Glass, shattered on the floor, boor closed shut, ripped off its hinges-
The mirror shines, a reflection flickers then fades.
Lying on the ground, face down, glossy eyes wide open.
Lips clamped shut.
Bloody tears stream out from numerous wounds, onto the unforgiving ground.
Skin bruised, tainted claret, robe torn, hair unbound.
No longer saintly, no longer prideful or lively.
Near death on the floor.
Small bloody handprints on the walls, dripping down to stain the carpet, adding to the gore.
Soft breathes, uneven and wispy, fill the air as the victim struggles to survive.
"Darling, darling, always prone to trouble aren't you, don't worry it's one of the things I love about you." The demon's terrifying smile greets the blond child, amber eyes glinting.
"Now you know you need me don't you? With your precious mother dead." No response was merited, nor was it needed. The look of utter defeat was all the demon wanted.
~-~-~
"K-Krad-sama?" Alarmed, the older boy swept into the room, hand clasped to his mouth in horror as he stared down at his fallen comrade. Shakily, a tanned hand lifted the child's tear-stained face to see him.
Bruised lips trembled as the younger child held back sobs, fingers clenching weakly on the knife in their hands, their nails rugged and broken from the struggle. The sobs evolved into wails of anguish as the little clutched to his brother, his cherubic face marred with cuts and small body quivering with hurt.
"What happened?" Argentine whispered glancing around the room as he held his friend; finally he spotted the corpse of their mother, her gorgeous blue eyes darkened with death, stab wounds bright on her white clad chest. Then he too began to shake, not being one to cry, and staggered up, supporting his Krad, his life line.
They stumbled out of the kitchen into the hall and up the staircase to their room. The eldest was bemused to hear footsteps following them, steps creaking, walls groaning, a morbid chanting resounding off the ancient wood. Blood followed them in a trail, outlining their footsteps with care. Abruptly all the doors in the hallway slammed shut, except their own.
His bother went silent finally, though his shoulders still trembled. His wide amber eyes reopened and he blinked away the tears. He gulped in air, trying a few times to speak before finally getting the words out. "He wants us to lie down." He whispered hoarsely, in his high-pitched childish voice.
The mansion's screaming died down, as though to agree with the seven year old innocent. The blonde's face darkened with confusion as the lanterns that lit the way began to glow, even brighter than before, then flicker away. Argentine bit his lip wearily glancing at their room which radiated warmth and comfort, then again, so did the rest of the hall..
"Come one." He commanded, tugging his anxious sibling along with them as they dove into the bedroom chamber, door slamming shut behind them.
The bed covers were pulled back, welcomingly, blood smeared only atop of it as though it had been laid out carefully. Argentine sighed, glancing at their piano which sat in the corner, and at his brother who gazed curiously out the window. The brunet approached his sibling silently, confused at the scene that played out below them.
There was a horde of villagers on the terrace, flooding over the gates with torches and screams muffled by the glass of the window. Suddenly, the curtains slammed shut, wind gusting in the boy's faces. The blond frowned, but made no move to reopen them, simply crawling into the bed, red smearing his clothes even more.
"Play me a song brother." He pleaded as he laid his pretty little delusional head back against the pillow.
Argentine nodded in agreement, and sat down at the piano stool. Then, began to play, a haunting melody that echoed through out the room, lulling the younger brother into a blissful daze, neither quite awake nor asleep.
His other side purred happily.
Sensing his sibling's content, the older brother relaxed, leaving his post to crouch next to his yawning angel, Gently, he wiped away old blood, their mother's blood, which tainted his smooth ivory cheek, then over the light freckles which dotted them and his nose. Krad giggled sleepily, his hand wrapping around the rosary which lay on his neck, his brother always made everything better.
He never quite understood why the other's called his brother a sociopath, he was perfectly normal, to Krad anyway…
Smoke began to slip beneath the door, but neither child made a move to muffle it. The elder having slipped in next to the younger, holding him close as their house burned and their lives slipped away… It's not like he was mentally fit to care anyway.
"G'Night Brother."
"Goodnight Krad-sama."
~-~-
"Hmm…" A dark haired teen slipped into the old mansion easily, jumping over downed rafters and beams with ease, after spending most of his life thieving from ruins and merchants and the like, it was like second nature for him.
"Ah, I feel sorry for you lady." He winced as he raided the kitchen, maintaining a safe distance from the rotting corpse of a young woman in the corner. He shoved eating utensils into a pouch tied to his hip, blinking at the bloody hands on scorched walls and cabinets. And a particularly bloody spot on the carpet.
Deciding there was no more loot on the first floor, he turned back into the main room, then to the staircase. Glancing up he froze.
A child peered down at him through the railing, his expression curious, naïve. His hair was lighter than most in these parts his startling amber eyes wide with youth. Sensing his stare, the child stood without clatter, and walked back down the upper hall, out of sight.
Slightly unnerved, the thief followed, treasure forgotten. The floor boards creaked loudly beneath him as he climbed, ignoring the dark stains beneath his feet. He reached the top with a solid thump, and peered around the corner into the dark passageway. He jumped, surprised, when a near by door crept open, lighting up the darkness.
The little boy peered out at him, his small body transparent in the day's light. He beckoned the thief closer with a small gesture, his face oddly blank.
Dazed, Dark slipped into the airy room. The window was shut, but the curtains were pulled back for him, not layered in the same amount of dust as the other furniture and decorations. The bed covers shifted and he turned slowly, drawing his eyes away from the ruined and overgrown terrace below.
It was the little boy again, his angelic face softened as he smiled, sitting silently on the bed. His victim approached cautiously, sitting beside him. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he pulled back the sheets, revealing the bodies that rested beneath.
What he saw made his throat close, tears rising to his eyes as he brought a hand to his gagging mouth.
Two children, one an early teen, the other not even. Intertwined in the embrace of death. The smaller corpse clutched to a rosary wrapped around its decaying throat. Clothes torn and ragged, hair everywhere, thin lids draping over half open glassy eyes.
Disturbed, Dark realized it was the angel who hovered next to him, sadness on his sweet face.
Hands clasped around the other boy, the dead teen had obviously been awake when he died, his mouth gaping, as though gasping for breath; eyes clenched shut, face stiff with death. He held onto the other for dear life.
Dark shakily draped the blanket back over them, leaving the children in peace. His young guide gazed up at him sorrowfully, then away from his sobbing countenance, mouth moving to call out to another, who had sat unnoticed at the piano.
Ghostly music started, flowing smoothly through out the room, failing to comfort the thief in his anguish. He stumbled from the room, unseeing, not hearing the spirit's warnings as he tripped, falling head first down the stairs, he landed with a final 'crack.' As though to insure his death, a groaning beam fell from the roof, crushing the prone form beneath it.
The angel watched with tears in his eyes.
A hand rested on his shaking shoulder, far larger than his brother's and he fell silent, looking up through wild bangs at his comforter.
Violet eyes stared down at him questioningly, then at the convolving body which he had inhabited just seconds before.
The blond bit his lip, quietly explaining, his eyes downcast.
The thief nodded in acceptance, sweeping the child into his arms with a chaste kiss on the lips, then carried them back up stairs, to where the other being waited, his silver eyes glowing knowingly as he watched his content brother and new companion.
Finally consoled they faded into the afterlife only to be chained down once more, by an artist's hands.
~-~
"Silence." The blond snarled as his prey grumbled about their predicament.
"I thought we were supposed to be sealed!" Dark complained angrily, crossing his arms.
Krad ignored him, walking into the foyer cautiously; it was the picture of perfection. Hard wood floors repolished to a shine, huge windows let light into the formerly somber atmosphere, their curtains drew back. The chandelier was lit with hundreds of candles, walls painted a light welcoming blue.
Oddly enough, he felt at home, as though he'd been here before, had lived here before.
"Hello Krad-chan, what have you got for me today?" Light, loving, a woman's voice floated through his head, from the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes, bringing his hands to his head as repressed memories came trickling through…
"A picture mum, a picture of all of us!" A child's persona, happiness, laughter, emotions unfamiliar to the ice angel.
"It's beautiful, wait who's' that? A crush from the village?" A bright teasing smile, a deft finger poked him on his nose and he giggled, pulling back, a blush lighting his features.
"No mum, its Dark! He's my friend." He informed her laughing.
"Oh Dark, hmm, the Niwa's gorgeous heir." She smirked giving him a wink.
"Mother…" He whined, twirling a strand of light blond around his finger.
"My little boy's growing up! You're going to be leaving soon, forgetting your poor old mother." The woman sighed dramatically, fake tears filling her eyes.
"No mother! Never, all I need is you, only you!" He shouted reverently, his small hands clasping hers.
"One day. You'll see differently…." The memory faded.
"Hey brother, what are you doing?" And came back, replaced by another room, another person.
"Making music." His brother smirked down at him blankly, his antisocial disorder kicking in.
"It sounds…pretty." He finally settled on a word from his limited vocabulary to describe so called music, and then climbed up next to the brunet.
"Not as pretty as you." His brother retorted, draping an arm around blonde possessively.
"Boy's aren't pretty Argentine…" The memories faded again, this time for a while.
"What's a matter with you princess?" Dark sharked at him, watching as the blond swayed, trying to keep his balance.
"S-shut up." He breathed, clutching his head, as the memories came back full force, rushing violently through his mind-sight, blood began to drip from his eyes, mouth and nose as he collapsed, thoughts spinning out of control, the memories taking their toll.
He began to cry, curling into himself as his memories overlapped, the ones of his life before death, and the chained life after. His wings wrapped about him only to be flared out, Krad whimpered in indecision, who was he, the old Krad of the past or the cold Krad of the present? Why didn't anyone else remember, why, why, why, why….
"Krad?" Dark bit his lips, crouching before the seizing angel.
He was met with a broken gasp.
"Krad, settle down." He commanded, inching closer to his shaking counterpart.
Finally, after trying to coax the blond into listening to him, he embraced him, crushing him to his chest as he convolved, staining the thief's shirt red.
"Dark." Krad whimpered, his shoulders heaving as he struggled to keep calm, his face buried in the other's chest.
"Shhh, you're okay, it's going to be alright." Dark reassured both himself and his other; he tilted the trembling boy's head toward him, wiping the blood from the flawless plains of the marble face.
The blonde's quivering faded under the gentle, familiar attentions of his former lover and friend, or enemy, it was all the same.
"It's going to be alright." His thief repeated, holding him close.
~-~-~
Smiling quietly, the brunet slipped the crystal into his pocket, feeling triumphant and content.
Finally his brother had a chance of interrupted peace.
As for him well, he would too, if the silver haired woman at his side had anything to say about it.
Author's note : Ah, this is what comes from listening to perfect circle. A bit of a treat for my loyal reviewers and other's who enjoy my stories. I' afraid I am no use for writing more than one-shot's at the moment, the time is just seeming to slip by and it kills me that I haven't updated. -sigh-
I've got another one-shot up, it hasn't gotten many reviews though, so oh well -shrugs- review if you want. I'd like to say thank you to Stormshadow who was with me from the beginning, when I first began writing here as well as all the others who have me on alert, reviewed, favorited, or read my stories.
No I will not be quiting Fanfiction, just putting my bigger stories on Hatius for a while. You're welcome to reivew and thank you for sticking with me for these past years. :)
Oh and for those that are confused, past Krad has schizophrenia, in which his other personality murders his mother, and Argentine is Antisocial.
Ja ne!
Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel