“See? Good as new!” Dani pointed to where a gaping hole once had been in the roof. As so eagerly stated several times, it was fixed. Aoba smiled and hugged Dani, just to show his appreciation. It puffed up his ego even more.

“Thank you Dani.” Aoba let Dani ramble on and on about his work and what he did while Aoba was, as Dani put it, ‘risking his life for no reason’. While he did, Aoba wandered the barn noticing how everything was in the same spot. Nothing changed in the week he had left. He was a mix of relieved and curious. He noticed Kyou staring at him as he wandered and offered a smile. “And you stayed the whole time Kyou?” Aoba made sure as to not interrupt Dani by waiting until he was sure that the smaller demon was done. When he started following Aoba, that’s when he was sure.

“Yes, I did.” He left out the fact that he didn’t have much of a choice whether or not he wanted to stay or leave. “I helped Dani with the plants mostly. Occasionally with the animals too.” Kyou got less of an intimidating stare when he mentioned that he was helping Dani rather than doing it on his own. He hadn’t been, but looking back at the week, Kyou did do a lot of work. Dani sometimes even sat about and yelled at him for no reason. It wasn’t as if Kyou could protect himself, so of course he just took it and continued his work.

The trio walked out into the field and Aoba smiled seeing all the animals grazing as normal. “None of them got hurt or sick or anything? They’ve been okay?”

“When you left they were all nervous and such as if we were going to eat them or something. But they got over it and their fine now! Same for the birds over there too.” Dani watched as Aoba roamed over to the field. The cows and sheep their all lifted their heads towards the familiar presence. Some continued munching away while a few wandered over to him. One of the sheep bumped its head against Aoba’s side making the angel laugh and pet it. He smiled even more when Mama and Otto wandered forward in ‘greeting’.

“Oh my, Otto has gotten so big.” He knelt down and petted the calf and then felt a huff on top of his head. Aoba blinked and looked back at Mama before patting her nose. “I don’t plan on leaving again.” Of course he didn’t understand the cow like Dani could, and he wasn’t aware if the cow could even understand him. Nonetheless, he still responded as if she had said something. “What a cute little calf.” He stood, wandering over to the other animals, Otto following behind him a little curiously. Dani and Kyou stood at the gate, watching Aoba get reacquainted with the animals. They seemed to be happy to see him again. “Ahh, the little chicks, they got bigger too! You’re so cute and fluffy.”

He nuzzled one of them before getting up and walking back to the demons. “So. . .the plants?” Dani was a bit eager to show him this particular part of the farm. He hopped off the fence, grabbing Aoba’s wrist and pulling him along. The tiny sprouts he had seen before he left had grown too. They were about a foot high, each of them. He could tell they weren’t ready to be picked, but he was still excited nonetheless. “This is fantastic.” He smiled and looked over at the two. “Thank you for not letting the plants and animals die.” Aoba sounded quite sincere.
Dani shrugged. “Yeah, yeah. Kuro wouldn’t just let this place die off. He was all mopey and stuff. I just thought he needed something to do in his spare time.” He shrugged again. Aoba walked past him and he crouched a little lower, like a cat. The angel was oblivious to it, up until the demon pounced, landing right on top of him. Aoba squeaked and Dani grinned, showing his fangs. “Huh, you normally dodge it. I thought you would do it again.”

“W-Well I have been gone for a week. . .” Aoba mumbled. On the side, Kyou hopped up when he witnessed Dani suddenly ‘attack’ the angel. When he noticed they were fine, Kyou sighed in relief and stayed in place. He figured it was better to not interrupt Dani.

“We should fly!” Aoba blinked. Maybe Dani wasn’t understanding that a week of being cooped up in the church was like being cooped up in a birdcage. “Well, don’t just lay there come on.”

“Um, Dani?”

“Oh, right.” He got off Aoba, pulling him up with him in one fluid motion. “What’s wrong now?” His head tilted a bit when he noticed that familiar sheepish expression.

“I kind of got used to not using my wings…They were kind of in the way at the church. . .”

Letting out a long, low growl Dani glares off in the direction of the church, or at least the direction he thinks it's in, and stomps his foot, his own wings trembling and jerking. “What the heaven were they thinking?! Making you think that wings are anything but natural, glorious gifts!” He stomps his foot again. “Wings are special! Not 'in the way'!” His fangs flash and his glare darkens as his fire threatens to erupt. Luckily however, Aoba is rather distracting just being himself so moments after the fit starts the little demon lets out a long huff and without warning scoops the angel up and takes off. Looking at Aoba he says sternly, “You're going to learn to fly again, and fly right, and that's the end of it!”

~*~*~*~*~

Fenrir has to try desperately to suppress his laughter as he watches what can only be described as righteous indignation whipping the smallest demon into a near frenzy, only to have it immediately swapped out for parental orders and determination. 'If I didn't know any better, I would call this all very cute. If he wasn't a demon. . . .This would been downright sweet. . . .' Letting out a sigh he sets the mirror aside and begins looking over his reports. There's be a distinct down flux in attacks on angels giving him a few more blessedly free moments throughout the day, and he uses just about every second of them to watch his new favorite “show”. Despite being sad and depressing, not to mention immensely confusing and internally conflict inducing, Fenrir's caring for the little angel has only grown, making every moment he has to watch over him all the more precious. He can't believe that he's actually glad that Aoba is back with the demons, but, he simply can not deny it. 'Aoba is happier here, and. . . .I can not fight that'

~*~*~*~*~

Kuro is entirely unaware of the shadow following after him, slipping through the throngs of demons and not at all looking like he's trying to hide from the slightly smaller male. His gaze remains forward, a light worry in his mind over what Aoba and Dani are up to. . . .Mostly Dani concerning Aoba, but still, he worries for them both. Once he reaches a good point he scares off all the demons around so they can not follow him and with a slow exhale he opens his portal back to earth and steps through. Issho is there moments later, sampling the portal rather than stepping through it, just getting a taste so he knows where it leads before letting it close.

On earth, Kuro doesn't notice that his portal stays open a fraction of a second longer than normal as he's busy watching Aoba being dropped from a high height in an attempt to help him fly. “Dani!” he barks, prompting the smaller demon to scoop the angel back up, pouting at his little brother as he brings them both to the ground. Once Aoba is safely on his feet Dani lets out a whine. “He was getting betteeeer. . . . .” Not caring if it's true or not Kuro launches himself at the smaller demon and the two fall into a rather vicious play session. Dani is once more careful not to touch Kuro's wounded wing, the healing bath in hell doing barely anything to help it heal.

The sudden righteous anger from Dani caused him to step back. Aoba would have said something in order to stick up for the church, like how he was indoors most of the time and flying wasn’t necessary; however, it just seemed like it would upset Dani even more. The small demon’s anger subsided quickly after and moments later they were both in the air. Aoba yelped in surprise and yelled onto Dani. “Y-You know, I’d appreciate it very much if you didn’t randomly do things like this without warning.” He was clutching onto Dani while being held bridal style. A slow, sinking feeling made him realize the inevitable was bound to happen and there was nothing he could do about it. Aoba let out a quiet whine, unwillingly loosening his grip.

“Relax! I’m right here. I’m not going to let you get hurt. Kuro would try to kill me if I did.” Under them, Kyou watched with wide eyes as Dani held the fallen angel hostage. Sure it was odd that Aoba wasn’t allowed to use his wings, but he still didn’t think the best idea was holding him in the air so high-

“O-Oh dear.” It was all he could say as he watched Dani drop Aoba, the latter yelling in panic as he got closer to the ground. “Aoba!” Kyou rushed to get closer. Maybe he could try catching him if he didn’t fly. He had good intentions but Dani beat him to it. Before Aoba could hit the ground, he was once more in Dani’s arms.

With a roll of his eyes, he flew up into the air once again. “You’re supposed to open your wings. That’s how you fly. Duh.” To emphasize, he poked at the fluffy wings behind Aoba. “Open them all the way and move them.” He corrected as he sensed the angel would just panic again. “We’re going to keep doing this until you know.” His tone was matter of fact. There was no deterring his flying ‘lessons’. The two did just that. Over and over, Dani dropped Aoba from higher and higher heights. He figured the higher he went, the more time Aoba had in order to get himself together.

The first few times were awful and made Dani groan in disappointment. Even Aoba was surprised that he had so much patience with him. Wings must have been an extremely important subject for him. Slowly but surely, Aoba started using his wings, slowing down the fall. He did end up staggering at times, several times actually, but it was better than falling like a rock. He had asked for a break once or twice, but was turned down. “No breaks until you can at least go upward and not fall straight down!” Then, Aoba was dropped again.

Eventually, he had stopped counting how many times he had fallen out of the sky. Kyou on the other hand had counted 36 times. The final time Aoba was caught, he was happy that Kuro appeared to stop the madness. As Aoba was set on the ground, Kyou was the one to catch him as he stumbled backwards. “Are you alright?” He asked sweetly, walking with him to sit on the porch.

“I’m- I’m alright thank you. Just a bit… unnerved.” His wings stretched out behind him and Kyou looked at them with intrigue. “Hmph, he just got healed up and he comes back to fight. That’s not proactive.” Aoba simply shook his head and sighed, taking a moment to enjoy the fact that he was on solid ground. “Dani’s going to probably try to do that again too.” Kyou smiled reassuringly and rubbed his shoulder.

“As… crazy as he may be, he’s just doing what he thinks is best. After all, flying is important for-” He didn’t want to say escaping because he didn’t want Aoba to feel as if he was in danger still. It reminded him that the angel was still in stained clothing. “well a lot of things. Of course, I can’t tell you all of them because,” He pointed to his headwings and chuckled. “I don’t fly.” Aoba giggled softly and reached up to touch his wings.

Of course he couldn’t help but yell out to the two fighting not too far away. “Be careful you two!” Kyou sat still as Aoba examined, what more felt like him playing with, his wings.

Kyou does his best to hide the little shivers that run through his body as the angel's fingers dance over the warm,fleshy protuberances jutting from his head. They twitch every so often, as if they are trying to flap, but the inquisitive demon does his best to shift his focus from the pleasant feeling to Aoba's reaction to the action of touching what he must see as an oddity. 'Headwings come standard for lower levels like myself, the demons that came from weaker human souls, but as I am sure Kuro is the first demon he's ever seen in person such a thing as useless appendages must seem bizarre. After all, most warrior demons are fully fledged demons, literally' He can feel himself bursting with questions, but with Kuro's reappearance he knows that the youngest son will likely want to have Aoba to himself for a while and doesn't want to upset the recovering demon with keeping the angel's attention.

The fight is short and rough, but eventually Dani comes out on top and with a 'whoop' of victory he sits on Kuro's chest, puffing out his chest in triumph. Kuro would normally just knock him off to the side, such displays irritating at the best of times, but as he groans lightly over his poor wing being ground into the dirt beneath him he lets Dani have his moment for now. The new myriad or small cuts and bruises are rather comforting. After so many wounds cause be demons who actually want him dead, the faint ravaging by someone who just wanted to take a moment to show how awesome he is is rather refreshing, calming, and familiar.

~*~*~*~*~

The head medic headed home early. After watching him dropped a few times by the smallest demon to date he concludes that Aoba is safe for now and packs up the mirror. One last round to assure himself that the wounded angels are being taken care of calms him greatly and with a wave at the night shift he makes his way out the door and takes to the sky. Not a lot of angels actually fly around in heaven. There is no need. Those who flutter around the most are the arch angels. With the need to make sure their wings are always up and ready for use they take to the sky whenever they think about it. Though, in Fenrir's case, he has another reason for getting home quickly.

Arriving at his domicile he slips out of his clothes and climbs into bed, pulling out the mirror once more. He's not ready for bed, but after the stress of the preceding week, he feels the intense need for comfort right now. Relaxing against the headboard he watches with half a smile as Aoba sits teasing Kyou's headwings, the dust ball several feet away clearly indicating that Kuro is back from hell and well enough to scrap with enthusiasm. “You are such a strange bunch, but. . . .I can not. . . .I can not find it in me to object. . .” With a sigh he shifts the view around, shaking his head and laughing as the small one, Dani, proclaims his victory to the world.

~*~*~*~*~

Softly, as to not startle Aoba out of his actions, Kyou speaks softly, deciding one question would be okay. His eyes are drawn to Aoba's wrist, where he'd always had his charm bracelet, and he murmurs softly, “You're bracelet, it's missing. Did. . .Did they take it away?” They of course being the holy people Aoba had been kidnapped by. “That. . .That thing, it was very important. It, um, it was helping to keep you safe. . .”

Several feet away Dani thumps on his brother's chest playfully and Kuro decides he's had enough. His leg comes up sharply, knocking Dani forward, forcing him to catch himself with his hands on either side of his little brother's head. Swift as can be Kuro leans up and kisses his brother gently before tossing the smaller male completely over his head before rising to his feet quickly. Dani growls and tackles his taller sibling, forcing Kuro to catch him in his arms. They share a moment, just staring at one another, until at last Dani snaps his teeth at the younger male and pushes him away. Applying his foot to Dani's backside Kuro sends his older brother tumbling into a nearby stand of grass with a yelp and he laughs as he makes his way to Aoba's side.

Without needing to be shooed Kyou carefully extracts himself and perches up in a nearby tree, watching to watch the exchange. Without a word Kuro sits down next to the angel and simply takes a moment to look down into the smaller male's eyes. His own eyes shine slightly, his affection clear and gentle. His hand comes up to cup Aoba's cheek and he smiles, rubbing his pale cheek softly with his thumb. “I'm back. . .” he murmurs quietly, his other hand sliding forward to grasps Aoba's wrist gently. It's the same wrist he used to wear the charm bracelet. Slowly he brings the wrist up to his lips and with a sigh he place a kiss on the joint before removing his hand from Aoba's face and pulling the charm adorned chain, the small bits of metal and stone jingling lightly as it sways form his finger tips.

~*~*~*~*~

Fenrir watches the exchange, a soft smile on his lips at the sweetness of it all. He knows that the children of Satan are incapable of falling in love, but to an untrained eye it would be impossible to tell that that the two before him are not mutually in love. 'So soft, so sweet. . .Why did he have to be born a demon?' Shaking his head with a laugh he bops himself with his finger tips before pulling back his view. The exchange seems private, and even if he's just watching – like Dani and Kyou are also doing – being so close feels like a kind of violation of their space. As he moves back however a dark flash along the edge of the mirror catching his attention. His eyes widen as he pulls out a little further and spots a demon emerging from a portal, directly on to the grounds of the farm.

He sits up straight, moving his face closer to the would be reflective surface, taking in the details of the demon before him. 'I. . .I know that face. . .' His heart begins to race. This can not be good. He knows they've been trying to keep the situation from the father of lies' attention, and if he's right – which he's sure he is – there is no way that it's going to remain a secret much longer. “Oh, Aoba, I am so sorry. . . .I prayed that this would be a good day. . .” A new panic arises as he watches the black horned figure simply stand there, hidden half behind a large tree near the pig pen, his eyes clearly observing his sibling caress the angel from afar. “What are you doing? Why. . .Why aren't you, are you just going to observe then go report. . .To him!? No, no, talk to him, let him explain. Gah! Kuro, notice him, notice!” Sounding very much like someone watching a TV program and yelling at the characters on the screen, he feels just as impotent as the first child of Satan's presence continues to go unnoticed.

~*~*~*~*~

Stepping out of the portal Issho cloaks himself before anyone can notice his presence, including the animals nearby, and his eyes seek out his brother. Taking a couple steps forward he glances around a tree to spot a bizarre, disturbing scene. Not only does he find his youngest sibling, but also Dani, watching the youngest interacting closely with an, “Angel. . . .” His voice is too soft to be heard, and with the cloak up he could stand there all day without being sensed unless someone looks directly at him. He stands there, still, watching, his confusion only matched by his calm.

~*~

Kuro gently clips the bracelet back into place, smiling softly at Aoba with a slightly apologetic look. “Sorry, I know I should ask if you want it back, but right now I would rather know you are that much safer than worry about you being grumpy about the nature of what you're wearing. . .” He gives Aoba a slightly pathetic look. “Unless you don't like it at all now and I have to make something completely new. . . .” It's clear from his tone that he's teasing and with a chuckle he draws Aoba into a hugs, a part of him never wanting to let go.

Up in the tree Kyou watches, completely still and silent. The exchange is fascinating and he takes every little bit of new information with relish. He sees Dani's little twitches of irritation, the amused way Kuro's wings flutter and shift, the way Kuro shamelessly slides his hand up between Aoba's wings and rubs the spot gently. His body tingles as he thinks of how that must feel and takes a moment to look away to calm himself down. It is in this instant that he spots something that turns his blood to ice. Every demon recognizes The Right Hand of Hell. His breath stills and he sits frozen, unsure of what he should do. A part of him feels the urge to warn the group below, but at the same time the fear of drawing Issho's ire makes him feel like even moving would break him into a million pieces. Then, suddenly, the decision is made for him, and he dissolves into a cowering lump hugging the branch of the tree he was sitting on, clearly wishing he could become one with the wooden surface in this instant.

~*~

Usually, Issho would simply report back to his father about what he's seen, find out what the fallen angel wants him to do, but in this case his own curiosity overrides this habit and as it was not commanded of him to return right away, he decides to dig deeper into this mystery. With a slow exhale, he releases the cloak and his powerful demonic energy blasts through the area like a silent wave, sending the pigs into a tizzy, the grazers off to the furthest edge of their paddock, and Kyou into a cowering mess. Without a word he moves from behind the tree, and begins slowly walking towards his siblings and the fallen angel held protectively in Kuro's arms.

~*~

As soon as he feels the wave Dani drops to the ground on to all fours and snaps his head around to the source, seriously expecting to find their father. Instead however his eyes land on their eldest sibling and he relaxes a bit, sitting up almost like a curious dog would. 'Oh, only Issho. He's a LOT more reasonable than Pops. Maybe Aoba will survive this' As casually as he thinks it, he is rather upset at the idea that there's even a chance his potential pet might be taken away from him for good and with a small whine moves a little closer to the two sitting on the porch steps.

For his part, Kuro barely seems responds to the sudden emergence of the second most powerful being in hell. Looking past Aoba's shoulder he watches Issho approaching and he carefully keeps his breath as slow as possible. 'It's just Issho, not Pops. Pops must have sent him, but, but he's approaching, not running off to tell the old man right away. He's here, he's. . .He'll talk to me. I. . . Oh please, anyone who will listen, please, do not take Aoba from me!'

~*~*~*~*~

High above Fenrir watches, tears in the corners of his eyes. 'Oh please, please let this be a good sign. Oh all things holy, don't kill him. Don't take him from this world. Gah, no angel belongs in hell, none of them, especially one so sweet an innocent as this poor child!' Amid his silent please he feels a faint pang in his chest, like someone is calling to him, and he swears, for an instant, that he hears Kuro's voice in his ear. However he knows this can not be true, and despite the strangeness of the happening, he brushes it aside, his grip in the mirror tighter than it's ever been, his white knuckles trembling slightly under the force of it.

~*~*~*~*~

Issho stops several feet away, raising an eyebrow at his little siblings. Kuro swallows, finally relaxing his grip on the small angel, giving him the chance to actually move rather than being held facing away from the approaching source of evil. One hand however settles on Aoba's hip, keeping him from getting up or fleeing should he feel the urge to do so, though the grip would allow him to turn around if he wants to. The eldest's eyes go from Dani, to the figure trying to go unnoticed in the tree, to the raven haired male, until at last his gaze settles on the small, gray winged creature encircled in his brother's arms. It's not the first time he's seen a fallen angel, besides his father of course, but something about this one seems different from the others. Despite his curiosity however he waits patiently for someone else to speak up, wanting to see how these conspirators will try to defend themselves.

Aoba wondered if there were any other types of wings he didn't know about. The only ones he had ever saw were the larger ones used for flying. He was intrigued that they still flapped and twitched like normal wings. They were basically a decoration. Hearing Kyou's question made the fallen angel pause, look down, and rub his wrist where the bracelet had been. "Yeah, the priest took it and threw it away. . .but I think Kuro found it." He remembered seeing just how Kuro created his charms, making him shudder slightly. He could have done without that knowledge. "Yes, I found out when I tried going into the church. It burned me." Aoba hoped the answer would suffice for Kyou, however even if it didn't the lesser demon was sent skittering off- never too far though.

"I'm glad you're back in one piece. Not so glad that you have to go causing more damage to yourself after you've healed though." He laughed softly, knowing there was little he could do about that. It was in their demonic nature to fight and play rough. The soft jingle made him glance downwards to spot the aforementioned charm bracelet. Before he can even say anything, Kuro apologizes and relays his excuses to him. For moments, Aoba stared at the bracelet, examining the new charms on them. 'It's to keep me safe. . .' Somehow, he came to terms with the idea and nodded. "Yes, of course." He hugged Kuro and laughed gently when he realized Kuro wasn't going relax his arms and let him escape. So, he leaned against him and relaxed, not seeming to mind the stares from Kyou and Dani, the latter being more annoyed about the odd displays.

They stayed in that position for some time. Aoba couldn't help but feel happy that he had came back. Of course, he couldn't help the guilt of not staying with the priest after he worked so hard. His mind wandered over gifts he could possibly give him in hopes to reconcile their...differences. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too angry with him. The thoughts were derailed by the sudden shift in energy. It made Aoba pull away from Kuro rather quickly. The extended week of not being around demons caused the sudden wave of demonic energy, mixed with closer demons' energies to make Aoba's head spin. He grimaced and groaned gently, putting his head in his lap. "What was that for?" He whined softly and waited for everything to stop spinning around him.

A cold chill went down his spine. 'Why is there a third-' Aoba sat up quickly only to end up staring at another demon in front of them. Normally, his protectors would have jumped to attack but neither moved. That could only mean they knew this demon. 'Another sibling. . ?' This didn't stop the growing fear in the angel. There was something about this particular demon that made him more uneasy than normal. The gaze alone made Aoba look down at his lap as if he was a scolded child. His wings were pulled tighter to him and he was tense, very much ready to make a mad dash away from him. Unfortunately, Kuro prevented that by holding him still. The silence and staring was unnerving. He wanted to hide. He wanted to go inside. Why wouldn't Kuro let him?!

Dani bristled but stayed in one spot. He was smart enough not to do something so stupid as attacking his eldest brother. Kyou tried shrinking and making himself as unnoticeable as possible. Aoba ended up looking at the eldest brother, flinching gently when he realized he was being examined. He felt now if he moved it’d be much too late and he’d be attacked. He wasn’t very statue-esque as much as he was fidgeting in fear. He was tempted to nudge Kuro forward and say something, but he was much too afraid to do that.

Kuro can feel Aoba trembling and fidgeting and his inside begin writhing even harder than before. He knows that Issho will not act hastily, that's not how the eldest is, but he is however decisive and protective of his siblings, and if Aoba seems to be too likely to be dangerous for his little siblings. . . Those intense golden eyes continue to rove over the angel, clearly waiting for someone to speak up, however as he's far to focused on keeping Aoba from fleeing it's Dani who breaks the silence. Shifting a little he looks up at his brother cutely. “Hello Issho. What brings you to this neck on the woods?” The golden eyes shift over to him and the little red head shrinks a little.

It's clear from the look on Issho's face that he's thinking deeply about his response. Other than with his father, Issho doesn't really reply to anyone in less than half a minute after going over all possible responses and picking the right one for the situation. It's this deep thought and patience that makes Issho stand out among his siblings, haste being a defining feature in all of Satan's spawn. When at last he feels like answering, the answer is short and precise. Looking back to the little angel he murmurs, “Pops is worried.” His tone seems neutral, but what it lacks in emotion, it more than makes up for with power. It is clear Issho is not at the point of backing down. Nowhere near.

~*~*~*~*~

As much as Aoba didn’t want to think about it, ‘Pops’ had to have been none other than Satan himself. Of course he’d be worried about why he hasn’t seen two of his sons in so long. Then again, was that why their ‘pops’ was worried? As if Dani had heard him, he responded still in that cute manner. “Worried about what? We’re all fine.” Aoba couldn’t keep eye contact with Issho, so he stared at his shoes. His voice wasn’t very calming, but it wasn’t threatening to terrify him even more. The name sounded familiar. Maybe Kuro and Dani had mentioned him before at one point, but he couldn’t figure it out. It was best to stay quiet anyway.

~*~*~*~*~

Issho's eyes narrow ever so slightly, and after his usual pause he murmurs, “We. . . .” It's clear that he finds Dani's inclusive word a bit disturbing, curious as to if it includes this angel before him. It's also clear, to Issho, that Kuro has more than a passing interest in the creature in his arms as he keeps his eyes locked on his older brother, the respect he's grown used to come the male tinged with strength and defiance. He would almost say that Kuro is pleading with him, but before he makes that judgment, he feels the need to test Kuro's resolve. Raising a hand slowly he points at Aoba, making sure to catch his eye before making a “come hither” gesture with his fingers. In any other situation, the gesture would appear suggestive, but here it simply feels irresistible for different reasons.

His eyes narrow ever so slightly as Kuro tenses but after a moment the youngest son leans in and whispers softly in the angel's ear. “Aoba, this is my eldest sibling, Issho. He is Pops' right hand.” His arms wrap around the smaller being, crossing his chest and pulling him in tight as he speaks. “It's best to just do what he wants. Please, stay calm and speak to him the way you speak to me if he bids you speak. He's rational and not hasty so. . .Yeah. . .” Issho watches at Kuro relaxes his grip, his gaze sharpening and his little brother's hand comes up to press between the angel's wings for a moment as if you encourage him to move forward. He knows the demon's sensitivity there is a carry over from the angels and the sight has him more curious than ever.

~*~*~*~*~

It fell silent again and suddenly, Issho was gesturing him forward. ’No, no, no, no, no. I don’t want to go over there!’ Feeling Kuro pull him closer made his movements calm, however he was still tense as ever. Kuro’s declaration helped none with that. If he hadn’t been pressed against Kuro, he would have given him a look of utter shock and refusal. ’Stay calm he says, do what he wants he says. That’s easier said than done!’ Of course, none of this was ever spoken aloud. Aoba was still as silent as the mouse Kuro claimed him to be. Aoba was released and he instinctively scooted the opposite way of Issho, however Kuro’s hand stopped him. Aoba gave him a brief glance before slowly standing up.

He stood there unmoving, holding his arm as if it were injured. The fallen angel was trying not to replace his trembling fear with frozen terror. The idea of Issho getting upset that he was moving so slow definitely urged his legs to move. One step at a time, he inched closer to Issho. His wings were close behind him and his gaze rested on the demon’s feet. He was tempted to go back, maybe even use this opportunity to flee, but he figured any of the demons could catch him faster than he could even turn to escape. Being trapped there, Aoba kept the little resolve he did have and stayed perfectly still when he finally stopped at a relatively close, yet safe distance from Issho.

~*~*~*~*~

As soon as it's clear that Aoba has no intention of coming any closer Issho does not hesitate to take the one long step forward to move within grabbing distance of the angel Kuro tenses as he takes yet another step forward, stopping less than a foot from the angel. Before the angel can run however, Issho's hand comes up and take a firm but not painful grip on Aoba's chin, forcing his face up so that the demon can look at his face properly. In a low voice he says, “I admire your bravery angel. Both for coming forward, and for having the fortitude to to stop before I told you to. . .” While his tone holds no ire, it's clear he is displeased with Aoba not doing what he wanted him to. Not that his order had been all that clear.

Kuro watches as Issho tilts the angel's face this way and that, examining him the way someone inspects an antique or other rare item, his eyes nearly closed as he takes in all the small features on Aoba's face. His grip is tight, unyielding, but it does not seek to harm the delicate creature. Kuro remains tight, eyes wide, ready to act. Though in this position he could snap Aoba's neck faster than either he or Dani could respond.

~*~*~*~*~

Somehow, Aoba managed to remain still when Issho closed the distance between them. He just stayed looking at the ground until he was suddenly forced to look at the taller demon. The angel went cold and his wings drooped closer to the ground. ’Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.’ It was much easier saying it rather than doing so. He could practically hear his heart racing. Of course, he had nothing to say in response to Issho. ’Bravery? I’m sure everything I feel right now is fear. Most definitely fear.’ With all the movement to his face, he was forced to relax his head and shoulders in order to move easier. What was Issho looking for? There weren’t that many things on his face to see. Aoba’s hands tug on the bottom of his shirt in effort to distract himself from the examination. He doesn’t like the intense silence but he’s still afraid to make a sound. By the brothers’ actions when Issho had arrived, it was becoming clear that there was little they could do to help him.

~*~*~*~*~

Without warning Issho's other hand comes forward, gently taking Aoba's hand into his own. He lifts the hand, his eyes going from Aoba's face, to the bracelet at his wrist. With and almost, tender, touch, he runs his thumb along the back of Aoba's wrist, the tip brushing against the charms making them shift about. He looks at the charms just as intensely as he looked at Aoba's face. When at last his gaze returns to Aoba's his hand slides from his chin, across his cheek, before finally settling against the back of the angel's head. It would seem almost sweet if Issho was not such an imposing figure. He bends down slowly, bringing his face less than an inch from Aoba's, his gaze still sharp but calm, before moving even close, slipping off to the side so that his lips are even with Aoba's ear. In a gentle voice he murmurs, “What did my brother do to you angel? And I suggest you tell the truth. Start, from the beginning, and go to the end. . .”

~*~*~*~*~

Wondering what was so fascinating about himself, Aoba looked down at his wrist and the charms as well. He counted each of them. Twelve. Just like the last time he counted. It didn’t interest Issho for too long though. The distance between them closed even more and Aoba prepared to step back. Instead, with his eyes shut tight, he listened to the question asked. For the first time since Issho had arrived, Aoba had an expression other than fear. He looked confused. ’What did he. . .do?’ Aoba crossed his arms over his chest, reaching one hand up to rub his shoulder. “I-. . .” He was afraid to ask him to clarify.

Realizing the pause lasted much too long, Aoba took a breathe. “I-I don’t know what you mean, b-but I can assure you- well, I don’t know if it’s much of an assurance but, um, Kuro hasn’t done anything to me. At least, nothing I can really complain about…” He was trying his hardest not to ramble, so he paused to try and gather some form of coherent thought. “Well, I fell. Obviously. And he came and helped me.” Aoba glanced back at the house. “With all of this. He’s been helping me with my farm and protecting me from other demons that have tried attacking me. I mean, I don’t necessarily think that’s something done to me, in context, but it’s something he’s...done?” Aoba held his arm a little tighter and looked back at the ground. “I-I mean we’ve- he’s done nothing else! Well, unless you consider him kissing me something as well.” As his voice got softer with every word, his cheeks turned shades darker. “B-But to be fair I kissed him first…” Aoba shook his head. “Anyway, he even watched over me when I wasn’t here too. As in, I decided to leave and go live in a church instead of here because well. . .Well it was a dumb idea.” He got a little sad at the thought, remembering that he was just too odd to fit in.

“But, I mean- nonetheless, he protected me even when I pushed him away and I’m really thankful for it but I don’t think that’s the point you want to hear about. Yet, I’m not exactly sure what you were asking me to begin with.” His voice trailed off, more so because he was running out of breath. At this point he was poking his fingers together and looking at the ground. However, after a moment’s pause, he added. “Oh, and he’s cooked for me...and took one of my feathers.” Once more, falling silent afterwards. He had told the truth and he started from the beginning- well, the beginning of what he thought Issho asked of him. Back in heaven, Kuro didn’t and couldn’t do anything to him. Aoba simply took care of him. There was no need to mention that. Besides, Aoba was still keeping his promise not to tell that part of the story.

He waited, tensing up again. Aoba didn’t want to guess what would happen next, especially if Issho didn’t like his answers.

~*~*~*~*~

Kuro watches the grip on the back of Aoba's head tighten and his heart skips a beat. Once he has a moment open to speak the raven haired male speaks up from his place on the porch steps. “You need to start at the beginning Little Mouse, and I have done things to you. . .” His eyes go to Issho's and he asks softly, “He can't recognize it however brother. I will explain if you really must know later.” Issho's grip relaxes and his thumb strokes the angel's cheek softly. He pulls back just far enough to look into Aoba's eyes, waiting for the “real” beginning to the story.

~*~*~*~*~

That all too familiar ‘squeak’ of fear escapes Aoba when he feels Issho’s grip get tighter. ’What did I do?! What did I do!?’ He didn’t know what he meant, it wasn’t his fault! Aoba refrained from pouting and focused his attention on Kuro. He was practically giving him permission to tell Issho. . . “But you said not-” He was going to turn around completely to face Kuro, but Issho’s grip on him stopped him from moving. “I didn’t lie. . .” He whined. The close proximity to Issho was starting to make him feel sick, but he tried to ignore it. Having to tell him what really happened made his cheeks puff a little. He made a promise not to tell. . .

Taking another breath, Aoba began. “Well, I was a medic angel. . .An assistant medic angel. I never really got to do much in the field besides organize things and take care of the younger angels that gotten hurt. It wasn’t as challenging, but younger angels somehow get a lot more scars. Especially when their training to be earthbound or soldiers. I would think all angels should stay clean to keep their- never mind. Not the point. A-Anyway...Kuro was in a cell. He was captured.” Aoba felt really bad for saying it, even if it wasn’t his fault and even if Kuro told him it was okay to tell Issho everything. “He was being tortured a-and it was really bad. But I offered to treat him after his sessions. No one thought it was a good idea, but he was injured! And he could’ve died being tortured like that! I-I didn’t even know angels would do that.” His eyes widened at the statement as if he was reliving the moment for the first time again.

“Kuro explained that no matter how many times I healed him- and I could only do so much unfortunately, they would keep at it until they got what they wanted. I didn’t know what they wanted. I don’t know a lot about the higher ups. I didn’t want to see him die...And I worked so hard to treat him too.” Aoba looked down at his feet in guilt, whispering the next part. “So I let him go.” He didn’t remember actually saying it in heaven. In fact, he just remembered crying a lot because he was imprisoned and then thrown into trial. He would have thought the memory wouldn’t have been so painful anymore, but it still hurt to think about it.

“I got caught. They put me on trial. It- It was just a lot of yelling really. . .And then the next thing I knew they took my powers away from me and I was falling out of the sky. I hit the ground pretty hard- but that’s just other stuff about me. After all that it’s what I told you.” He shrank back some. “Kuro’s been helping me since I got here.”

~*~*~*~*~

'Pops was right, Heaven did indeed have him. . .For a time. . .' He watches Aoba's eyes as he speaks, watching the concern, the haunted expression as he recalls Kuro's state in heaven, and he feels the first flickers of ire. 'If an angel pitied him, then the wounds were indeed severe. . .' While not as hastily violent as his father, Issho does have himself a temper when it comes to his family. It was something that was ingrained into him at a young age. His responsibility to his siblings is paramount to all his other duties. His eyes flicker to Kuro, then back to the angel as he lets the little one finish speaking.

His grip flexes, not painfully, but simply in thought as he takes in all the new information and processes it. The sun gleams off his rough yet polished horns, the points seemingly directed at the face before his own. When he finally speaks again, his question is once more simple, but difficult as well. “And what pains have you caused my little brother?” Kuro rises to object, knowing such a question is something private between him and Aoba, however Dani quickly tackles him down, a crack appearing in the earth between the demon clutching the angel's head and the youngest siblings now collapsed on the porch. Dani hisses, glaring at Kuro, not wanting his feelings to endanger the angel. The crack had been a warning from Issho himself for Kuro to stay back, however he doesn't even flinch when delivering it, nor at the flurry of motion behind the angel. He simply waits, silently, for Aoba to respond.

~*~*~*~*~

Aoba realized after speaking that it may have been a terrible idea to say what he did. Not just for Kuro’s sake, but for Heaven’s sake as well. What if they didn’t want everyone to know about it? Issho was probably going to tell Satan and that. . .wasn’t. . .’Oh no, I’m in trouble. More trouble.’ Aoba could not catch a break. He couldn’t catch a break from the multiple mistakes he was making and currently he couldn’t catch a break from Issho. There was no way to hide the guilty expression from the next question. ’Is that really something you want to know? I mean, can’t you just ask Kuro? Or leave that up to questioning?’ The one sided conversation in his head ended with a heavy sigh. ’I’ve had a long run. I suppose I’ve had way more than three strikes of near death. My life was pretty hectic and a mess any-’ His dramatic ‘will before death’ was interrupted by a loud sound. Aoba’s instinctive reaction was to scramble closer to Issho until he realized that was a terrible idea and ended up retreating back into his spot.

’Stay calm, stay calm.’ “I’ve…” He didn’t know how to start or where to begin. Looking at the ground, Aoba spoke. “When Kuro found me, I didn’t like him. Not anymore.” He tugged on his shirt. He couldn’t bring himself to say that he hated Kuro for what happened. “He decided that he owed his life to me and I told him that it was unnecessary.” His voice was soft as if he didn’t want the others to hear him. “Kuro’s been nothing but kind to me and multiple times I’ve disregarded his feelings- feelings I didn’t consider he had because he reminded me all the time that he didn’t have a heart. You all have different ways of expressing, well everything that I’m not used to. I was taught differently as well. I really am sorry about all the trouble I’ve caused. I seem to attract it often.” Aoba paused once more, shifting on his feet. “He- and Dani have been putting themselves in harm’s way to protect me and I’ve taken it for grant it. I was supposed to be doing this by myself, but without them I probably wouldn’t have gotten very far. They shouldn’t have to work so hard because of me.” Aoba paused there, knowing that if he went on, he would have probably ended up apologizing for every little thing he had ever done whether it was good or bad.

~*~*~*~*~

Issho's eyes go wide. As brief as it was, the angel had done the unthinkable and had pressed into him for protection. He retreated right after, but the moment was enough to convince the eldest that this angel is beyond strange. 'There is something downright off about this one. . .Fallen angels have always been soldiers. This one's a medic. They've always still hated demons. This one seems to see. . . . .”us”, as family. And he even seems to feel for, well, everyone. Not just those who have sworn themselves to Yahweh. . .' He listens closely as Aoba outlines his crimes against his family, his shame and sorrow palpable, and rather sweet to be honest. 'He feels his greatest crimes are being ungrateful and. . .Hurting Kuro's feelings. Yes, the physical injuries are in there, but. . .'

He watches Kuro finally throw Dani off of himself and stand once more, his eyes locked on his eldest brother. There is clear defiance in his eyes now and he can see the hell Kuro promises to make him pay if the angel comes to harm. Drawing his face back slowly Issho's hand drops to the back of Aoba's neck and he holds the smaller male tight. A sharpened thumb nail slips beneath Aoba's chin, forcing his face up so he continues looking into Issho's face. The blond beast seems to be contemplating something deeply while in the background Dani pouts, remaining flopped on the ground as he waits for something, anything to happen, beyond talking. Up in the tree Kyou is still as ever, the only active part of him his eyes.

Without preamble he says matter-of-factly, “You love them, my siblings. Kurotama more so.” Kuro's eyes flash almost painfully at the announcement but he does not deny it. Dani looks up, very confused at the idea of Aoba “loving” him, but he remains silent. It's not his place to question his biggest brother. Going on without bothering to look anywhere else he continues speaking softly. “It is my job to keep my siblings safe, from everyone, even our father himself.” His grip tightens. “I do not tolerate anyone bringing them harm. . .” Kuro is on edge, ready to reduce Issho to ash. “However, at this point, taking your life from you would do him greater harm than leaving you with him, so for now, your life is spared.” He leans in once more, almost close enough to kiss the smaller male. Is breath smells faintly of fresh tobacco(The dry stuff, not the burning stuff) and fresh, fertile earth, an overall pleasant scent. “If that fact ever reverses, I will remove you. Nothing is more precious to me than their lives and happiness. Never forget that.”

Then, without warning, he actually kisses Aoba, right on the lips. The kiss is barely more than a peck and once his blessing is in place he propels Aoba off to the side so he can deal directly with Kuro and Dani. He doesn't care what the angel does now. He's said his piece and delivered his verdict and without malice he accepts the angel under his protection as something that brings joy to his siblings.

~*~*~*~*~

Aoba winced ever so slightly when a sharp nail pushed his face upwards. The statement was rather blunt and didn’t expect an answer right after. In fact, it was as if Issho was telling Aoba something he didn’t know. The idea of loving the demons made his cheeks warm a little. It was hard to tell if he was embarrassed of its truthfulness or saddened by it. Love wasn’t very existent with the demons after all.

He would have to think about all that later though. Issho was still talking- no he was now threatening him. It sounded like a threat at least. ’Hurt his brothers and I don’t get to live. Got it.’ Wide eyed, Aoba nodded slowly in understanding.

If he wasn’t in enough shock, the sudden and quick kiss definitely put him in shock. There was something about personal space demons did not understand… With a yelp, Aoba found himself on the ground, near the tree Kyou had decided to hide in. ’Oh thank heavens.’ Issho was done berating the angel. Aoba still felt sick to his stomach so he laid on the ground for a few moments, unsure if he wanted to watch the interaction between the brothers. Kyou had half a mind to climb down and help the angel off the ground, but he was still terrified to move.

~~~~~

All the while, sitting on the edge of his bed, Fenrir was glued to the mirror. His heart raced each time Aoba was questioned and certain times, it ached after hearing Aoba’s answers. The distraught look on Fenrir’s face had relaxed dramatically when the eldest demon declared that Aoba wouldn’t get murdered. “You poor, poor angel.” He was amazed the kid didn’t end up worse for wear with how much had been tossed at him. ’He doesn’t deserve such trauma. . .’ Like the medic he is, Fenrir began to coax Aoba to get a glass of water and rest. Unfortunately, the doctor couldn’t be heard.

~*~*~*~*~

A wave of relief passes through the dark haired male as Issho declares Aoba basically part of the family and he only feels a very faint irritation as the angel is basically tossed aside like a rag doll. 'Oh, thank all things. This, this is. . .' His eyes meet Issho's and he gives the male a smile in thanks,though he knows this encounter is far from over. The blond walks over to within a few paces of Dani and Kuro, the former letting out a little “whoop!” in triumph over Aoba being freed from death for now. He knows Issho means it. He will kill Aoba if it seems the angel is causing more pain than he is joy, but knowing not only the angel, but also his little brother, the red head is quite sure it will never happen. They've been through too much for such a radical change to happen now.

Kuro comes down off the porch, standing at the ready for whatever Issho has in mind for him, not even mildly afraid of what may happen to him over what he's done to Dani. The smallest demon scrambles up and bounces on the balls of his feet, his wings twitching happily. The blond's eyes go to those wings and narrow as he spots the collar and leash. Looking back at Kuro he raises an eyebrow, demanding an explanation silently. Kuro lets out a long breath at the look and he explains softly, “When Dani first arrived he had no investment in keeping Aoba alive, and as that is what I swore to do, and he is stronger than me as you know, this was the only way to ensure he did not kill the little angel in one of his infamous temper fits.” He looks sideways at Dani. “And even with the restraints in place, he's come close a few times. . .”

Not refuting this whatsoever Dani nods in agreements, a sly grin on his face. Bouncing up to Issho however he paws at the collar and gives the taller male his shiniest eyes. Kuro flinches as his spell is broken in an instant, the crackle of fractured energy making his arm rather numb. He doesn't try to object however. He knew the collar and leash were temporary things when he made them and he is fairly confident now that Dani has learned to not harm Aoba, or at least has the ingrained reactions to stop him before he does too much harm. Issho reaches up and pets Dani's hair and the smaller demon coos happily before bounding over to Aoba to sit astride his chest, poking his cheek and wondering why he's not up yet.

Now, with all of his attention on Kuro, Issho lets his energy ripple out once more and for the first time a real expression crosses his face. His brows furrow into a scowl and the raven haired male knows what's coming next. With a slow exhale Kuro looks this way and that before finally gesturing to the empty field across the road from the farm. Issho surveys the swaying grass and nods, falling into step behind Kuro as he leads the way across the gravel. Dani, who's pulled Aoba into a sitting position and is hugging the angel like a giant teddy bear, watches his brothers move away from the farm and he gives Aoba an extra squeeze. When the angel asks where they are going Dani chuckles softly.

“Issho's gonna trounce Kurotama soundly for upsetting Pops, for collaring me, for not telling Pops the full truth right away, yadda yadda, all those bad things, and he's gonna use the fight to assess the Black Little Storm Cloud's resolve and all that other noble crap. . .” Glancing up he snaps, “He, nutless!” Kyou nearly falls out of the tree, being addressed directly while being so deeply entrenched in terror. He manages to catch himself however, tearing his eyes from the eldest child and dropping them down to the red head, the bright orbs nearly bugging out of his head. Dani scoffs at the sight and shakes his head before calling up, “Get your ass done here and keep a hand on Aoba. I'm going to hell to get Homura. My little brother will need some repairs after this.”

Without a sound Kyouku drops to the ground behind Aoba, slipping to his side as Dani moves away from the gray winged creature to make his portal. The little headwings on Kyou's head are laying flat against his hair as eh slips an arm under Aoba's, hugging the limb tightly to his chest as he watches the eldest and youngest vault the fence across the way. The faint tremble in his limbs makes it clear he's still terrified but he looks as ready as he can be to protect Aoba should he have to. As Dani vanishes the two taller demons come to a halt several yards from the fence, turning to face one another so that from the view from the farm shows them both from the side. Almost like the “ready” shot at the beginning of an old fashioned fighting game.

Unlike when Dani and Kuro go at it, the face off here looks a lot more traditional. The two look at one another, silent, stoic, until at last Issho moves. He moves slowly and with controlled movements that reflect his skills. His hand goes to his side where, as if drawing a blade, he pulls his arm up while gripping what looks to be thin air. After a moment however a black and green blade crackles into sight, seemingly made of pure energy with only the faintest glints of silver here an there as the energy moves around it. It looks shockingly like an angelic blade, colors aside, and high above an arch angel gasps at the sight of it, his fingers clutching a mirror tightly as he watches the face off. Issho had decided long ago to take up a blade like his father's, finding it the perfect fit for him. Somehow far more noble than anything else he could think of at the time Satan had told him to pick a weapon. Unlike his father's gold sword however, his is made with the image of silver. He's never been able to quite make gold.

Kuro smirks at the sight of it, watching his brother also unsheathe his wings, beating them slowly almost as if to bow his energy around his little brother in intimidation. Kuro does not back down from the challenge, bringing out his own wings and even managing to not flinch at the faint throb from the still very fresh wound. 'So, weapons and wings. You're really serious. . .' He would normally be rather afraid of what his brother has planned for him, however, spotting Aoba out of the corner of his eye he can't help but smirk cockily and reach behind his back over his shoulder to grasp his own weapon. 'You have done all I could ever ask of you brother. Take as many pounds of flesh you will in payment. . .'

Drawing his arm up slowly he can feel the weight of his chosen weapon settling comfortably against his body and with a sudden swift jerk his pitch black scythe appears. A good three feet longer than Kuro is tall the base of the handle sinks into the ground as Kuro slams it down into place, standing at it's side proudly with his smirk still in place. The massive lade is as long as Aoba and arches from the top point of one outstretched wing to the top point on the other. The massive weapon looks far to large for him, cartoony even, if it wasn't for how deadly it looks. The beast of a weapon seems to be made of blackened metal or cut stone, the entire thing dancing with black flame. The flame travels across the weapon, eventually wrapping around Kuro as well, making both demon and weapon look as one and as the grass beneath his feet turns to ash, Kuro feels as ready as he'll ever be for this clash.

His weapon tilts, the ground tearing as the base rips from the ground with the slow movement, then with a sound of metal on metal the handle falls into his outstretched hand and he holds it before him at the ready. Kyouku, having never seen such a display of power, is two parts fascinated, six parts terrified, and carefully clings to Aoba that much tighter out of fear. He figures that the most powerful demon present has shown the angel favor so as long as he sticks close to Aoba, he's safe. That's his reasoning at least. Swallowing hard he keeps his eyes locked on the combatants as at last they bother take off at the same instant, crashing together with tremendous force that seems to be the cause for the darkening sky.

The sudden weight on him made Aoba's eyes pop open in surprise. Seeing Dani, he huffed and let the small demon poke at his face. He doesn't even object when Dani practically moved him like a ragdoll in order to hug him. It was somewhat comforting. Somewhat. At least Aoba wasn't quaking in fear anymore. He was sure his nerves were probably bad now or something. There was no way he could be 'normal' after such life threatening experiences. Laying down for awhile sounded like a good idea. . .Maybe even finding something to make him productive, like feeding the animals. Anything to get him distracted, or to calm him down. Those particular ideas made Aoba look towards the house, ready to do just that until Issho and Kuro began to walk out into the field. Aoba scooted closer to Dani, feeling much safer next to him than near Issho, which gave the demon ample opportunity to hug him more. He was definitely happy about it.

“Where are they going?” Aoba’s voice was barely above a whisper. He wasn’t happy with the answer. Not at all. The two brothers were going to fight? That couldn’t possibly be good. His eyes widened a little when Dani declared that he would be getting Homura to take care of him. ’This isn’t good. . .’ In moments, Kyou was holding tight to his arm and Dani had disappeared through a portal. He didn’t move from under the tree, using it as some form of false protection. For some reason however, Kyouku’s fears seemed to calm Aoba a little more. It was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one fearing for his life. It was even possible that Kyou was a little more terrified than he was- which Aoba wasn’t aware possible until recently.

Both demon and angel watched with wide eyes as weapons were drawn and wings were extended. He had never seen anything like them. As fascinating as it was terrifying, Aoba sat with Kyou, using his free hand to gently pat Kyou’s arm, keeping his eyes glued to what was happening in front of him. There’s no doubt that both are intimidated and in fear, nevertheless, Aoba focused on comforting the demon beside him at least enough to stop him from shaking. Technically, Aoba is safe from the dangers of being attacked- so he realized, so now he was just fearful of the fight that was about to take place. “Oh no, he just got his wing healed.” He knew pleas of being careful wouldn’t cut it this time. All Aoba could do was hope Homura would be able to help him and hope his older brother didn’t hurt him too bad.

~~~~~~

Fenrir watched with awe and fascination at the display between the spawns of Satan. He had never seen anything like it before. In a way, both demons displayed elegance and grace with their mere stances. It was definitely odd to think of the demons anything more than brutish and evil. In fact, it was even more odd that Fenrir was starting to feel sympathy for Kuro. . ? “I couldn’t possibly be worried. He’s a demon. . .” That line wasn’t getting any more convincing than the many times he said it before. Attempting to distract himself from the thoughts, he adjusted in order to check on Aoba. A small, proud smile formed when he noticed that despite his own fear Aoba still managed to try and help the demon next to him. ’He cares so much. . .Why didn’t anyone see this before?’ It again makes him a mix of sad and guilty to know that he was a part of the problem, ignoring the young angel even when he was so polite and did nothing wrong. ’He’s what many of us should aspire to be like. Truly pure of heart.’

The portal crackles closed behind the red head as he immediately takes to the skies of hell and makes for the palace. There aren't many other demons actually flying about and they scatter when they see Dani, his violent streak infamous and not limited to demons who've actually done anything. He's been known to simply attack demons on sight for no good reason, and as he looks like he's busy with something they are all very interested in not getting between him and his goal. One demon however does approach him and he glares towards the figure as she comes up to fly along side him. He refuses to be the first to speak and instead tries to break away from her, but her much larger wings create such a down draft when she flies over him that he ceases that idea least he fall into the pools of fire below.

With a snarl he turns over, forgetting his vow. “What do you want Maia!?” he hisses, carefully slipping out from beneath her so that he can fly properly again. She moves around him slowly, the small childish grin setting his teeth on edge and he cuffs her with his wing. She cuffs him right back, sending him tumbling slightly. Once he regains his balance he snarls, ready to knock her out of the sky, but before he can do so, she speaks.

“You stink.” Sticking out her tongue Maia cuffs him again, but this time catches him so she can carry him, getting a better look at his face. As a result, she can also smell him better in this position and she makes a face again. “You reek little brother.” she calls over his cursing. He thrashes himself free and drops to the ground just outside the palace. She lands right behind him. “You reek of grace. Not changing sides on us, are you little brother?” He staunchly ignores her, hoping she'll just go away, however half way to Homura's room he realizes she plans on following him no matter what.

Whipping around he snaps, “Don't you have anything better to do?” Down in hell his cute, childishness is reserved for those he actually likes, and Maia is not one he likes. She is his sister, true, but her perpetual need to know his business and to mess with his research has left her on his black list. More times than he can count she's messed up his breeding and other work, claiming that she was there first and should have every right to review his work. She is one who hardly ever leaves hell as well and she honestly spends more time actually working than he does, however he shares his things with no one. 'Aoba doesn't count. He's still Kurotama's technically. . . .'

She sticks out her tongue again. “Why would I have anything better to do than to find out why my dearest little brother smells like a filthy angel?” She leans in close, taking a sniff at his chest before dodging a swipe from him. “You smell like you were cuddling one, gross!” She covers her nose and steps back. Spotting the real revulsion on her face Dani smiles wickedly and quickly darts in, wrapping his arms around her. She gags as he rubs his body all over her, rubbing off Aoba's scent on to her, and giggles madly as she runs off with a squeal of disgust.

“There, now that that's taken care of. . .” he murmurs, turning and racing down the hall until he reaches Homura's door. Carefully he cracks open the door, sticking in a hand so that the fire bug doesn't think he's being invaded and set the place ablaze for no good reason. After a few seconds he feels breath on his hand and goes limp in preparation for what happens next. Without any real warning aside from having his hand sniffed he's suddenly pulled into the room, the door slammed closed behind him as he's pulled into a rough hug by a nude Homura. Thankfully the room has some light today and Dani's not left standing in complete darkness as Homura races back over to what he'd been doing before Dani arrived.

Taking an accurate guess the smaller demon calls out, “Put some clothes on. We're gonna go watch in person, okay?” Homura giggles happily and races around the room getting dressed, his pale skin making him look like a ghost as he flits about the room. Dani waits quietly, wishing he could see through that misty thing Homura uses to see earth with so he can catch the beginning of the fight between his siblings, however the taller male is rather quick and in no time the two are heading, arm in arm, out of the palace and towards a good portal spot.

~*~*~*~*~

A scream leaves Kuro's lips as he's once more thrown to the ground by a blow from the pummel of his brother's blade. The spot it struck throbs and he wonders if he'll be able to stand up this time. The question is swiftly answered when moments later he's airborne, the spot he'd been laying cracked open by a blow from his brother's sword. The ground below is filled with cracks and craters, like large scars running this way and that across the skin of the earth. Most of the grass in the area is gone now, Kuro's constant flame having licked the soil clean everywhere it touched. He knows he's a bloody mess right now, but he does not back down as Issho launches himself from the ground straight for his dark haired brother.

The blond could have taken his brother down from the very start with his first blow, but he didn't. Instead he held himself back, causing damage rather than disabling completely. This is a punishment after all, not a duel to the death. His sword whistles forward and takes a knick out of Kuro's wing making the smaller male scream again, but he feels a swell of pride as he dodges back away from a rather well placed swing from Kuro's scythe. 'Even through the pain, he fights on. I've not seen such tenacity since. . .' He dodges again, thoughts of his younger sister drifting from his mind as he's forced to pay more attention to the fight. He watches as a few strands of his hair drift away down towards the earth below and he smiles ever so slightly.

Even as damaged as he is, Kuro can still conduct himself with fair skill, though nothing compared to his brethren that actually fight arch angels. He knows that Issho is basically giving him every near miss he lands, the tattered cloth around his hems and missing strands of hair the only thing showing Issho is doing something other than having a casual flight above an empty field. He is knocked from the shy again however as he falls he notices where he'll land and with a cry pulls himself out of the fall and tumbles to the side. Issho watches the display curiously, watching with slight shock as the Dark Little Storm Cloud's flame goes out and he lands hard on the edge of a crater.

The area inside and around the crater is completely unmarred and at the center is what looks to be a sapling. The bowl is filled with white flowers and the grass is plush and thick, but not long like the rest of the grass in the area. Before he can take in much more than this Kuro is in his face, forcing him back and dragging the battle away from the spot best he can. It doesn't take a genius to realize what the crater is, but what surprises him most is Kurotama's reaction to it. 'He obviously wants the angel here, with him, and to forget heaven, and yet he's not reduced this little reminder to ash. . .It would make more sense to destroy anything that would create longing for. . .' His sword comes down, slicing deep into Kuro's arm and rendering it useless.

The smaller male cries out but rather than backing off he tosses his scythe aside and attacks bare handed. Since he can not wield his weapon effectively with only one arm it's a smart move, and as grappling is not something Issho is the best at it actually is more advantageous for Kuro to attack this way. Almost as if to honor Kuro's commitment to continue on Issho puts his blade away, his own flames erupting across his body as he prepares to take on his little brother's charge. The flames are almost a blinding white, the exact opposite of Kuro's pitch black flames, and as they come together the flames swirls around them looking almost like giant flaming yin yang symbols.

The heat of Kuro's flame allows him to land some actual blows on his eldest brother, a few burns appearing across his skin as they come together, but the shear volume and power of Issho's swiftly dwarfs Kuro's little inferno. The dark haired male doesn't give up however, slashing and throwing his brother when he manages to get a hold of him and keeping his flames burning strong.

~*~*~*~*~

The doctor has never seen anything like this before. He's seen a lot of combat in his time, but this is completely out of the realm of his experience. He's honestly never seen two demons fight – beyond a couple shoving one another out of the way to have access to a dying angel – and the epic power being displayed before him is something unheard of. The clashes between angel and demon have been tempered for a long time, to avoid being discovered by humans, so while battles like this may have been common before, no such clash as this has been seen in Fenrir's lifetime. The earth cracked and chard, the sky darkening under the press of energy, and he can't smell it but he's quite sure that the air itself is burning.

Worrying for Aoba's health at this thought he switches over to looking at him and is relived to see that the little demon is making use of himself and keeping all of the backlash from affecting the little angel. The animals are definitely unhappy, but don't seem to be in any danger. Some are even laying down as far from the fighting as they can get and seem to be trying to sleep. Zooming back out so he can watch the battle he watches Kuro tumble to the ground once more and his eyes are caught by the white off to his side. Zooming back a little bit more he realizes quickly what he's seeing and actually feels touched as he notices Kuro's lack of flame and immediate redirect of the fight. 'He's. . . .Protecting the spot. . .'

Letting out a soft sigh he notices the small figures of Dani and the silver haired one from before appearing through a portal beside Aoba and the weak demon. 'Well, at least there's that little additional protection. . .' He carefully disregards the fact that he just called more demons around an angel “protection” and goes back to watching the battle. He's seem some pretty determined demons in his time, but when Kuro tosses his weapon and begins attacking with only one working arm he can't help but admire his actions. 'The blond one could have killed Kuro many times over now, but he is humoring his little brother. . .He's even taking damage now. . .Why are they fighting!? Dani said something about punishment, but this seems to be. . .So much more than that. I don't see Kuro being so tenacious. He'd take his punishment. . . That's the kind of demon he is. . .'

~*~*~*~*~

Dani walks swiftly over to Aoba and dumps Homura at his side before turning to the fight and beginning to hoot and holler like a sports fan at a game. “Get'em Kuro! Singe that perfect mope right off his head! Give it to'em Issho! Show him who's boss!” He continues to cheer like this as Homura sits shyly next to Aoba, watching him openly with his milky white eyes. Kyouku does his best impression of a statue as he tries to not catch the white haired male's attention. He's never seen this one before, but the portal stone gives him away as yet another spawn of Satan.

~*~*~*~*~

The flames obscure the combatants slightly but it's clear even with the obstruction that Issho is slowly wearing Kuro down. The battle comes to a head when Kuro is once more thrown to the earth and before he can respond Issho lands on top of him. There's a blood curdling shriek of pain and just like that, the battle is over. The white flame vanishes completely, as does the black flame, and Dani lets out one final whoop before plopping down behind Aoba to keep him from running over to the battlefield to see if Kuro's alright. Softly he whispers, “That land is soaked in demonic energy right now Aoba. Going over there could kill you. Don't worry, it will fade soon. Issho doesn't like leaving messes.”

Kyouku carefully becomes one with the ground at the base of the tree, looking very much like a cat trying not to be seen, and he watches with wide eyes as the eldest comes into view, hopping over the fence with a bundle in his arms. The bundle is very red but clearly some of the red has been covered, and Issho is now very topless. Dani giggles as he realizes that his big brother has wrapped their younger sibling in his own coat and rolls his eyes at the gesture. “Issho is such a softie. . .” he murmurs, nibbling at Aoba's clothing.

Once he's close enough to the little group Homura stands and moves towards the smell of blood more than anything else. He can see his little brother, but under the radiance of Issho he's a little hard to make out. Issho lays the wrapped bundle on to the ground and parts the coat so Homura can have direct access to his tattered form. Slipping around the body he takes a seat, drawing Kuro's head into his lap as he waits for Homura to get to work. Dani giggles again, rolling his eyes. “You're too nice to him Issho. That's why he turned out such a wimp.” Letting Aoba go Dani amuses himself by picking on Kyou, making him whimper and whine as he's poked and prodded playfully. He glances over his shoulder every so often though, hiding his worry for his brother carefully.

Every pained scream and every blow that connected made Aoba cringe in fear. It was obvious just how much pain Kuro was going through and yet he continued fighting. Aoba could practically feel Kuro's pain himself. There was an ache in his chest every time he had to hear that terrible sound. He’d whine when Kuro was hit especially hard and when blood was drawn a little more than before he would turn and hide his face in Kyou’s shirt. “Just stay down. Please Kuro.” His voice hadn’t made it above a whisper and he was on the verge of tears by how badly Kuro would be injured because of him. ’You shouldn’t be doing this. . .Not for me!’ The fallen angel could already hear Kuro explaining that it was his decision to make and it wasn't Aoba's fault, but the fallen angel wasn't convinced. Aoba found himself not being able to look away for too long as if he had to make sure Kuro would be alright. By the looks of it, that wasn’t the case- only furthering Aoba’s distress.

There was little Kyou could really do besides keep his arm linked around Aoba’s like he was told to do. He knew in that situation- or any fight with the siblings of Satan himself, he’d die in an instant. So he stayed safe. However, the rise in demonic energy had gotten rather noticeable. Although he didn’t mind it, Kyou realized that it could possibly injure Aoba. A cold chill went down his spine at the thought of being attacked by Dani because of it, then of course he couldn’t have his delightful little ‘prize’ be injured. If he was going to be able to continue talking him, he would have to do his part.

With a somewhat calming breath, Kyou focused and diverted the demonic energy that strayed towards the two of them in an opposite direction- being careful as to not divert it somewhere important. “Are- Are you okay Aoba?” His voice shook from fear of being so close to his superiors. Kyou only received distressed sounds as Aoba continued trying to force himself away from the madness in front of him.

The fallen angel had barely missed Kuro’s efforts in preventing damage towards one particular spot in the field. At first, Aoba couldn’t understand what was so special there, but the longer he stared the more he started to realize. . . Aoba’s wings twitched at the memory. It was almost painful to remember, physically painful even. ’But why would he protect it. . ?’ Now was not the time to think about those things. Kuro was still being beaten half to death and Aoba was fidgeting and trying not to yell for them to stop. The sudden portal nearby could have made Aoba jump out of his skin, but instead his feathers ruffled and his attention turned back to the fight.

He didn’t acknowledge the two demons, save for when they exited the portal. That was just to clarify that Aoba didn’t need to run off to safety. Usually, he would have noticed the staring, especially from Homura’s blind large eyes but he was much too focused on the events before him. ’He is really worried, I can smell it!’ Homura had gotten a little more intrigued by the fretting angel than the fight. He tried making out as many details as he could, like the occasional breeze his wings would create when he was especially fretful. It was almost as if the fallen angel was tempted to jump up to stop the fight but stopped himself immediately.

Kyou was just thankful he was being ignored.

Suddenly, the fight was over with a final shriek of pain making Aoba shut his eyes tight. He didn’t want to see how it ended, nor did he want to see what had become of the demon fighting and facing a punishment. As if predicting his next move, Dani was already behind him and stopping him from leaping up. Instead of responding, Aoba nodded to show he understood. For a moment, he realized that even if Dani didn’t stop him, he wouldn’t get very far thanks to being absolutely terrified of Issho. So, he anxiously waited until that feared demon brought Kuro, now wrapped in a coat. ’If so much energy is being created. . .Wouldn’t more demons come here?’ Thinking back to the many times intimidation by Dani and Kuro scared demons away, he was sure that this energy would do the same.

Dani’s comment about Issho being a softie made Aoba want to whirl around and very much explain that his definition of ‘being soft’ was nowhere near being soft. Instead, he was practically screaming internally but mumbling to himself that Kuro was left alive and that was what mattered. He watched as Issho cradled Kuro’s head while Homura walked over. He couldn’t help but feel rather skeptical of the scene. Issho did just attack Kuro after all. Dani had let him go, indicating that things were fine now, but Aoba didn’t move. As much as he wanted to rush over, Aoba was nowhere near comfortable being around Issho- even if he had ‘accepted him’. Maybe it was because Issho was so close in power of Satan himself. Aoba wasn’t necessarily sure if that was true, but he was convinced that it was something of the sort.

Dani had realized Aoba was still sitting in the same spot. He stopped poking at Kyou, and nudged Aoba gently. “He’s not gonna bite you know. And Homura’s there. Kuro’ll get better.” It wasn’t very encouraging to the angel, but he did nod and slowly get up. Aoba shuffled his way closer to Homura, keeping his eyes on the ground. He didn’t sit too close, wanting to give Homura his space to work. The fallen angel didn’t know what to say to the bloodied mess in front of him and he was still teay eyed.

’If only there was something I could do to help. . .’

Aoba inched just a little closer to Kuro’s side. Seeing his hand resting limp on the ground, Aoba held it instead.

~~~~~~~~~

With the fight finally over, Fenrir couldn’t help but examine the silver haired demon’s methods of healing Kuro. As a doctor, he felt the necessity to know. At least, that’s what he was telling himself in effort to ignore that he felt bad for the demon risking his life. Seeing Aoba so distressed only made Fenrir hope that things would lighten up for the better quickly.

~~~~~~~~~

To keep himself occupied while, Homura began to heal him, Aoba eyed Kuro over from where he sat. Despite not moving, he was still able to critically examine most of the wounds on Kuro’s front. It was easy to do considering he had been a medic- sort of- at some point. What wasn’t easy was stilling the various urges to point out places that Homura brushed over. Sure he was thorough, but he wasn’t thorough to Aoba’s standards- then again, there weren’t many who could match the fallen angel’s ‘need for clean’. Thankfully, the blind demon did go back, fixing him up even more. When Homura had finally did all he could, Aoba looked over at him and whispered. “Thank you.”

He was doing a pretty decent job of not making eye contact with Issho, but he happened to turn and look at him, only to quickly look back down at Kuro. He fell silent again, occasionally looking over at Dani to see him bothering Kyou still.

Once all are settled – the angel holding his brother's hand, Homura going over and over the wounded child, Dani poking at the little demon that, by all rights, has no place in this group of half angels – Issho lets out a soft sigh and begins brushing his fingers over and over his littlest brother's blood splattered forehead. He sends gently magics into the child's mind and body, reinvigorating him and refueling his demonic energy. He had fought well and sure, Issho only bringing an end to it once he was sure Kuro would fight to the death for this cause. 'He is an honorable little one. Something missing from most of my siblings' He eyes Dani at the thought and then looks to the angel.

There share gazes for half a second before Aoba looks away, obviously still frightened, but his whisper of thanks moments before brings a soft smile to the arch demon's face. Speaking in a voice much softer, and kinder, than ever before, Issho murmurs, “It's alright angel. Kuro will be fine, and I am not angry. Nor will he be upon waking. You should be proud of him.” He looks to the angel, waiting to catch his eye. Once he does, he goes on. “You will not understand this, and you are an angel, but this fight was necessary. You have your ways, and we have our, and Kuro accepts them, and did what he did admirably and with a conviction that is completely missing in most demons.”

Dani snorts. “I have conviction!” he huffs, poking Kyou one last time with his foot before flopping behind Homura and resting against his blind brother's back. “I am tenacious and never give up!” It's clear from his tone that he knows that his words are not completely true, and Homura chuckles softly at the sound. Dani growls but falls quickly silent at a look from Issho making sure that there is no scuffling right here next to their recovering sibling.

~*~*~*~*~

His eyes are a little wide as he tries to imagine such a violent society being completely normal, to anybody, especially to those related to angels by blood, but other than a faint feeling he comes up blank in his musings. The faint feeling is distant, foggy, and unsure, but he knows it has something to do with similarities he's seen between the two races. Of course the vast majority of his mind rails against the very idea, but he can not shake the itch, and he stops trying, focusing on the scene below as Kuro stirs.

~*~*~*~*~

Clutching the fingers in his own Kuro groans and shifts, taking slow breaths as his eyes slowly drift open. His eyes first fall on the brother whose lap he's in and a very faint smile finds it's way to his lips. Then, his fingers flex, and he looks over to see Aoba holding his hand. He face lights up like a star and he murmurs, “Hello Little Mouse. . .Going to yell at me now, or going to wait until big bro here's gone so he doesn't eat you?” He chuckles. “Nah, nah, Issho wouldn't eat you. . .”

“I'm a big bro, and I would!” Dani calls, coming around Homura and grinning wickedly at his little brother. Issho gives him an exasperated look but remains smiling softly, his fingers now wiping away little tracks of blood on Kuro's cheeks.

His eyes roamed over Kuro’s newly healed formed, coming to terms with him being much better than he was a few minutes ago. That was what mattered. Issho’s voice didn’t immediately make him flinch away, instead, Aoba actually turned his attention to him. His gaze faltered multiple times as Issho spoke. Instead of keeping eye contact, the fallen angel would glance at Issho’s shirt or neck. It was a little more reassuring to know that he wasn’t angry anymore- if he was ever angry to begin with. Apparently violence and discipline went hand in hand. So did violence and playfulness. Aoba never understood it and he didn’t think he ever would at this point. ’It’s… It’s just another demon thing.’ The many things he labeled as ‘just a demon thing’ would soon end up being an extremely long list if things like this kept up.

The idea of being proud of Kuro risking his life did make him look up in curiosity. Issh further explained himself, only proving Aoba’s point of it being another ‘demon thing’. Before he could say anything, Dani piped up in childish glee. His overzealous nature was quickly tempered by Issho and Aoba looked at Issho again. There was still fear hidden in his gaze, however it was much less than before. Now, it was the typical shy gaze he normally gave. He didn’t know what to say, so he nodded in understanding. ’I can be proud that he fought so valiantly… Still there was no reason to go to such extremes.’ His eyes betray his acceptance, but Aoba does try his best to think of it as natural. It was something he didn’t understand, therefore harder to accept. His list of demon things were just a vast majority of things he didn’t understand but could easily be ignored and brought up some time later.

The gentle shifts turn Aoba’s attention away from the puzzle. Aoba lit up a bit as Kuro stirred awake. That was definitely a good sign. He stayed perfectly still while Kuro began to adjust. His smile turns into a playful pout as he speaks. It was almost instinctive to yell at him to be more careful, however with Kuro’s mention and Issho telling him not to worry, Aoba simply sighed. Kuro was fine. He was smiling. There was no need to get all panicky. Instead of doing just that, Aoba reached forward with his free hand and gently tugged at the tattered shirt. “You need new clothes. . .” His hand retracted back to his lap before he wrinkled his nose a bit. “And a bath.” That made him blink and look down at his own bloodstained clothing. He had completely forgot that the trip back home resulted in his own clothes getting dirty. The fallen angel frowned slightly and mentioned quietly, “Ah, so do I.”

The mention of a bath made Dani wrinkle his nose in distaste. He was still going to dislike baths no matter how close to the angel he could have gotten. Homura on the other hand looked a bit more interested at the idea. His thoughts weren’t exactly on the bath however. His last efforts to fully examine Aoba had failed when Kuro and Aoba told him no. Maybe this time he could. . .

Of course, Aoba didn’t notice any of these expressions as he began to look his over his stained clothes. He wondered if his clothes were still in his room. When he had left before, Father Gerard had bought him all new outfits to “keep him pure.” He doubted Kuro would have tossed all his things away. After all, Kuro did say it was only a little over a week even if it felt like forever.

Kuro watches in great amusement as Aoba goes from clearly ready to yell at him to simply sighing away the worry and instead turning his attentions to the bloody, tattered rags now draped over his figure in only the vaguest semblance of clothing. He chuckles softly at the tug, looking around at all the faces over him and for a moment feeling more at home here than ever before anywhere in his life. 'It's not just the family, it's Aoba, and his kindness, and these rare looks of worry and Issho's long gone caring hand on my brow. . .' His mind switches to focusing on the touches and she smiles, humming softly. The outpouring of energy is very welcome, but when Aoba mentions the bath Kuro lights up even more than before.

'It's been so loooong!' He glances over at Dani, then to Homura. 'They both clearly want to join, even if Dani is curling his lip at it, but. . . .but. . . .I must find a way to be rid of them for the night. . .' Looking up at his eldest brother a wicked idea crosses his mind. “Has Pops been missing Dani at all? He seemed so worried about me before, and Dani's been gone longer I think. . . .”

Dani doesn't like this change in the conversation at all. Issho stares at his brother for a long moment before looking at the growling red head and nods slowly. “Yes. IN fact I think it would be best if you were to come home tonight and tell Pops all about your time here. Leaving out certain aspects of course that are Kuro's alone to tell. . . .” Dani whines and begins rolling around in a fit, but it's clear he's not actually going to fight Issho's decision. Kuro gives his brother a grateful smile before motioning that he needs help sitting up.

His brothers and angel all help him sit up, Dani too busy fitting to pitch in, and when he's eventually upright Homura scoots in and begins doing some extra healing on the part o the body he couldn't reach very well before. The dark haired male groans happily at the feeling, using the actions as an excuse to half lay in Aoba's lap like a lazy cat, his face buried in the angel's midsection, his arms curled atop the smaller male's legs. His voice muffled by cloth and tummy skin Kuro murmurs, “I think a bath sounds great Aoba. . .” He sounds rather wistful a gently teasing smile barely visible on his lips as he peeks up at the little angel from his lower vantage point.

Aoba looked at Dani when attention was turned to him. It was rather obvious he didn’t want to go home- then again, he wasn’t making it very subtle at all. The fallen angel stayed quiet throughout most of that altercation, having little to say about it. He did glance over at Kyou who was quietly sitting, with his gaze on the ground occasionally glancing at the angel and family. He dug a nail into the ground every so often until his gaze met Aoba’s. Kyou gave a weak smile to show he was okay and Aoba quietly nodded and turned his attention to the ones moving Kuro.

He offered his assistance where it was needed, only for Kuro to fall in his lap. Aoba made a small “Oh” noise. At first he kept his hands off of Kuro, more so out of surprise and mild embarrassment as Kuro buried his face in his midsection. Being ticklish, he tried his best not to move too much when Kuro spoke against his skin. He also had an ‘inevitable’ feeling that if Kuro found out, he’d probably use that to his advantage. The thought made him laugh softly as he gently petted Kuro’s head like the cat he was acting like. “Well you can’t bathe if you’re laying on my lap.”

Remembering that there were four pairs of eyes on him, Aoba blushed faintly. He couldn’t possibly bathe with all of them still around. He looked down at Kuro with an expression that said just that. Fortunately, he realized Issho was stealing Dani away from the barn which meant that two of the four would be gone. But what about Homura and Kyou? Aoba was sure Kyou could easily be sent away with a look and a growl, probably even left in the house or barn. But that left them with Homura. Blind as he was, Homura was still rather curious about examining Aoba. That. . .wasn’t something he wanted, especially when he was just trying to get clean. Hopefully Kuro had an idea for that, or Issho would be a ‘loving’ older brother and take Homura too.

Looking up at the sky, he realized the sun was starting to set as well. Where had the day gone? Aoba remembered his morning starting off as another dull day filled with charities and prayers to Kuro saving him and now...he was back home. The dull day definitely turned into an exciting one.

Aoba gently patted Kuro’s cheek, letting him know that they were probably going to have to move some time soon, unless he wanted to lay on the ground all night. And while hard surfaces were okay to him, they were uncomfortable to the angel. When Aoba made eye contact with Issho again, he realized his fear for the eldest brother did die down considerably, but the demon still intimidated him to know end. Sure he knew he was safe from harm, but Issho was still scary.

His gaze once more falls onto Homura’s work and without thinking he speaks. “You’ll tire yourself out from overworking you know. You did a really good job.”

Well, that’s an interesting experiment to be tried later’ Kuro thinks to himself, his mind going over the options of how one would manage to bathe while in another’s lap. The images that float to the surface are in no way innocent and he gently pushes them aside, reminding himself that things are still very on the fence and the angel likely unsure as he is about where they stand now. A chuckle finds it’s way out of the collapsed demon as he hears Aoba worrying over Homura and giving him positive reinforcement. ’So cute!’ He turns his head slightly to see Homura’s reaction.

The blind demon looks at Aoba with slightly wider eyes than usual and is trying to decide if the angel is teasing him. ’It was just some simple healing, does he really think I would have such problems? Does he really think I so weak?’ He thinks for a long moment, then scowls. ’No, he’s not that foolish. Issho may terrify him more, but he would never use cheek with me, would he?’

The furious thoughts racing behind those white eyes are clear as day to the eldest brother and in a soft voice he murmurs to Aoba, “Homura is quite powerful. Even if his subject is as powerful as this Little Black Storm Cloud he will be fine.” He nods. “Worry over a demon becoming weak or tired is disrespectful, but you did not know. Now you do.” There is no reproach in his voice and as he looks at Aoba he gives him an understanding look before turning his eyes on to the white, staring eyes that are surveying him carefully. He doesn’t know what Homura is looking for, but not wanting to waste any more time he lets out a sigh and gets to his feet.

Gathering up the still thrashing Dani, Issho helps Homura to his feet before looking at Aoba seriously. “Will you be able to handle him on your own?”

With a grunt Kuro finally moves, turning his head so he can see Issho. “That was so a backhanded way of calling me tired and weak brother.” Ishoo looks back at Kuro and simply raises an eyebrow before turning his gaze once more onto Aoba. Before the angel can answer however Kuro sighs and carefully begins climbing to his feet. ’If he’s going to go ahead and tell him about the custom of strength pervasive all over hell, I’d better at least pretend to be strong. . .’ Shaking his head to clear away some of the cobwebs he hugs on Aoba happily once the smaller male is on his feet before playfully sweeping the angel off his feet and holding him bridal style, looking down at him with a grin.

Shaking his own head Issho inclines his head slightly to say good bye, Dani now limp and pouty in his arms, and with a touch to his amulet he opens a portal to hell. Ignoring his faint whiny objections Issho draws Homura along behind him, giving the silver haired man just enough time to wave good bye before he vanishes into the swirling vortex. Once that too vanishes the two are left in the twilight of the evening and Kuro sighs happily, finally alone with his Little Mouse. ’Well, nearly alone’ he muses, looking over at Kyou who, while not quite as terrified as before, is still cowering at the base of the tree. With a growl and a snap he send the demon scuttling off to the barn and then, smiling, his gaze falls on Aoba’s delicate face and he sighs happily, a faint smile on his lips.

Aoba would have puffed up like a surprised bird if he could have. Instead, because he was given an ‘it’s okay’ from Issho, he shrank back a little just as he always did when...well, intimidated or scared- which was a lot around these demons. “My a-apologies.” His voice was barely heard, although with their acute hearing, Aoba was sure all of the brothers heard him very clearly. Soon after, Issho changed the subject, and Aoba mentally sighed in relief. His gaze went from the ground back to the three brothers, still barely able to keep eye contact with Issho, as they all stood. More specifically, they fell onto Issho when he spoke with such seriousness in his voice.

For a brief second, he thought he was in trouble again, but he managed to quell his fears before they could be shown. ’I think so?’ No, he couldn’t possibly say that. But then again, how would he not be able to ‘handle Kuro’? It made him think Issho was leaving a wild animal or something of the sort in Aoba’s care. It was only Kuro. What trouble could he cause? Before he could come up with a simple answer of ‘yes’ after over analyzing the question, Kuro seemed to do that for him. The look in Aoba’s eyes was a clear ’what are you doing?’, but he followed suit and stood to his feet quietly.

Being picked up was a surprise, no doubt. Aoba had to bite his tongue in order to refrain from worrying about Kuro still being sore and needing to rest. He figured that was the opposite message Kuro was trying to send to Issho. The swirling mass of demonic energy in the portal made Aoba flinch and press closer to Kuro. He was still a little uneasy with all of the energy surrounding him, not being around it for so long and it made him feel a little sick. Kuro wasn’t much help with that either, but he was a lot...tamer in a sense. Aoba didn’t know how to explain it, but he let himself be carried by the damaged demon.

The brothers filed into the portal and Aoba gave a small nod goodbye. When it finally closed, he breathed out, unaware he was even holding his breath. He didn’t want to admit it, but knowing Issho was gone made him relax a lot more. It was noticeable with how much he relaxed in Kuro’s arms. Before anything could be said, Kuro scared the final demon off. Aoba bit his lip and gave a little wave goodbye to Kyou as he scurried off to the barn.

They were now alone, for real this time. They didn’t get moments like it very often with Dani hovering around them and he didn’t realize just how quiet it could be. In the silence, Aoba just looked at Kuro, wondering what to say after all of that. With his face scrunched in a somewhat confused manner, he spoke quietly. “Is there any other etiquettes I should be aware of?” His brow furrowed a little. He didn’t want to end up offending any more demons just because he was being nice and what he thought was considerate. Absentmindedly, he used his sleeve to wipe dirt off Kuro’s cheek, only reminding him that not only Kuro, but he needed to bathe as well. It made him look down at his stained clothing.

He had just gotten back barely hours ago and so much had already happened. Aoba could only sigh softly and look up at Kuro at first with an unreadable expression. ’This is what I want. . . I’ve made up my mind and I’m positive about it. . .No matter the cost.’ As usual, his brain would never let him havw a moment of peace. His expression turned into a small pout- not to Kuro, but towards himself. Aoba wiggled his way out of Kuro’s arms and stood in front of him with his hands behind his back. “About before. . .” It wasn’t just the fact that Issho threatened him earlier and scared him to near death, but it was the nagging guilty feeling that gnawed in the back of his mind. Aoba nervously rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet. “I did- I still do trust you. I mean, you’ve obviously proven that.” He made sure to pick his words carefully. “But all that stuff...what you said… Why didn’t you tell me before?”

He knew he should have been enjoying their moment alone while it lasted, but Aoba felt like the air needed to be cleared. Yes, he was happy that he was back in a place where he didn’t feel so alone and empty, but this place was all still dangerous. He had a right to know about everything he was throwing himself into. He wasn’t sure he could take the surprises anymore.

The body in his arm visibly relaxes and Kuro feels a warmth spread through him. 'Issho is a bit intimidating, but I am very glad that he is so relaxed and content with me. It means he still likes me and believes that I won't hurt him' Giving the smaller male a little squeeze as they watch Kyou run off he hums to himself, resisting the urge to rock Aoba or kiss him. He wants to, he really really does, but as the angel has just returned, and looks a little green, he knows that closer contact and focused attention would likely make him feel more unwell.

His smile widens at the question the angel poses and while his eyes slip half closed at the touch he responds quietly. “Any demon that has a problem with the way you act will answer to me, and any demon that doesn't have to answer to me is smart enough to know that angels have different ways of doing things and have brains enough to not jump to conclusions.” He shrugs slightly. “The only exception being Dani of course, but he likes you already, so you can act however you want around him. . .” He gazes back at Aoba, so content and happy that when he starts making clear efforts to get down he contemplates not letting him go.

He eventually sets the angel on his feet however, realizing that trying to trap him would likely not end well and send the wrong message, and simply contents himself with looking at Aoba with a faintly pouty, longing expression. The expression shifts as Aoba turns the calm, happy moment, into one of tenseness and sorrowful memories. His mind flashes over the incident in the barn and his insides clench. He feels as ill as the angel looks. 'I don't wanna think about this right now. I just wanna scoop him up and hug him and pet him and care for him in every way he'll let me. . .'

Taking a slow breath he tries to organize this thoughts, to come up with the truth despite his overwhelming urge to lie and hide things. E can't help it. It's in his very nature. Eventually however his gaze goes from his feet to the angels and he murmurs softly, “I didn't tell you because, up til that point, there really was no other option for you. It wasn't fair for me ask you to make the decision to stay with me or not when you had nowhere else to go.” He shuffles his feet, his voice trembling slightly. “I wanted to know, needed to know, that you would accept what being with me meant. That you would accept what it meant to give it all up and stay with me.”

He looks back at his feet. “I was being selfish Aoba. I. . .I wanted you to tell me that you didn't care about those things, that you would accept never going home.” His voice drops even lower, though still audible. “I wanted to hear it from you that you that you were with me because you wanted to be, not just because you had any other choice. . .You were given another option, and I wanted to see if you would choose me, after finding out what choosing me would mean.” He shakes his head. “It was selfish, and mean, and I'm sorry Aoba. I put you on the spot and said things that you're right, I should have told you before.”

He looks up at the angel sadly. I was just afraid that, if you knew, you would put up with it just because you had no other choice, and that it would eat at you inside that you never really had a choice in the matter. I feared that you would not accept it, but force yourself to put up with it anyways because there was nothing to be done about it.” He looks back to his feet, a sharp pain racing through his chest. “I had told you before that I stayed because I wanted to, that I was with you of my own choice, and I feared that, after all I have done, if I repeated those things that you would stay, not because you wanted to, but because you felt indebted to me, and would leave once you felt you'd paid me back.” he lets out a shuddering sigh. “I feared a lot of things Aoba, though you must admit, they were at least partially justified. . .”

He bites his lip, looking up into the smaller man's face with fearful, sad eyes. “You did leave. You did choose, for a moment at least, to give up what you had and try to return to the arms of those who threw you aside. .” Reaching out he gently runs a hand down the edge of Aoba's wing. “I taint you, I poison you, and that was enough to scare you away.” He sighs. “Your wings really are so beautiful Aoba, no matter the color, and so are you” He looks back at Aoba's face. “And I never want to be without you. . .In whatever capacity I can be. . .”

Aoba listened to Kuro’s every word, quietly and attentively. Every now and again his gaze would fall to the ground instead of at Kuro, but he listened all the same. He wasn’t very sure what to think about the answer. He knew he wasn’t upset anymore, not like he was when he had left. He did feel a bit betrayed, but that feeling was minor and more of a memory than anything. Aoba fiddled with his fingers, much like he would when he was nervous- which was almost all the time. He wanted to say something to let Kuro know things were okay but he wasn’t exactly sure how. Aoba wasn’t good with words, which in turn gave him an idea.

He glanced over at his wings after Kuro moved his hand and then took a step forward, capturing his hands before he could move them to his side. He couldn’t be mad at those sad eyes! Aoba was definitely very soft at heart and there was probably no changing it. ’This is probably not the brightest idea. . .’ He took another step forward, resting one hand on Kuro’s shoulder while the other was still holding Kuro’s free hand, and then kissed him. He was still amazed at how he managed to initiate their very first kiss, or this one for that matter. Shy at first, he did grow a little more confident in the kiss and stayed in the moment as long as he could before his head started swimming and he felt a little sick again. ’Definitely worth it though.’

When he pulled away, Aoba opted to rest his forehead against Kuro and slowly let go of his shoulder, waiting for the feeling of sickness to die down a tad more. He was really going to have to get used to that again. At least the distraction managed to get his mind off of crippling shyness and blushing various shades of red.

“You’re right, they were justified. But, I shouldn’t have left. I realized that it was a mistake.” He sighed and finally gained enough composure to stand on his own and look at Kuro. “I really do want to be here with you. I’ve never been so happy before, which was confusing because this,” He paused and looked at the old house and barn. “This was supposed to be a punishment. I figured if they realized that I never learned a lesson, they’d try making it worse.” Although he wasn’t sure how worse it could get besides being sent straight to Kuro’s home- which caused a shudder to go down his spine. Aoba shook his head, dispelling the thought. “Just know, it was my decision, no matter the consequences, to come back and stay with you.” He added with a small laugh. “And I suppose Dani too.” He nodded and smiled once more. “And I forgive you. . . I’m probably going to still be terrified of your family no matter how nice they are however.” The last part was spoken a bit softer as he examined his stained clothing.

With a sheepish smile he continued. “Sorry about ruining the mood… If you’re still up for it, we should definitely get cleaned up now.”

As his hand slowly begins to fall from Aoba's wing, the angel himself steps forward further into his reach and without a word, takes hold of his hand with his smaller, softer one. A thrill races through the demon and he shivers slightly. The proximity of the smaller male begins wiping away his sadness and, as he moves even closer, his other hand coming up to rest on his shoulder, Kuro gets lost in the moment. The pains from the past fall away and all he can see is the angel before him, looking at him, returning to him, holding him. He wants to wrap the man up in an embrace and never let him go, but instead he schools himself and waits to see what Aoba does.

It is worth the wait. The first hesitant touches of those soft, warm lips are enough to shatter his control, but the faint feeling of pure energy tainting the kiss reminds him firmly of just what ravishing the little angel would do to them both and he manages to do nothing more than bringing his free hand up to rest on the man's cheek, his fingertips gently caressing the smooth skin it's finds there. For most people, they would call the feeling of Aoba showing them such affection “heaven”, but as Kuro is a demon without a heart all he can really equate it to is a light feeling of bliss.

He feels aroused, and needy, and he knows there is more he should be feeling, but for now a strong fondness is all that fills his chest as he moves his lips against Aoba's, returning the kiss with fervor. Rather more quickly than he would have liked, the angel pulls back and Kuro's hand falls to his side, his body keyed up and demanding he draw the man back up against him, but feeling the faint shake in his movements against his shoulder he simply takes hold of his arms in a steadying motion, willing him to feel better quickly so that they can move forward. He's not quite sure which way that is for now, nor how to go about it, but he knows for certain he wants to go there.

He listens silently to Aoba, not letting him go too far when he stand up properly as he can't seem to force his hands to let go of the man's arms. He feels warmer and warmer the more he hears and joy races through him like a fierce storm when he repeatedly says that he's happy at the farm, and that he definitely wants to stay. 'I can't believe it, it's really true. He's gonna stay, and he wants to be here, and I. . .I get to keep him. . .' Smiling wide he nods, scooping Aoba up once more, nuzzling his neck cutely as he walks them towards the bath.

“You didn't ruin a thing Aoba.” he murmurs, smiling teasingly down at the younger male. “In fact, you have had quite a. . .Rousing effect on the situation.” He smirks, kissing the angel's neck gently before setting him down beside the tub. Setting to work quickly he gets the fire going and the water running in a matter of minutes before finally striping down while he waits for the tub to fill. They've had a few baths since first moving in, and normally he would be at least pretend polite and wait until right before they climb in to disrobe, but with all the interference from Dani during many of those sessions, and the low, low chance that they will get many times like this alone together in the foreseeable future, Kuro doesn't want to waste even a moment on false modesty.

He knows nothing's going to happen, that the angel is still to pure and innocent and shy for anything to truly progress, but he wants the man to know the effect he has on the demon for future reference and feels no shame in wandering around in such a state.

~*~*~*~*~

Fenrir thought he was used to this by now. He's been watching them for a while after all, and while he's tried to give them privacy when they are not clothed, he's always been a bit nervous when they both are at the same time. His stomach flip-flops as he sees the progression from kisses to nuzzling to Kuro walking around nude and proud to stand by Aoba next to the tub in such a state. 'The last thing I've ever wanted to see is you with a stiffy, Kuro. . .' He shudders, but keeps his eyes on the scene, hoping that the demon has enough sense to keep it in his pants. Figuratively of course.

Aoba let out a small ‘oh’ in surprise when he was scooped up. “That’s, um, good to know?” He offered a smile and then was set down only to watch Kuro do most of the work. “Do you need help-” However time he asked, it seemed Kuro was already done with the task. So, Aoba settled with leaning against the tub and watching the demon go to work. He seemed a lot more energized than before. Sure, this was Kuro as he was always happy to bathe with him, but now he seemed twice that. Kuro stripping bare before the tub was completely filled made Aoba avert his gaze. He didn’t want to seem like he was staring after all. He remains in a sort of quiet contentment, waiting for the tub to finish filling. Unlike Kuro, he was in no rush to stand nude and wait, nor was he as...happy? Aoba’s gaze so happened to fall onto Kuro and all his pride- and well being as modest as Aoba was, of course he looked away. It was hard to ignore it, but at least he could try to refrain from blushing at every little thing Kuro did- especially if they’d be together-

’Staying together!’ He mentally corrected himself. His wings pressed against his back and he sighed. ’I really shouldn’t be getting so worked up...He’s going to think something is wrong… I’d rather not have to explain that...[‘

He reached out, touching the water’s surface, watching it ripple for a few moments. With a satisfied nod to himself, he stripped down and climbed into the tub. The only reason he quickened his pace was to avoid the cold chill as it got darker. “This is...this is nice.” He sank lower into the tub and sighed. For some reason, even this tub was a lot more relaxing than the one in the church. Maybe it was because that one was smaller- and maybe because the first time he used it was when that Miss Susie woman decided to scrub him down in efforts to get rid of...dirt and sin. That was just unpleasant. The thought of it again made him shudder. Realizing Kuro noticed, he shook his head slowly. “Just- just a, uh, bad thought.” He figured bringing up the church now would, even if Kuro disagreed, ruin the mood- at least his own mood if any.

He sank lower into the water and looked at his wings, letting them stretch out a bit. Now that he had thought about it, he did keep them closed a lot while he was away. Stretching them out did feel a lot better, and there was a lot more space at the farm, so they wouldn’t get in the way. “So…” His voice trailed off and he looked up at the sky. “What now?” It was an honest question. Now that he was sure he was going to stay, no matter the consequences, would they go back to how things were? Back to living ‘normal’ lives and defending against demon attacks? Where’d they go from here…? He let his mind wander over the possibilities before turning his attention back to Kuro with a curious gaze.

Kuro is careful to keep his distance, Aoba's discomfort clear and, unfortunately, understandable. Inside his head the demon begins playing ideas of getting closer to his little angel, scenes and scenarios slipping and twisting through his brain until at last Aoba moves, catching his eye. While Aoba may have morals against staring, Kuro certainly does not and watches with a goofy grin as the other man strips and climbs quickly into the tub. He wonders vaguely what it would be like to see desire in the smaller male's eyes, to see him looking, without shame. With passion, not embarrassment. Following Aoba in he lets out a long groan. He may be healed, but his body is still in no fit state for activity at the moment, and the hot water feels good against his soreness.

“Yeah, it is. . . .” he murmurs, smiling at the little angel and relaxing against the side of the tub. Despite his relaxed state however he keeps his eyes on the other, feeling both possessive and protective. Even though he knows the battle between he and his brother will keep any demons away for some time, eventually scroungers will come, looking for the remnants of the loser, thinking that they could gather some scraps from whoever it was that got trashed by hell's second. 'Well, too bad guys and gals, I lived, and feeling more lively all the time' He chuckles silently, his eyes narrowing as a shudder goes through Aoba, causing ripples to tickle his skin as they strike. Raising an eyebrow he wonders what his dear angel doesn't want to talk about, but doesn't push for an answer.

Instead, he decides to be cute. Slowly, ever so slowly, he begins scooting closer and closer to Aoba, keeping his eyes open and interested, cocking his head at the question as he moves along towards the man. “Hmmmmm. . . .” he hums quietly, thinking vaguely of many, many ideas that involve testing the boundaries of their relationship, but as he knows Aoba is nowhere near on that subject he instead puts some real thought into it, all the time shifting closer.

~*~*~*~*~

Face buried firmly in his hands it takes all of Fenrir's effort to keep himself from praying. Praying what exactly, he doesn't know. What he does know that any prayers at this point would lead to trouble for little Aoba. So, he refrains, all the while screaming in his mind for the young angel to get a clue about the lusty demon growing closer and closer, his intentions a giant flashing neon billboard across his forehead.

~*~*~*~*~

When at last he is as close as he can trust himself to get, the feathery wing behind him keeping him from leaning back but he doesn't mind, he props his head up on his knees and turns his gaze towards the middle of the tub. “now. . . .” he murmurs, his eyes going a little out of focus as he thinks. “Now, we take care of the crops, we care for the animals. . .We learn new skills, we spend time together, we play, have fun, we stay alive. . .” His eyes focus once more as he looks down at the angel, a soft smile on his lips. “We take each day, as it comes, and we live it. Simple as that.” His smile widens slightly, his head tilting cutely to the side as he keeps a stranglehold on his more bestial urges.