to keep from falling.

Strife couldn't help but smile as he carried the human over to the bed and falling back onto it so now Faith was leaning over him, her lips still locked with his. Not that he had a problem with that.

As much as he hated to, Strife gently pushed Faith away just enough to break the kiss, "You sure you want to do this?" Just because he could be an ass sometimes didn't mean he was inconsiderate.

"If I didn't, I would have stopped by now." She told him, her voice dripping with desire as she stripped off her jacket and shirt, tossing them to the floor.

"Even though you find me mildly annoying at best?" Strife said, trying not to react to the suddenly half-naked human now leaning over him like it was an everyday occurrence for him.

"Fuck you." Faith growled at the Horseman.

Strife smirked at the human before flipping them over so that he was now on top and straddling her. "If that's what you want." He said, stripping off his own shirt as well causing the human's eyes to widen.

Faith opened her mouth to retort but before she could get a word out, Strife leaned down and sealed her lips with his.