AkiBlue

Never Ending Battle ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

The prince’s mind wandered to the various things in the kingdom to explore. His father was such a big advocate of safety. He shouldn’t have been surprised when Hiro decided to take up magic! Before he could become exasperated with his father despite his absence, he watched as both Akito and Hoko perked up. “Must be time to go.” He took the aid, holding Akito’s hand. As they sped through the forest- and sped back to camp, several times, Hiro had called for him to slow down. He wasn’t meant to run in his attire. He hadn’t planned to either- fortunately Akito was well aware of that.

When they stopped, Hiro took a moment to catch his breath before straightening up to focus on the conversation. He kind of wondered if Akito would respond to anyone whistling but as he thought about it, it seemed kind of rude. The soldier wasn’t a dog after all, it wasn’t polite. Feeling the gentle squeeze, Hiro looked down realizing Akito was still holding on to his hand. He gave a small smile, unnoticed by the three and gently squeezed Akito’s hand back. There was no reason to be embarrassed, but then again it was Akito who seemed to get embarrassed easily.

The steward looked at the prince and his betrothed before turning to the general. “There’s a carriage just outside the camp. We stopped there because of the rocky terrain and travelled by horse.” He gestured to Akito. “It’s a long walk, so I suggest he gets a lift as well.” The horse could only seat two men obviously and as stated the steward didn’t advise walking.

The general was probably going to end up travelling with Akito in order to take the extra horse back to camp. Well, at least Akito would still be able to get a few final words in before he left for the palace.

A soldier walked up, holding the reigns of the palace horse. He handed them to the steward. nodded, and walked off. “We should be off, so the emperor doesn’t get too worried.”

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

As Kuro steps closer, he can practically hear his heart racing faster than it should. He knew he shouldn’t have been so happy to see him, but his eyes lit up in delight nonetheless. Aoba had missed him. Kuro kissed his head, a usual sign of thanks from him. It caused the angel to smile as he realized how much of the little things he missed with Kuro. His smile faltered when Kro continued though. He wanted to remind Kuro that he had already done so much for him and that he didn’t have to sacrifice himself to keep him safe. He wanted to tell him not to go, but he knew that Gerard was probably disappointed- infuriated at the moment.

Aoba watched as Kuro prepared to take off. It was almost an instinctive reaction, an impulse, that made Aoba hold his hand out and speak out weakly. “W-Wait!” His hand withdrew to his chest and he looked at the ground. Aoba knew why he stopped him, however he couldn’t think of a good excuse nor could he think of a good follow up after ‘wait’.

Gerard had started to lower his own weapons, pausing when Aoba called the demon back. This caused the priest to frown in disappointment at the angel. He was supposed to be getting better. The church was supposed to get Aoba back home. But it seemed that Kuro’s taint had run deep into Aoba. There was a lot more work that needed to be done with the fallen angel. And the only way that could be done was if the two severed all ties together. “There’s no need for you to stalk around him anymore. The church will protect him. Your job is done demon.” His words were finite, a command even. His credibility didn’t do him justice at the moment, but Gerard was willing to defend the church’s name to his death.

Aoba flinched at his words and at Kuro. “I. . .” His voice wavered, but he continued much softer. “I’m really sorry. About. . .a lot of things. Everything.” His gaze was on his feet. He couldn’t really say things would have been a lot easier if they never met because if they never met, Kuro would still be locked away. Maybe. . .Maybe Aoba could have prevented a lot of it from happening. Maybe if he had tried a little harder not getting attached.

“Aoba. Let’s go. Now.” His wings drooped a little, but he looked back at the stern faced priest.

“I-” Aoba took another look at Kuro, unsure if he’d be able to again, and then stepped back slowly. “Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Aoba bids him not to leave, and for a moment Kuro's body feels uplifted. His eyes light up and his wings relax ever so slightly, but the moment is broken seconds later as the priest speaks. The angel seems to be filled with sorrow and Kuro knows that much of it is his fault. Then the priest speaks again, and. . . .And. . . . .'He's leaving me again. . .' The thought races through his head and he bites his bottom lip till it bleeds with the pain of it. Before Aoba can move away Kuro retraces his steps and wraps the smaller male up in a firm hug. Gerard lets out a shout but Kuro ignores him. In a soft voice, too soft for Gerard to hear, he murmurs, “You are the most precious thing in this or any world to me Little Mouse, and no force on heaven, hell, or earth will ever change that. Even if the teaching takes and you come to hate me, nothing short of my death will keep me from protecting you.”

His piece said Kuro steps back once more, letting out a hiss as Gerard whips a bottle of holy water at him. He bats the vial away, the weak glass shattering and it's contents burning his hand. 'Yeah, that's the way to win him over. Attack the guy who just saved both your hides!' His teeth flash with the pain but stepping back he launches himself into the air to avoid having to put the priest down. He knows he would never kill the man, but hanging him from his underpants in a high place is sounding good right about now. He takes a moment to gaze longingly at the angel before turning, his wing screaming in pain and raining down little droplets of blood, and making his way towards the nearest tall building to lick his wounds.

~~~~~~~

He turned away, only to be pulled right back. He only had enough time to make a confused sound before he felt arms wrap around him. Aoba sighed in the hug, wrapping his arms around him in comfort. His eyes closed in comfort, but slowly opened when he heard the hum of Kuro’s voice. His eyes widened in surprise and his expression stayed even as Kuro was shooed away by Gerard.

“Let’s go.” Gerard repeated, taking Aoba’s hand to pull him to the truck.

Aoba’s eyes were fixated on the spot Kuro had been in. He noticed a few small droplets of blood fall as he flew away. ’Even after all that. . .He’d still want to protect me?’ The fallen angel snapped back to reality when he heard the click of the truck unlocking. What was going on? What was Gerard saying?’

“...worse than I thought. We’ll need to cleanse you and burn those clothes.”

“Wh-What?”

“You’re going back to the church Aoba. It’s not safe for you out here.” He opened the door for Aoba and walked to the other side.

“Going. . .Going back?” Reality and Aoba’s thoughts were starting to sync with one another. “I- no.”

“What did you say?”

Aoba shook his head, closing the car door. “I don’t want to go back. I want to go home. To the barn. I like it there.” Aoba stepped away as Gerard got out.

“You don’t know what you’re saying. That demon has gotten into your head again. You need to come to the church! You’re supposed to be going back home. To your true home.” He stared in shock as Aoba quietly gave him the messenger bag. He began to ramble off a list of things wrong with what he was doing, and then rambled off a list of reasons why he should have stayed. However Aoba shook his head and turned away.

“I can’t stay here. I’m not. . .I’m not happy. I don’t belong here.” Aoba looked up at the sky and then at Gerard. As much as he hated to admit it, what Dani said had been true- so he thought. “They don’t want me back. I’ve already messed up once. But Kuro,” He paused again. “Kuro- he wants me around.” Aoba politely bowed before and gave a weak smile. “I do apologize for the hassle, but I’m going to go. Thank you for everything. I really, really appreciate it.”

And like that, Aoba walked off, following where he had last seen Kuro. He would have flown, but going a little over a week without using his wings had gotten him a little out of touch with them. So, he walked and didn’t mind the walk either- simply because he could easily find Kuro. Aoba’s call to him wasn’t very loud, but he was sure Kuro would probably hear him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a hard climb, the sheer force needed to bring him to the top of the building ripping his wing further, but eventually he lands with a huff, collapsing face down on the roof gravel. He lay there for a long moment, just letting himself feel the pain. The burn of the sun scorching his back mixes with the pain from all the wounds he's suffered, and it almost, almost, makes the pain on the inside bearable. He hides his face away from the light, burying it in the stones, and tries to think of how he's going to recover from this without leaving Aoba's side.

'Well, Gerard is likely gonna keep him locked away for a while, for safety sake. May even try to hunt me down and drive me off, so I guess he'll be safe for a few days. . . .But, only a few. After that I. . . . .I. . . .What is that?' He doesn't really need to ask. He knows the sound. He knows that voice. There's no mistaking. His head comes up, his eyes turning towards the edge of the building, and he holds his breath, hoping to hear it again. Then it comes and a huge smile spreads tentatively across his lips. Pushing himself up, he doesn't even notice the pain. Walking slowly over to the edge of the roof he looks down, the smile becoming clearer.

'He's. . .He's calling for me. . .' There, on the sidewalk far below, is Aoba. That ever present bag from the church is gone. Gerard is nowhere in sight. And most important of all, the angel is calling for him. Without a thought he leaps off the building, letting himself fall until he's only feet from the ground. His wings snap out, his face contorting in pain as he rips the flesh even more, but as he lands hard in front of Aoba he pays the pain no mind. Instead he simply looks at the angel, still smiling, still adoring. Bitting his lip he hums softly before murmuring, “You called, Little Mouse?”

~~~~~~~

Aoba waited around, walking slow so he didn’t miss Kuro. He looked left and right, realizing that the quiet of the streets was a little unnerving. Then again, so was it when it was full of people. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Kuro to find him. Before he even began to explain himself, Aoba frowned lightly. “You really need to go and get healed up. Your wing is torn.” His look of concern turned into a more puffed up expression.

“We’re going home now.” His voice was full of courage and so matter of fact. . .Only for it to falter and be replaced with his typical shy blush e always had. “I don’t- I don’t like it at the church. I’d much rather be back at the barn.” His foot kicked up dirt as he added, “With you.”

Aoba held his left arm as if it were injured and quietly added while still looking down, “If it’s okay to come back of course.”

~~~~~~~~~~

With a faint sigh Kuro rolls his eyes. 'You're always so over protective Little Mouse. . . .' He watches the angel swell, the look on his face making Kuro's joy grow in it's familiarity. He watches as Aoba tries to be tough, to express himself with complete confidence, then watches him deflate with a soft chuckle behind his lips. He can not believe how happy he is. He almost can't believe that Aoba really wants to return with him. But as Aoba continues to deflate, Kuro walks closer to him, his foot steps silent until at last he comes to a stop in front of the shy little angel. So much happiness dances around inside of him that the demon doesn't know what to do with himself.

Instead of speaking however, he feels the urge to express himself more intimately. He reaches up and with his fingertips he slowly lifts Aoba's face so he's looking up into the demon's eyes. His thumb comes to rest just under Aoba's bottom lip, and with a soft sigh he murmurs, “As you wish, my lovely Little Mouse. . . .” With that he leans down, resting his lips softly against Aoba's. The kiss is gentle, and brief, knowing that Aoba will once more need time to adjust to being around demonic energy and that too much intimacy could make him sick. However it's long enough for Kuro to once more feel secure with his place in Aoba's eyes, and long enough for him to begin hoping that a part of him may actually rest in the little angel's heart.

Pulling back he does not hesitate in scooping the young one up into his arms and giving him a tight squeeze before twisting him around so he's holding him bridal style. With a grin he takes off, the pain in his wing nonexistent as they work to pick them both up off the ground. He decides that he will visit hell when he gets back, giving Dani and Kyou time to welcome the angel back before he is put back to work. His hold is firm, and his soft smile ever present as they lift off, soon reaching soaring height. Placing another kiss on the angel, this one on the cheek, he murmurs softly, “Let's go home. . .” with every ounce of affection he can muster in those three little words.

~~~~~~~~~~

As he thought about it, doubt filled his head making his wings droop. What if Kuro didn’t want him to come back? What if Aoba was just being delusional? What if- Aoba’s eyes widened a bit when he felt his head being tilted up. It take him long for him to realize he was being kissed. He was sure Kuro said something too, but his thoughts had drawn a blank. He was getting nothing but static. The one thing he could determine was that he was definitely happy. Really, really happy. When Kuro pulled away, Aoba gave a bright smile. He didn’t remember the last time he had ever smiled like that. Being scooped up was a surprise and yet comforting nonetheless.

Aoba wrapped his arms around Kuro’s neck gently. Knowing they were going home together, made him sigh in content. But of course, it could only last so long before Aoba glanced at his injured form. “You should really get fixed up.” He reminded him, deciding not to worry too much about the fact that Kuro was carrying him while he was so injured. Aoba’s head rested in the crook of Kuro’s neck, relaxing in Kuro’s grip. He was peaceful, he was happy, he was- nervous again. His brain wouldn’t let him have one moment of happiness, would it? The fallen angel hid his face and spoke in worry. “What if Dani’s upset!? What if he doesn’t forgive me!” At least he was able to voice his worries to Kuro. “And what about the farm! I left it forever! What if I’m terrible at doing- everything!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chuckling softly Kuro shakes his head and murmurs, “I will get fixed up soon. For now, we head home.” It feel incredibly good to have Aoba back in his arms, and the smile on the youth's face is enough to wash away almost all the pain he's been feeling since the little angel left. They enjoy a few seconds of peace before Kuro is once more sighing softly, the little worrier once more back to his old self and worrying about everything he can think of. Nuzzling Aoba's cheek to hush him Kuro takes them a little higher before setting into a glide so he can talk quietly.

“Dani is very upset, and he'll likely want to show you he missed you the way father does, but I promise I won't let him hurt you too badly. You may have to deal with a bop or two, but I promise, it will be no more painful than his affectionate tacklhugs you're used to.” He gives Aoba a squeeze before flapping a few times to even them out. “He will forgive you, because you came back, and that's all he'll care about. The farm is doing fine, I visited it yesterday. The plants are growing tall and the animals are healthy. Kyou and Dani have been working hard to keep them healthy and safe. Your residual energy lead a few demons there, but Dani was more than enough for them.”

Butting Aoba's cheek with his forehead gently he chuckles softly. “You were only gone a little over a week, and we all missed you. You're not terrible at doing everything, that's just silly. If you had been terrible at everything, the plants and animals would have died before you left, but instead, with your good care, they were able to adjust and live on.” Chancing it Kuro gives Aoba another light kiss to the lips before taking up the beat again and driving them forward faster. He knows Aoba is worried about his injuries and the faster he can drop Aoba off, the faster he can get healed and get back to the angel's side.

~~~~~~~~~~

Aoba did quiet down, however knowing Dani was upset didn’t help ease his worry. However knowing his ‘punishment’ wouldn’t be dire did calm him. He quietly nodded he sighed in slight relief. Of course he was still worried about Danni being upset with him, but the worry wasn’t so bad. Instead he just listened to Kuro. Kuro knew what he was talking about most of the time. Happy to know that everything was still fine, Aoba smiled gently only to blush lightly when he was kissed. Eventually he was going to have to get used to that. When they picked up speed, Aoba held a little tighter, watching as the sights became more and more familiar. In conversation, Aoba spoke up. “You made Kyou stay?”

~~~~~~~~

Kuro nods, taking a sharp turn to avoid some geese. “Yeah. He's still interested in getting to know you better, and he was desperate. . . .And he's insanely weak so all I had to do is scowl at him and he decided staying was better for his health.” He gives Aoba a half joking smile. “I think, somehow, he figured you'd come back. . . .” Kuro hums happily, the farmhouse coming into view in the distance. “Dani had to stay. I couldn't take him with me. He would have just stormed the church every other day. . .”Kuro looks away, thoughts of the church making him a bit sad. However no sad can stand up in the face of the angel in his arms so the sadness passes quickly, leading to a quick hug by Kuro and a bright smile.

~~~~~~~

Aoba laughs softly at the idea of Kyou being too scared to leave. The demon was definitely a peculiar one, but he didn’t question it. Seeing the farm coming into view made him sit up some in eagerness. Remaining still as to not disturb Kuro’s flight, he expressed his eagerness with a smile. From above, he could see Kyou walking to the front and Dani practically knocking him over to run past him. If Kyou hadn’t moved out of the way, he would have been trampled.

Seeing the two made Aoba once more hold a little tighter to Kuro, out of nervousness. Though he sighed against Kuro and relaxed. He wasn’t going to get worked up, he wasn’t going to get worried. When Kuro landed, Aoba stepped down, folding his wings tight behind him. Before Aoba could say anything Dani rushed up to him, examining him. Aoba thought about saying something, but he kept quiet. While Dani did that, Aoba awkwardly waved to Kyou. “Um, hi.”

Kyou grinned and bowed slightly. “It’s nice to see you again. I’m glad you came back.”

“Thank y-!” The sudden hit on his head didn’t hurt, however he wasn’t expecting it.

“Don’t leave again! You’re going to get yourself killed doing that.” Dani rubbed the spot where he hit Aoba, effectively messing up the angel’s ‘too neat’ hair. Aoba smiled sheepishly and nodded quietly.
“I- yeah, okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuro lands as gently as possible, setting Aoba down so he can get reacquainted with the others. He stumbles slightly but manages to regain his balance before Aoba sees him. His blood loss and pain is negligible compared to how wounded he was after his torture in heaven, but it is enough to make him less than steady on his feet. He watches with a sharp eye as Dani looks Aoba over, much the same way he likely will his little brother once he's done checking the angel over. 'Yeah, he missed his “toy”. . .' He glances over at Kyou and can't help but smile ever so slightly at the pleased look on the weakling's lips. 'And he's looking forward to those “talks” I said he could have with him. . . .Everyone wants something out of the little one. . .'

With a soft sigh he impulsively scowls at Dani when he strikes Aoba. Seeing the sheepish smile on Aoba's face however lets him calm before walking over and bopping Dani in turn. The smaller demon turns with a growl, ready to set into his little brother, but then he pauses. It seems to finally register that his sibling is covered in blood and with wide eyes he begins checking Kuro over. Coming to the wing tears he licks at them before punch the large slice on his back angrily. “What the heaven did you do to yourself you moron!?”

Wincing at the blow Kuro chuckles and swats his older brother with a growl. “My job, fool. I kept Aoba safe. . . .” Dani whines and tackles Kuro worriedly, careful to not touch the wounded wing, but still whipping him soundly with concern.

Kyou slips in behind Aoba and, while the brothers are distracted, reaches out and touches his arm. “Are you okay?” He looks at the angel, still a few steps away, his eyes lingering on the blood patches.

~~~~~~~~~~

Aoba smiled again when Dani nodded, trusting Aoba to his word. And moments later, the brothers were on the ground. The fallen angel winced and stepped forward, only to remind himself that their rough play was normal. They were fine. He didn’t forget, he just needed to relax. He didn’t have to feel new in the old environment.

Aoba’s attention turned to to Kyou who was as curious as always. With a smile, the fallen angel nodded. “I’m okay. Just worried about Kuro’s injuries is all.” Kyou gave a nod before falling silent again. He didn’t want to bombard Aoba with questions too soon, but inside he was eagerly bubbling with questions. His gaze followed the angel as he took a seat on the two steps. He smiled a little more when Aoba gestured for him to sit next to him. It was quiet for a moment, giving Aoba a chance to take another breath of relief and watching the brothers go at it. “You have questions, I can tell. Go on, ask.”

Kyou beamed with excitement, but quickly composed himself. He decided to ask one question first. “What did you do while you were away?”

WIthout missing a beat, Aoba answered, still watching the brothers. “Well, it was pretty repetitive. I woke up, there was prayers and readings. Then breakfast. Then more readings. Then a lesson after it. Afterwards, I’d meet with others for some sort of community service. I read to orphans, fed homeless people, all that nice stuff. That was about the only interesting thing I did do. Then after was lunch and probably more reading. There was so much. . .I was supposed to memorize scriptures.” Aoba made an exasperated face. “Then, I got cleaned up and had the night to myself and to ‘reflect’ on the day.” He shuddered at the memory of being washed down the first time he had gotten to the church. That was quite unpleasant. “I stayed inside most of the time other than that.” He gave a small shrug, hoping that answered his question.

~~~~~~~~~~

The scuffles doesn't last too long, Dani knowing Kuro has to go, and soon, but he makes sure to leave his little brother with a few more bruises than he started with to get his point across that he shouldn't let himself get hurt. When at last they fall out of the dust cloud Kuro looks over to see Kyou and Aoba conversing on the steps and lets out a soft sigh. 'I am too happy right now. . .Pops will notice. . . .But I can't. . . . .'

“Pops is gonna prolly beat you worse you know. When you go down to heal?” As if reading his mind Dani speaks up, now laying on his stomach and kicking his legs gently. Kuro looks over at him, the smaller male's head propped up on his hands as he smiles with an air of both superiority and satisfaction. “Because you are going down to heal, right? And he prolly felt it when you got hurt y'know. . . .” He chuckles loudly. “Pops is gonna kick, yer, ass!” Dani squeals happily, rolling about and holding his stomach.

Scowling Kuro chucks a rock at the giggling ball of red hair before climbing to his feet. “Yeah, I'm going down. . .” he murmurs, clearly finding the idea less than pleasant. Dani dodges the rock and follows him to his feet, still giggling. Kuro makes his way over to Aoba and Kyou, snapping his teeth at the latter playfully causing him to scurry from his seat. Kyouku doesn't go far, perching himself on the railing running around the porch to watch the upcoming exchange. Kuro takes his spot and looks over at Aoba with gentle eyes.

Reaching out he cups the back of Aoba's neck, pulling him in to place a kiss on his forehead before pulling back just far enough to look into the angel's eyes. “I have to go for a little bit Aoba.” His words are soft, and quiet. “I know you're worried about my wounds, and the best place to heal unfortunately isn't here. . .” Reaching out he picks at the dried blood on the angel's clothing. “I'll go get healed, and come back, and then we can take a nice bath. . . .” He smirks, looking back at Aoba's eyes. “Only if you want to of course. . .It's your choice. . . .It's always your choice. . . .” There is meaning above and beyond those words, but for now he does not dive into them, just wanting to be here with Aoba, calm, and happy.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh that doesn’t sound very exciting. Compared to well, this.” Kyou gestured to the two brothers finally finding an end to their playing.

Aoba nodded slowly and then scratched his head. “It wasn’t. Not really.” He felt bad for saying it, but he would probably feel worse about lying about it. Soon, the demon scrambled out of his seat only to be replaced by Kuro. He could only smile towards the action and then looked on after he received a kiss on his head. “I understand. I’d rather you get healed up than wait longer for your wounds to heal.” Aoba smiled and lightly kissed Kuro’s cheek, giving him an affirmative nod afterward. Before he could say anything about the bath, Dani rolled his eyes.

“Blah, go on already Kuro, you’ll see him later! He’ll be back and he’ll be good as new.” Dani assured, standing in front of Aoba. “C’mon, you have to see all the animals and the plants and stuff! We fixed the barn roof and everything.” He held his hand out, waiting for Aoba.

It was obvious Dani was eager to steal him away, even if it was for a short while. Aoba laughed softly and looked down at his dirtied clothes and then at Kuro. “A bath sounds nice.” He gave his last quick goodbyes before he was pulled off by Dani with Kyou trailing behind them. At least Dani wasn’t upset anymore. Aoba liked the idea of everything falling back into place. Everything returning to its peaceful ways. Speaking of things falling back into place, as they walked Aoba wondered if he had anything that needed to be done. Hopefully they kept the house cleaned. They were probably going to have to restock food later. A few things ran through his mind as he tried to readjust to the working life he once had.

Rubbing his hands together, he knew the labor would be a long process as well. His hands and smoothened out and he was all nice and fluffed like a good little church angel. Farming was not a part of that description. For now, he decided to focus on Dani and his excitement to show how things were going. ’One thing at a time. . .’

When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

Crios fumbles for something to say, anything that will hold his Lord’s attention and convince him to sit back down. On the other hand, he understood his guardian’s impatience. He had waited so long and neither of them received information from Harper. Even he was starting to get a little worried. Enasi looked out into the distance, at nothing in particular and frowned a little.

“What’s wrong sir?”

Enasi couldn’t put his finger on it, but once again he found himself rubbing the symbol on his hand. “Something’s wrong. . .” He glanced over at Crios. “Something else is wrong.” Crios gave a confused look, only for Enasi to continue. “I’m not sure, but it’s not right. . .” He could feel the balance of the worlds slowly being pulled into chaos. It wasn’t settling right with his stomach.

“We need to take time to think this through. We need to-” Crios’ attention turned to the sudden rush of energy come toward them. Inui was quiet throughout the entire endeavor, watching the doctor and dream guardian- mainly watching the less than pleasant reactions from Enasi. He had never seen him so upset before- sad sure, but nothing like this. When Rasha entered, Inui perked up a little, excited to see one of his friends after being stuck in bed for so long. “Rasha, be careful.” Crios spoke out of instinct. Not seeing his guardian falter made him relax however.

“Rasha, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Enasi gently rubbed his back as the shapeshifter hugged him.

“Oh Lord Enasi I had- I had gotten so worried. More worried! First Lord Seishu and Inui then- then,” Rasha gave the saddest expression he could muster. “I mean, what if you got hurt again? Things are already so chaotic now and- and I wouldn’t know what to-” He was silenced with a comforting hug. At the time Rasha was simply making excuses for Enasi to stay still for a few moments, but he had started to believe his own ruse.

“Relax Rasha, relax. I’m not going to get hurt again. There’s nothing you need to worry about, okay? The only thing I planned to do was go and take a look outside. Inui was going to tag along in order to help.” Rasha pouted, looking from his guardian to Crios. “I’m not sitting in this room while realms are crumbling.” He made it final.

An idea popped into the shapeshifter’s head. He bounced on his toes for a brief second, staring at his beloved guardian with a serious expression. He remembered just how nervous he had always been around him at first- but now was not the time for such nervousness. “Well, if you’re going to go. . .you should at least gain some energy. You haven’t been able to heal properly while protecting Inui. It’s not safe to go out while you’re still injured.” He gave an apologetic look towards Inui, not meaning to make him feel guilty. The nightmare minion nodded quietly and sat back on the bed. “If you go to TB, I’m sure it wouldn’t take as long either. . ? I can sit with Inui. And Crios can stick by in order to make sure we’re okay.” He figured it was the only option in order to separate the two.

Crios didn’t like the idea, but a brief look in Rasha’s eyes made him go quiet before nodding. “It would help if you were fully healed sir. That would be one less thing to worry over. . .”

Looking in between the three, Enasi nodded. “Fine. I’ll go out and get healed first.” It was the least he could do considering Rasha did raise good points. At least he took the time to reason with him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he also felt himself getting a lot weaker. Not simply because of the lack of energy, but because his connection with Seishu wasn’t as strong as it used to have been. Enasi nodded again and headed to the door, Rasha walking him all the way out. Crios and Inui sat in the room, waiting for Rasha’s return rather curiously.

“Be careful please.” Rasha smiled when a gentle kiss was placed on his forehead before bounding off towards Enasi’s room. “I found something!”

~~~~~~~~~

“Finn. . .” Starla held tight to her unconscious brother, following near Ran and Lan who each had a fallen nightmare minion over their shoulders. They looked at each other, understanding the sibling bond Starla had. They didn’t exactly know how to express their encouragement, and they were still in the heat of running away from people.

“Are humans supposed to be able to see us!?” Rue spoke in mild fright. He could have sworn he saw two of the humans staring right at him as he flew around.

“No. They’re not.” Harper responded, trying to stick to a decent running pace to keep up with the group. The two minions he held did little to slow his pace. “I’m sure this is apart of the chaos that has already happened from Seishu’s disappearance.”

“I wonder if Lord Enasi knows. . .” Rue spoke loud enough for them to hear, though it was more of a rhetorical for himself. Harper didn’t respond. He had somewhat hoped his guardian didn’t know, in effort to keep him calm, however he had the feeling that after so long Lord Enasi probably began to sleuth things out himself.

“This way.” Kaila turned a corner, leading into an abandoned brick apartment complex. The sign they passed mentioned it being torn down in a couple of days or so. Inside, they all tossed the minions on the ground while Starla carefully placed her brother down, creating a soft moss padding to keep him comfortable. Rue stopped hovering and took the liberty to sit with him while Starla went over and tied the minions up with vines.

“I need to get Finn home. We need to take a break. We can’t keep searching until we burn out. If-,” Starla corrected herself with a more determined look. “When we find Seishu, we have to be at our best to face whatever or whoever decided to cause this much hell. And we’ll need that energy to get Seishu’s throne back.” She glanced over her shoulder, checking on Finn and then looked at the two leaders, Kaila and Harper. They needed guidance. They needed a better plan. It had been more than a few days and Seishu wasn’t around yet.

Never Ending Battle ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Hiro could only nod towards Akito’s gesture of ‘trying not to be so nervous’. At least he’d make the effort to try. Unless he was only saying that to simply ease his curiosity. Who knew. Instead of the conversation falling short, Akito continued the conversation. Instead of staring at Hoko, who was once again forgotten due to being stored away, Hiro raised an eyebrow and glanced in his betrothed’s direction. “Ah, yeah she loves parties. I think she loves decorating more so. Something about the change of scenery that gets to her I believe.” The idea of having a preference made him pause to think. He wasn’t exactly sure. There were times where his stepmother had come to him for an opinion of one thing over the other, but he never truly had a strong desire for certain things to be done.

“It’s probably not too surprising that I don’t have much of a preference. I mean, I do prefer a sunny day outside rather than a being cooped up indoors. I’d much rather prefer a calmer set of colors than something too flashy.” He thought over other ideas in his mind and then shrugged. “I don’t even mind if the ceremony is small- however it’s a tradition. And traditional ceremonies are quite...noticeable.” Hiro couldn’t quite figure the right word for it. “Hm, I know you’re kind of going along with things, but did you have something in mind?”

~~~~~~~

Akito nods his head, understanding his betrothed's mother just that much more as he speaks of her liking changing her scenery. 'Sure, there are tons of rooms in that palace, but after a while, they are all just “the palace” I'm sure. . .The desire to switch things up, change things around, see something new. . .I can see that being very strong indeed given that the royal family almost never leaves the palace grounds. . .' The prince goes on to speak of his preferences. Despite saying he doesn't have any, he seems to at least have a general idea of what he wants, and to Akito's surprise he finds that he agrees on two of them at least. He doesn't mind flashy colors, not that he's ever worn them, but he likes the outdoors over the indoors and small groups as opposed to large ones any day. He feels a little sad that it will have to be a large ceremony, however he is quite sure that at the very least, if they both ask, they will be able to have it outdoors.

When asked his own preferences he determinedly doesn't look to the ground, instead looking somewhere around Hiro's hands, and replies as calmly as he can. “I enjoy the outdoors as well, but I have no real preference on colors. I do like certain shapes, some flowers and animals, but other than that I haven't found myself drawn to one color or another, though. . .” He touches his top, the aqua blue material looking rather like water in this light. “This is familiar to me, so, maybe, I could ask for a bit of this. . .” Taking a slow breath he adds bashfully, “I would much prefer few people as well, but I understand that this is more for the people that it is for us. . .So I suppose we'll just have to grin and bare it, huh?” He lets out a nervous chuckle which dies quickly. He manages to glance at Hiro's eyes as he does so, his eyes returning to Hiro's hands as the chuckle fades. 'Why do I have to be so awkward?!' He rages, but instead of the self deprecation his face shows calmness and contemplation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well that was good. They had something in common there. “I’m sure if you talked to her, she’d be ecstatic to change things up to your liking. It wouldn’t bother her a bit.” He smiled gently. “Despite it, she still wants us to enjoy it as much as possible.” His gaze fell onto Akito’s clothing for a moment and he nodded. “I’m sure that could work. You are technically royal now. You can ask for it with no problem.” Akito chuckled softly and looked into the water. “You’re definitely right about that. We smile and look nice for the crowds. Traditions are important, says father.” Hiro mocked a stern voice when he said it and then laughed lightly.

“I don’t question it anymore. I can’t win.” The prince looked behind him to make sure there was nothing there before deciding to lie back and stare at the sky with his hands resting behind his head. “Did you ever think that one day you’d be the one to be married to royalty? Well, a prince for that matter?” He was sure the answer was no but it was still an interesting question to him. What did people think when one day they were told to pack their belongings. They went from one life to a completely different one- a better one at that. It must have been some sort of surprise or shock being married into royalty.

~~~~~~~~

He is glad to hear that the queen would be open to having the ceremony outside and manages a smile at the thought. He even manages to hold it as Hiro speaks of traditions before falling back into his calm facade. His gaze wanders over the young man's body as he reclines, careful to keep his face neutral as to not look as if he's leering at the youth. However at the prince's question he feels his nervousness return in full force and he locks his eyes on the pond. 'It's okay, it's just a question, nothing else. Just a simple topic, well not simple, but it's a topic of conversation. He's trying to learn more about me, that's all. . .' Letting out a long breath he takes a few more deep ones before responding softly to the prince's inquiry.

“As you said before, I am odd, and as such, I've never imagined marrying anyone.” His words are soft. Not sad, simply matter of fact while being a little nervous. “I always imagined being like my father, if anything. I've never. . .Had interest in anyone, so I just imagined living my life out on the front lines, or training others, or, well. . .” He stops his rambling and returns to the question at hand. “So, no, I never thought I would be welcomed into the royal family, in any way shape or form, and honestly I have no idea what to do with this new life thrust upon me. . .”

Letting out a soft sigh a counter question pops into his head and before he can stop it from doing so, it pops out. “What about you? What was it like always knowing, well since the war began at least, that you would be marrying some stranger whose profession is something you loathe?” He didn't really mean it to come out that way, but as the words have already left his lips, there's not taking them back. He keeps his eyes on the pond, petrified that he's offended the man.

~~~~~~~~

Hiro looked intently at the sky as if he was trying to examine the clouds. As he suspected. Akito didn’t exactly know what he was getting himself into. He was surprised about it- and still was if it wasn’t obvious. “With that mindset, I’m sure that would definitely be shocking.” His eyes closed, obviously not finding the particular cloud he was searching for. It lasted for a moment before his eyes opened and he gave a thoughtful expression. He did note that it probably wasn’t the best idea to mention to his betrothed that he wasn’t a fan of fighting when that’s all he did...But it was far too late for that. “Me? Well, I questioned my father every chance I got. I asked him why, but he always gave me the same old excuse about tradition and because we were royal. I didn’t want to marry some strange person who’d use me as their trophy. Or someone so inclined to violence that they...I suppose mentally never left the war.”

Hiro gave it another thought, making sure to give him his whole honest answer, but then nodded when he finished. “Judging you now, I’m assuming you’re nothing like that obviously.” He made that clear too, just in case Akito started to worry.

~~~~~~~~~

The prince's response does nothing to quell his fears and as he goes on it's only his fierce determination to uphold his father's wishes that keep him on the spot. His fear is mixed with a touch of almost, indignation as he speaks of soldiers as if they are wild beasts or something. However, he knows, for the most part, Hiro is right. Many would take one look at the beautiful prince and would not hesitate, either in the marriage, or the coupling that would follow. They would see only his outer beauty, though perhaps only at first, and just would be blown away by their “luck” treating him as some kind of victory prize.

Shaking off the image however he steels himself as the prince goes on, and surprisingly he finds some sort of solace in the fact that Hiro calls him different this time. 'At least he sees me as someone other than a bloodthirsty brute, or at least he believes I'm not. . .That, that is a good thing I suppose. . . .' With a slow exhale he is careful to not over think his response, as his father told him that being honest is best and if he over thinks it he knows he can be cryptic and unclear. “I am glad to hear your honesty on the matter hi- Hiro.” He stops himself from calling his soon to be husband 'Highness' and instead uses his name.

“And. . . .You are correct. I, do not see you as some kind of trophy. I. . . .Do not seek this power I was given, nor am I inclined to. . . .To violence. . .” He breaths slowly. “However, as you have seen, the war is still in me, but I promise it is not something you need fear. It has made me. . . .Protective, of you and your kin. If nothing else, it has made you and your parents. . .A little closer to me inside my head, if. . .If that makes any sense. . .Or I am simply rambling at this point, forgive me. . .” He mumbles the last part, looking away from the prince at his side and watching Hoko roll about in the grass.

~~~~~~~

It had been the first time in awhile since he had heard Akito call him by his actual name. It made him smile a little. Well, he was trying at least. That’s what mattered. Once more Hiro nodded in understanding as Akito justified himself. The next part was a little confusing so the silence between them grew as he thought it over.

“I think I understand. Maybe.” Hiro glanced over at Akito, but he was looking at Hoko. “Protecting this new family of yours.” He wondered if that had sounded just as odd as it felt saying it. Hiro’s family was an uptight father, a happy go lucky stepmother, and a stubborn son. Then there were the multitudes of servants that aided their every need. Not to mention the baby that would be on the way any time now. Even he didn’t know where someone like Akito would fit in. ’Well, I suppose we’d just have to make room.’ On occasions, he did sympathize for the soldier. He was lost in an entirely new world of things. Sure there were people to guide him, but it was probably still a rather lonely experience. And probably really awkward to be around when he and his father had their minor disputes.

Deciding to try and keep the drifting conversation alive, Hiro decided to ask another question. “So, what do you honestly think of it all? The people, the service, the traditions, and all that other stuff.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Yes.” he murmurs softly when Hiro likens his feelings to being protective of his new “Family”. He's not sure if it's familial protective feelings just yet, but it's close enough that he finds no reason to dispute the idea. The next question comes with many parts, the answers not readily available to the tense soldier, but despite the momentary freeze that comes with the sudden rush of inquiries he manages to begin answering after only a few moments. “The people are who they are and deserve to live lives without fear and with hope. The service is a noble ideal to some, and just a job to others, and to still others it's a way to do something they would be jailed for otherwise simply because they were born with violent tendencies.” He knows it sounds bad as he says it, but then he goes right on.

“There are many other reasons, like mine for example.” He shrugs. “Being a soldier is what I do. I was raised with it, by a soldier, and to me it's just how things are. I serve because my father served, and I like the idea of saving people from. . .” He's unable to finish his sentence, his past not something he needs to think about right now. He shoots Hiro an apologetic smile instead and moves on to the next part of his betrothed's question. “As with the service, tradition was just part of my life. It was small, the reading of orders forcing me to stand tall, the few times we were shown off like prized hens for the people to gawk at forcing me to be clean and friendly towards people, but this tradition is not one I ever even stopped to think about beyond being glad that the king at least had a chance of understanding our needs, making it easier to get supplies and medical care.”

He glances at Hiro again, swallowing hard. “Now however, now that I'm in the middle of it, I have to wonder if it is a wise choice to uphold this tradition. I am obviously not right for the job, but perhaps that was just a failing on the part of those who decided I was the obvious “hero” in this war and not a failing on the part of the tradition.” Then without thinking he adds, “Though I hate to imagine any of my comrades in my place. I hate to think of you having to put up with a real soldier. . .” He nearly swallows his tongue in fright, his eyes locking on the pond once more. 'Oh gods, I can't believe I said that! That was so arrogant, my thinking I'm a better match some how! Maybe someone with a spine would actually be able to talk to him, to provide him with some intelligent conversation! Good lords, why did my father every suggest I be honest and stop over thinking things!? He probably thinks I'm some arrogant ass who feels far superior to my comrades, oh god, oh gods. . . .'

~~~~~~~~

The prince listens calmly, not showing much change in his expression. He wasn’t going to fault Akito for his opinions whether he agreed or not because that’s just what they were; opinions. It was quite obvious how different their views were though. To Hiro, the service to him were just help. They came and went, doing their job. Considering it was a fairly routined job, he didn’t think too much of it. Being just a prince, the people were just there to see him smile and be cordial. There was something about the royal family being together and looking happy that made the people much more at ease. He didn’t understand the meaning of it that much, but one day he’d have to. . .

“You’ll learn about the way of the royals. Father had to learn as well. All soldiers do. After all, we’ll have to rule over this place sometime in the. . .far future.” Being a prince wasn’t all that bad, but the idea of being a king even made him shudder a little. The sudden boldness throws HIro off guard and makes him laugh. He sits up, disregarding Akito’s new frightened state. With his legs now crossed, Hiro shook a few stray strands of grass out of his hair and faced the soldier.

With a teasing grin he leaned closer to Akito. “Oh? And what makes you so qualified hm?” His gaze fell on Akito’s reflection in the pond since he wouldn’t look at him.

~~~~~~~~~

He twitches as he feels the prince sitting up but manages to hide his fear before Hiro can get a look at his face. “I-I didn't mean, I just. . .” He does his best to speak, but after a few seconds he has to simply breath before he can get anything out but a squeak, his face coloring furiously. “Most of my direct comrades would see you as a prize, several would be less than forgiving about your views of the war and those who fight in it, and over all most who have seen battle, true battle, would see you as little more than a pretty face they have to tolerate once they knew of your views, not to mention those who have lost comrades to magic users and who now hate anyone that use it openly. . .” His words are calm, almost robotic, trying to convey the issues without sounding like he is threatening the young lord.

“Given all the factors, I and my father are the only ones I can think of that would be a good match for you from the military at least in the fact that I do not hate you for your views, even if I am hurt a bit by them, and my father at least has thick enough skin that your scorn would not affect his duty to the empire in being a good husband and emperor. . .” He lets out a long breath, watching the prince's reflected face out of the corner of his eye, hoping that he had not completely destroyed whatever rapport he'd managed to develop with the younger man in one fell swoop.

~~~~~~

His teasing expression turned into a more knowing one as Akito spoke. His hands rested in his lap and instead of looking at the soldier’s face he was looking at the water itself as the occasional bug or creature caused it to ripple. He was very well aware of the enemies he was probably going to create if his views had gotten out. He was also aware of just how many people found the use of magic as uncharacteristic for a royal or just plain wrong. Hiro’s father warned him about all of those things countless of times. Hearing it from Akito cemented the fact. It wasn’t as if he didn’t believe what his father said, he just never felt as impacted towards. . .being different.

“Huh, I should probably work on that.” That was the only response he could give towards the statement. There was no apology towards hurting Akito or the soldiers of the army, no guilt towards what in everyone else’s eyes appeared to be ‘bad traits’ for a prince, just a simple comment. “Wouldn’t want to be hated by everyone as a king.” Hiro spoke with a matter of fact tone. leaving it at that. ’I’m not really fit to be a king. I suppose that’s ironic considering that I’m born into royalty and all.’ He didn’t imagine his views would change or that he’d stop toying with magic, however he knew that he’d have to ‘grow up’. Just because he didn’t like something didn’t mean it wasn’t useful for everyone else. He’d just have to accept it. And when that time came, then he’d apologize for being so brash and probably rude at times about Akito’s profession. Because then he’d mean it.

Hiro pulled a strand of grass from the ground and let it fall in the pond, causing it to disturb the peaceful stillness of it. It floated across for a few moments before sinking under. “I think you’re the first other than my father, and maybe a curious servant- okay so maybe not the first- to actually mention something about that. Then again, I also haven’t told many people because I know it would cause some sort of uproar.” He shrugged. “Nothing really special to say about it, just thought I’d mention it.” Changing the subject, he sighed and looked around. “It’s nice getting out of the palace. Being cooped up can become boring.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito is relieved that Hiro is, not in any way apparent at least, upset by his words, however he is struck with the need to say something even as the prince tries to change the subject. “I really like your magic. I find it lovely, and fascinating. . .I, have no problem with enjoying it as a hobby, or whatever else you wish to do with it, as long as you do not hurt anyone, as I'm sure you won't.” He completely disregards the instance where he himself was burned by the prince's flames telling himself the prince was not at fault.

~~~~~~~~~

Hiro had turned his attention to Hoko who wasn’t too far away. The little creature seemed to come and go as he pleased. He must have been low maintenance. The subject changed again. This time, Hiro was the one who looked surprised. “Uh, thank you.” He looked at Akito for a brief moment before turning his gaze to the pond. It seemed to be a solace of comfort whenever Akito got embarrassed, but for him he was just staring at his own reflection. “Not many people do. . .so thank you.” He repeated a little softer, sounding a little more sincere. The first time he showed Akito his hobby, he seemed fascinated sure, but it didn’t end very well. Surprisingly, that didn’t deter the male next to him.

~~~~~~~~~

The shock on the prince's face is a precious sight to Akito and he lets his smile show as he gazes back at the prince from the surface of the pond. “No, thank you for sharing it with me. . . .Hiro.” He lets out a soft sight, switching between looking at the young man's face in the pond and watching Hoko chew on grass. He eats it once in a while, but mostly he just chews it. Akito can feel a little glow of feeling special, though he knows it's kinda silly to think that way, but as he shrugs the doubt off he lets his head fall back and he looks at the cloud wistfully. “Being outside most of the time has always been a blessing to me. The palace is large, but there is still a roof overhead. There are still walls around you. I know I will have to get used to it, but maybe. . .” he hesitates for a moment before he continues in a slightly quavery voice. “Perhaps if w-we team up, the e-emperor would let u-us out on to the countryside m-more often than you're used to?” He glances over at the prince hopefully, a light flush on his cheeks as he thinks about traveling with his betrothed.

~~~~~~~~~

“Ah, yeah you’re lucky for sure. As a child, I had to stay on palace grounds a lot more. For safety of course. My father was- and still is quite. . .overprotective.” The idea made him grin. “That would be great!” With a chuckle he continued. “I’m sure we could be more persuasive than I could be alone.” He shook his head. “He thinks I’ll get lost or kidnapped or something, but we have plenty of guards to prevent that. You know, I’ve only been outside of the kingdom once? I was younger and it was for business, so I didn’t get to do much of anything.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The prince gets rather excited at the notion of leaving the palace grounds and for a moment Akito wonders what it would be like to be confined like that. Sure, when he was younger, the general wanted him close and had the other soldiers keeping an eye on him, but by the age of thirteen he was off and running just about anywhere he wanted to without need of supervision. “Yes, fathers can be like that. . .” he murmurs comradely, smiling at his betrothed. “And I suppose having me go along would ease his mind a bit. . .” He says this softly, hoping that the prince would perhaps see his profession in a slightly better light if it was able to get him away from the palace once in a while.

~~~~~~

“Huh, have I even been around the entire kingdom?” The question was never answered. Instead, he smiled at the little things in common they had. “I do suppose he would see it in a different light. A protector and my spouse. I’m sure he’ll think it’ll be a good idea- or some excuse for privacy to be alone together but that’s neither here nor there.” He mused over the idea and gave it an affirmative nod. “I think it’s a great idea.” Looking around once more, he wondered how long it would be before the others started to look for them. Then again, they were in a sea of soldiers so there was nothing to worry about. He just decided to enjoy the bit of time they had left before he ended up being back home to wander about the grounds seeing the same old things as usual.

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Surely he had no real sense of time with his being practically immortal- well, unaging at least, however the one week he had been with the priest had seemed like forever. He didn't want to say he hated every minute of it because he didn't. The little activities he did were nice. He got to help people. Unfortunately, through it all he felt like the spokesperson for the church, or those faces always associated with some product. He was so obliged to learn this and then learn that, it was starting to become more exhausting than farming. . .Every now and then as much as he tried not to, his mind wandered to the barn. Where the animals okay? Were the plants still growing? He’d be devastated to know if anything bad happened to it, mainly because he worked so hard.

But his attention is always averted. There was always someone to aid to, there was always something important needed to be read. Kuro mentioned how the book had a few flaws- however he was in no place to question it. He kept his mouth shut and just followed along. Everything became a routine. Wake up, read a scripture or five- as they were called, eat breakfast, the priest would show up, some form of community service would be done, then there was usually another reading and a prayer, cleaning up, dinner, and then he was left in the church to sleep. Everyday was the same, minus the different community service projects they did. There were times when he did really enjoy himself, of course. Helping injured people or making someone smile always made him feel accomplished. But in the end, Aoba still felt hollow. He still didn’t feel like he belonged.

The sadness from the first day had kept him up all night. Now it was just a numbness he couldn’t avoid. There were times he found his thoughts trailing to those “unholy monsters” and he found himself shaking his head trying to dispel the thoughts. “That’s not pure. They’re not pure. . .I’m supposed to be good.” He’d chant something along those lines in hopes to convince himself not to do wrong.

But it never really worked…

This day was no different. Gerard had been talking about something regarding a park full of people, however Aoba had been in his own little world paying little attention. The various nods and hums kept the priest talking. “-Of course there will be plenty of food, however I was thinking about changing things up. We could even go out to eat. You do need a bit more sunlight.”

“...Hm? O-Oh, yeah okay.” Before Gerard could frown at Aoba’s inattention, the sudden yell made both of them freeze. One in frustration and a bit of horror, the other in shock and unadmitted happiness. It was hard to keep that typical monotonous expression, but there was a new- small light in his eyes. He knew that voice. He knew that voice! Wait...He wasn’t supposed to be happy. “Pure...pure..-”

“Aoba!”

Now Gerard was calling him. The danger suddenly crashed right in front of him. It- It was Kuro! But there were other demons too! He realized what he was supposed to do but looking around the park, there was no place to hide. The howls had been all too familiar, but the screams of pain made him freeze. “K-!” No, he wasn’t supposed to say his name. He wasn’t supposed to talk to him, especially not with Gerard right there. He managed to get a few feet back in order to watch the priest get knocked back and watch as the third demon raced towards him. Of course he didn’t just sit there, he ran off again. Haven’t flown for a week and keeping his wings tucked made his first instinct to run, but he didn’t have to. Kuro had once again saved his life. And there he was, only a few feet away from him. The fallen angel’s hand started to reach out, but quickly snapped back to himself.

“F-Father!” As Kuro walked away, Aoba raced past to make sure the priest was okay.

“I’m getting older, but I’m not that old. I can still take a hit.” He was grumbling more to himself than out loud, leaving Aoba to watch Kuro. It had been so long. . . He noticeably flinched as he watched Kuro sever the demons, only to be shocked at what he turned them into. ’That was my bracelet. . .’ He rubbed his wrist, but didn’t take his eyes off of the demon in front of him. He felt Gerard’s intense stares, probably expecting him to do the ‘right’ thing.

~~~~~~~~~

Fenrir had seen it all. The sudden attack made him sputter out the drink he had. The medical angel was in a slight panic, and noticed just how calm he got when Kuro swooped in to save the day. He had Kuro save Aoba enough times to. . .That thought stopped. Kuro was a demon. He did not- he wasn’t supposed to- trust him. These conflicted feelings made Fenrir run a hand through his hair.

’Don’t just stand there. . .do something. . .say something!’

He couldn’t believe he was actually encouraging the angel to talk to Kuro. He tried to rationalize it; tried to make sense of it. ’Despite the priest’s good intentions. . . He’s still human. He’s still weak. The only way to keep Aoba safe would be locking him inside that church- but that’s immoral and a prison. . . Kuro is stronger and can keep him safe.’ The conflicted feelings were giving him a bad taste in his mouth.

~~~~~~~~~

Being closer, he could see the wounds a lot clearer. The last time he remembered his wounds being so. . .horrid had been when he was in heaven and tending to them. Sure he got hurt a lot when they lived together, but they were just cuts and bruises. This was much more severe- for any human at least. His usual worry for the demon never faded despite the distance. He hated to admit that the ‘progress’ Gerard was accomplishing wasn’t working all too well. In this instant, that’s what it seemed like however. Despite the moral and emotional battle, Aoba moved first. He hesitated at first but that didn’t stop him from closing the distance between them.

“Kuro you’re injured really bad. . .” There was a soft whine to what he said. Aoba wanted to do something to help, but he couldn’t. It startled him more to see the damage done to his wing. He reached out to the demon, stopping half way and looking at Gerard. He could see the priest glaring at Kuro, but instead of cowering back the fallen angel sighed and gave a guilty look, quickly turning back to Kuro. ’I’m probably going to get into so much trouble or something. . .’ “How’d you-” Well of course he could easily find the one fallen angel around here. “I-” Being away for so long, Aoba didn’t know what to say. He desperately wanted to say something and desperately wanted to hug the demon. That wasn’t progress though. That was the exact opposite.

What could he do? Aoba couldn’t help him heal, despite desperately wanting too. He couldn’t say anything that wouldn’t make him feel guilty. He was the one that left Kuro after all. He made that decision. . .Kuro wouldn’t want him back. Aoba hurt him. There was no way the demon could ever trust him again.

That thought echoed in his mind enough times to make his heart drop. It was somehow so much easier to convince himself that Kuro wouldn’t want him and that he probably must have hated him by now. The fallen angel bit back tears from making himself sad. From the messenger bag he carried, he grabbed a small towel that was supposed to be used for something (He wasn’t paying attention to Gerard) and walked closer, holding his breath the entire time. Impulsively, he reached up and wiped a bit of blood off Kuro’s cheek before quickly handing him the towel and stepping back.

“Th-. . .Thank you Kuro.” Aoba bowed a little, not wanting the priest nor Kuro to see his face as he tried to keep the little composure he had left.

When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

Time was unimportant most of the time in the realms. It didn’t really matter when they had all the time in their worlds. But now, now was different. Enasi had stayed calm. He had stayed utterly patient with his minions, but he had been growing weary. He had been anxious. If he counted correctly, about a week and a few days had passed. He hoped he was wrong, but even just two days had been too long. His healing had gone relatively slow while he was protecting Inui but he felt fine. There was no convincing the doctor though. Everytime the doctor saw the huge scar on his guardian it only made him worry that what he was doing wasn’t enough.

“How are you feeling Inui?” The doctor spoke as he examined the small minion over.

“Be’er ac’uawy.” Inui said with a tongue depressor in his mouth. Crios removed it from his mouth and nodded.

“You are healing up. Slowly though now that you’re taking in negative energy. Lord Enasi, your progress is a lot slower since you’ve been keeping your energy low.” Inui frowned a little, knowing that it was his fault, but Enasi gave a nod in understanding. He climbed out of bed right after, making both give confused looks.

“Inui, I need your help dear. I know you’re not at full health, but we can’t sit around and wait for miracles.”

“Lord Enasi, I highly recommend-”

“Crios, I’m not going to stand by and just wait for them to find him. It’s been far too long.” He rubbed his hand, looking at the fading symbol, his worry only further growing. “Besides, if anything happens to me, I’m in my own realm. It’ll be easy to heal. It’s Inui we have to worry about.” Crios shrank a little towards the sudden stern tone of the guardian. However it softened after and he relaxed, bowing a little.

He didn’t approve of it, but he still complied. “Yes sir.” Crios made note to get a few of those medicines ready for both Inui and Enasi.

The guardian put his hand out to Inui, waiting for him to get out of bed and follow him. His wound was still a bit numb, but it didn’t hurt unless he moved in odd ways. However, he was only going to walk around for a bit. “Inui, I need you to tap into your negative energy for me. I know it’s dangerous, but I need you to see if you can find Seishu. We have to use all our options- and our human realm teams have yet to return home.” He tried to stay calm as possible despite his own growing worry. The last thing he wanted was for Inui’s worry to grow out of control. “Don’t worry about harming anyone okay? That’s for me to worry about.”

~~~~~~~~

The siblings race as fast as they can behind Harper and Rue. It takes them longer to get there without Rue or Harper’s speed, but they make it just in time to see the brothers surrounded. “Starla!” Harper didn’t have to further his command. He rushed into battle with Finn. Starla raised her hands in the air, causing various vines to grab the nightmare minions and raise them in the air.

Rue skidded to a halt, not in any condition or shape to fight anyone. Instead, he kept watch, speeding around in circles to make sure none of them tried escaping or calling for more back up.

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Aoba fell silent the entire way to the truck. His gaze never left the ground, willing himself not to turn around. Not to look back. Aoba tugged on the ends of his clothes, hoping that having to press the bottom of his short back out would distract him.

It didn't.

The angel mimicked the priest as he put his seatbelt on. Right after, his gaze focused on his lap. He refused to look at the barn again. He tried not to think about what happened, but instead he ended up thinking about everything. Him crash landing to earth and Kuro's promise to protect him. . . Meeting Dani. . .Having so much fun with the two demons, and then the attack that happened not too long ago. All of that played over and over in his mind, but Aoba stayed completely silent, save for the few sniffles and him wiping his eyes.

"You did the right thing Aoba." Gerard hated to see the young angel so hurt, but of course he would be. The angel had grown attached to his so called protectors. Gerard was sure that once he got Aoba to the church, he'd understand. The angel would feel better and purer in no time. He glanced over at the angel every now and then as he drove. "So, when we get to the church you'll need to bathe. And then some of the others will help you start your purification. The sooner we do it, the quicker we can work our way getting you home." All he got was a small and quiet nod from Aoba, making him sigh gently. Aoba would get better. He would.

~~~~~~~

The trip was far. They even passed the town. He didn't even know there was a town farther out from what he was used to. The unfamiliar territory made the angel nervous, but that was typical for the angel. Lots of things made him nervous. By comparison, this town had way more people and buildings and things going on. There were a lot more cars on the road too. It made Aoba shrink away from the window. Everything was overwhelmingly larger.

The truck parked and Aoba stared at the church in front of them. It wasn't larger than his- well, Kuro's barn that was for sure. The outside looked like a regular, yet kind of old brick building with large windows. At the top, there was a pointed tower with a bell inside. Aoba had never been to a church before, but he remembered learning about them. They were sanctuaries. They were places to heal. They were the closest thing to his old home since he had been kicked out. He could sense the trickles of pure energy seeping out of the building. Slowly, he followed Gerard to the building. "O-Ow?" Moving closer to the building, he felt a sharp sting around his arm.

The priest pulled Aoba's sleeve up and examined the bracelet. "Demonic charms. You can’t keep this. It'll hinder the process." As Gerard took it off, Aoba looked genuinely surprised. Being surrounded by so much demonic energy he didn't even realize it. Aoba's sad expression returned as he quietly followed Gerard once more. What the priest did with his bracelet- what he thought was just a simple gift, Aoba didn’t know. He didn't want to admit that he liked it and wanted to keep it.

The inside of the building looked a lot larger than the outside. The ceiling was high and two chandeliers illuminated the building. Cushioned pews were lined on either side- a lot of them too. Aoba's examination of the place was cut short when gentle gasps broke the silence. Two women, one elderly and the other much younger rushed forward from a back room. By their looks, it was quite obvious that Gerard must have told the two a lot about him. Instinctively, Aoba's wings moved closer to his back but he didn’t move away when both women stopped in front of him. "You could have told us to prepare for the angel, Father! Oh, he's so small. Are you hungry? Are you hurt?" A small, wrinkled hand went to his head. "You're warm. But you don't look sick." She frowned gently as she stared into his eyes. "Come, come. Let's get you settled in. Ariel, get some clean towels and clothes."

Gerard watched the elderly woman with a warm smile. The loving woman should have been able to get Aoba out of his funk. As the angel was being pulled off, Gerard spoke. "This is Miss Susan or Susie. She's one of our elder members and she'll be able to help you and show you around the church. And that was Ariel, my daughter. She'll be able to help you around too." Aoba looked back at Gerard a little nervously as he was pulled towards a door leading to the back rooms. "Not to worry Aoba. You're in good hands."

~~~

"Goodness, you poor soul! You're so dirty! They must have worked you like a dog at that barn."

"I- Ma'am, you really d-don't need to do this! I-I'm capable of cleaning my-myself!" Aoba was a bright red color as the elderly woman decided she would take it upon herself to clean him down.

"No need for all of that nonsense dear. I need to make sure you're clean. In all my lifetime, I've never seen divinity dim like yours. I'd expect you to be some sort of soldier the way you've managed to get your feet so dirty." For an old woman, she was quite forceful. Fortunately her touch became much more gentle as she cleaned off his wings. "So gray. . ." Susan muttered to herself as she examined them. Aoba was forced to sit quietly in the small basin. Hearing her comment about his wings made him flinch in guilt. "Oh, it’s okay dear. Not to worry. We'll get you feeling better. And get you home." When she was satisfied with her job, she allowed Aoba to scramble up and dry off. He kept his back to her as she began to ramble about doing this before and cleaning others like homeless people and. . .Well, by that time Aoba had put on the white button up shirt and dark slacks he was given. Something "appropriate" for the church- well midday. No need for sleepwear at the moment.

"Come, come. I'll have Jade show you around. My old bones can't move as fast as they used to." The angel didn’t have anything to say. He didn't really want to be there. He knew it, but he felt wrong thinking it. He was supposed to be happy with the familiarity. . .but instead he felt so empty. The sudden hand rubbing his back made him look up from the floor. "There, there dear. You have a lot on your mind, I can see. It's in your eyes. Things will start to clear up for you." The angel simply nodded, but was mostly unresponsive. He folded the used towels for the elder and then followed her gesture out the room.

'I honestly just want to be alone. . . But it's not polite to do say something like that. Not when they're working so hard to make me. . .better.' The old woman made him feel like he was sick. She kept mentioning he would get better. But was he really sick? Back at the barn they never said he was sick or anything, just weird. But- But he shouldn't have been thinking of them. They were bad. And yet somehow he had a hard time believing himself. . .

The angel had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't realize he had wandered back into the main building until he noticed the pews lined up again. Quietly, he sat down in the second row, unsure of what to do next. Everything was so foreign- it was unnerving. It felt like coming to earth all over again. He didn't know where he was and the one person he did know, he didn’t want to be around- but just like the first time, being alone was never an option. . . The angel leaned his head against the seat in front of him and sighed.

'What's wrong with me? Maybe I don't deserve to be an angel or anything. I've screwed up so much. Why am I so. . .broken?'

Never Ending Battle ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

There was a slight swing of their hands courtesy of Hironori. Akito's hand was much rougher than his, he noticed, but he didn’t mind it. While he waited for an answer, the prince gazed around the camp. From where he stood, the men all looked like they were simply camping- save for suddenly being surrounded by them. They looked relatively normal. Nothing like the murders and blood thirsty soldiers he imagined. It didn't change his opinion about them, but he did manage to look at them in. . .a view that wasn't so harsh. Hearing Akito made his gaze fall on the soldier. It was a gentle gaze, with the prince subconsciously reminding himself how. . .fragile Akito could be.

The answer he received was a tad surprising, a touch saddening even. It appeared his betrothed never actually had anyone close to him except for the general of course- and maybe that pet of his. Other than those two, Akito lived a rather lonely life. Save for a small yet quick frown, Hironori's only response was a small "Huh" and a nod. Even the prince had a loving home. Sure he and his father didn't see eye to eye, but he still had more than one person to go to when he was in need.

"Hm?" Hironori turned when Akito tugged him on. There were still things to look at around the camp. "Oh? Well, of course." The prince nodded, gazing at the multitude of trees. It would've been terrible to get lost there. . . He didn’t question Akito’s choice of secrecy. He didn’t say much of anything, save for a few okays and nods to know he was still paying attention. Akito listened when he was told, careful not to get himself stuck on branches. That wouldn’t be very ‘graceful’ or ‘elegant’. As everything began to clear, Hiro straightened up and gazed around. It was small and reserved, much like Akito himself. The thought made Hiro smile a bit.

For a long moment, he stayed in one spot. He gazed around at the simplicity of it all. There was no huge flower garden, no path to walk around the place- nothing of the sort. It was simple and small. Hiro turned his attention to Akito. It was rare he got to see the soldier so calm. It brought another small smile to his lips. Finally, removing his hands from behind his back he quietly took a seat in the soft grass. He didn’t say anything at first, opting to stare at the reflections in the water. But after the silence had droned on, he breathed out a soft sigh. “You know, most soldiers taking a royal’s hand in marriage are usually much more boisterous and well, larger too.” He let out a small chuckle, still keeping his gaze on the bond. He probably heard that way too many times. “But you’re different. A good different. And I like it here.” He let his gaze roam before following Hoko’s trail. There was that little creature.

“It’s serene and peaceful.” Hiro left it at that, letting the silence grow again. Up until he got bored of the silence and spoke. “Is that why you’re so scared- nervous” He corrected himself to avoid offending him. “about going home? Because of how different you are?” This time, Hiro looked over at Akito with a friendly smile. “You’ve one father’s love no doubt. Especially after the sparring match you two had. Didn’t even know the old man could still move like that.” He laughed lightly. “I could say I’m even jealous. I’ve never seen him that happy in awhile. And of course my mother loves you. Then again, it’s easy to win her heart.” He laughed again before giving a small shrug. “There’s no reason to be nervous around them. They’re just intimidating to strangers and the common people.” Maybe that would have reassured his betrothed. He was always so scared around his parents, but he could never understand why- especially since they adored him.

Not once did Hironori assume Akito would be intimidated by him of all people. The marriage, sure. But Akito couldn’t have possibly been intimidated by him.

When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

Enasi watched Rasha fidget around. It was like he had ants in his pants- well if he was wearing them of course. He noticed he kept climbing on Inui as well as the kid dozed. “Rasha. . .” Enasi started, carefully picking him up. The guardian held the cat eye level and gave a look of sympathy. “Rasha I understand you’re upset, but you have to relax. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.” Rasha stared for a long moment, realizing Lord Enasi had misinterpreted his mild panic. “And Inui is tired, you have to stop moving about like that, okay?” His voice was soft and caring, trying to keep him calm for the wrong and simultaneously the right reason.

Inui yawned gently and patted the guardian’s arm. “No, no, it’s alright. I’m fine.” By the way he had been yawning, Inui could have fell asleep at any moment. His head was gently petted by Enasi after the guardian sat Rasha back on the bed.

“I- Forgive me Lord Enasi. I just. . .” How could he explain that he wanted to leave, and he wanted for him to stay? Where was Crios!? His ears flattened when Enasi gave him a puzzled look. “Lord Enasi-”

He was silenced and what he thought would be his guardian figuring out his secrets, turned out to be the exact opposite. “How about you go outside and get some fresh air? You’re doing no good sitting and pacing around. Okay?” He gave him a gentle kiss on the head and dispelled the stray negative energy in him. He watched Rasha perk up some and hop off the bed towards the door. The sudden abrupt stop made Enasi give another confused look. “What’s wrong dear?”

“You have- are you going to stay in the room?” Rasha shuffled on his paws for a moment, trying to come up with a good reason for his question.

Enasi simply chuckled and laid back in the bed, pulling Inui from his sleeping sitting position to lay with him. “Confined to my room am I?” He didn’t expect an answer, instead he ran fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry dear. I’m going to stick by Inui. He’s exhausted and I don’t think he’d be happy if he woke up alone.” Inui hummed softly, indicating he was somewhat awake and responding to his name- though really he was just cuddling up to Enasi and falling into a deeper sleep. “I promise Rasha, I’m not going to get up now. I’ll wait for Crios.” He absentmindedly began to pet Inui’s hair.

Rasha bowed even though the guardian couldn’t see it, and gave a small ‘thank you’ before leaving out and closing the door behind him. Enasi had no idea what he planned to do, but he was sure Harper or Crios- or both wanted him in his room. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but he decided to listen. Just this once. He feared giving them more of a panic attack if he were to get up and leave anyway.

With a long worried sigh, Enasi stared at the ceiling. “Seishu, where are you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crios’ ears twitched and he snapped awake. ’I was only supposed to be here for a few minutes!’ He wasn’t too surprised he had began to doze off, he was just more frustrated that he allowed himself to. He was supposed to be watching his injured guardian! He ran fingers through his hair and hopped up. “Don’t panic, just get yourself together.” The fox doctor breathed a heavy sigh before seeing if he needed to grab anything from his office.

As he left, his tail twitched anxiously. He could only hope his guardian had stayed in the room like he asked. As he got close, he sighed in relief as he felt the familiar energy of his guardian. It was contained, probably because Inui was with him, but nonetheless, Lord Enasi had stayed put.

“I- sorry sir I didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long- where’s Rasha?”

Enasi stretched his arms over his head causing Inui to cuddle closer. “Not a clue. He seemed rather antsy so I sent him off to get some fresh air. He’s been gone for quite awhile. Probably dozed off. But he surely hoped that I’d stay here.”

Crios gave a small nod and sat in a chair, sliding it over to Inui’s side of the bed. “How has he been doing?”

“Sleeping still, so pretty stable. I’ve kept my energy low- low enough not to hurt him don’t worry.” Enasi gently patted his stomach. “I’m feeling much better. I promise. It’s a million times better than when I got hit first.” He shuddered at the thought. “Much, much better.” Crios nodded silently, but of course decided to check on him nonetheless.

~~~~~~

Rasha had hurried out of Enasi’s room and instead of leaving the palace he snuck around instead. Crios gave him the orders to find positive energy that he’d be attracted to. Deviousness. That feeling of pride after a prank? At first, Rasha didn’t know whether to be insulted or not, but he continued on. There had to have been something or someone that caught his attention. He couldn’t stay out of sight completely at times, but he followed orders- not engaging with anyone and staying on high alert.

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Aoba was a mix of relieved and disheartened that Kuro didn’t answer. Fortunately, he was mainly relieved. There was a nagging feeling that if he continued talking he’d probably ruin things even more. So, Aoba did the next best thing and stayed quiet, hurrying to his room. Splashing cold water on his face was only a little refreshing. He just wanted to curl up and sleep. The day was long enough and he wanted it to-

Right as he sat on the edge of his bed, he sprung back up. “The animals!” He nearly forgot! They had been out for awhile and it was time to get them back in. He scrambled and put his boots back on then rushed down the stairs. If he moved fast enough, he could hurry and get to bed. “I forgot to bring the animals back in, I’m going to do that now!” Aoba called out to Kuro as he ran down the steps and hurried outside. The fallen angel took full responsibility of the problem, not sure if Kuro or Dani would help him or not. Although, for this task, Aoba was sure he could handle it himself. Wanting to get things done quickly, he flew over to the birds, rushing them inside first.

~~~~~~~

Kuro had risen a few minutes before Aoba realized they forgot the animals and slipped outside to deal with the issue. He and Dani are in the middle of bringing in the large animals when Kuro looks around to spot Aoba flying over to the coop to rush the animals back inside. He smiles faintly at the sight, glad to see he still feels up to his duties at least. Dani snaps at the legs of the last sheep, still way beyond irritated at the angel, and the sight of him riles the little one up. With a glare from Kuro however he rushes into the barn and hides in his little are, leaving Kuro to actually segregate the animals into their stalls.

~~~~~

Seeing the other two herding the larger animals inside, Aoba sighed in relief. He walked around, making sure no one got left behind. Then he checked the pig pen. Everything looked fine. But as per usual, Aoba double checked. He wanted to be sure everything was fine. When he yawned, he figured it was a good time to head to bed for real this time. The sudden burst of energy did have him suddenly tired… “Okay, bed time.” He gave an absentminded wave behind him as he walked away from the demons and back to the house.

~~~~~~

Kuro follows at a slow pace, having just finished getting the sheep and cows into the right places all by himself. As he goes to step away from the barn however he hears a hiss behind him and turns to see Dani glaring at him. Kuro simply looks back, the blank expression making the older brother hiss again, but with a whine he kicks a rock at Kuro before once more vanishing off to the loft. 'He doesn't get it, and I don't ever expect him to. This is different. I'm different. . . .It's not something most demons can even comprehend, and I. . .'

With a long sigh he slips back inside and establishes himself once more on the couch, using his wing as a blanket. He spends a fitful night whining and shifting and when at last the sun arrives he huffs lightly and heads out back to water the crops before coming back in to make breakfast. Light noises from above alert him to the fact that the object of his obsession is waking and he moves just a little bit faster to finish with the meal preparations.

~*~

Out in the barn Dani rolls off the loft, landing on all fours on the dirt floor. After greeting Mama and Otto he slips outside and begins walking towards the house. It seems like a calm, lazy day, despite what happened the day before, but with a twitch of his wing he feels his heckles rise at the sound of something approaching. Turning he growls low, the sound of wheels on gravel irritating his senses, but with a huff he heads inside, hoping whatever it is will pass by, as they do sometimes.

~~~~

Aoba didn’t have much of a peaceful sleep either. Waking, he had to stretch out from the uncomfortable position. He rubbed his shoulder and neck, then stretched his sore wings. Sometimes he wished he had those lighter and thinner demon wings. They seemed much more easier to manage. Going down the steps, the smell of breakfast made his stomach growl. He had woken up at his usual time, and as usual Kuro was always up earlier than he. Aoba was going to say something, but frowned to himself when he remembered the night before. Instead, he opted for a ‘good morning’ before sitting down on the couch and looking at the unused tv.

“That filth is here.” Dani grumbled as he walked through the door. Receiving a confused glance, Dani rolled his eyes. “The goody two shoes priest. . .” He watched Aoba stand quickly and walk over to the door only to pause for a moment.

“Such poor timing.” He mumbled lowly as his pace slowed and he walked outside to greet Gerard. With a soft smile, he spoke. “Good morning Father Gerard. It’s a surprise seeing you here today. and rather early too.” He didn’t do his usual happy go lucky greeting- not even hugging the priest. The reminder of the priest’s grace and the demon’s dislike of it echoed in his mind. Then the priest’s offer. . . And then the incident the day before. [i]’Such poor timing. . .’[/]

~~~~~~~

Kuro returns the morning greeting but is soon distracted by his brother entering and announcing that Father Gerard has arrived. Bitting his lip he curses the priest for picking this very moment to appear. 'I'm cooing, I can't even go out and be with them to keep Dani from trying to eat him. . .' Dani follows after Aoba and stays well back, knowing his brother would pitch a fit if he tried anything.

Gerard slips out of his truck and walks towards the fallen angel with a smile on his lips. He looks visibly put out when Aoba keeps his distance and sighs softly. “What, I can't even get a hug any more? Are they making you keep your distance from your old life that much?” He knows it's a low blow, but even as the demon's eyes flash he knows that there are some things that just need to be said.

~~~~~

Aoba blinked and averted his eyes for a moment. He took a quick breath and smiled, shaking his head. “No, of course not. I have the freedom to whatever I please, you know.” He can practically sense Dani glaring at the priest. He glanced back at Dani before adding, “And go where ever I please.” He meant little by the light threat. However, it was enough to make Dani calm down. The demon was going to run whining to Kuro no doubt, but he waited outside, keeping an eye on Aoba. “Well, Kuro’s making breakfast and I haven’t exactly eaten yet. . .” Inviting him sounded like a bad idea. Kuro didn’t even seem to be into his normal cooking spirit. So quietly, he gestured for Gerard to follow him inside as he turned around.

The priest looked a little suspicious for a moment, wondering what was wrong with Aoba. However he didn’t ask, not yet at least.

~~~~

Kuro feels that sickening energy drawing closer and closer to the house and he realizes that Aoba will be bringing their "Guest" inside. With a long sigh he pulls out another plate and fills it with the leftovers normally consumed by Dani and manages to reproportion the plates so that they all look even before the front door opens. 'Contaminating the house, not to mention I sleep in that room now soaking up all that pure, sickening energy. . .' He holds his tongue however. This is Aoba's house, not his. Not officially at least. Turning he gives the priest a nod, barely meeting his eye for an instant before moving over to the table to set down the first two plates.

Dani sneaks in behind the human and the angel and after less than five seconds being so close to the man he decides he'd rather die than stay so close to him any longer than absolutely necessary. Kuro seems to sense this and simply walks past Gerard and hands him his plate, making a shooing motion with his other hand. Dani doesn't need to be told twice. The steaming pile of eggs and sausage along with toast and marmalade make the smaller demon a tiny bit happier and he races off to eat on the porch.

Kuro returns to the counter and grabs his own plate, taking up a spot against the opposite wall from the couch to eat, still silent. He doesn't know what to say. The priest isn't an idiot, he's probably already guessed something is up, but Kuro's not going to put forward any information unless prompted. Heck, opening his mouth seems like a bad idea with all the grace in the air but, he knows not eating would worry Aoba.

~~~~~

“Thank you.” Both priest and angel said. The tension was heavy and obvious in the air. Father Gerard had missed something and whatever it was, it obviously happened rather recently. Instead of consulting them all up front, he looked over at Aoba who was quietly eating, keeping his eyes on his plate. “So, how have you been since my last visit?”

Aoba glanced up. “We’ve been fine here. Work around the farm has become clockwork now. It’s gotten. . .well, easier.” He nodded and continued eating.

This made Father Gerard frown a little. “You didn’t answer my question. How have ’you’ been Aoba?”

The fallen angel blinked and then gave a light smile. “I’m still alive. I’m still managing. I’m doing fine.” He hadn’t lied. He was doing fine. The trio that lived here took care of everything. However Gerard still didn’t like the answer. It seemed like Aoba was dodging the question.

~~~~~

Kuro is slightly tense at the priest's question, but even more so that Aoba isn't up front with the man. 'He's the closest thing to home for him around here, and he's never really hidden things before. . .Maybe if I step out?' With a murmured, "Excuse me." he steps on to the front porch with his meal, ignoring Dani who stares at him curiously.

Gerard watches the demon walk out of the room and he goes from suspicious, to alarmed. Looking over at Aoba with kind, but intense eyes he asks ever so softly, "Aoba, please, won't you tell me what's wrong?" Outside both demons can hear what's being said inside, and while Dani turns to be able to hear better, Kuro keeps his back to the door.

~~~~~~

Aoba looked just as confused for a brief moment, but then continued eating. There was no reason Kuro had to stay inside. Like Dani, he assumed that the priest was ruining his appetite. “I can assure you, nothing is wrong. Save for a few minor. . .differences, everything is fine here.” This only furthered Gerard’s worry. Aoba caught sight of the expression and gave a gentle smile. “Well, I am an angel. They are demons. Of course we’d have some things we don’t see eye to eye on.” He didn’t want Gerard to start worrying. Maybe if he could show that he wasn’t in any danger and that he was happy, Father Gerard would be more willing to leave him be when it came to him staying at the church. He wanted to prove that Kuro and Dani were good- however now was just a terrible time to try proving that.

“What happened?”

Aoba sighed and set his plate down. “Misunderstandings and. . . a different set of rules that we live by? Well, I used to live by.” Father Gerard would probably suggest that he continued living by those rules. Hopefully that would be enough to quell Gerard’s curiosity. At least for now. Aoba wasn’t ready to explain what he did wrong to the priest, not yet.

~~~~~~

'Well this isn't good. He's obviously distressed, but he seems almost afraid to tell me why. . . .Have they begun mistreating him? Telling him it's okay because they are demons and that's just the way they are? Have they threatened to leave him if he misbehaves!?' So many bad things run through his head as he tries to suss out just why Aoba's avoiding his questions, as well as his gaze. Like a child trying desperately not to lie.

He's about ready to begin a prayer session, to try and calm the smaller man when a sudden surge of demonic energy makes him rise from his seat and stare at the door. It's a small surge, but denotes the arrival of a new demon none the less. Determined to show the angel that he can defend against these hellbeasts as well as any son of Satan can, Gerard heads to the door and pulls it open.

~*~

Kuro, who had been listening, turns his head towards the new presence and holds a hand out for Dani to still. He recognizes the scent and rolls his eyes as he thinks, 'Perfect timing Baby Mou' This "Baby Mou" turns out to be Kyouku Roku and as he peeks out from around the barn he dips his head respectfully before shuffling across the open ground. The sun isn't too high yet meaning he's able to leave his head uncovered, but unbeknownst to the brothers it's also to suss out who the person in the vehicle is. He's not dumb, he can feel the holy energy, but as the siblings aren't throwing a fit he's quite sure it must be someone important to the angel.

When Kyou draws in close however Kuro moves down the steps of the porch, causing him to still and fall respectfully to a knee. His headwings tremble as Kuro draws closer and he hopes that he won't be struck down for showing up so soon after making the deal. Dani lets out a hiss making Kuro stop and Kyou peek. Gerard emerges on to the porch and looks over at the kneeling demon, his confusion mounting.

~~~~~~~~

Aoba’s mind racked over ways to convince the priest that he was okay, but his train of thought derailed when another demonic energy appeared. Unlike most times, his initial reaction wasn’t fear- which came off as a shock to Gerard. Aoba curiously followed Gerard and moved into the doorway in front of him. Instinctively and protectively, Gerard put a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from going any further. The fallen angel squints a little as if that would better his vision and then gave a surprised look. “Kyou?” His voice was soft, not wanting to interrupt whatever was going on between him and Kuro. A glance at the priest made his expression turn into a slight fit of nervousness. SUch bad timing Kyou. “Oh um, that’s Kyou. He’s not dangerous- well, he’s. . .” Aoba tried to find the right word for it. “He’s okay. I trust that he won’t do anything bad.” He gave an affirmative nod, turning his head when he heard Dani’s soft growls.

“You. . .trust him? What are they doing?” He couldn’t be too surprised that Aoba had befriended another demon, however that would be bad for his grace. He really needed to do something about it. Fortunately, Gerard was able to keep Aoba close to him while the demons interacted.

~*~

Fenrir watched with much more ease as Gerard had came in to ‘rescue’ Aoba. ’Good, Aoba has someone to talk to about this. I assume this priest will be suitable.’ However it wasn’t the priest that was the problem, it happened to be Aoba dodging the questions, pushing away the help. “Darn it Aoba why do you chose now to not want him around?” His voice was mumbled as he eyed the screen. The next thing he knew, another demon had appeared. ’While I do applaud Aoba’s calm, now is not the time to befriend demons! Return to the church with the priest at once!’ He knew his thoughts had no influence, but it didn’t hurt to try.

~~~~~~~~

'Well, this day gets better and better' Kuro huffs, shaking his head. “Kyou, now is not a good time. We have a visitor already and. . .Shit.” He doesn't even bother to be upset when Kyou yelps and runs behind him, pressing against his back as a loud boom echoes through the area, the source high above. Dani begins cackling happily and Kuro wonders how this day could get any worse. “Shoo, porch, now. Don't touch Aoba or the priest.” The presence vanishes from his back and Kuro darts forward, positioning himself beneath the source of the explosion.

Dani takes a seat on the edge of the porch, both giddy and protective. He hisses a little at Kyou as the baby demon hesitantly sits very close to him, Dani's demonic energy drowning out the holy energy a bit and keeping him safe from it. 'This must be the retainer, the one I asked about. It's gotta be the only reason it's allowed here since Kuro seems upset but tolerant. . .' Keeping his gaze down mostly he glances at Aoba, smiling warmly and making beckoning motions. He was told not to touch, never said anything about talking.

Kuro falls to the ground with a grunt as he lands an arm full of flaming demon, the red flames jumping about his skin and running through his hair. 'Now? Now you decide to visit!? Were you friggan watching and trying to find the absolute worst time to show?!' Homura lays atop his brother, hugging him tight around the neck for a few seconds before sitting up and stretching. “Hello little brother.”

“Hello Homura, why are you here?” His voice is sharp and he bites his tongue a moment later, the stricken look on his brother's face telling him all he needs to know about how much the smaller male knows about what's going on. Before he can freak out however Kuro covers him with black flame, making him purr and hug himself. Sitting up he wraps his arm carefully around the silverette and gets to his feet.

Homura hugs his brother, purring. “I wanted to see you, and him, and. . . .And. . . . .” He looks over his shoulder and tenses, a hiss coming to his lips. Kuro rubs his lower back and he manages to not rush over and torch the stray demon so close to the angel. “What's that doing here?” he hisses and then he flinches slightly, spotting the other problem. Whining he hides against his brother, confused and upset, his red flames dancing across both of them.

~~~~~

“I don’t know.” Aoba whispered right back. The sudden loud boom made Aoba jump and turn for safety. The closest thing to safety so happened to be Gerard who held him in a comforting and protective hug. “Wh-What was that?!” Not seeing anyone or anything start attacking, Aoba slowly pulled away. Aoba wondered what Kuro was doing, effectively missing some of the ‘come hither’ gestures from Kyou. All of a sudden, something crashed into Kuro making the fallen angel step forward. Not only did Gerard stop him, but Dani lifted a hand up.

“Relax, it’s just Homura.” Dani turned his attention back over to his older brother, still occasionally hissing at Kyou who was eager for Aoba’s attention.

“And who is that?”

Upon hearing the brother’s name, Aoba’s wings drooped a little. ’Oh dear… that’s four demons. That’s a lot of demons.’ He never had them all gathered around at once- not to mention with the priest around! “It’s- It’s still safe. He’s their family.” He mumbled, only to receive a look of disbelief from Father Gerard. “Trust me. It’s okay.” His voice was soft and he tried to give a reassuring nod despite his own nervousness. The priest could only watch the scene in suspicion and caution.

Finally, Kyou managed to get Aoba’s attention. The angel looked back at the priest before slowly shuffling and sitting down by the demon. He kept his distance to not only appease the priest, but Dani as well. “You’ve picked some terrible timing.” Aoba of course didn’t mean it rudely, however it was true. This was a bit hectic for Aoba- and no one had done anything yet! “I’m going to have to let the animals out soon.” This time, he spoke to Dani- one of the people who actually lived here.

~~~~~~~

Kyou bows low. “Forgive me, I didn't mean to inconvenience.” he murmurs in his slick tone, glancing at the priest and letting out a whine. “So, this is yo-” He cut short as a shout goes up from Kuro.

'All of this, all at once, it's just. . . .A little too much, to scattered, we neeeed focus!' Resting his hands on his big brother's shoulders Kuro lets out a long breath, kissing him on the forehead before raising his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Alright! You're all here, you're all going to make yourselves useful!” Glaring over at both Kyou and Gerard he says sharply, “No idle hands. Aoba, fowl, Kyou, you feed the pigs, I'll show you where the food is, just dump it in the troth. Dani, you me and Homura are on herding duty, and Father, you are to feed the mothers with little ones, got it?”

~*~*~*~*~

Fenrir is quite in shock. He hasn't even made it out of bed, the scene that greeted him upon waking keeping him glued to the spot. However now his eye go from concerned to wide. 'Does he really. . . .Did he really just snap out orders not only to two of his elders, but a priest, and Aoba himself, and that. . .That little one, yeah, it will listen, but I. . . .' He eye go impossibly wide as with a various range of responses, they all begin complying. His eyes lock on Kuro and his stomach drops. 'That demon. . . .Is terrifying. . . .'

~*~*~*~*~

Kuro lets out a grateful sigh as after a stunned moment even Gerard grumbles about at least having some level of common sense and, taking Aoba's hand, helps him to his feet and leads him towards the animals and away from the demons. Kyou snaps to attention, scooting in as close as he dare with those white eyes glaring at him, and Homura himself alternates between glaring at the little one and looking up at Kuro, curious and a bit happy. He's never helped before, and it sounds fun. Dani bats at the young demon's headwings as he passes, drawing a hiss from Kyou, but when Dani returns the hiss the two wind up making a slight peace through glaring and hissing.

'Good, at least that's settled' Kuro grumbles silently to himself, letting the others get ahead before leading Homura and the other two demons towards the barn. Kyou is still pants wetting terrified, but seeing Kuro take charge settles him a bit. After all, this demon has him in his good graces, and he's able to command the others, so, as far as he can tell, he's safe. Sighing again Kuro works out the logistics in his head, Homura taking his place, the least amount of work, Dani driving, and him taking Aoba's place. The animals are still skittish around just two demons, they may very well panic with four around and he needs to take the corner to help keep them under control.

~~~~~~~~~

The sudden commands from Kuro made Aoba jump up. He stood, a little amazed at how he managed to get the crowd moving. When he felt the tug on his hand, his attention turned to Gerard. “O-Oh, coming.” He followed after Gerard, glancing back as Kuro helped the ones that needed to be helped. Before he left, he looked over at Kyou. “Be careful with them please.” Sure Kuro was watching over them, but Kyou and Homura were still demons. They’d freak out the animals. Aoba had half a mind to go and supervise them but he did as he was told and went over to feed the birds after pointing out the animals Gerard were to feed. “I’ll be right back okay? I’ll be right over there.” Aoba pointed over to where the fowl rested and then grabbed the bag of food for them. It started to get easier carrying and lugging heavy bags around.

Kyou listens to his instructions intently, making sure not to miss a single thing. And when Kuro finished he nodded and quickly went to work. The demon noticed Aoba walking outside. “Maybe if I finish quickly I can. . .” His gaze turned over to Kuro as the trio of demons began herding the larger animals. Maybe he wouldn’t mind him hanging around Aoba once the chores were done.

~~~~~~~~

Kyou nods vigorously when Aoba addresses him then flinches a little closer to Kuro when Dani hisses again in a non peaceable way. 'Geeze, fine, I will be over here. . .' He then scrunches his face up and hides a bit more. 'Such thoughts, they could, really get me killed. . .I should be careful. . .' He knows better. He is the ant here. The human could probably kill him without breaking a sweat. Yeah, he needs to be careful. Dutifully he goes about the task he's been given, careful not to stray too close to the angel. He also keeps an eye on the human, seeing as the priest seems to hate the demons and squashing a low level one they don't care about might seem like a good alternative to trying to take out the tougher ones.

~*~

Once Homura is in place Kuro takes up his position, calling out instructions to his blind sibling while he holds a hand up to Dani, making sure the little redhead doesn't shoo them out before they're ready. When at last everything is set Kuro motions for Dani to begin. The first two sheep out of the barn try to bolt but Kuro redirects them gently, watching as Dani has trouble with the latch to the next stall. 'That one's been rusting a bit. Need to oil that. . .' Such mundane things run through his head as he does his best to keep everyone calm and working together, however his heckles are up moments later as he senses the very last thing they need right now.

'Oh heaven no. . . .' He curses under his breath and directs Dani to grab one of the sheep while, with a snap of his wings, he grabs the other. Dani complies, a broad grin on his face as he dumps it back in a closed stall. “Aoba! Attack!” Aoba knows what this means but as Homura takes off behind a howling Dani he takes a few more seconds to snap, “Kyou, Gerard, guard Aoba, and no, I don't care about your vows that forbid it priest! Aoba's more important!” With that his own pitch black wings join the red and dark green set as he charges the oncoming opponents. 'It's a friggan army! Why now!?' He rages inside his head, screaming at the ill timed everythings of the day.

~*~

While Gerard looks after the black haired beast with a livid expression on his face Kyou sneaks in close as he can stand to Aoba, looking up at him with wide, wondering eyes, truly concerned with how they are going to stay safe. His own weapon is small, and rather pathetic at his level, compared to even demons of his same level. He prefers talk, not combat. 'But, he gave me the order, so, I need to do it, if I want to survive, so, I will!' Loving this legit excuse to be near the angel he scoots in a little closer, doing his best to ignore the queasy feeling from being so close to the priest on the other side of the angel.

~~~~~~~~~~~

This was fine. This was perfectly fine. It was just four demons, a priest, and a fallen angel all working together to get the farm work done. It was no big deal at all. At least, that’s what Aoba continued to think over and over as he sat the bag of food down and opened the door for the birds to start scattering out. “Perfectly fine. No one’s hostile. No one is trying to kill the other. Father Gerard is safe. Deep breaths. Deeeep breaths.” The fallen angel heaved a sigh and watched the fowl move a little slower than their normal pace. “What’s wrong with you guys, don’t you want to eat?” A cold chill went down his spine, making him turn around- just as Kuro yelled. ’An attack? Now!? Well this was just fantastic!’

The angel’s feathers ruffled and he hurried the few birds that wandered out back inside. “Hurry, hurry.” He mumbled, still panicking. Aoba turned to scramble back to the barn, but he quickly turned back to grab the chickens’ feed. He moved as fast as he could, carrying the heavy thing until it was taken from him all of a sudden. Kyou smiled politely, only to be suddenly pulled by Aoba to hurry into the barn. “Father, come inside!” This made the priest look away from the demons and turn to the panicking angel.

“Aoba,” He reached out for the fallen angel as he paced back and forth. “Just relax. I’m sure-” He really hated that he was about to say this. “I’m sure those demons will protect you. Even so, I’m still here. You will be fine. I promise.”

That, unfortunately, didn’t help Aoba one bit. He couldn’t even figure out how to respond. He moved away and went to close the barn doors when the last of the animals were back inside. Instead of answering the priest, he went around to the animals that had gotten riled up and tried calming them down. Aoba tried to busy himself before he had a panic attack.

“Aoba? Do you want me to do anything?” Kyou gave an innocent look, trying to steal Aoba’s attention.

“Huh? I, no not really Kyou. ” Aoba shook his head and walked right past him. Fortunately for Kyou, he was determined. The only one standing in his way was the priest, but on Kuro’s orders he was told to protect Aoba. Surely the priest wouldn’t go against that?

~~~~~~~~~~~
'THIS IS INSANE!' Kuro screams inside his own mind, the sheer number of demons ludicrous and their tactic of just continuing to throw themselves at the brothers making them look like nothing more than cannon fodder for a much larger attack. 'Who the heck goes through so much trouble for a single angel!?' His black flame races through the area, his conscious effort to keep the field intact as best he can bringing his kill count down, but also serving to focus him and keep his mind from wandering to whatever rubbish the priest may be filling his head with at this very moment.

~*~*~*~*~

Fortunately, or unfortunately, however one decides to look at it, it's not Gerard he needs to worry about at his very moment. Once Aoba looks to be a bit calmer you slips in closer to him, keeping half an eye on the priest to make sure he doesn't ruffle any feathers, and gives him a gentle smile. “Aoba? Do they normally do this? Charge off and leave you here in the barn? Have they done anything to make this place safer?” He pours all his charm into his words, hoping that even if he doesn't get very detailed answers he's asked enough of them to keep the angel occupied for at least a few minutes.

~~~~~~~~~

The sheer sound of the fight was much louder than usual. It made Aoba worry even more. His curiosity towards the attackers had increased, but he knew better than to go out there- especially now. “Please be careful…” Aoba whispered to himself. Turning away from the back door, he walked over to Mama and Otto. The calf was pressed close to his mother while she looked around. “Hm? O-Oh, um, normally if there’s an attack I sit in the barn, yes. B-But there hasn’t been many attacks! And the last ones only came in smaller groups!” Somewhere along the way, he realized how bad it must have sounded, so he tried to convince Father Gerard that things were okay- or maybe he was really trying to convince himself. . .

Kyou watched the two, intrigued by how much Aoba tried to stay considerate of the demons. He wished them good health and even stood up for them on their behalf. He truly was a peculiar fallen angel, but maybe that peculiarity was just what kept him alive. Most fallen angels he had known about were killed off instantly, but not this small and defenseless angel. He was still alive- panicky, but very much well. He wondered how Aoba became fallen, however that probably the best question to ask at a time like this.

“They’re fighting out there to protect me. I move in here to stay out of the way. It’s one less thing they have to worry about while they fight.” Aoba added that in quietly, seeing as Gerard wasn’t buying any of it.

~*~

Outside, Dani was in a mix of fury and pure joy. Furious that all of the demons that were attacking them, but it was utter joy to kill them all as their punishment. A few times a demon would attempt to stray away and sneak inside the barn only for Dani capture and rip them apart. “Mine.” He’d growl a couple of times. Not only was his attention at protecting what was inside the barn, but also the animals outside. He knew Aoba would be devastated if they died and an unhappy angel meant he couldn’t play with him. Not that the Dani and Aoba were on the best of terms now thanks to him hurting Kuro. . .But at that very moment, it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting rid of all the demons before they got their greedy paws on anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“NO!” Kuro screams, watching in horror as one of the demons lit on fire by Homura's flame rockets toward the barn. Dani, pinned by a group of demons lets out a howl and tries to break free but with a loud cry he drops to the ground, clutching his wing. One of them had gotten in a lucky shot and not one fleshy appendage it tattered along the edge. Kuro lights the field around him on fire, dropping the group trying to keep him occupied and he takes to the sky just as the demon hits. He hears cries go up from the inside of the structure and in a flash he darts across the field to hover over the dancing flames.

'I can't put them out, these are Homura's, but maybe I can' he thinks frantically, calibrating exactly what he'll need to do. With as much speed as he can given the delicacy of what he is trying to undertake he send out his own flame to consume the area around Homura's. Carefully he draws his flame back, pulling with it the burning bits of wood and shingling, effectively giving his brother's dancing red flames nothing to keep it burning and with a sigh he relaxs slightly as the barn stops burning. There is now a hole in the roof, and through it he can see the scared face of Kyou and the angry one of Gerard, but before he can even glimpse Aoba he turns in the air and makes his way over to the still burning field and begins undertaking damage control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Aoba you cannot be serious. This is dangerous. This isn’t about them just protecting you and this barn. Each and every one of those demons out there wants to harm you in some way. You are a fallen angel.” His voice never rose, but it was stern. This was ridiculous. He couldn’t be safe in this environment. One slip up and Aoba could have been another fallen angel dead. Another one that could have been saved. Gerard didn’t want to think about the possibilities. He had to open Aoba’s eyes about it. “You need to come with me.”

’He’s trying to take the angel away from his demons. . . I don’t think Kuro and Dani would approve.’ Kyou shuffled on both feet, knowing he was in no place to try and do anything. He only wanted to talk to Aoba and here he was, in the midst of a battle. Aoba was right, he did come at the wrong time.

“I didn’t ask for this okay!” Aoba was pacing back and forth again. At this point he could have practically pulled his hair out. “I just wanted to do what I thought was right. . .And that turned out to be bad. And now I’m here and they followed me here. I needed help. I couldn’t do it by myself, I mean, I was just a medical assistant. And- And they took that away from me. That’s- that’s all I had! I was- I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble. And Kuro wanted to help- he said he owed me. I . .I just-” While Kyou stared wide eyed with curiosity and mild fascination, Gerard cut the panicking angel off and pulled him into a hug.

“Relax. It’s okay, just relax. This is why I’m here. To keep you safe-” A sudden crash caused the three to whirl around. Before Aoba could process what happened, there was a dead demon and a hole in the roof. Gerard glared out, especially at Kuro. “Aoba, go calm the animals. Try to stay off into the corner.” The priest rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a cross bearing necklace. He could protect Aoba much better than the reckless demon. “Aoba.”

The angel had paused in horror, staring up at the hole in the roof. The sound of his name caused him to snap back to life and rush off to pat a few of the animals and hurry to a corner. The war outside was getting dangerously close to the barn. Kyou hissed lightly when the priest began mumbling out prayers, and quickly rushed to safety himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's finally over. Those demons who do not lay smoldering on the ground, as piles of ash, or simply are remembered as scorch make in the earth, are fleeing back from whence they came, the brothers standing victorious. Kuro doesn't even allow himself a moment to breath as he takes to the air and races towards the barn. He's quite sure that Aoba is alright, he can still feel his energy, and the priest is still shielding the area. 'I can't believe all this happened, all at once. By all things, I hope Aoba is okay. . .' Bitting his lip to the point it bleeds - the little droplets almost unseen among all the blood already drenching his skin, hair, and clothing – he races to the door and throws it wide, ready to defend if Gerard decides to attack. He knows he could have been more careful, but right now, seeing Aoba safe is all he desires.

~*~*~*~*~

The knocks at his door, gone unheard for the past half an hour, finally get through to the arch angel as he sets the mirror down. A cold sweat covers his body and absentmindedly he covers the bit of magic glass with it's cloth as he moves to answer the door. 'That. . . .Was too close. I can't blame the priest, Aoba is. . .' He wants desperately to say that the little angel is not safe where he is, surrounded by demons, but he knows better. He knows that anywhere else, the little angel would be far more at risk. Opening the door his eyes go wide at the sight of two of his comrades in arms and a slue of his medical staff standing there, all their eyes wide.

“What?” he asks simply, tilting his head to the side. It never occurred to him how much time had passed. They all stare back at him, many concerned, a few annoyed, and the rest unsure of what to think.

~*~*~*~*~

With a whine Dani drops to his knees, watching Kuro fly off enviously. Looking back at his older brother he lets out another whine. Homuraaaa, I'm hurt. . . .My wing it hurts. . . .” Sounding very cute and pathetic he watches as the blind demon approaches, those white eyes clocked on him and glowing slightly.

In a soft voice Homura murmurs, “Are we in trouble? I. . . I think some of my fire went over there. . . .” Dani hisses as Homura kneels down and begins treating his wing. The wound is bad and even the little one knows that it's going to take a little longer than the normal insta-heal the silverette gives him.

Looking towards the barn, observing the large smoking hole Dani shakes his head. “Kuro kept it from doing much. Just a hole. . . .Probably over my bed. . .” He bats Homura gently with his wing, but rather than getting upset the fire bug hangs his head sadly. He put the angel in danger, and that deserves a bat.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sir, you’ve been unresponsive for a little over thirty minutes. We’ve needed your assistance.”

“More importantly,” A second one added, with a glance at the first. “we wanted to make sure you were okay.” Fenrir noticed the nods and concerned looks. “You haven’t quite been focused lately. Is something bothering you?”

The medical angel stared at them for a long moment, still replaying a few of the scenes he had witnessed in the mirror. He was reassuring himself Aoba was okay. With a sigh and nod, Fenrir spoke up. “Everything is fine. I’ve just had a lot of papers to go through.” He gestured over to a stack of papers he had already finished working through. “I foolishly enough try to do most of the work at night and it messes with my sleep schedule.” He wasn’t lying. With the time he spent staring at the mirror, his actual work involving papers had been cut short. He’d try to get some of them done later in the day rather than an appropriate time. . .He simply dodged the entire truth.

~*~

Kyou had cautiously crawled up to Aoba. The fallen angel was hidden in his wings, waiting for the things to end. The demon gently patted Aoba’s wing, taking the time to feel the soft feathers under his palm. “Aoba,” His voice was soft as if he was coaxing a child. Seeing the angel panic like before made him a little more careful. “It’s over. You can come out now.” When the doors slammed open, Kyou jumped and pulled his hand away from Aoba’s feathers. He moved back as if he had done something wrong.

Aoba had folded his wings, looking around carefully. The animals looked safe. Everyone inside looked okay- “K-Kuro!” He only saw the blood. Of course his mind went to the worst and assumed he was hurt and in bad shape. Before he could run over to make sure, Gerard stepped in front of him. The silent look made Aoba’s wing fold a little tighter and made him look at his feet. He stepped backwards. Looking back up, he gave a concerned look. “You’re not hurt too bad are you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'He's safe. . . .' Kuro thinks with a long sigh. However as his body fills with joy at the sight of Aoba racing towards him he feels a sharp pain run through his body, like a white hot brand jabbed into his soul. A fierce snarl finds it's way out as Gerard block's the angel's path and with an unholy growl of fury he stalks into the barn and confronts the priest. Grabbing his shoulder he spins the man, his hand burning as it makes contact with the still livid priest. But Kuro doesn't care. His eyes dance with black flame and his wings spread wide, making him look quite intimidating as the flames dance along their surface.

~*~*~*~*~

The brothers in the field feel their little siblings anger and both are on their feet in an instant. Needing a guide Homura takes Dani's hand as they race along and together they appear in the doorway moments later, both looking ready for a fight. Seeing Kuro facing off against the father Dani darts to his little brother's side, Homura doing likewise on his other side.

Kuro still hasn't let go of Gerard's shoulder and the smell of burnt flesh wafts through the are, exciting and frightening the animals. Unfortunately, the post battle high mixed with the stench of his natural born enemy keeps Kuro from calming down. “You have no right Priest!” This is the first time he's been anything but polite to the man, however while his hand burns, he has as of yet to actually harm the human. Kyou stays as far out of the way as possible. His instincts tell him he should run, but at the moment he's not sure if he's staying put because he's afraid of being mistaken for an enemy, or because he's completely fascinated by what he's seeing.

~~~~~~~~~

The sudden anger from Kuro made Aoba instinctively cower backwards. Much like Kyou, he wanted to stay as far away as possible. Even though this was about him, Aoba was always reminded that everyone could have probably killed him in seconds.

Gerard held his ground. His glare had never changed and he too was prepared to attack if necessary. “I don’t have the right?!” He spat back. The priest thrusted his arm towards Aoba. “This isn’t about me. This is about him! If anything, you don’t have the right! You are a demon! He’s an angel! I don’t care if you weren’t planning to hurt him, you should have known the consequences of your actions. If you really cared for him you’d let him go somewhere safe, where he couldn’t be harmed! I don’t know what guilt trip you’re using but this isn’t fair for him. You’re poisoning him!”

As terrified as Aoba was, he scrambled between them. “F-Father! He is not! He’s doing the best he can to help me. Him and his brothers! Please, it was just- just this once. I’m sure it won’t-”

“You’re sure more demons won’t be after you? After an attack like that? Aoba you have to be serious. That attack put you in more danger. More demons will hear about it. The demons are the son of Satan himself! How long before their father decides to see why his boys are making such a mess?” Gerard was careful not to sound as hostile with Aoba, but that didn’t stop the stern tone in his voice. He had to be tough on the kid sometimes or he’d never learn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The priest snaps about he, a demon, not having the right to keep Aoba around and Kuro is about to snap back when Aoba's words echo through his mind painfully, stilling his tongue and causing him to draw his now bright red hand back from the father's shoulder.

“You're a demon”

“You're heartless. . .”

He barely registers that Aoba has jumped between them as the memory flashes through his mind, once more causing that throbbing pain to render him nearly senseless. Homura and Dani both quiver with the feeling, their concern for their brother making their eyes glow and their wings grow rigid. The words about his father slowly sinks into the youngest sibling and he can feel a faint dread deep inside. 'He's right. . . .I always knew, I just. . . .Didn't want to think about it. . . Pops will come one day, and unless things go smoothly, things will go very, very poorly. . .' A raging conflict starts up inside of him and Dani, seeing no outward response, decides to take up the fight.

His body shift and grows until he's in his “Natural” body. The broad shoulders and almost mane like hair makes him look remarkably like a bipedal lion with his fangs poking out from beneath his lips. With a deep growl he says, “Those assholes above threw him down here. They don't care anymore! Kuro is the only one who really cares around here! And he cares, so I won't let y-” His words are cut off by a soft word from his youngest sibling.

“No.” All eyes turn to Kuro as he says this. Despite being so soft, the word carries a lot of power. Dani stares in shock while Homura stares at him with an expression of intense concentration. Looking carefully past Aoba Kuro once more addresses the priest in the same respectful tone he's always used. “You're right, he's not property, and I have no right to keep him here against his will. But that's what this is all about. His will.” His gaze shifts to Aoba, his eyes distant, calm, not how he normally looks at the angel.

Taking a step forward he reaches inside his shirt and produces something he's quite sure the angel has forgotten about. Not that the object is recognizable as what it once was unless you already know what you're looking at. The once pure white feather that used to cast a glow on everything around it with it's radiance now seems to flicker with dark energy, it's pitch black surface gleaming in the sunlight now steaming into the barn from the hole overhead. Twirling it in his fingers, Kuro begins speaking softly.

“He's not wrong Aoba. We are in essence poisoning you. If you stay here, around us, your wings will eventually look like this.” His gaze remains steady, though it seems to grow slightly more intense as he speaks. “Your body will be corrupted, unable to take in the host ever again. If you stay, you will never, ever be able to return to heaven. The grace will never return to you and you will live a life untouched by Yahweh until the end of time itself. You will always be in danger, and you will continue to become less and less of an angel with every passing moment.”

Dani wants to hiss at his brother, to refute this – even though he knows it's true – But having known this would happen Kuro has his lease so tight that even moving could wound him badly. Homura's eyes are narrowed, trying to figure out what the game is He can tell that it's killing his brother to say these things, but still, he goes on. Taking a slow breath he goes on softly. “Your only chance to return to your home, where you belong, with beings who can love you as you deserve to be loved, is if you leave, now, and never look back. To forget about us, and embrace the light as quickly as possible, before the hosts of hell find you again.”

None of the pain raging inside the tall demon shows, his desire to let Aoba make the choice, to either stay and let him try to be a good partner, even without a heart, or to leave and embrace the world that threw him aside, proving once and for all that heaven's hold on it's children trumps all. He twirls the feather again, the lovely black color making his chest ache even more, but as he glances at the still gray wings actually attached to the object of his desire he knows that there is a good chance he will lose the greatest thing that has ever come into his life today. And that thought is enough to crush the demon's withered, twisted soul.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"D-Dani no!" Aoba didn’t even attempt to go near the sudden transformation that was before them. Gerard was prepared to grab the holy water in his pocket. Kuro, however, stopped them both. Gerard listened to what he said and nodded, moving out of Aoba’s way. This gave the fallen angel a chance to scurry closer, wanting to check on him and make sure he’s okay. His intentions were deterred when Kuro pulled out that familiar black feather. His brow furrowed for a minute before he looked at Kuro. “You told me that Kuro. But you said they were just my wings. . .and you’d like them anyway.” His voice was soft as if he didn’t want the others around to here. This caused Kyou to have to scoot closer.

What he heard next was something he hadn’t wanted to heard. Especially not from Kuro. Why was he saying all of this?! Didn’t he want him to stay?

’You will always be in danger, and you will continue to become less and less of an angel with every passing moment.’ Aoba’s eyes widened some and he stepped back. “But you-” ’No, I’ll always be an angel, fallen or not! And- And you said you’d protect me. . .’ Once again he was faced with that horrid decision of choosing between the two. Why was everything so complicated? He could have had such a simple life if it wasn’t for- for Kuro. No, it wasn’t his fault. . . none of this would have happened if he had kept his mouth shut and decided against helping the demon. He wouldn’t blame Kuro for it.

The confliction never left his eyes. He looked between Kuro and Gerard, hoping someone would say something- anything, but it was left for him to decide. In the end, it was his decision to make. But Aoba didn’t make decisions, he just followed rules and did as he was told. Despite this, he couldn’t help but feel. . .betrayed. Kuro had constantly told him how safe he’d be. He was constantly reassured that he’d be okay. But here Kuro was telling him the exact opposite. Had he been lying the whole time, just to make Aoba stay? He glanced at Dani in his more ‘demonic’ form and then at the hole in the roof. “I. . .” Aoba teared up again. He hated what he was doing, but he. . . He had to. There was no other choice.

“I-I trusted you.” The hurt in his voice was eminent despite how soft he spoke. Aoba couldn’t even figure out what to say after that. The look in his eyes had been enough. What hurt him worse was that he couldn’t find any form of that adoration he always saw in Kuro’s eyes.

He stepped away, leaving the feather with Kuro. Gerard straightened up as Aoba gave him a sad, accepting look. The priest nodded and gently put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing.” Aoba didn’t answer. His gaze fell to the floor as he turned away from the trio of demons.

Kyou had inched even closer, looking between Aoba and Kuro in disbelief. He knew it was probably out of line speaking out but he did so anyway. “Wait you’re leaving?” His headwings drooped. “But- But what about the animals?”

Before Gerard could say that he’d call someone about it, Aoba spoke up first. “Kuro-. . .” Aoba turned his gaze from him to Gerard. “He can have it. . .” Aoba left no explanation as to why, but he was at least sure about the statement. With a nod, Gerard continued to lead him out the barn. He couldn’t help but feel triumph and relief that he got the angel out of the clutches of those demons. He had saved one.