[IC] The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

[AkiBlue]

Aoba awoke feeling rather refreshed. Thankfully he managed to get cleaned up before he passed out because he didn't know when he actually did fall asleep. Even though he had a new refreshed feeling, his joints were stiff and his neck ached only for him to realize, he had fallen asleep in a chair instead of his bed. How it happened was a mystery to him, but he decided to just leave it be. Instead, he stood, stretching out his wings and arms. "I needed the rest...but maybe in bed..." He sighed, rubbing his neck noticing the note on his bed.

"Hm?" He looked at it, almost brightening up at the news. "They're giving him a break. Wonderful, he'll have more time to heal." With the infomation, he hurried up and went to grab his things with delight. He of course couldn't wait to tell Kuro the news. Looking over the note again, his excitement faded when he saw a personal message from Fenrir.

'Remember what I told you about being so close to him. He is a demon.'

The note was simple, but Aoba could tell the seriousness of it. He sighed, but went off to the prison cell. It still didn't diminish his relief as he went to tell him the news. The new guards only gave him a nod and opened the door for him. Aoba gave a small smile and took his place in front of Kuro. "And you thought that would be our last visit." He smiled a little and pulled his kit closer to him. "So, you only get one session a day now or actually the note said when I say you're ready or something like that. They decided that your life was a little more, um, important than that. So lucky you, right?"

The smile faded a little, as he continued. "But they aren't going to keep the sessions down if you don't behave yourself." There wasn't much command in his voice, but he was serious, mainly to keep Kuro from getting beaten again. With a tilt of his head in examination, he spoke. "I was sure Fenrir healed you up fully. But, tell me what hurts so I can start." He glanced back at the silent guards, realizing they hadn't moved one bit.

[PopeAlessandros]

A slow smiles spreads across his lips as he once more hears the approach of his favorite angel. 'Oh goodie, two visits today. I hope he's feeling batter' Shifting just enough so that he can look at Aoba when he enters, Kuro gives him a wide smile,t he devious one from before replaces with one of simple pleasure. “Heheh, yeah. . .” he murmurs, watching Aoba closely. His eye open a little wider at the news. 'Perfect. This is perfect. Even one strait day, with help from the Little Mouse, and I can get out of here!' He keeps his face only lightly happy, more surprised than anything else.

“That's great Little Mouse. Now you won't have to waste so much effort on me, heh.” His voice becomes a little sad as he talks. “I don;t know what you had to do to get them to take you seriously, but I'm glad for you Little Mouse. . .” While sad, he also sounds very truthful. It isn't very hard to sound happy for Aoba, since he really is happy for him, despite the feeling coming from a rather selfish place. He pouts a little. “I always behave myself with you love. Can I help it if my form of polite is a little more affectionate than what mister stuffy britches is use to?”

Kuro thinks for a minute, trying to decide how to broach the next subject, but then he notices Aoba looking at the guards. “Yeah, those guys are peace keepers, I recognize the stiff bodies and deadpan stares. They won't jump to conclusions like the other guys so you don't have to worry about them hurting you like the others did.” He knows Aoba is more worried about them hurting Him or reporting his actions, but Kuro takes the selfless route. “As for where it hurts most. . .Well, the number he did on my back when he want about healing me left a lot of sore spots, and I think my arms and legs could use some work. I think the tough guy was just focused on keeping me from bleeding to death.”

He ducks his head a little. “But um, what's really wrong with me at the moment is my blood loss itself.” He looks at Aoba with a very pathetic look before offering up a light smile. “Demons absorb anything they eat, each thing consumed converted into what a demon needs. It's why there are big fat demons out there. They eat more than they need, and all the wrong kinds of consumable. . .” He shudders at the thought before going on. “Anyways, I need to recover my blood, and to do that, I need to eat things with a lot of juice or liquid.” He smiles sheepishly. “Bloody raw meat would be the best, but I couldn't eat that in front of you, so some juicy fruits will do. . . .” His hand comes up to run over Aoba's wing gently. “That is, if it's not too much trouble. . .”

[AkiBlue]

"I didn't do much really. I just told Fenrir and he spoke to the higher ups. He should be the one you thank." Aoba knew that was probably the least likely thing to happen, but it was still nice to give the doctor an honorable mention. He decided not to argue with Kuro's rationality. The angel thought he behaved pretty well, but of course what he thought was okay seemed to be wrong for them. He didn't understand the big deal about it, but for him to be so pure, he was also naive to the taint of purity they all seemed to talk about.

The little angel nodded in content to know that Kuro wouldn't be getting attacked any time soon. It meant that Aoba's work would be able to settle and heal before the sessions. "I guess I could only expect that." He was the only medic that was willing to heal Kuro so he could understand why the head of the staff wouldn't actually be gentle. Just as he was about to reach out and hold his arm, Kuro spoke of something a little more serious. "Hmph, of course it's not a problem. I'm your medic. Just sit tight." The angel didn't mind the soft touch to his wings, but he stood and picked up his kit. Walking to the guards, Aoba spoke softly. "I'll be right back. I have to get something."

"Alright."
"Okay."

It was a little odd for such a simple answer because he was so used to Green's frustration. But, he simply nodded and hurried off to find fruit. What better way to do that than go to the shared staff cafeteria? He went to one of the angels and smiled. "May I have a few fruit please?"

The woman gave a smile and patted his head. "A few? Sure thing." But their  definition of a few was quite different. Instead of maybe grabbing two or three apples, she gave him enough to feed both him and Aoba. He decided not to argue it and nodded his thanks. As he walked back, he didn't think it was much of a problem to take one of the apples that was there. They were pretty good afterall. The two guards gave raised eyebrows seeing all the fruit he brought, but they didn't say a word. So Aoba so kindly gave them each a fruit before walking in.

"Oh, thanks." They said in unison. They started to wonder why the other guards had problems. The kid was nice and so far it was just him explaining treatments and other medical stuff.

"Here. This should be enough. There's still plenty even though I gave some away." He sat down once more finishing the apple he had gotten from it. "There were no little fruit platters, just whole ones. But fruit is still fruit." He smiled and put the core to the side. He decided to give Kuro the peace of eating before he continued with his healing.

[PopeAlessandros]

Despite Aoba's thoughts on the matter, Kuro does send out a silent thanks to Fenrir, albeit a rather begrudging one. 'Thanks for keeping me alive, you tight ass pencil pusher. And thanks for sending me this little gift here too' He smiles at Aoba's back as he runs off to get what Kuro asked for. Eying the guards a bit he lets out a sift sigh. 'The only disadvantage to these new Peace Keeper guards it the utter lack of amusement when we're alone. At lease the other two picked their noses and stuff, providing me with something to look at' Kuro's tongue runs out across his lips as he waits patiently for Aoba to return. Having had nothing to eat since before he arrived in heaven, the prospect makes his stomach rumble for the first time since his arrival.

His nose twitches as a bouquet of delectable smells comes within range, even before he hears the kids laden approach. 'Oh wow, that smells like at least six different kinds!' He doesn't even try to hide his excitement as the food comes into view, his eye alight and practically sparkling. He gives Aoba a vague nod and a murmured “That's fine Little Mouse” before picking up a huge plump orange and sinking his teeth into it. The bitter skin gives way to the fresh, if a little sweet for his tastes, inner pulpiness full of delectable juices. His cutting teeth slice right through it all like butter and in less than ten seconds he's eaten the entire thing whole.

A light groan finds it's way out of his throat, having downed the entire thing in three bites, seeds and all. The feeling of the fruit hitting his stomach is actually quite painful, it having gone so long without anything in it, but that doesn’t stop him from quickly downing a second orange, followed by an apple. Leaving nothing, not even he stem of the apple, he lets out a long sigh as he feels a bit of his strength return. He keeps his energy down however as to not alert the guards. “Thank you Little Mouse, this will help my recover my blood most efficiently.” He smiles softly but sadly. “However my skin is another matter, but it's the best you can do, and I am grateful.” Picking up a couple Kiwi he scarfs them down politely in two bites each, the hairs tickling his throat on the way down. Stretching out on his side he hums softly. “I need more, but if I eat any more I'll toss it all back up. My stomach was empty for too long to be able to eat all I need without it all coming back up.” He smiles up at Aoba, waiting for treatment.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba sat, a little amused by the way Kuro managed to inhale the food. Every time he took a bite, he noticed his sharp teeth sink into it. Aoba lacked the sharp teeth and fangs, but then again, he didn't really need them. It wasn't like he scarfed down food the way he did. With a light giggle,  Aoba spoke up. "I don't think you're suppose to eat that whole... but okay." He merely shrugged at the acts, and moved the plate closer to Kuro as he reached for more food.

Finally, when he was more or less content, Aoba scooted in close to start his treatment. "Don't worry, I'll bring more next time. It won't be a problem." Because Fenrir did most of the hard work, Aoba just examined to make sure nine of the injuries were threatening to open, along with helping out with the sore areas. He started with his arms, thankful that his own magic managed to recharge. He didn't want to have Kuro lay on his back, so he let the demon rest on his did as he checked for chest and stomach wounds. That didn't take long considering it seemed Kuro was hunched over to protect most of his front.

Methodically, he continued his examining and healing. It was a smooth process, all the way down to his legs. "Front is covered." He said as he rolled Kuro over like a doll. This time starting with his legs to work his way up. Just as he had the first time, he slowed the farther he got upwards to his legs. He didn't need the guards getting the wrong idea so he quickly moved to his back. "I've never seen anyone do this before." He mused as his hands went across the replaced skin in order to heal the pain. Only a few doctors knew of how to accomplish such a task. 'I'm going to learn how to do that one day. I'll be the best doctor there is.' He gave a look of determination as he tried to soothe the aches and sores Kuro had. Occasionally, his hands would run over where his wings would have been, but Aoba didn't pay much attention, only trying to make sure everything was in tact.

"That should be about it. I didn't have to do any cleaning or stopping you from bleeding. I'm sure all you need now is some rest."

[PopeAlessandros]

As Aoba scoots in Kuro mirrors his chuckle. “My body can use all the fruit, even the skin. All of it helps. Demons are very energy efficient.” He smiles at the promise of more food. “Gratzi.” He murmurs as Aoba sets to work. As he flops over on to his stomach however his thoughts take a turn. He focuses on the faint heat coming from the little mouse's hands as he moves up his legs, healing along the way. As he slows Kuro can not help it when his thoughts stray into the realm of physical pleasures. 'He's so not subtle about not wanting to go near my only covering. I can feel him getting slower and slower. I wounder what would happen if my actual backside was injured. . .' His lets his mind wander a bit, a slightly naughty smile on his lips.

However when Aoba jumps from his legs to his back he lets out a disappointed sigh, his vague fantasy realm fading. 'Man, if we were on earth or something, even if you are an angel, I'd so turn this into something a little more fun' Kuro would never rape anyone, and to tell the truth, his physical encounters are normally with humans who find his demonic charm irresistible, but Kuro has no doubt of his prowess, and rightly so. 'I could convince him to play with me I'm sure. Little Mouse is so oblivious at times, he prolly wouldn't know what was happening until we were both naked and I had him pinned beneath me. . .' He thinks about that for a second, then laughs. 'Nah. I can still see him thinking I'm teasing him or something even at that point'

Rolling his eyes at the thought he turns his head to look at Aoba. At that instant however the angel's fingers flutter over his wing spots. Biting back a full blown groan, difficult given what he's just been thinking about, his breath hitches as once again those fingers ghost over his sensitive spot between his shoulder blades. Crossing his arms under his head as Aoba continues working Kuro bites down softly on his arm to keep himself quiet. 'I really need to tell him about those spots, but perhaps not exactly how they help the pain. I think he'd hesitate if he knew that part' Once he's finished Kuro picks his mouth off his arm, smirking at the light bite marks before letting out a soothing sigh.

He turns his head to look up at Aoba, a placated smile on his lips. “Yes doctor.” he says playfully. Carefully he sits up, turning so he an face Aoba as he readies himself to leave. Once he has his opening he reaches out to hold the other's head, fingers slipping gently into the short hair on the back of the angel's head. Leaning in he presses his kiss close to Aoba's ear near the jaw. “Good job, Little Mouse.” He whispers directly into Aoba's ear, a smile curling his lips as he adds, “And by the way, you really helped with the pain. Those spots, on my back, where my wings are hidden? Whenever you touch there I find it very soothing. It's very soothing, thank you. . .” He lets his voice trail off, pulling back gently. His eyes go to the guards, but they could care less what's happening in the cell as long as Aoba is unhurt. He does his best to keep his expression neutral, only a light smile on his lips, as the angel finishes packing and leaves for the day. 'That was fun. . .' He lets out a sigh as the bars slam shut and as carefully as possible, he settles in for the night.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba packed and got ready as usual. And just as usual, he got a kiss from Kuro. The whispering gently tickled his ear, but he listened. The angel caught something a little more than a simple thank you when Kuro spoke of his treatment being soothing. But he decided to push the thought to the side and merely nod. He wasn't sure what else he could say after that. For a moment, he did feel a little bad about defying Fenrir, but he knew he couldn't get Kuro to stop his affectionate thank yous. It wasn't like he didn't try.

"I'll get them to you in the morning. Before your sessions." He said simply and with a nod, walked out. The rest of the day went by pretty quietly, and it was late so most were asleep. Aoba decided to catch uo on much needed sleep after replenishing with some food. The little routine was fine, and he was improving with his own skill.

××××

Morning rolled along, and bright and early, Aoba asked for a plate full of fruit. There were apples, oranges, peaches, and grapes, and whatever else could fit in his small box this time. He recieved such and he was on his way to the prison cell. "Good morning." He said to the guards. Both gave him a silent nod with blank expressions, only to be in a bit of surprise to be given fruit.

"Well thanks."
"Thank you." The two couldn't help but crack a smile towards his kindness.

He walked in, smiling when he saw Kuro sleeping soundly. It didn't look very comfortable, but he assumed he was probably use to it by now. Quietly as possible, he set the fruits down by Kuro. "Here you go." Aoba whispered gently as he nudged it forward. Not wanting to wake him if he hadn't already, Aoba turned to walk out the cell door. He was sure he probably wouldn't be needed as much today anyway. Kuro only needed the rest. There was nothing else Aoba could do to heal him.

[PopeAlessandros]

Pope:

Kuro wakes to the sun streaming into his cell and he;s about to let out a groan when he realizes just what woke him in the first place. 'He's here. Such soft little footsteps, but I smell fruit!' He doesn't stir, wanting to surprise the angel. However when Aoba is finally in his cell a new urge overtakes him. As the boy turns to go he whispers softly, “I'm going to die here.”

He lets the words hand in the air for a few seconds before he sits up and reaches for the fruit. Grabbing up a handful of grapes he begins munching them slowly. “No matter what, I am going to die here. And it's all for nothing. . .” His voice is soft as he looks up at the kind angel. “It's all pointless Little Mouse. My death will have no meaning, not that my life dos either.” His head falls at those words and he reaches out for more grapes.

~**~*~*~*~**~

AkiBlue:

Aoba paused as he walked to the door, and turned back as he heard a faint whisper. "Hm?" He turned back, looking to see Kuro shift. His head tilted, wondering what he had said, but that was soon answered. A look of sadness fell on the angel's face. "You shouldn't say that. There's always some way. You can't really be giving up now?" His voice softened as he walked back to sit in front of him. "Maybe they'll let you go? You never know..." Even Aoba's own optimism didn't work this time. There really wasn't much he could do, nor could Kuro. Silently, he pushes the plate closer to the demon.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro lets out a small laugh, grabbing up another handful as Aoba pushing the plate closer. Now that the angel is close enough Kuro returns to his usual volume when trying not to be heard by the guards. His tone however, is of utter defeat. “You really are naïve, aren't you?” his words are said with kindness rather than with scorn. “I told you before, they will not return me to feed on those innocent souls down below. I may be only one demon, but they just won't. . . .” His voice trails off.

Scooping up an orange he bites into it before sighing. “I know you don't want to hear this Little Mouse, I'm sorry. I should not burden you with this.” He smiles at the angel. “You just keep doing your best after I'm gone. I'm sure you'll be the finest medic some day if you don't give up!” He chuckles. “One day they will see in you what I do. . . .Aoba.” He whispers the angels name so softly, but still loud enough for the other to hear, the sadness in his eyes tinged with confidence for the angel.

~**~*~*~*~**~

"It's not naivety. . . It's optimism. It's hope." Aoba retorted softly, looking over the scars on Kuro. Everything he wanted to say was probably going to be neglected by the demon. He didn't have faith, and he didn't have positive optimism. Aoba reminded himself that Kuro was a demon. He was supposed to be afraid of him... The angel scooted backwards and looked at the floor between them.

If Kuro was right about one thing, it was Aoba not wanting to hear something so depressing. And somehow, he was more encouraging than the other angels as well. He was one of the few that actually thought he would do something besides be a messenger or just be around. The sincerity of it was shown when Kuro actually said his name. His real name, instead of Little Mouse. It made him look up, only more upset. The confidence went by, having no help for the angel. "You...shouldn't think so negatively...." Aoba whispered, letting his gaze go back to the floor.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro lets out a long sad sigh, a little hurt that the angel moved away from him. “I'm sorry Little Mouse, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just scared. The place a demon goes when they die. . .” He lets his sentence trail off, the horror behind his eyes speaking volumes if only the angel could see it. 'It's time' He looks to the wall, biting his lip. “And it really is all for nothing. I've spent the last five hundred years on earth, I have no idea what my father and his demons are up to. I like to read, so I read. I don't care about the affairs of hell.”

He lets his head fall. “I'm not thinking negatively Little Mouse, I'm imply willing to accept the facts. Even if they believe that I know nothing. . . If they really do come to believe that, I will be dead within the hour. I will be useless to them.” He gives Aoba a sad smile. “However, with your treatments, I'll last a long time. It could be a hundred years before they finally tire of torturing me before I am sent to the place not even a demon has the words to describe. . .” Again, he speaks truthfully, dropping his gaze eventually. “I won't get mad if you decide to tell them what I just told you. They believe you just about as well as they believe me after all. . .It took the guy seeing it for himself for him to take a hand in the matter. . .” He is careful to keep his energy down as low as possible, taking another bite of the rejuvenating fruit.

~**~*~*~*~**~

There's nothing Aoba can muster up to say. He merely sits there in the growing sadness and looks down. Even after he gave such a "compliment" Aoba still didn't feel any better. To think, someone so nice- even as a demon, could be killed off by the angels. "If they only knew you weren't so bad..." He mumbled more to himself than to Kuro. Aoba decided to look up when he said he wouldn't mind him telling. Of course he wouldn't do such a thing! That was practically murdering him. And the guilt would be immense for something like that. So, he quietly shook his head, watching Kuro.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro shakes his head softly, seeing his opening. “Do you even really know what they mean when they call me bad?” He doesn't even wait for an answer. Reaching behind him he carefully slides the feather from beneath his waistband. Bringing it in front of him he holds it up so Aoba can see. “I am evil, and no matter how nice I am, or how little I kill, I always will be. Evil is not actions, not to angels at least, it's this.” Carefully he brings the feather down, setting it on the plate of fruit.

“You can't see it Little Mouse, but I can. It's already happening, and it makes me sad.” He looks off to where the guards stand watch. “The other guards were not wrong, I am corrupting you, and as long as you keep treating me, the corruption will continue. It is part of my very being that is an offense to your kind. I don't do it on purpose, but the more you pity me, the more you feel for me. . . .the longer you're around me, the more you will suffer.” He bites his bottom lip, the fang sinking in to draw a little blood. “If this doesn't end soon, this is what will become of you. . .” Picking up the feather carefully he runs it across his now bloody lip. Like a drop of dye falling into water a blackness spreads across the feather until the entire thing is as black as pitch.

He sets the feather down once more, but this time when it touched the fruit they wither, curling into dried husks. “And I don't want this for you, sweet little Aoba. I don't think I can see you suffer. . .I refuse to see you suffer. . .” He shakes his head. “There is no miracle that I can perform that would get me out of here and keep me from corrupting you any further. I don't want to be a burden on you any longer. . .I'm going to tell them myself.” He looks to Aoba with a tear in his eye. “Don't worry Little Mouse, you will have your fellows, and your career in front of you. You'll soon forget the pathetic little demon you were once forced to treat by your boneheaded superiors.” He smiles bravely, mustering all the honesty he can. Most of what he says is true, making it easy.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba can't help but look over at his wings when he pulls out a feather, no doubt his. His head tilted in response as his feather was place down on the plate. Why bad he kept a feather of his? And what was he talking about? "But I don't feel corrupted. I don't feel like doing anything wrong. And how am I not suppose to pity you? You're being hurt all the time. It's painful." He gave a look of curiosity. Watching Kuro's antics, immediately his eyes went wide to see his feather turned into a jet black color- a huge contrast to his pure white ones.

A gasp of horror escaped his lips as his pristine little feather changed. And then the thought of his wings turning into a jet black color made his wings tightened behind him. The fear only grew when the fruit died from the touch. But, he was a healer! He couldn't possibly do something like that. "W-What??" He pulls away ever so slightly in confusion and shock. Even as Kuro spoke about how he didn't want it to happen. Aoba's eyes were fixated on the black feather. "That- That can't be how I'll end up... it can't." His head snapped up when Kuro planned to turn himself in. "They- They'll-!" But he already knew what was going to happen. Both of them did. The corners of his eyes became teary and he looked away. "But I-... I don't want to forget..." Aoba whispered to himself, still looking away from Kuro, ignoring his smile. But what else was there for him to do? Maybe Kuro was doing the right thing...

~**~*~*~*~**~

It hurts as once again Aoba pulls away from the demon. The fear rippling off the little one makes his stomach tight. 'So sorry Little Mouse, but if this is to work, I have push you. You are so pure, so innocent, I can not wait for the corruption to spread at it's slow pace. I have to act now. . .And I really don't want you to suffer. I'm not the kind of demon who enjoys those types of things. . .' “No Little Mouse, you will not end up like that, I won't let you. . .tsk.” Kuro looks to the side, his inner smile hidden well. “If only I could get away from here. All I would need is my pendant and to get out of this cell. . .” He turns his sad eye on Aoba. “I know my death will make you sad, but it's not like I'll ever get my freedom. I don't have the power without my pendant, and the guards will keep me here no matter what. All I need is a few steps away from the prison's suppressive magic, but. . .That won't happen. . .” He shakes his head. “No, the only way out is to have them kill me. . .” He lets his voice trail off lightly. It's the moment of truth. If he sees even a flicker of hope, he knows he's in.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba looks up at him and then merely sighs in defeat. There's not much he can say to Kuro and there's no way he can help. No matter how hard he tried or thought, there was no way that the rules would change. And this sudden corruption had him nervous. What if the other angels started to notice? Where would that place him? He listens to Kuro, gazing up some when he talks of a pendant. He had never spoken of one before. "What- what pendant?" He sits up and wiped the forming tears away.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro has to try very hard to resist the urge to smile at his small victory. 'There is still more to go though. Don't mess it up!' With a long sigh he murmurs, “Oh, it's this thing my father gives to all of his children. It's what lets everyone know who we are, and it's got a little of father's energy in it.” He waves his hand dismissively. “It's an old silver thing with a red stone in the middle, kinda pretty, but it doesn't matter. Some chick called the overseer said she was going to keep it as some war trophy. Hang it on her office wall or something. . .” He's not lying, and he blesses the ornery woman for being so stupidly talkative. “Ripped it right off my neck. I bet she doesn't even know what it is. . .” He lets out another sigh. “But none of that matters, I'm just going to tell them during my next session.” He looks to Aoba. “That's today, right?”

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba thinks long and hard over the pendant he speaks of. He blinks realizing he had seen the necklace before. Once or twice he had gone past the overseer's door to see it pinned above her head on the wall. "It is pretty..." He mumbled, recalling how the red jewel would sparkle occasionally. It was a pretty jewel that he liked to see, but the overseer wasn't in her office all the time, so her door was left closed. He shook the thought as Kuro continued talking. "Your....Your next session is later today. Yes." He looked over at the plate. "It's...today." He repeated softer.

~**~*~*~*~**~

The demon slowly blinks his eyes, letting a faint light enter his eyes, his face distorting into a look of surprise and disbelief. “You. . .You've seen it? You know where it is?!” His voice is still soft, but the excitement is obvious. He looks almost as if he's going to move closer to Aoba. “If you could get it, just bring it to me I could. . .” His excitement fades and he settle back on his backside. “No, no, I couldn't ask that, it's too dangerous. . .” He gives Aoba a sad smile. “No, I'll just tell them today, and it may take a few days more of torturing, but I think I can make them believe me. Then I'll go away and you can go back to your peaceful life here amongst your own kind. The taint will fade if I'm not around Little Mouse. You are to kind for it not to. . .”

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba blinked and slowly nodded. "Well the overseer isn't that far from the prison...I do live here you know..." He mentioned softly and then looked in surprise. Now he knew Kuro was insane. Did he really think he was capable of stealing!? He could barely talk to the overseer woman! Or any of the higher ups for that matter! And then Kuro hit where it would probably hurt the most. Guilt. It made Aoba flinch lightly. "I really. . . Can't do that. The door is always locked... and she's scary. . ." He looked at him with a light frown. He knew the guilt trip, but it was Kuro's life on the line. "The office isn't that far... it's only a left out of here and three doors down..." If he couldn't do it himself, someone else could do it then. "It's not like she ever stays in her room. . ." He spoke softly, rambling on. He shook his head vigorously and looked away at his wings, touching them lightly. He really didn't want to be corrupted or tainted...He assured himself that he was a pure angel.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Looking at Aoba curling in around himself Kuro murmurs softly, “You're right, I could never ask you to steal.” He stays silent for a while, breathing slowly. Then in a nearly inaudible voice he whispers, “I don't want to die Aoba, but I don't want you to suffer from being around me any more.” He lists his gaze just high enough to look through his lashes at the little angel. 'So sweet' “Please, I'm not asking for much, and even if I fail, you will still be rid of me, your purity safe.” His eyes are filled with fear as he raises his head a little higher. “Help me get there, tonight. Tell them I'm not healed enough so I can save up my strength today, and tonight. Tonight I'll either leave, or be killed. I just, need your help to get there, then I'll do the rest on my own, I promise. Please, my sweet doctor. . .” His voice is a little choked with tears that threaten to fall.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba bit his lip, wondering how he ended up in such a mess. All he wanted to do was be a doctor like the higher staff and Fenrir gave him this job. It wasn't that bad. He liked the job, but this was insane. He couldn't do the things Kuro asked. But the kind hearted, loving angel couldn't just say no. . . He couldn't. Kuro was on the verge of tears, and death! What kind of angel would he be if he didn't save the life of someone in need? He was naive to how false he was to the ways of everything outside of the walls he was stuck in. He didn't know of the morals and integrity that had to be kept. Everything was orderly and nothing changed.

Aoba didn't know how one little demon could affect so much... He bit his lip, contemplating the insane idea. "I..." A soft whine escaped his lips before he looked back at the guards. But Kuro was so kind... but apparently he wad so bad... Finally, Aoba sighed in defeat and his conscious caved in. "Fine. I'll...help... you..." Aoba feels a nasty taste in his mouth when he says it, but somehow it fades and he sighs, once more scooting backwards. Though this time, he planned to get up and leave.

~**~*~*~*~**~

His heart is racing, it has come down to it. He has voiced his needs, his simple yet law breaking needs, and now his body threatens to pulsate with his newly regained dark energies. His breathing slow, waiting with baited breath for the angel's response. 'Please Little Mouse, I know you can do it. I'm not asking much, and after today, you won't have to worry about me ever again. Well, of course, until they find out you helped me and throw your ass from heaven, but you still won't have to worry about me' He really doesn't want to have such a thing happen to his now favorite angel, but it's either one fallen angel, or an eternity in a place worse than hell. He can live with that.

Then finally it happens. A tear really does fall from his eye when Aoba agrees to help him. “Thank you Little Mouse, thank you. . .” As Aoba goes to stand he whispers. “Come right before the changing of the guard. It'll be the perfect time. Thank you again. . .Aoba.” He settles back against the wall, quickly scooping up the feather and hiding it before the guards look into the cell as Aoba leaves. 'The scene is set, the pieces slowly moving into place, the final act is about to begin. . .' Determined not to screw it up he rests against the wall carefully, his senses primed just before he falls asleep to gather as much energy as he can for that evening.

When at last the light outside begins to dim, the time of his bid for freedom drawing near, Kuro wakes and stares at the opposite wall. 'Come to me Little Mouse. Come to me and set me free. Set this poor little demon free. . .'

~**~*~*~*~**~

His thanks is met with an uneasy and slightly sick look. Aoba didn't have a good feeling about this whatsoever, but for some reason, something compelled him to help the demon. Aoba said nothing and merely nodded, walking away from him and the prison in disbelief. 'What am I doing.... This is- Is this wrong? Helping someone who's innocent of the guilted crimes, but probably guilty of so many others? Isn't there mercy? Forgiveness? Why don't I have guidance?

He looked up to the tall ceilings in thought. There was no way he would be able to sleep. There was no way he was going to be able to think straight. It was too much for the little angel to handle. And evening rolled along pretty soon. At this point, Aoba was on autopilot. He only let himself move. He didn't think. If he did, he would panic. If he panicked, everything would go wrong.

Shakily but hurriedly, Aoba shuffled to the prison, right in the midst of transition. There was always a short period where no one guarded Kuro. So with light steps, he hurried, picking up the key and raced to the cell where Kuro was in. Without a word, he opened the door and then walked in, fumbling for the key to his chain. By the time he got there he managed to find it and unlock it. Still, deathly silent, he turned quickly, putting the key back where it belonged against the wall.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro can feel the waves of unease coming off of his partner in crime from the moment he steps into the block. So instead of trying to be reassuring he simply sits quietly and waits. He watches silently as first the door is unlocked, then his shackle. 'Come little one, do not break yet. You have only one more thing to do, and we're home free. . .Well, I am' He still feels a little guilty about what he is doing, but thoughts of what waits at the end of all the torment under the hands of the angels is enough to keep him silent, and focused. He had been a little worried that the kid would not make it, watching the guards leave with no Aoba in sight, however with how soon he arrived afterward, Kuro is still convinced that he can make it.

He stands slowly, flexing his energy ever so slightly so that his stiff limbs relax and stop aching for now. 'Sleeping on a hard floor, no matter the position, is always bad for the body. . .' he muses, looking to the angel softly. His first time standing beside Aoba he takes a minute to take the angel in a little more fully from his new vantage point, but the moment is soon gone and he motions for Aoba to lead the way. The trip to the overseer's office is a short one, and it only takes an instant to confirm that the angel lady isn't inside. He can tell Aoba is ready to bolt so he quickly turns, his wings flaring out. “I know you've always wanted to see them. . .” He murmurs, reaching out to take hold of the angel like he always does.

Leaning in he plants a gentle kiss right on Aoba's lips. It is gentle and sweet like all his other ones, and as he pulls back he whispers, “Good job, Aoba, my Little Mouse. . .” Letting Aoba goes he pays him no more mind and turns his attention to the door. He scoffs at the woman's arrogance as he notices no protective shields around the room so all it takes is a quick shove to pop it open. He can feel other angels getting close so in a flash the uses all of his speed to fly in, snap up his pendant, and with a loud crack, he is gone.

His landing is none too gentle as he falls into his old stomping grounds. Several of the nearby demon laugh at his less than graceful landing and groan of pain as the sharp rocks dig into his back. Not wanting to give them a chance to tease him further Kuro takes off towards the nearest pool so he can recover his strength. He wants to get out of hell before his father has a chance to hunt him down. He always like to 'See how his little runt is doing' whenever he returns to the pit since he doesn't do it very often. The landscape below is full of large jagged peaks and small patches of lush grass that look very out of place. These parks were a fun idea by his father ages ago and the idea stuck. Many a demon would hand out on these grassy knolls, but Kuro is too busy to even spare them a glance. His mind wanders briefly back to the angel up in heaven who is most likely now being handed his head on a platter, but as soon as a pool comes into sight, all thoughts of Aoba fly from his mind.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba's heart is pounding in his ears as he hurried to the office. He stayed silent, his fear only rising as he got closer and closer. Each step closer to the office he gets, the more he wants to bolt at the speed of light. It was obvious in his expression, and how jittery he was. The sudden view of his wings made his eyes widen, but he couldn't even enjoy it as he wanted to. The sound of angels nearly made him run for cover, but he was stopped and pulled into a kiss. It was on the lips this time, making his cheeks darken a little. He accepted the kiss, but jist as he wanted, he bolted when Kuro let go.

Aoba didn't say a word, he just turned and ran to his room. The panic settled and his breathing quickened. The sudden regret and guilt hit him in the gut, and he closed his door. "It'll all be over...It'll all be over..." Aoba crawled under his blankets listening to the loud commotion that already started to build. He curled up, pulling his wings tight to his back. Not so soon, but almost soon enough there was a banging on his door that made Aoba's heart stop for a few short moments. It opened almost immediately and an angel yelled. "Aoba! The demon is gone! Come with me!" The angel flinched but slowly crawled out from his blanket and followed the angel. He kept his head lowered as he followed the angel, probably to somewhere safer if the demon decided to attack.
But he's not here...

~**~*~*~*~**~

“Send angels down to the portal rooms! Keep an eye on any small space, he may try to hide out until the middle of the night! Leave no stone unturned!” The overseer and her troops begin breaking the soldiers down into little search parties, at her side Fenrir barks orders for all the non battle ready staff to be evacuated, and all the medical staff to be on call should the demon attack anybody. She turns to the male, livid. “Where is that little medi angel? Wasn't he suppose to have a session about now?! If he'd have been on time. . .” Her voice trail off at the look on Fenrir's face. She follows his gaze to Aoba, being lead by one of the soldiers up to the generals. One look is all it takes for Fenrir to make a pretty accurate guess.

In a flurry of wings he charges the soldier, brushing him aside as he lands right in front of Aoba. An instant later the overseer is at his side and the two of them are glaring daggers down at the smaller angel. His voice is surprisingly quite, but it is clear by his tone that he is far from calm. In a voice laced with fury he hisses, “You look me in the eye and tell me, under the name of God, that you had nothing to do with this.”

~*~*~*~*~

Kuro sighs as the hunks of replacement flesh peel off in the cepsus pools, his flesh quickly re-growing. The now nasty flesh colored lumps float away from him. 'Despite this smell, I can not deny that this stuff is like magic. . .' He hums softly, the stinging pain letting him know that his skin is regrowing, and quickly. 'Good, I want to get the hell out of hell, like, now' Unfortunately his fall to hell is not to be as peaceful as he'd hoped. With a groan he turns to face a familiar presence that had snuck up behind him. “Hi sis. . .” He mutters with a growl. The tall female, he battered looking wings hanging limply behind her like a kid that just got up and is dragging their limbs along, shakes her head and giggles. Her bushy long locks of curly hair catches the yellow light coming off of the pool and makes her look all the more lazy.

Dipping her foot in the cepsus she kicks a bit and Kuro and giggles again. “What's up brat? Haven;t seen you in a while. To what do we owe the honor. No wait, don’t tell me, a big kitty scratched you again when you tried to play with it?” She breaks down into a fit of giggles as Kuro cringes at the memory. He had indeed tried to play with a Bengal tiger as a newbie on earth, his siblings continually telling him it's fun, but the encounter left him pretty banged up He had to spend several hours in the pool after that encounter.

“Ha ha, very funny sis, but no. Just. . .None of your business actually.” He smiles up at her, his fangs bared. Still to sleepy to give him much grief she rolls her eyes and wanders off. Thankful for the quiet Kuro goes back to focusing on healing.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba stumbled backwards when Fenrir suddenly appears. The immediate dread hits him, and the fury in his voice sent cold chills down his spine. He couldn't speak, nor could he move. The soldier that was escorting him didn't hear the low words, but he did hear the hiss making even him step back a little. The overseer had followed him over and Aoba feels his heart stop once more. If he wasn't so frozen in place, the poor angel would have fainted. 'What have I done...?

"Speak Aoba!" The overseer demanded in the midst of the chaos. Time had stopped for the little angel. Everything was slowing down around him. The angel was frozen with fear as his wide blue eyes went from Fenrir to the overseer. "I demand you sp-!"

Fenrir stopped her, knowing that it wouldn't work if they continued yelling at him. He held his hand up to her, telling her to wait. "Aoba. Did you, or did you not have anything to do with this?" His voice was low, and his eyes still held the glare, but it was enough to break through to the angel. In a flash, tears streamed from his face and he fell to his knees.

"I don't know what I- I couldn't and he- But I tried to- I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to-!" Aoba's answer came out as rambles and pleading cries. He didn't know what to do or where to turn to. The angel was so lost, and all of a sudden there was a cold heavy metal on his wrists. It made him lean forward and nearly fall over. The overseer only glared, hearing enough to convince her that he was guilty.

At that point, even Fenrir got a little defensive of his medi angel. "The cuffs aren't necessary. He can barely lift them. He's not going to overpower anyone. He-"

"He's guilty of a crime and thus will be treated like a prisoner!" The overseer barked out before yanking the angel to the prison. Fenrir stood straight, unable to save the little angel and not planning to against the law. Aoba was silent, staring off into space, trying to find an escape. But that never came, and he was tossed into one of the cells with the cuffs left on. "Where is he!?"

"He's gone..." Aoba whispered, looking at the ground. She barked the question once more, not hearing him the first time. "He's gone! I don't know where but he's not here!" Aoba yelled put before turning his back to the cell bars amd curling up into a ball.

"You're judgement will be in due time."

Aoba curled up still, unsure if he could cry anymore. Instead he just wondered what was going on, and how everything could spiral so fast. He looked at the little cuts on his wrists as he laid there and attempted to heal them under the cuffs, but they were in the way. So, he laid there, keeping his eyes shut.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro lets out a long sigh. The cool evening air feels chilly against his skin but he does not recoil, The taste of freedom is far to sweet for him to reject even an instant of it. His healing only took about an hour and he was able to get to one of the portals without being stopped. There were a few cat calls, both his scantly clad backside and the smell of his blood attracting some lesser demons. With a happy smile he falls on to his back into the tall grass onto his newly regenerated skin. He shudders a little, the new skin more sensitive than the old stuff, but as he relaxes into the prickly green stalks he hums happily. “Back to where I belong.” he murmurs happily, his grin wide and his arms stretched out as far as they can go.

Bringing one of them up he lets out a sigh. If there is one draw back to the pools it's that they do not heal scars. His once near flawless skin is now covered with stark white lines where each scar the little angel had failed in it's removal. At the thought of Aoba Kuro lets out another, longer, sadder sigh. “Poor Little Mouse.” he murmurs softly, his arm falling back into the grass. “I Know there's no point in hoping, but if there is any way it would be great if he could really stay up there. . .Where he belongs. . .” Quite to his own surprise Kuro finds himself missing the little angel, his chest tightening as he thinks about how he is now most likely already imprisoned. “Poor Little Mouse. . .” he says again softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~

However he is wrong. Finding his guilt not in question in her own mind, the overseer has already called together the full council of heaven and his trial is about to begin. As Aoba is dragged into the room Fenrir feels slightly torn at the sight, but he stands off in the witness box with all six of the demon's guards, including the two who were taken off the duty. Green can not help the sneer on his face at both Fenrir and Aoba. Around the room the council whispers softly, many looking down at the small angel with disgust and disbelief. Aoba is lead to the accused platform, a small round platform just big enough to kneel on with a spotlight shinning down from high above.

The light represents God's watchful eye and as Aoba if forced to his knees on the platform the room falls silent. His hands are lashed to a small protuberance on the platform so he has to sit with his arms pulled together in front of him, his knees on either side of his hands. As the hush falls the overseer and the rest look to the High Judge in silence, awaiting his word to begin.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba was no fighter, so he was tossed this way and that like a little ragdoll. Despite his robe being dirtied and his hair a little tossled, he made sure to keep his wings tidy. It wasn't like it mattered, but he still wanted his wings to look their best as he always wanted them to be. And after seeing the tainted feather, he wanted nothing to do with such a thing. All eyes were on him and he wanted to cower away and hide from it all. He wanted to sleep and wake up to everything going back to normal. And he wished he'd never taken the offer to help Kuro. He didn't blame the demon, but he knew that if they never met, Aoba would have been just fine. If none of this happened. He listened to the hushed voices, most shocked and appalled by him. His head lowered and he looked at his wrists, eyeing the cuts that were forming.

When everything silenced, Aoba flinched and he slowly looked up to the High Judge. He had a blank expression on his face and Aoba inwardly sighed, thankful to not see a look of wrath or hatred for once. The Judge said nothing at first, but after a moment the Judge's voice rumbled out a greeting and before long the trial started. The overseer was in place against Aoba, and without a moment's hesitation, she spoke. "This angel is being charged with treason. He helped the youngest son of Satan escape his imprisonment." The dramatic gasps of the crowd were silenced by the Judge's hand. "We don't have the solid evidence yet, but he was the closest to that filth. There were incidents where my guards saw displays of affection from the filth towards this angel. Those eye the two guards that said they witnessed such." Green and Red stood, bowing to the Judge.

"Is this true? Did the demon display some sort of affection towards you?" The Judge,  and everyone else eyed Aoba as his gaze lifted slowly.

Aoba wasn't going to lie. It would only bury him deeper into trouble. And the guards had seen it. "It was...It was his way of- of saying thank y-you... He meant nothing to it... At least I don't think he did." They all had to stay silent in order to hear Aoba. His voice was soft, and by the looks of it, he didn't plan on raising it anytime soon. "I didn't kiss him though. Not once." He felt it was needed to be said. As if that crucial evidence would be a significant change for him.

"What if it was mind control?"

"The kid doesn't seem like he can fight back either."

"But that doesn't make it any better that the filth kissed him! He's contaminated! Take him to get cleaned!"

"He has been cooped up in heaven. He doesn't know the dangers of the others like we do."

"Everyone knows that demons are bad!"

The comments rang through the room until the Judge silenced them all. "Is there anything you have to say for yourself?" He watched as Aoba dropped his head in defeat.

"...Is there really much I can say?"

The Judge raised an eyebrow, but only nodded, turning his attention to the overseer. She started once more as he did. "There's also the matter the of the fearful look in his eye when we approached him. He practically turned himself in when Fenrir asked him if he was an accomplice." She looked over at Fenrir, motioning him to stand up. This time, the Judge had a question.

"What did Aoba say when you asked him this?"

"Honestly your Honor, he was too shaken up to make complete sentences or speak clearly. He was afraid. Something I've noticed easily in him. The angel is prone to getting scared easily." Even if he didn't approve of the situation, disliked the demon, or was a witness,  Aoba was still apart of the medical staff- and the youngest. He felt sorry for the pitiful looking angel. With a nod, he was allowed to sit back down.

The trial went on like that for a fair amount of time. The overseer gave many accusations with the same witnesses to back up her claims, while not able to give 100% fact- other than what witnesses claimed happened. Aoba was happy to just sit quietly, not uttering a word unless he was given a question from the High Judge himself. Even the Judge could see Fenrir's point of him being fearful. It was obvious the angel was shaken up, and didn't know what to do with himself. So, at the end of the trial the Judge came to a conclusion.

"With so little evidence to these accusations, we will have another trial tomorrow morning. And then his judgement. As of now, send him back to the prison and further your search for any damages done by the demon."

And like that, the trial was over. Aoba was pulled and dragged back to his cell. And just like before, he curled up with his back facing the cell bars. It was quiet, and only one guard was placed to watch Aoba. He was no threat, so two weren't needed. This guard glanced in every now and then feeling rather sorry for Aoba. It so happened to be one of the guards he had fed when he was bringing food to Kuro.

[PopeAlessandros]

Fenrir sits with his head on his desk, the paperwork piled up around him in disarray. His mind is very numb, only the simplest thoughts passing through it, and all of them on the same subject. He doesn't know what else to do. He, like his old war buddy, has no real doubt of the little angel's guilt, however he can not bring himself to say it aloud. He knows what the punishment for such actions are, and he doesn't want to think about that. No angel ever does. So instead he thinks back over all the little things that lead up to the event, trying to find the moment where he could have prevented it. Unfortunately it always leads back to the same place. The same moment in time. The same instant of indulgence. “I just wanted him to learn his place and fall into line. . .I should have never given him the job. . . .”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day the trial runs a little more smoothly, the facts reiterated, re told until at last a clear picture is formed. Aoba is once more placed on the platform and kept there in the uncomfortable position while the higher ups above him murmur and discuss. Fenrir tries at one point to place the blame on himself, however the notion is quickly squashed as his friend points out that such actions in the past have worked without any negative side effects. Finally it all comes down to one question. The head guy calls down to Aoba to attract his attention before all falls to silence. “Young Aoba, you have been accused of a crime. Depending on your answer, your punishment will be either something you can recover from, or something no angel has ever recovered from. In your own words now, I wish for you to tell the council, under the light of God, what you did. . .And why.” His tone leaves no room for negotiation, and the council settles in, willing to wait as long as it takes to hear the boy's story.

~*~*~*~*~*~

With a faint sigh Kuro relishes his new outfit. He'd decided to travel on foot to the nearest town to pick up some new threads. It had taken him a night and most of the day, and then when finally in the store he had to hide out until it closed to go “Shopping”. His loin cloth now lay forgotten on the floor as the crisp new clothing moves against his still recovering skin. A loose fitting white t-shirt up top with some nice tight black stretch jeans his lower half. Liking his feet bare the last part of his outfit is a long floor length coat, black, made of light but durable material that flashes in the right light. The sleeves ling tightly to his arms and after buttoning it up it hugs his torso pleasantly. The buttons stop right about where his pants begin so the loose T is visible at the bottom, and the rest of the coat hangs open and loose, almost like a dress split down the front.

He coos at his new outfit in the mirror, the feeling of once more wearing clothes making him very happy. With a sigh however he reaches down and shifts through his discarded cloth undergarment. In a slow motion he pulls out the pitch black feather and after several long seconds of staring at the lightly abused thing he slips it into his coat over where his heart would be. “Be safe, Little Mouse. . .” he murmurs softly before picking the lock and exiting the store unseen.

~**~*~*~*~**~

The trial the next day was a lot more factual. Or at least, that's what everyone thought. Throughout the trial, the overseer explained everything and Aoba stayed quiet. There was a time, one of the few times, that Aoba looked up in order to hear someone speak of him. Hearing Fenrir trying to put the blame on himself, Aoba's eyes watered and he gave a sad smile to the doctor. Someone still cared. Even if it was just a little. The two made eye contact, and Fenrir immediately looked away, feeling his heart break by the sad look. For once, the optimistic little angel looked as though he had given up. Despite always wanting to prove himself, and having such determination, it seemed he had finally quit.

There were few who actually sympathized with the angel. This was because they knew of Aoba's pure heart and insane curiosity. He was just like a kid wanting to know everything. But that didn't stop the others Green thinking otherwise. "Tch, the little runt had it coming to him. He shouldn't have messed around with that demon." Green scoffed as he watched the trial. Red on the other hand sighed and stayed silent.

Hearing his name, Aoba looked up once more. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but they never did. "I-..." He tried to figure out what to say. He tried to figure out how to say it. And still. . . Why he had done it? "He... He was telling me about his death- And how even though I kept healing him. . . It wouldn't matter because you guys would keep attacking him. I saw- saw the session and it was...horrible. It seemed so wrong...I've never seen an angel so scary... But," Aoba looked down at his cuffs, closing his eyes. "I unlocked his cuffs. And let him out of the cell." He flinches as the crowd gasps and start to murmur. He hears some of them, and glances at Fenrir once more. But this time, the doctor doesn't look at him.

Aoba's gaze returns downward as he awaits his judgement. He knows it'll be a bad outcome, but he doesn't know how much trouble he'd be thrown into.

~**~*~*~*~**~

'Well, there's nothing for it now' Fenrir can feel bile rising in his throat. Even if he had been positive the angel did it, hearing him say it turned his stomach and squashed his sympathy. He can not look at Aoba any more, his head turns away and he lets out a faint noise. 'Good-bye, Aoba'

The council speak quietly with one another while the few spectators and witnesses murmur amongst themselves. After about a minute, a decision is made and with a wave of his hand the judge brings the room to silence. “Look at me Aoba.” Once the angel has done as bidden he begins laying out his judgment.

“Your acts, treasonous in nature, were performed not under duress, other than of your own conscious. You willfully participated in the escape of a prisoner most foul. Your actions, being guided by the best of intentions, were wrong in their entirety.” Even in the hush the energy in the room seems to make a sound all it's own. “You have stepped beyond your place under the sight of God and saw fit to judge your fellow angels with a heart not based in the right place for an angel of your station. You have allowed a demon to not only sully your own soul, but helped it return where it can destroy even more lives, not to mention the danger you put your fellows in by setting it loose in the palace.” His eyes are hard, offing no room for argument.

“Your actions are unforgivable, and your punishment will be as thus.” The hum of energy even seems to wait with baited breath for the judgment to fall. The angel raises his hand high into the air. “You are cast out of heaven, stripped of your divine rights, and live your life as a mortal!” With that declaration his hand comes down hard on the platform before him. A white bolt flies from where his hand falls and strikes Aoba in the chest, tearing from him his divine rights before tearing through the very fabric of reality and throwing Aoba on to the mortal plain. He appears high above the earth, the bolt leaving him no other choice, but to fall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kuro jumps lightly as a light shock goes across his chest. “What the hell was that?!” He exclaimed. He rubs his chest lightly and then stops cold. Ducking into a dark alley so he can see better he slowly pulls out the feather from beneath his coat. Even after it had turned black, his blood had not killed the divine light that all angels have for as long as they live. However as he looks at the feather he swalows hard. “It's fading. . .” he whispers softly, and a wave goes through him. “What should I. . .?”

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba stiffened and lifted his head as told. The Judge began to speak his judgement and as much as the angel wanted to cry out, to plea for mercy, or to simply get away, he was frozen to in place. Each word had the angel on edge, balling his fists tighter and tighter. As his punishment was set, his eyes widened and his wings dropped. "W-What?" It was the first thing he said and the last thing he was able to. Tears fell immediately. 'They can't-! I didn't mean to! I mean- but why?! I can't- no! Please!

The loud crack of thunder from the platform almost went unnoticed by Aoba, he was far too hurt from the declaration alone. 'Mortality? I've never even been on earth! A flash of lightning hit him and he cried out in pain as he felt something being ripped out of him. It was an excruciating pain that nearly sent him unconscious. When his eyes reopen, he finds the portal to heaven closing and him falling fast. His breath hitched and all of a sudden he was plummeting to the ground.

The angel was far too stunned and in pain to realize what was going on. As he fell, his wings opened ever so slightly, but it didn't save him from how fast he was falling. 'I - I'm sorry. . . The impact of him hitting the ground caused Aoba to yell out again. A crater had formed from the fall and the angel- now fallen- laid there. The new world around him spun and soon, everything got dark.

- - -

Hearing the rumble in the ground, an elderly clergyman stood from the rocking chair and made his way to the sound. It wasn't too long of a walk until he spotted the crater in the middle of the ground. "Tch, he's kinda small to be a cast away." With a shrug, he realized the fallen angel was unconscious and sighed. "Give me more work to do." He slid down, and lifted Aoba into his arms amd trudged back to the empty farm he was recently sitting in. He decided to be cordial and wait for Aoba to wake up before he left to tend to other duties.

Thankfully, it was less than 20 minutes before Aoba bolted up, looking around in confusion. "Where am I?!"

"You're in your new home." Before Aoba could wail anymore, the man spoke. "The angels decided to give you a little break. Instead of sending you ta hell, ya managed to make it to earth. I've been told to tell you that earth is your new home."

"B- But-"

"Hey! Be happy they decided to be this lenient! Now, if you'll excuse me. You'll have to figure everything else out on your own. I have other angels and demons to take care of. But I'll be back for...a check up. And a better explanation. " And like that, Aoba was left alone on a couch in an unfamiliar place. He curled up in his wings, but paused when he noticed the dusty gray color it caught. He rubbed them to get them clean and to their white color, but it never happened.

"Why won't you..." He got a little frantic as he started to realize he had lost his pristine little glow. He reached on top of his head, noticing the halo was gone as well. "I-.." He looked down, seeing the scars on his arms and his now soiled and torn robe. He tried to heal his arms, but nothing happened. "They took...everything." Aoba scooted off the couch he was on and sat on the floor, curling up and hiding behind his wings. "What- What am I suppose to do...?"

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro hums softly, running the feather through his fingers over and over as he wanders aimlessly through the streets of the small town. 'So, he's been stripped and thrown out. He must have been thrown down some ways away or I would have felt it. Wherever he is, the demons in the area must be already on the hunt. Ready for some fresh fallen angel fun. . .' Kuro's steps slowly become more sure, his tottering back and forth evening out into a slow stride.

'I mean, it's not like it happens often, and it's got to be the rarest game ever. Fallen angel. I've seen one take days and days to die. Father took me out once to watch. It was. . .' His steps speed up, his aim sure now. 'All the things they did to it. His mortal body was strong, well muscled, he must have been a soldier. But. . . .the Little Mouse. . . .' With a loud crack he vanishes, holding the feather close as his guide. After a single breath, he arrives with another loud crack. He pauses, looking down into the crater left behind by Aoba's fall before looking carefully around.

'Farm country, no neighbors for over a mile. That's good, there shouldn't be too many demons in range' The hip high grass shifts and sways around him in the stiff evening breeze and like a dog his head goes up, seeking out that particular scent. He turns slowly, catching Aoba's distinctive smell quickly. He looks towards the source and lets out a sigh. 'He's inside at least'

The demon has no idea why he is doing the things he is other than not wanting to owe the little angel anything. Sure he helped Kuro escape, but that didn't even out the balance for all Aoba just went through for him. His eyes narrow, spotting a few demons approaching from the other side of the small farm. His wings snap out, the clothes seeming to morph around the appendages leaving them intact with only two little slits around the base. Charging up to the beasts he scares them off with a little show of power, flashing his pendant, before landing and looking back at the farm. 'Hang in there Little Mouse. I have some things to deal with, then I will come help you. . .' He lets out a sigh and begins setting up a perimeter around the farm the old fashioned way, marking Aoba off as his, and other than his siblings, no demon will cross the invisible line on to the property.

~**~*~*~*~**~

After awhile of sitting in silence, Aoba finally unwrapped himself from the tight little ball and slowly stood. Without his powers or anything of his, he felt a little hollow. "Home?" Aoba looked around with a small frown. It wasn't his home. His home was pretty and filled with angels and-. . . Was no longer his. He was kicked out. They didn't want him there anymore. The dingy, old house was his home now... He walked slowly, examining each room. First it was the room he was in. What he assumed was a living room. There was a couch and a wooden chair. In front of them, rested a coffee table and what he assumed was a TV. It was small, and Aoba wasn't even sure what it did, so he left it alone.

The next room over was a small kitchen. A table, a stove and oven, and a fridge- though he didn't bother to open the fridge. At least not yet. His footsteps made the floor make eerie creaking sounds, making him shudder. Back in the living room, there was a set of steps behind them so he made his way up them. Besides a bathroom, there were two rooms in them. One with a bed, and one that was completely empty. This room had a few extra steps to take, and had an had a window that viewed out over the empty space, and the clear darkening sky.

But he didn't stay up there. Instead, he went back to the living room and sat on the couch, where he was dropped off at first. He looked around, hoping the elderly man would return. He didn't know what he could do, or where he could go, or where he was. The fallen angel could only wait until someone came. . . But as the day grew colder and it got darker, he guessed no one would show. He really was all on his own.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Once he is sure that the entire grounds are sealed off to any demon that may want to come check out the new toy, Kuro turns to look at the house. The process too a while, the sun already setting, but Kuro is satisfied. 'It won't keep all of them out, but it'll make them think twice. Hopefully non of the sibs are nearby. I know all too well how much they like to play with my toys, and if they come they are sure to recognize my marks. Selfish bastards. . . .'

With a light growl Kuro makes himself relax, knowing there is no way Aoba will be happy to see him. He moves towards the farm house slowly, eying the decrepit walls that match the were and tear on the small barn several yards away. 'This is gonna be hell for the poor little thing, well, not really, but. . . .' He sighs, lightening his steps so he can creep inside without his footsteps being heard. The door opens easily and Kuro stops right there to take in the sight. The dusty gray wings, the ripped and torn filthy clothing, the look of utter defeat on his smudged face. . .

With a silent sigh inside he whispers, “I'm sorry Little Mouse.” Before Aoba can respond however he holds up a hand. “I can only guess at how you feel, seeing me now after what's happened to you, but I just wanted you to know I am here, and will be around. It's too dangerous to leave you alone, so I won't. I have a debt to repay, and I will do it, whether you want me to or not.” He sighs lightly. “However if you don't want to see me, I will stay out of sight best I can Little Mouse. . .” There is no trick to his speech, however he doubts the little angel will believe him. 'After all, I wouldn't'

~**~*~*~*~**~

There's a brief light to his eyes as he heard the door open, even his wings lifted a little. Aoba perked up like a little puppy eagerly awaiting his owner's return. He expected the clergyman to return as he promised, and help him. But to his surprise and dismay, it was none other than the demon that had gotten him into this mess. The one that he should have stayed away from. That light in his eyes died almost immediately as he saw Kuro, and his wings dropped back to the floor. The first thing he hears from the male is an apology. Even then, Aoba looked away, scooting farther back. Kuro continued to speak, but Aoba refused to make eye contact. And he refused to speak. There was no way he was going to give the demon the satisfaction of ruining him again.

Aoba had never felt so angry before, but he couldn't manage anything more than a look of sadness. There was no more righteous anger, there was no more faithful optimism, all of it was gone and traded for the mortal emotions he felt now. Kuro never moved from the door way and he was glad he didn't come closer. Aoba wanted nothing to do with him. Not ever again. If he would have listened the first time, none of it would have ever happened. 'So this is what demons do. . . They ruin you and then come back to do it all over again. I'm no idiot. . . I'm not falling for it again.

As lonely as he was, he couldn't bring himself to admit that he would have rather had a familiar face with him rather than being left alone in the dark house. But Kuro... It could have been anyone else! Someone other than that- that demon. The only sound that could be heard from the fallen angel was him shifting away, turning his back to Kuro. 'I don't care what you say you're going to do. I'm not falling for it! He didn't realize he mainly turned away to hide the forming tears. Quickly, he wiped them away, knowing that there was no use to crying. He could do no more about his situation besides sit there and wait for something to happen. Not once did he speak to Kuro, and still, he refused to look him in the eye.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro watches the angel move further and further away from him as he speaks, the sadness coming off of him so clearly that even without seeing his face Kuro knows Aoba is moments from crying, if not already. Nodding slowly at the angel's back he looks one last time at those dusty gray wings and lets out a sigh before stepping out of the doorway. Taking a few steps back so he's off the porch and clear of the roof hanging over it Kuro brings out his wings once more and lifts off. More of a guided jump he lands with a soft thump on the mossy slanted roof, loud enough for it to be heard inside but not hard enough to actually damage the thing.

There he sits, knees tucked up to his chest and coat tucked beneath him to keep his pants clean. His bare feet wiggle and flex once in a while on the moss, finding the sensation gross but intriguing. 'If all I do is sit up here and fight off other demons, it's going to take a long time to pay him back, but eventually, I will' he muses, tensing slightly as he feels a divine presence approaching. He stares off towards where the feeling comes from and he notices it's at a mortal level. 'Priest of some sort. Well, something like that will not move me. . .' Kuro settles in, ducking his head down behind his knees so only his eyes are showing.

Father Gerard glances up at the roof as he approaches. 'Well I'll be, a demon, and it isn't trying to torture the little guy. Weird' He pauses, looking into Kuro's eyes for several seconds. Kuro raises an eyebrow and the Father moves on towards the house. Kuro has no idea how sad his eyes looked as he gazed down at the Priest. The elderly gentle man moves inside with sure steps, as soon as he spots Aoba he gives him a curious look. “You've got yourself a sad puppy camped out on the roof, did you know that?”

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba didn't watch as Kuro left, but as soon as he walked out the door, the angel sighed. He lifted his head when he heard the thump on the roof. It was a slight feeling of relief to know that Kuro didn't go too far, but of course, he wasn't planning to tell him that any time soon. If he ever decided to talk to Kuro, at least he knew where he be. It's wasn't long before he heard footsteps once again. He mustered up a frown, planning to move away, and probably tell Kuro to go away, but when he turned around, a new face was at the door.

Before he could say anything, the male spoke and Aoba gave him a confused look. 'Puppy? On the roof? That's strange. . . Seeing his confusion the priest chuckled. "A demon is hanging up there. He looks sad." He stepped further inside, pushing the door closed. Blinking and coming to realization, Aoba nodded to his question. "Ah. Interesting. I guess I should tell you who I am." His face scrunched up a little, wondering why he was only getting nods as replies. "I'm Father Gerard. A priest. I'll be here every now and then. Maybe. Just curious about a fallen angel. It's rare to see one you know." Realizing what he had said, Gerard but his lip. "My apologies. Sometimes I just- never mind. Forgive my rambling."

Aoba slowly turned and faced him. He still held the sad look, not much recovery in them, although the frown did fade. "I- I'm Aoba..." It was the only thing he said before falling silent again, wondering what a priest was doing. Luckily, he did know that priests were on the angel's side. . . But did that mean he would help a fallen angel too?

~**~*~*~*~**~

Father Gerard just looks at him for a while, knowing he's suppose to help the boy get started, but not sure where to begin himself. 'So strange. Most fallen angels throughout history have been soldiers that have become to corrupt because of all the demon interactions and have lost their way by being too vicious and developing a love of the killing' He tilts his head a bit, a light supportive smile coming to his lips. 'But this little one. . .He still looks so innocent and lost' His eyes flicker to the gray wings. 'Well, not completely innocent'

Finally he lets out a little sigh and moves over to sit on the couch. He pats the seat next to him with another supportive smile at Aoba. Whether he comes and sits on the couch with him or not Gerard begins explaining best he can. “I received word that you might be coming down today. I came here almost hoping not to find you, but here you are. This is your farm now, I cleared it with the local establishment, and as long as you follow man's law, this place will remain yours.” He pulls out a wad of cash and sets it on the table, knowing that Aoba will not really know what to do with it at the moment.

“You are mortal now, so you will need to eat and drink and the like a lot more than you are use to, according to the message I received.” He points to the money. “That is enough to keep you fed for about a month, and there's a pump out back for water.” He points towards the barn. “A small shipment of farm supplies will arrive in a couple days and you'll be able to start growing crops and raising animals.” Pointing to the money again he smiles.

“If you need help figuring out how to use that, you've got something up on your roof to help you out. I'm sure he's an expert at making deals, like all demons are. They are some of the best swindlers I know, but in your case, it may be a good thing.” He gives Aoba a sideways look, wondering just how the boy's going to react to being told he should talk to Kuro about something. 'After all, he may be a demon, but in this situation, you should use all resources available I say'

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba didn't move at first, but the warming smiles were welcoming. He sat by the priest and listened carefully. 'Sheesh...does everyone know I'm down here now?' His reputation was shattered enough, there was no need to step on the already broken pieces. He stared at the money on the table, but left it where it was. There was no use for it now, so he didn't need to bother it. Maybe later he'd put it up somewhere. By the way he spoke of it, it seemed that the stuff was pretty important. Once again hearing himself being called a mortal made his heart sink. It appeared he was going to have to actually depend on eating and drinking. As an angel- or at least a pure one- it was the last thing he worried about. Food and water was normally just for a quick replenish. Now it was a way of survival.

He was already utterly confused. Growing crops? Farm supplies? What was he talking about? He didn't learn about any of the stuff before. . . Well he did know what a farm was at least. He knew the basics of earth, but it still didn't help in the problem at hand. There was an immediate puff of his cheeks in frustration knowing he'd have to depend on Kuro for help. For once, he actually did protest. "Well, why can't you stay here? Can't you help me?" There was desperation in his voice and the priest only sighed.

"I can't stay here. I have my own responsibilities to tend to. But don't worry, I'll come and check on you every now and then. You seem pretty innocent to be a fallen angel. I don't think you'll last very long without the help." He looked up at the ceiling as if he was starting directly at Kuro. "I'm sure he's willing to help. I mean, he hasn't attacked you like most demons would have. Obviously, you've found a new demon pet or something of the sort." The priest chuckled and looked at Aoba. "Don't worry. As long as you follow the rules and heed my warnings, you should be fine." He watched the cute little pouting Aoba did, still not accepting Kuro as his help.

The angel had planned on giving him the silent treatment and the cold shoulder for as long as he could. He didn't plan on trusting anymore. And all of a sudden, now he had to put his faith into a demon. "Aren't my wings bad enough..." They drooped again as he reached to only clarify that his halo want there either. "...I guess I'll talk to him. . . Eventually." He wasn't planning on giving up his attempts that easy.

~**~*~*~*~**~

'His wings? What do they have to do with. . .?' Gerard shakes his head but smiles at Aoba. “Good for you. I'm sure things will work out.” He shakes a friendly finger at the boy. “Never turn down help in a situation like this. Even if it leads to a bad end, at least you'll have learned something. Being mortal mean use all resources you have access to to make the best life you can for yourself, and those dear to you.” Father Gerard stands, stretching a bit. “Well, I'm not suppose to help too much so I should get going.” He looks once more towards the ceiling. “Yes, I can't help you too much. . .” He lets the sentence trail off with a smile.

As Father Gerard heads back outside, waving at Aoba from the door and wishing him a good night, Kuro peeks out from behind his knees again. The priest stops as close as he can to the house while still being able to see Kuro staring down at him. Knowing that demons have excellent hearing he speaks softly as to not alert Aoba to the interaction. “I don't know why you're here demon, but you take good care of him, ya'hear?”

Kuro blinks at the brazenness of the priest, raising his head slightly. 'Who the hell does he think he is?' Kuro hisses at the man but the Father just continues staring at him. Finally he mumbles in a grumpy voice just loud enough for the old priest to hear, “I don't need you to tell me that you old cross hugging codger. . .” With that he once more hides his face, this time not even leaving his eyes exposed.

'Something tells me he's not the fiercest thing hell has to offer' Father Gerard muses and with a chuckle he nods and heads off to his next destination.

Meanwhile Kuro listens to the noises down below, as well as the ones in the surrounding area. He knows he will not get sleep for quite some time, needed to keep a look out for all curious demons coming to sniff around the newly fallen prey.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Aoba sighed as he left and was once again alone- well, sort of. He remembered a bed up the steps and decided to use that instead of the couch. Grabbing the money, he tucked it in his robe, noticing the blue cloth was now a pale gray color. He could only sigh, as he walked up the steps. Occasionally, he looked up at the ceiling seeing if he could hear the shifts of Kuro on the roof. Approaching the bed, he eyed the red blanket and white sheets. With a small flick of his wings, he checked for dust, and surprisingly there was none. After a moment of examining, he finally crawled in and under the blanket to try to fall asleep. As sad as he still was, Aoba had no more tears. He was sure he had cried himself out. This was it. His "new home".

- - -

Morning rose and Aoba awoke to the darkness of the blanket. As he crawled out, he hoped to awaken to everything being normal again. But those were just false hopes. He was once again back in the farm house. With a sigh, he decided to walk to the bathroom to at least attempt to freshen up. Seeing himself in the mirror, there was a moment of shock to what he saw. He looked worn out, and battered, his wings looked different in the morning light. He looked... different. The angel splashed water on his face and then looked at his torn clothes. 'I need something to wear... But before he could start his search in his new room, his stomach growled.

It wasn't too bad, so Aoba tried to ignore it as he searched for clothes. Unfortunately, they only supplied him with a pale blue button up shirt that was a size too large, and some faded jeans. "What in heavens name...?" He tilted his head, but went back to clean himself up. Aoba didn't want to look as pitiful as he felt. Instead of the neat and tidy hair style he always had, it looked a bit messy to match the clothes he was wearing. It was an awkward fit, but he ignored it, now focusing on his growling stomach.

"I wonder if they left any food..." Aoba mumbled, walking down the stairs, slipping the money from the priest in his pocket.

~**~*~*~*~**~

During the night Kuro had to get up twice to scare off invaders. The first was a low level demon testing his territory, and the other was a pack of wolves curious about the new smells in the area. 'Last thing we need is a pack moving into the area. If he's gonna live here, he's gonna have to farm, and that means animals' Kuro almost flushes at the idea. He now has a legit excuse to hang around animals. Not that it would be anywhere near acceptable, but it's enough of an excuse for Kuro himself.

Just before dawn he flutters down to look in the bedroom window to make sure Aoba is still asleep. His eyes become sadder, not that he knows it, at the sight of the angel sleeping in the small wooden room. 'Somehow you look very out of place not inside your palace of stone. . .' With a long sigh he takes off top speed, circling in wider and wider circles as he tries to find something. After a few minutes he comes to a stop above a huge apple orchard. 'Perfect' Diving down he grabs five of the lush little fruits before darting back to Aoba's farm.

He slows, the sun rising just above the horizon making him fear that the angel may already be awake. 'I'm very sure now he doesn't want to see me, after that silent treatment last night. . .' It takes a few minutes but he finally gets close enough to feel the sleeping entity. 'Oh good' Darting down to the front porch he drops off three of the apples before taking up his place on the roof once more. Downing his own apples quickly he lays down as to be a little less conspicuous.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Unfortunately, the fridge was empty and so were all the cabinets. Aoba pouted and looked around. What was he suppose to do about food? There was nowhere else for him to go, so he walked to the door. Maybe there was something outside he could find. Opening the door, he looked a little surprised to see three red apples at the door. He picked them up and couldn't help but look up. Aoba was still the kind angel from before, so with a slightly reluctant sigh Aoba stepped out onto the porch. Looking at them, he spoke up some. "Thank you.... Kuro." And with that he turned back inside with the apples.

Two of the apples managed to hold him over for awhile, so he sat the third off to the side for later. There was nothing for the angel to do inside, and he still didn't want to talk to Kuro. But instead, he decided to walk outside anyway. Staying cooped up wasn't going to make him happy, and he needed to stretch his wings. Walking back outside, he looked around taking a better look outside. There wasn't much to see besides the vast open space.

He walked off the porch hesitantly, still looking around to make sure nothing would jump out and attack him. After a few steps, he stretched his wings out fully, and stretched his arms top three sky. "... What am I suppose to do all day...?" He mumbled and continue wandered, letting his wings hang behind him.

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro waits quietly, letting his thoughts tumble around and around. 'I wonder if demons can get sun burned. I know the sun isn't really good for us, but I've never heard of a demon staying under it long enough to see if their skin burns' He holds up one hand and looks at it carefully. 'If I really stay up here to stay out of sight, I think I'll be the first demon to find out' With a sigh he lets his hand fall, mumbling about nothing in particular until at last he hears the sound of Aoba waking. He stills, listening carefully. 'His footsteps are still so soft. . .' As he approaches the front door Kuro's heart races, wondering how the angel will respond.

"Thank you.... Kuro."

Kuro holds back a purr at the sound of Aoba's thank you, not wanting to bother the kid. 'He's still mad at me, I can tell, but at least he's not rejecting my help out right' When Aoba approaches the door again Kuro scrambles up to the peak of the roof, slipping over it so he's not visible as the angel exits the front door. Well, all of him is hidden save for a little tuft of black hair and his gleaming eyes. He watches Aoba wander, catching his question but unable to respond. As he wanders the little mouse comes close to the edge of the protected zone. Kuro tenses. 'Something isn't right'

With a loud noise like a wild animal a demon leaps from the tall grass at the edge of the territory, having hid there with his energy low so Kuro would not sense him. He dives strait for Aoba, intent on dragging him out of the protected zone so Kuro has no more claim to him. However before he can lay a single hooked claw to the little angel Kuro falls out of the sky in a flurry of wings, fangs, and claws. He withdraws his wings swiftly as he tackles the demon to the ground, it's short yellow hair catching sticks and dirt as they fight. Kuro takes a hard slash to the shoulder, but the foolish demon leaves out his wings. Kuro strikes out and lays a wicked across the wing, shredding it slightly. The demon screams and flees, Kuro letting out an animalistic howl marking his win.

Sinking one hand into the wound he soaks it in blood before spreading it on the grass, and extra sign of his marked territory. This sign telling all that he is willing to fight for it. He glances back ad Aoba, his fangs receding back to their normal length, his claws following suit. Without a word he takes off in a rush of wings and settles back on to the roof, laying on his back while running his energy over the wound, stopping the bleeding.

~**~*~*~*~**~

All was fairly boring. It wasn't a quiet and serene peace, but completely and utterly boring. There was nothing to do besides walk around. And just as he stopped, noticing a lone flower all by itself something- a demon jumped out at him. Aoba stumbled backwards, quickly turning to see Kuro flying over him to attack the demon. He gasped and scrambled to his feet as claws and fangs tumbled in front of him. And in a blur, the demon was gone out of sight crying out. 'He did say their wings were weak.' "W-Wh-"

But Kuro was gone in a flash. He noticed the blood before he could fly off and it was almost instinctive for him to ask if he needed help. But he remembered he didn't have his healing magic so he watched him go. "K-" Aoba glanced back where the demon had jumped out and quickly flew closer to the house. But, he never went inside. Instead, he looked up at the roof with a scrutinizing look. "Kuro?" His arms crossed gently, but he continued looking up. Aoba knew that he was supoose to be ignoring the demon, but he was nearly killed and now scared for his life. "Are you... Are you okay?"

~**~*~*~*~**~

Kuro relaxes a bit as he feels Aoba move closer. 'I should leave him a little map marking the safe zone, and where around the edges he should avoid. Like a buffering zone. If he's going to survive he needs to learn just how unsafe this place is' He lets out a sigh. 'Before more encounters like that scare him into the realization and I have to go to town for new clothes' Glaring over at the fresh tear in his new jacket and shirt Kuro grumbles. He really liked the jacket.

Then Aoba calls to him. He tenses. 'It's just his nature, he's not really worried about me he's just worried because someone got hurt protecting him' Nodding to himself he rolls over and crawls on his belly so he can look over the edge. Spotting Aoba he keeps his face as neutral as possible. “I'm fine Little Mouse. You just stick close to the house until I can show you where it's safe around here.” He smiles ever so slightly. “You don't have to worry about me. Without one of your kind ripping me to shreds daily I can keep myself from bleeding to death without needing you to rescue me.”

He glances at his shoulder, the dark fabric still wet and slick with his blood, just barely visible over the edge of the roof. “My method may not be as pleasant as your wonderful treatments but it will keep this worthless demon alive.” With that he scoots back out of sight, flipping around so he's on his back once more. 'That was a little manipulative, I know, but if he doesn't perk up soon, this summer is going to be long, and winter after that, deadly. . .' Kuro sighs, the future unfolding in front of him looking very bleak if he doesn't get a move on.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba would have no problem following the order of sticking to the house. If wild things were going to attack him at random, he was surely going to stay where it was safe. Which made him also come to the realization that not all of the land was his home apparently. There were 'safe zones'. That didn't sound like a home, it sounded like a prison a little. Did that mean he had to stay home all the time? Kuro spoke about his healing methods and the angels and Aoba couldn't help but look at his hands. 'His methods are probably as good as it will get. Meanwhile, I should find something to fix my own injuries with before they scar.

Towards the last bit, Aoba bites his lip softly. He mentally scolds himself for being so soft of heart. He watched Kuro dart away again and he sighed, looking back to the house. "You can come down. . ." If Kuro planned on attacking everything that tried to kill him, Aoba had to be nice. It would have probably gone against his nonexistent morals. Without waiting, he started to walk back inside, only to change course when he noticed the barn off to the side. 'Hm, how'd I miss that one. ' He left Kuro to do what he wanted, already giving him permission to at least be seen.

The outside of the barn looked just as old as the house, if not a little better. He stood at the large doors, pushing up the sleeves of his new shirt. "Hmm..." There was a heavy wooden plank to block the doors, so with all the strength he could manage, the angel heaved the wood out of the way. It didn't make it too far thanks to all the splinters he had received. "Ow.." Aoba began to pick them out of his hands, all the while wondering why it was there in the first place. The was a perfectly working lock on the door so there was no need for the wood. Aoba slipped inside the cracked door and looked around to see an empty barn besides a few stalls and a stack of hay off to the side. 'Hopefully this is one of the safe places I'm allowed to go in. There was a squeak and then the feeling of something crawl over his foot. Seeing the rat made him wail in surprise and fly into the air. "Gross... it's so filthy in here..."

[PopeAlessandros]

A small smile curls Kuro's lips as Aoba bid him come down from the roof. However instead of complying right away like he wants to he lay there for a couple minutes in quiet contemplation. 'The Little Mouse looks a bit banged up. I know he's a medic, but I double he can get very far having been stripped. . .' Kuro glances to the side as Aoba wanders off towards the barn. The demon had made triple sure that is was covered the night before so he feels safe as he slips slowly from the roof and drops down in front of the porch steps. He casts a glance at the vanishing angel before darting inside to look for something he's sure the fallen angel must have been provided.

'Bathroom, bathroom, which door is the bathroom. . . Not that there are many to choose from.' His ears catch the sound of fluttering wings and a distressed cry, but a glance out the nearest window confirms no nefarious beings in the vicinity. 'Prolly just spooked by a squirrel or some other small rodent' he muses as he reaches the top of the stairs. 'I can tell he still doesn't want me around per se, but at least I don't have to find out about that sun burn thing. . .' With a little 'hah' he pushes the door to the bathroom open and wanders over to the sinks. Above the sink is a medicine cabinet with a mirror as the door. Pulling it open he smiles wide. “Bingo. . .”

Snagging the fair sized first aid kit Kuro smiles as he makes his way downstairs. 'This will work just fine I think. If not, I'm sure my own healing won't be all that great, but I can at least bring down the bruising' Demons are not ones for pretty healing, and Kuro does not have much experience in healing at all, but after spending a life being bullied by anyone and everyone, he's pick up a few skills in the field of magical healing. 'All that aside, other than field testing, I have the mental equivalence of a whole slue of Ph. D from several different generations of medicine' Pulling open the kit he confirms the contents before stopping in the living room to think.

'He doesn't want me around. He's tolerating me because he fears for his life. Even after losing everything, he still want to live, what a will' Sidestepping over to the couch he takes a seat. 'He doesn't want me here, but he's willing to accept my help as long as it's to his benefit. Wow, he's going to fit is as a mortal here quicker than I thought' He lets out a sigh, setting the kit on the small coffee table. 'I am here to repay him, but I don't want to just serve as his protector. I. . .I want him to trust me, as he once did. . .' The realization hits him gently, not like the way most revelations hit a person. However it does leave him still for a while. Finally he lets out a long exhale through his nose and looks at the door. 'I'll wait here. He'll come back eventually and he can decide if he'll let me be the one doing the healing this time' Leaning back he rests against the couch, his eyes on the kit as he waits.

[AkiBlue]

The barn was fairly dusty and Aoba stayed in the air. Angel or not, rats were gross. He had heard of the filthy creatures, and many others causing...germs and other dirty things. He didn't have to worry so much about his purity, now it was more of him not wanting to catch any mortal sicknesses. The priest had said something about farm supplies and animals, so he assumed this was where he'd be placing everything. But farm supplies? What was he to do with those? Farm...what? He didn't know how to farm, or do anything of the sort... Aoba wondered if there was a book to these things. 

He decided to clean up, if only a little bit. There was a broom off in the corner do he swept the area, eventually settling to his feet. It took around thirty minutes fur Aoba to sweep the entire barn. He sorted the hay into one large pile and then swept all the dirt out. He coughed a little as clouds of dust formed every once in awhile. He walked outside, flapping his wings to get most of the dirt off him. "It's going to be awhile before I get use to this." His wings folded and he looked around the open space, hurriedly moving to the house. Pushing the door open, he spotted Kuro on the couch. His first reaction was to tense up, but after a moment he relaxes and sighs.

His eyes lowered to the kit and he immediately wondered where it had been.  For some reason, he moved his arms behind his back, standing there and watching Kuro. He wasn't sure what to say, but then again, he wasn't sure if he wanted to say anything at all. Aoba rubbed his arms, feeling the cuts and bruises he earned over the span of a couple of days. Finally, after foolishly standing there Aoba decided to speak. "May I see that?" He pointed to the kit, letting his sleeve fall to hide the injuries.

[PopeAlessandros]

When he feels the angel approaching Kuro sits up. His head swivels around a bit, wondering just how to greet the youngster. 'Maybe I should let him make the first move. I hate working at another's pace, but he's not like the others. His pace is nice and slow, like mine. Yeah, I'll just sit here like a lump' Decision made Kuro leans forward a bit, propping his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together, he presses his upper lip to the fingers and waits quietly. When the young angel enters and tenses at the sight of him, Kuro can feel the tension in the air.

'Should I do something? Should I wait?' He turns his head ever so slightly so he can see Aoba. 'He's relaxing, that's good, I guess. . .' His eyes catch sight once again of the small collection of injuries and he has to fight not to just begin doctoring the little mouse. 'If they are not treated soon and well, they will scar. I know I can live with my scars, but he's always been so innocent and pure, I think such things would do nothing but distress him' He doesn't react to the boy hiding the wounds, instead just watching quietly for Aoba to tell him what he wants.

However moments later his stomach drops a bit as Aoba asks to use the kit. 'I guess he's made his decision about who he wants treating him' Without a word he stands and moves towards the door. As he passes Aoba he stops. “If you don't want to scar, come see me later.” Glancing down he takes one of the angel's hands in his own, looking at the little splinters still left under the skin. “Careful pulling these out, but don't miss any. These can get infected.” His bit said Kuro drops the boy's hand and walks back outside. He stops on the porch, looking around the area carefully. 'Let's see if he'll change his mind. If I walk off now, he'll most likely let me go, but if I stick close, he may ask for my help. . .' Sure that it's a long shot, Kuro lets out a sigh and looks once more to where the attack was, a light growl on his lips at the memory.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba noticed something change in Kuro's eyes when he asked for the kit. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he was sure he saw something. The angel watched Kuro stand and walk towards the door. His natural curiosity made him wonder, but his mind told him to stay silent. 'Why does he seem so upset. . . It's not like he's hurt or anything,  besides his injury. And I never said he had a debt to me.' Just as he was about to go, Kuro paused and stopped in front of him. Only a slight nod was given in response to his offer of help. 'I'm a medic. I know what I'm doing. . . ' Had he ever doctored on himself before? Not on his arms, which would prove to be a difficult task.

When Kuro walked out, Aoba sat on the floor rummaging through the kit. When at last he found a pair of tweezers, he began to try and pull out splinters. Because his sleeves were too big, Aoba had to constantly push them upward and out the way, making him unfocused for the task. He once again he pulled at the splinters, trying be rid of them. He got many of them out on his left arm, but his left hand was too unsteady for him to pull out the splinters. Instead, he decided to finish cleaning off his left arm. 'This would've been so much easier with my powers. Sure I know what to do without them, but. . .' He even tried to use his healing magic once or twice, but to no avail.

It was obvious that he would get nowhere doing this alone so he sighed and looked towards the door. 'Maybe scars aren't so bad. . . Who was he kidding? Scars on his arms were the last thing he needed to keep him up and moving. It would probably hinder his recovery proces. So, trying to dispel the reluctance in his voice, he looked at the opened door. "Kuro? Do you mind. . .helping me?" His eyes traveled back to his arms, expecting Kuro to turn him down. 'He did look pretty upset for some reason. I guess I better try and do this myself.'

Aoba continued to try and fix up his left arm. He got most of it cleaned off, but he missed a few and he wondered which to use for the situation: bandages, or simple bandaids. Well, it would be a waste of bandaids as Fenrir would say. The thought of the angels made him shut his eyes and quickly shake his head. There was no need to fall into a another depression. Aoba put on fake courage in order to stay strong for himself. He didn't go as far as smiling about it, but he tried sticking to a calm look. Once more, he glanced over at the door to see if Kuro would help him.

[PopeAlessandros]

The wind shifts and Kuro catches the scent of a few more demons in the area. They are still far enough away to not pose a direct threat, but as long as Aoba is on earth, he will never be totally free f the threat of demon attack. 'Poor Little Mouse. It's like he's in a cage now. Without me or some powerful priest or another, or even just a guardian angel, he's not going to survive. As a fallen angel, he'll never really die. He'll have to move once in a while to avoid suspicions like I have. It's a tough life, but I hope he is up to the challenge' Opening his wings for a few seconds he uses them to spread his scent around, making the nearby demons move off a bit, before pulling them inside once more. The action pulls at his shoulder wound, but he ignores it.

At the angels soft call, Kuro does not react right away. He simply smiles to himself in a slightly self satisfied way. 'He really does have a strong survival instinct. Either that or he really is afraid of scaring' With a soft sigh he turns and moves slowly inside. Aoba looks his way and he gives the boy a warm smile to hide his look of satisfaction. He walks over next tot he angel an kneels down at his side. Without a word he takes hold of Aoba's left arm and pushes the sleeve all the way up to his shoulder gently. Looking ti over he spots the few remaining slivers and nods.

“Hold still, this will hurts a bit.” He then begins running his hand down the arm, the opposite direction the slivers entered from. With a little bit of magic he latches on to the bits of wood and pulls them out of the wounds. He doesn't have much finesse so a couple start bleeding, but after dropping the slivers o the floor he does another pass to make them stop bleeding. The wounds seal, the light crackle of his energy making him twitch. 'That hurt a bit, but I can't really help that, and I did warn him' A third swipe of his hand smooths the skin out, minimizing the chance of scaring. 'They were all very shallow, so he should come out of this without any marks' Looking up to Aoba he waits to see what the angel thinks before he moves on.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba waited patiently for Kuro, if he decided to help him. When he the demon walked in, Aoba looked up giving a calm blank look to his smile. He shifted as Kuro knelt down, but this time he didn't move away. Instead, he turned to face him. Just as quiet as the other was, Aoba watched as Kuro began to work on his arm. He watched carefully as Kuro used his own magic to heal him. 'What irony. If this is what irony is. He spent all those days, healing Kuro and now here he was getting healed by him.

Kuro was definitely right. Some of the pulls and healing made him wince, but he bit his lip to stay silent. When it was all sealed, he examined it and gently ran his fingers over them. It looked almost good as new. The angel cracked a small smile to himself before looking at Kuro. "Thank you for your help." He looked down, letting Kuro examine his other arm. The silence was slightly unbearable so he spoke once more. "And about the attack. Thank you for helping me... You didn't have to."

There were a few more winces as Kuro worked on his arm. "... How did you find me?" Aoba kept thr conversation light. He didn't like the awkward silence, even if he didn't like Kuro as much as he used to. Aoba didn't meet Kuro's red eyes as they spoke. He kept his eyes down on Kuro's hands as he healed his arm.

[PopeAlessandros]

Those delicate fingers dance over the soft skin and Kuro has to fight swallowing at the sight of Aoba examining the job he did on the angel's arm. Instead he shifts his focus up to Aoba's eyes once more and he tilts his head slightly. 'You really are beautiful Little Mouse. No matter the race, you are one to be treasured as a prize. A gift' His thoughts are not nearly as disturbing to him as they would be other demons, but he does not know that the reason behind the mildness of his own responses has to do with that gaping emptiness in his chest. To a demon with a heart, the thoughts now passing through his head would make his heart ache, but lacking such a thing, all Kuro feels is a little. . .Odd.

When at last Aoba seems satisfied with his work and thanks him Kuro nods in return, moving on to his other arm. He smiles and laughs slightly as he pushes the angel's other sleeve up high. “I owe you my life many times over Little Mouse, an attack like that is only small repayment for all I owe.” His hand runs down the arm, once more pulling out splinters and causing the wounds to bleed. However there are more on this arm and Kuro bites his lips as more little blots of blood begin blossoming on his pale flesh. “Whats more, I owe you my freedom, and that will take a long time to repay. I need no thanks for my actions, for you have given me a form of thanks already for all of these deeds.”

Kuro knows he's being a little dramatic, but as he taps into his magic for the second pass, he somehow feels that it is the right thing to do right now. After the third pass he once more pulls his hands back so Aoba can examine his work. Reaching into his coat he slowly pulls out the pitch black feather, resting it on his palm like a compass needle. “When your divinity was stripped from you, I felt it with this. Like a great shock. Your feathers are a part of you, as I'm sure you know, and even after shed and corrupted, apparently they are still connected. All I had to do was follow it to where it led me.” He strokes his finger once down the length of it before tucking it back over his where his heart should be beneath his coat.

“I found your crater outside first, then all it took was scenting you out.” He cracks a smile. “I'm very familiar with your smell now. I would have come to you sooner, but I had something to do. . .” He's not quite sure he wants to tell the angel about the marking of territory, knowing there is a good chance Aoba may take it wrong, so instead he stands slowly. “Speaking of the crater however. . . You must have his very hard. . .” Seeing no bruises on Aoba's face or the front of his neck, Kuro moves around behind Aoba and kneels once more. Knowing better than trying for a visual assessment, he instead runs his fingers along Aoba's lower back. “Does that hurt?” He tries to be gentle, but he feels he has to be firm if he wants an honest response out of the male.