The flight is relatively long, compared to all the flights he's undertaken as of late, but rather short considering how large the earth is. His massive wings to nod cast a shadow below, his powers making him completely invisible. Unless of course Aoba looked at him directly, and he knows it will be a challenge, but he will not let his Little Mouse down. He will keep the little angel safe, no matter what. Once they reach town he's able to move in a little closer, the evils of the people in the city masking him ever so slightly. When they at last reach the church he lands a black away, peeking around the corner of a building at just the right angle to see the two exit the truck and head towards the door.

Honing in on them with his ears he listens as Aoba exclaims in pain. The sound makes him go on high alert, wondering what could be hurting him already, but as he listens he feels his stomach drop. [i]'Oh. . . .I forgot to take that. . . .Of course it won't let him in the church. . .'[/i] A new ache starts up inside him as the charm bracelet is removed and he can feel a change in the winds. With the removal of the object, his scent grows faint around the angel and his own sweet, pure scent begins wafting through the streets. As much as Kuro enjoys the fragrance he feels worry gnawing at his insides now that he can smell it clearly from so far away. Before, it has always been there, but subtle, light, tucked gently beneath a layer of “Kuro”, and the smell helped the demon feel safe about being away from the angel.

However now, the smell is fresh and clear, and he can feel every dark force in the area lock on to it. Once the two are out of sight, Kuro slips closer. He does everything he can to conceal his energy, not wanting Gerard to charge right out holy water ablazing. He could kill the human no problem, but he also doesn't want Aoba finding out that he's here. He remains focused on the idea that he's protecting the angel, that he will be his dark guardian. This focus allows him to keep his gaze facing outwards, ignoring the terrible storm going on inside his chest.

After a little while Gerard exits the building and Kuro watches closely as he tosses the charm in the dumpster behind the church. He can hear him muttering something like, “Damn demon, even at a distance he. . .” before he vanishes once more, but Kuro is more focused on the bracelet. He knows that it was a gift, and if Aoba no longer wants it there's nothing he can do, however he feels compelled to retrieve it, to save it, to keep it. . . Just in case. Slipping in he nabs it from a pile of what looks to be shredded clothing, likely donated stuff that they church rejected or something, and tucks it in an inner pocket of his jacket. Taking flight he scopes out the area, rousting a few of the smaller demons that have begun edging close to the angel's location before perching on a nearby building like an invisible gargoyle guarding it's charge from the forces of evil.

~*~*~*~*~

On a whim, Fenrir zooms out as far as he can, watching the angel get bathed seeming somewhat wrong, even though the ladies doing so seem unbothered by his discomfort, and he is very much not surprised to see the demon sitting on a building, his eyes locked on the church. “I figured you would do this Kuro, but really. . .Are you not even going to tell him you're there? Are you really just going to watch and suffer?” He knows he can't hear the questions but with a sigh he pretends the most likely answer, which is, “Of course. He's made his choice, who am I to question it. I made a promise though so. . . .” As he says this to himself, imitating Kuro smooth, strong, but hurt voice he shakes his head and sighs again. “You are one odd demon. . . .”

Poking the mirror he stares at Kuro for another long moment before zooming back in. He doesn't have time for Kuro right now, he has an angel to keep track of. The day had been quiet for a long time at work so he'd headed home early. The drive to the church had been so uneventful that he felt safe looking away for it to make his way home but now as he watches as Aoba takes a seat in the church and lays his head on the pew in front of him. “You poor dear. . .I. . .” He wants, no, he feels, that he should say 'I know it hurts, but this is for the best' but the words will just not form. He can not honestly say them, and that fact frightens him. He can't really think that Aoba would be better off with the demons. . . .Could he? No, no, angels belong in heaven, and short of that, they belong somewhere blessed by the grace of their father!. . . . .Right?

~*~*~*~*~

A week passes. Kuro marks Aoba's movements every minute of every day, following him, watching the church folk introduce him to such “good” things as feeding the homeless, reading to orphans, and teaching the word of God to street kids. The angel is of course rather shy in all this, but like a good little robot he follows around the priest and does as he's told. He knows that Aoba really does like helping people, and the few times he's called upon to mend some wound or another he looks truly happy, but Kuro can tell, the process is going very, very slowly. It doesn't help that demons keep coming in from all around to investigate the angel's presence, and Kuro, unable to mark off an area in the city to ward at least some of the off because he knows Gerard would notice, is kept almost constantly busy driving them away.

He doesn't kill most of them, but those he does kill get turned into charms for the bracelet. Twelve have been added since the beginning of the week and as he attaches the twelfth one he realizes he needs to recharge. With a whine he finds the nearest eligible soul and takes it with little fuss. There is nothing enjoyable about the meal, but as he is getting a little weak from all the fighting he doesn't have time to be picky. Night finally falls an hour later and he settles on the roof to watch Aoba sleep through the window to his room. As usual, his body aches, not just from the soreness from all the constant batting, but from seeing the angel resting, away from home, away from safety, away from. . . .him. . . .

[i]'His wings are a tiny bit lighter. . .Not much, but it's noticeable. . .'[/i] Letting out a sigh he looks down at his Little Mouse for a good hour before realizing he really needs to go back to the farm to let Dani and Kyou eat. He circles the church several times before taking a portal shortcut back to the farm. The seconds he steps out he finds himself with an armload of Dani. He wants to fight, but Kuro simply lay there, staring at the smaller male with his blank eyes. 

“Aww, no fun. . .” Dani pouts, then without another word he takes off towards the town. As he its up Kuro spots the other out of the corner of his eye edging out of the house and creeping over.

Before he gets too close however Kuro calls out, “Go to town. Grab a soul. Be back in thirty minutes.” Kyou doesn't hesitate for a moment. He can't fly like the Satan boys. Not yet. No, he has to run it, and if he wants a meal, he needs to get a move on. While they are away Kuro slowly makes his way around the farm. First to the barn, he does a head count and finds all the livestock alive and well fed. They don't even note his passing and he supposes with Dani still sleeping in the loft overhead they have grown completely used tot he pure demonic energy around them now. He finds the pigs and fowl to be in a similar state and with a ghost of a smile he makes his way to the field. The sprouts are bigger now, definitely taking on the shapes of their later lives, and one quick look tells him that Kyou is doing a good job of keeping them weeded and watered.

He wides up near the tub, his mind filling in the image of he and Aoba bathing together for the first time. Those flushed cheeks, those trembling wings, all the small shy movements etched into his soul, making it ache with recollection. He slips slowly away from the now leafy basin and instead looks to the grass where his gift is hidden. His special gift, the one he'd finished the night before and had planned to give to Aoba later that day. It was simple, and perhaps far too sentimental, but it had been made with his own hands, and with all the caring he could muster. . .

Letting out a sigh he moves away from the spot, taking a seat on the road to wait for the two to return. He can't look at it now. No, it would break him, and he needs everything he has to stay where it is if he's going to keep doing what he's doing. They return not too much later and without speaking a word he leaves his “home” and heads back to his beloved. He arrives in time to drive off a fairly strong demon that had sought to take advantage of his absence, but after peeking in on the angel Kuro once more settle in to just watch. To watch, and protect, and keep his lovely Little Mouse from falling into even worse hands than the ones he's in now.

~*~

The next morning is rather uneventful and Kuro, feeling a little renewed, takes to the sky for his protective duties rather than running around on the ground as he has been lately. Unfortunately, this soon turns out to be a bad idea as the demon from the night before appears out of nowhere less than ten feet away from the angel. With a curse he dives, watching as the father pulls out his implements and yells for Aoba to hide. Those on the street look at the priest as if he's insane, sever of them pausing between Gerard and the demon, which is quickly stalking towards the priest and the angel. Before either of them can get off an attack however, Kuro lets out his battle cry, the unholy howl scattering the humans and making the demon freeze. Gerard looks up just in time to see Kuro fly in, crashing full bodied into the attacking demon.

He lets out a scream as he does not put his wings away fast enough and the demon manages to lash out at them, tattering the bottom edge near the base. Howling in anger and pain Kuro puts them away and begins attacking the creature with all of his strength. Behind him he can feel the priest plying his trade, and he really doesn't seem to care about the aiming thing. Luckily he is stronger than the other demon and it staggers first. He's about to strike a killing blow when two other demons appear. One drives towards Kuro, it's bladed weapon slicing open his back before he can stop it, his blood painting the sidewalk and nearby wall with red spatters. He doesn't even seem to notice the pain however as his eyes lock o the other demon. It's heading straight for Aoba.

Having just arrived, she unaffected by the priest, and even though she takes a face full of holy water as she passes, she manages to knock Gerard aside as she flies towards the angel with a furious cry. Power surges through Kuro at the sight, his anger, fear, frustration, caring, and hurt all converge into one feeling and he lets out another howl. The demons all falter, the power of the sound making them instinctually nervous, and Kuro uses the instant to his advantage. Impaling both demons before him on the bladed weapon he takes off, his tattered wing screaming at him in pain as it tears more with the force and speed of the flight. He rockets towards the demon in flight and without hesitation simply lands atop the beast.

Flames erupt around her and they both fall to the ground. In no time, she is cinders, and Kuro is left standing on the sooty black residue staining the sidewalk mere feet from the angel. He doesn't look at Aoba however. Ha can't look at him, not now. He needs to get away, get to a safe place and hope. . . Hope what? That Gerard will let him stick around? That if he flies off fast enough Aoba won't have time to tell him to bugger off? He doesn't know, but as he turns his back on the angel he knows only that he can't stay here. He must guard from a distance. This is too close. Too close and he'll just corrupt him again, and that's not what Aoba wants. . . .

Going back over to the impaled demons he pulls the weapon from them. One is still alive and lets out a long groan at the removal but the groan is cut short as Kuro takes off his head. With a deft twist of his wrist he takes the wing off the other, the stronger one, and after tossing the blade aside he picks up both the head and the wing. With a soft exhale he converts both into charms. At his angle, both Gerard and Aoba are able to see him do this and Gerard watches with wide eyes as he pulls the bracelet from his inner pocket. Despite the urge to fly off, fly away, to distance himself from the scene, another, stronger part of him doesn't want to leave Aoba is right there, a few steps away, how can he leave now?

Shaking his head he gently attaches the charms, the light jingle of them all carrying through the deathly silent air. The only real sound other than the tinkle of the little bits of metal is the drip of his own blood dripping on the pavement. The blood from his back has already soaked the back of his pants, and he can feel the lightheadedness setting in, but the blood from his wing – he'd brought them out with the intent of flying off a minute ago – drips right on to the ground and forms a puddle as he works the small bits of metal on to the glittering chain. His eye remain on the task, trying to make it take as long as possible even as his mind screams that he should be leaving, and now. But he simply can't. Not yet. He needs. . . he needs. . . .He doesn't know what he needs, but he does know that it's here, and not anywhere else. . .