Maria smiled as he took her hand and she helped him up. Glancing over her shoulder for a moment, Maria was about to tug him in the direction of her house when his words stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes stung. He couldn't remember? What had happened to him? Did he even remember her? Questions like these dashed through her mind before he spoke her name...his nickname for her. Maria smiled, the color rising to her tan face for a moment as her name rolled off his tongue once more.<br/><br/>She smiled lightly. "Yes I'm Ria. That's what you called me. And we have to go." Maria tried to say before Sojo grabbed her so suddenly and pulled her into his chest. She gasped sharply, glancing out under his arm to see the orb of light covering them.<span style="font-style: italic">Oh no...</span>Maria thought.<span style="font-style: italic">They're here...</span><br/>"No, Angeli, we have to go." Maria said, trying to pull him away. She didn't like the odds. There were too many of them....she could smell them just in front of Sojo. Maria's hand went to her gun and she clicked off the safety. She loaded it, and held it next to her. Bullets couldn't kill demons, but they could at least wound them. All they needed was a little gap to take off.<br/><br/>Her eyes went wide, seeing the bright white wings unfurrel from his back. "Oh no..." her mind flashed her memories of the wings appearing in the past. Something bad had always happened after that. And she knew this time would be no exception.<br/><span style="font-style: italic"> "I will let nothing happen to you." </span>Maria bit down on her lip, looking up at him, worry in her eyes. She believed him...but it was hard...she'd seen too much go wrong these past three years.<br/><br/>Maria was still holding onto her gun when Sojo slayed the last demon. She was shaking lightly, but her face was hard, her expression un-readble. She looked around as he walked back to her, making sure there were no others they had to worry about. Clicking the safety again, Maria let her gun rest back against her.<br/>"Yes...Angel." Maria murmured gently. "My Guardian Angel. I never knew it when I was younger. It was until..." Maria paused, picking her words gently lest her voice disappear on her. "Until I was older that I understood." Maria said, brushing a strand of hair back from her eyes as Sojo handed her a present. She smiled lightly, her eyes stinging again; he hadn't forgotten...not really...<br/><br/>Looking back up at Sojo, Maria sighed. She wanted to open it now, but her instincts were nagging at her. Slipping the presents into the bag on her back, Maria looked around again quickly.<br/>"I'll open them later. Now we have to get somewhere safe before dark." Maria said, nodding for Sojo to follow her as she started to jog off down the street.<br/><br/>She lead him through a catacomb of streets, apartment buildings and a market place. She only stopped once to catch her breath and make sure nothing was blocking the path ahead of her. The sun was setting quickly now, and Maria was getting nervous purely out of habit.<br/>"It's not much farther." Maria told him before turning down the street once more. They came up to a simple house that was gated with barred windows. Maria slipped the key from her pocket and quickly unlocked the gate, only pushing it aside for them both to step through before locking it again.<br/>"We should be safe now..." Maria murmured quietly to herself. "My mother had the gate blessed....I don't know if I believe it, but we've been lucky so far." Maria sighed, taking half her hair down from the bun it was in, letting the dark brown lock fall to her waist. "She's been stubborn since my father died...she wouldn't listen when I said we should move..."<br/><br/>Maria looked up at Sojo then. "Do...do you remember this house at all?" Maria asked curiously. "For as long as I can remember I've lived in this house...and you were always there when I needed you." Her face grew dark for a moment and Maria crossed her arms over her shoulder, slowly walking up the drive-way towards the porch of the Victorian style two-story house.