AN: Well, this story was previously posted under a different name, but was deleted, so I decided to give it another go. If anyone's out there reading and wants more, please R&R. This story's already completed and waiting on my computer to be uploaded, so....Give me reason to post it! ^__^

Keena walked with purpose through the streets of the large city, unimpeded by anything or anyone. Any person who saw her knew who she was, whether they had seen her before or not, as most of the people in the streets likely hadn't. It seemed most everyone had heard of her and knew her by sight; not that she was of a very noticeable type, plain brown hair worn up in loose pig-tails, and not unusual brown eyes. She wore simple, inconspicuous clothes, dark pants, tank top and well-worn sneakers that didn't exactly scream for attention; her motif was comfort and maneuverability. Everything about her was only average and any similar young woman could pass on the streets unnoticed all together, but there were three things Keena carried on her that drew the attention and recognition of those she passed.
The first two items were ones she wore whenever it was possible, but sometimes discretion bid her remove them. One item was a simple enough looking glove, black and with fingers cut off at the knuckles, fitted specifically to Keena's right hand. Though the glove was as flexible as any glove and looked soft it was exactly the opposite; made of dragon scales the glove was practically an unscathable armor and made her hand a dangerous weapon. The glove had been made at Keena's bidding by an unscrupulous wizard of the highest rank for a hefty fee and not only did it possess the armor of the dragon, but interlaced into the material of the glove was a powerful spell, capable of doing great damage to a human at a touch and with the uttered command word, and able to deliver death if applied to the right place.
The second item she wore that gave her away was by far the more noticeable of the two. It was an item laughingly dubbed Id by Keena. Properly it was called an Audio Visual Information Detector, or AVID, but Keena, more concerned with the information detection part had shortened it to ID. It had been another costly item, this time constructed by a techno wizard, made to fit Keena's specifications. Generally put it was a highly intelligent computer capable of things that Keena found to be most helpful. By sight or with a name to go on it could call up information on anyone in the extensive compu-system lovingly kept by the hierarchy, including all humans presently alive and many who had passed away, some up to centuries ago. Along with many other helpful feats, including the ability to hack into most any system, night vision, the ability to detect approaching life forces and the ability to respond to it's users thoughts, Id was small and extremely portable. Looking something like half a pair of sunglasses, Id's speaker fit neatly into Keena's left ear, and the material of the screen over her left eye, like the reflective lens of a pair of sunglasses, allowed her to see through the screen while others looking through the opposite way could not. At Keena's own urging Id was made to respond to only her thought patterns and certain programs were further protected by codewords.
The third item, and perhaps the most conspicuous of the three, was what sat on her left shoulder. Her nearly life-long companion, the small imp Yuki, was definitely not something the average person would see often, if ever. The imp, dog-faced, crow-winged and whip-tailed, though only the size of a parrot, was not something that was easily missed unless he was trying to be. Perched on Keena's shoulder Yuki was the only other living thing that was in the know as to what Keena was calling up on Id at any given moment. Yuki was almost completely in Keena's confidence and was also at times a helpful tool. Able to get into places that Keena couldn't, Yuki could sometimes gather valuable information that Id could not.
Of course there were other items in her possession, not so recognizable but still important to her. Her dagger, for one, in a holster on her right leg, and a small pouch on her belt, magically able to weightlessly carry things much larger than itself; her life would be much more difficult without it.
Keena proceeded through the streets of the city, coming to a halt before the public rest rooms. "Time for a quick change?" Yuki queried quietly, already knowing the answer. Keena nodded as she entered the small building. Assured that no one was in the building or able to enter, Keena opened her pouch and pulled out a long, fancy dress which she hurriedly pulled on over her clothes. After removing her glove and Id, placing them in her pouch, straightening out her dress, letting down her hair from the pig-tails and setting various other things right, one would hardly recognize her as the girl who had entered the rest room. Even the most careful observer probably wouldn't notice the small, portable earpiece that kept her connected audibly to Id, and if someone were to see that the well- dressed young lady wore ratty running shoes, well...
"Will you wait here?" Keena questioned Yuki. "Or will you be coming with me?"
"I'll come with you," Yuki replied casually. "I'd rather not remain here. I do detest humans you know." Keena threw a deadly look Yuki's way, and he grinned as he amended his statement. "With the exception of your lovely self of course."
Keena frowned at Yuki's glibness. "Well if you're coming then hurry and conceal yourself. I'd like to finish this up and be out of this city as quickly as possible."
Yuki nodded his agreement and scurried to hide himself comfortably in the ample layers of the skirt. Once he had settled Keena smoothed out her skirts, receiving a muffled complaint from Yuki. "Watch what you're doing...and don't you forget I'm here...don't wanna get squished..." Unsmiling, Keena gave herself one final inspection in the mirror before stepping back out into the street. Unnoticed except casually, as she was now seemed just another passing girl, Keena made her way into the avenues of high society, walking there as if she belonged to that higher class. Entering the gates of a mansion as if she lived there herself, Keena strode up to the door and rang the bell. The door was answered by a butler and Keena gave him a card, a simple black symbol on a plain white rectangle, to present to his master. Her wait was short and she was quickly ushered into a sitting room where the young master of the house awaited her.
"You look...much different than I remember you," he commented after simple courtesies.
"I play many roles M'lord," Keena replied. "But let us dispense with the pleasantries. You have the money?"
He nodded. "You have the...item?"
In response Keena withdrew a small pouch from a hidden pocket in the folds of the dress. Opening the pouch she dumped a tiny item, a small microchip, onto the palm of her hand and showed it to the young lord, keeping it far out of his reach until he produced a pouch of his own that jangled with the sound of coins. Keena returned the item in her possession to her pouch, and after being shown the contents of the lord's pouch, they traded. Keena weighed the pouch in her hand and smiled slyly at the heaviness of the gold. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you M'lord," she offered as she turned to leave.
"Just a moment."
Keena paused without turning.
"Perhaps you would like to...increase your profit."
Keena turned her head slowly, always open to an opportunity to make more money. Seeing the young lord's eyes scanning her body she smiled cynically. "What did you have in mind M'lord?"
"You don't have to leave so soon do you? Perhaps-"
Keena raised a hand, stopping the lord's words. "I'm sorry M'lord but I can't accept your offer. It's not my line of work. Besides, I've just now decided to take a nice, peaceful vacation." She turned again and this time strode uninterrupted from the mansion. Presently another stop at the public rest rooms was in order and once inside Keena pulled the dress from her body, sending Yuki scurrying from the skirts. After retrieving Id and her glove from her magical pouch she stuffed the dress in. Restoring everything to normal and resetting her hair in her usual pig-tails took hardly any time at all. As she was giving herself a final look in the mirror Yuki settled himself on his usual perch on her shoulder.
"You play dangerous games sometimes Keena."
"Men are all alike, aren't they?" she replied. Without awaiting a response or reprimand she added, "Come, let's get out of this city."
Back out through the streets they went, once more carefully avoided by those they passed. Keena didn't stop until they were far beyond the limits of the city, deep into forested terrain. Then with a sigh she sat down on the mossy ground, leaning her back against a tree trunk and closing her eyes in an attempt to take a quick rest. It wasn't long before she heard Id's soft voice in her left ear. "Life force approaching 9 o'clock." Keena's eyes opened and she looked quickly to her left. "Seems to be a human," Id added shortly as the approaching person entered Keena's line of sight.
Yes, Keena agreed without giving the subject much thought. Cautiously and with blunt obviousness she watched the figure cross in front of her. Much to her surprise and somewhat to her dismay her steady gaze was returned by the passing person. Id, she commanded, find me the file on that guy.
"Right," Id replied, and Keena turned her gaze to the screen as a scan of the person's rather plain features was completed and a search of the hierarchy's System began. Momentarily and as the person disappeared from sight Id had the results. "No file found."
No file found?! But then he can't be human.
"He was no other known species," Id retorted as the words 'no file found' continued to flash on the screen.
All humans have a file! Keena replied angrily. So who is he?!
"Not human," Id replied.
Keena growled aloud. You frustrate me, she thought.
"I try."
These arguments were not uncommon between Keena and Id, and they usually ended with Keena removing Id, if only for a few moments, a reminder of who was in charge. It was as Keena raised her hand to do just that she paused momentarily at a warning from Id.
"Three life forces approaching. 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock. Be on your guard, it seems suspicious."
"No shit," Keena muttered aloud as she climbed to her feet and turned around while Yuki fluttered into a nearby tree, always eager to avoid getting involved in any physical encounters. When three masked figures stepped into sight, Keena swore under her breath. Id couldn't identify them if their features were obscured by masks. Still she wasn't worried; she had faced similar and worse situations before and had come out on top. "Greetings friends." Suddenly she found that the person in front of her had an arrow aimed at her heart.
"That's not very friendly," Id pointed out.
I know. Keena paused, waiting to see who was going to make the first move.
"The archer," Id informed her only a fraction of a second before she realized the same herself. As the arrow shot at her, Keena was just able to raise her gloved hand to intercept the arrow aimed straight at her heart. "You're lucky he has good aim," Id said jokingly as Keena successfully stopped the arrow from plunging into her chest. But Keena didn't respond to the good humored joking; she was instead staring with shock at the back of her hand where the arrow had connected. Blood was seeping out around the shaft of the arrow and down the back of her hand where the arrow had gone through the glove and into her flesh.
But how? How could it get through the dragon scale? It was then that the pain hit her. At the same time the person on her left charged at her. She turned quickly, raising her injured right hand instinctively and striking out, uttering the command word as her palm connected with the person's temple, a point on the body that could result in death from the glove's power. Keena yelped as sharp pain shot through her hand, and her midsection as the assailant's knee connected with her ribs; it was the assailant who fell, however. Without a chance to catch her breath or even swear Keena was forced to turn round at Id's warning to face the other who was now headed for her. She once again struck out with her right hand, this time preparing herself for the resulting pain, but her hand never made contact. Instead her wrist was grabbed and in an instant her assailant also grasped the shaft of the arrow that still protruded from the back of her hand. With a sadistic laugh he plunged the arrow the rest of the way through Keena's hand. Keena kept her presence of mind long enough, as her wrist was released, to kick violently upwards, connecting with her assailant's chin and snapping his head backwards with a sickening crack. As the second attacker fell, Keena awkwardly grasped her hand and stumbled backwards against a tree.
"Archer," Id warned urgently.
Keena staggered aside just in time and the arrow sliced her right upper arm instead of piercing her heart. With her left hand as she dodged, Keena grabbed her dagger and turning to face the remaining assailant she flung the dagger, which with as much luck as skill embedded itself in the archer's chest, dropping him to his knees. That was the last image that Keena's consciousness recorded as she collapsed to the ground and blackness engulfed her.