Title: Growing Wings
Summary: She was more than 'The Goddess'. She was Angelus the Dragon, and who were those humans to try to change that?
Notes: I edited it to make it a little less WALL OF TEXT IN YOUR FACE TAKE THAT-y.

-X-X-X-X-X-

She had often wondered what exactly drove her to accept the burden, to make herself known within the human world as 'The Goddess'. Surely she didn't need a title to know that she, as a dragon, was superior to all the humans as a goddess anyway. Power, elegance, beauty, freedom of the skies... Surely only one as mighty as she does not need to be known as a Goddess among the mewling masses.

She was The Goddess in every way, more Goddess even, and no pathetic, restraining, weak, human title would ever change that. She should have been content for only her to know that she is such a being, yet she felt like he had to know.

Yes... That was why she did it... That was why she gave up her freedom of the skies. That was why she accepted the burden of being stranded with these insufferable creatures.

She could no longer fly. She could no longer watch as those limited to the earth's surface cower in her magnificence. She could no longer see him again.

Strangely, the fact she was grounded hurt much less than the fact he wasn't there. It was wrong of her to love such a pathetic mortal, especially since she was a mighty dragon, a ruler of the sky.

She lifted her heavy head up to glance at her surroundings. Nothing had changed; it was still shrouded in dark. Everything was strange to her, and she was eager to learn about it all. However, she couldn't find the strength or will to lift her body or beat her wings to fly.

Tired, she let her head rest on the cold floor, content just to listen to Caim's voice talking to her, telling her it was alright, he was there for her. She realized she would forget Caim soon, the immense pain and pressure taking its toll on her. It felt like she was in another world, only just learning how to survive.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Such a situation reminded Angelus of the fact that she was not always her majestic self. She was once a screeching infant dragon, eager to learn the ways of hunting – which her mother was always delighted to show her – and the ways of the sky. The world had been very different then, and her curiosity led her to be one of the first dragons to come in contact with the humans. She explained to them how her mother considered her ability to fly with blood red wings a signal to all living things that she would herald a new age of fire and infernos. The humans had laughed at her for that, as she was still small regardless of her strength, and that was the first time Angelus had ever felt pure hatred at anything. She reared her head and burnt them all, unleashing her anger, letting it burst out in a wave of blazing flames.

Her mother praised her for showing her dominance over the elements; being younger than any other dragon when they received the blessing of fire, and she presumed the humans to have left her alone and Angelus marked this as the start of her unadulterated ire towards the human race.

Several years later, she realized that the humans had stalked her back to her lair, seeking revenge for their fallen comrades, but had just been regaining their strength. They murdered her mother in cold blood for trying to protect Angelus. She cried out in anguish, burning the cave in which they lived and the humans that murdered her mother. Wrought with grief, she took to the skies and made it her goal to eliminate the humans once and for all.

So when, several hundred thousand years later, when she was found by Caim, grounded by chains and arrows of the Empire jackals sticking out at random (painful) places in her body, she wanted nothing more than to snap off his legs. Caim glared disdainfully at the words the Empire rats had written around her, and when he got round to staring at her, he did so with such vengeful eyes, such grief filled eyes, lifting his sword to strike her down; she saw something of herself in him. She wanted to show him her hatred for humans, and that nothing that mighty beings such as dragons did could provoke such abhorrence. She struggled to speak, yet she managed to squeeze out some anger-lined words in her raspy voice, spitting blood past her maw as she did.

"Kill me if you desire." She growled. "But you can never dirty my soul, wretched human."

Caim had stepped back, looking shocked at her words, lowering his sword slightly, but he recovered himself and raised his sword yet again. "Tell me," He spat, narrowing his eyes at her. "Do you still want to live, dragon!?"

Angelus wondered briefly if he wanted to prolong her torment, and she lifted her bloodstained head to stare the human in his eyes, her blood making disarrayed pools beneath her mouth. She attempted to push her body up using her 'hands' attached to her wings.

It was a degrading position she was in.

A pathetic position that displayed weakness; the very thing she denied herself having. She admitted to herself that it was her blasted pride and arrogance that got her in this situation in the first place, and it was the very thing that almost prevented her from responding. She didn't want to believe that her life rested in the hands of a human. She grunted before asking cautiously, "What?"

"A pact!" He exclaimed, and Angelus closed her eyes, lest she wished to be blinded by her dropping blood. "There's no other way!"

Angelus snorted in contempt. "Hm. What makes you worthy of a pact with me?"

"Worthy or not," Caim had said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I wish to live!" He wavered slightly, almost falling, dizzy with pain. "Despise me if you will, but I shall not die!"

It was then that Angelus took in the ragged gash that ran down his back, leaving a tattered line in his clothing, stained with blood. His every move seemed to be layered with controlled pain that he tried to hide from the Angelus' mocking stare. He staggered back and forth, almost slipping on the blood fallen from his body. Angelus noted that they were both fatally wounded, and unless they made a pact, both would die.

"Your answer," He yelled. "A pact or... death!"

It was then they heard the sound of armoured feet pounding on the concrete, and Caim lowered his sword again to slash at the intruders. Angelus watched with interest.

"Empire rats!" He had said. "You interrupt us!"

He let out a cry and slaughtered them all, with no mark on him. Angelus wondered how he acquired the wound on his back with such skills apparent here. Ambush, perhaps? She carried on staring at him as he mercilessly cut down every single one of the worms, and even she – who had long ago promised herself to annihilate all humans - felt a sense of disgust at his bloodlust and ease at cutting down so many without a hint of hesitation. She deliberated on whether he could further her goal, and whether it would be worth lowering herself to making a pact with a frail human – though Caim was far from frail – to save her life and accomplish her task. Surely it would be, she thought absentmindedly.

She noticed the sounds of battle had disappeared. She looked up in astonishment and tried to hide it.

"Still alive?" She asked, disbelieving. "You're blessed with the devils luck! A pact with you..."

Caim made his slow way to Angelus, leaning on his sword and dragging himself along, his breathing heavy and uneven. He caught his breath and said to her, in a louder voice Angelus thought possible, "Well? Your answer."

She strained her voice to be heard, as her pain was getting unbearable. "A pact." She began. "Death. We are united by our need to live."

"Well?" He repeated.

"Yes..." She said, almost too quietly to her. "A pact."

They went through the ritualistic way of making a pact; tearing out one's own heart and joining it with the one you are making a pact with, and it caused them much pain. Angelus remembered thinking that it mustn't be worth it. This much pain, just for power? This much torturous agony of oblivion just for a chance at survival? She would rather die! But it was over almost as soon as it began, and they pressed their hearts together.

A jolt ran through her, and she felt a connection with Caim that she knew would last as long as either of them would live. Their lives were intertwined, their thoughts no longer their own, their power multiplied by god-knows how much. She found the chains were no lighter than air, the arrows nothing more than mere pricks. With hardly any effort, she shook them off, spread her wings and roared in delight at the thought of being able to fly again. She felt some pressure in the nook where her wing met her neck, but it didn't matter to her anymore! She beat her wings with a power she didn't know possible and blasted off into the air, not giving her pact partner a second thought until his voice crept into her head.

Remember that you are my pact partner for life. You are me and I am you.

She growled in indifference and soared as high as she could before Caim's will forced her to destroy his enemies. Yes... Forget what she thought was flying; that was in the past! She was now something more than dragon, she was a Goddess, and she was going to defy gravity!

-X-X-X-X-X-

Angelus smiled in her dank surroundings as she remembered how she had felt before. It resembled somewhat the feelings she harboured now. She felt weak... Helpless. She was in oblivion; agonizing, black, lonely, dark, heart-rending, prolonged oblivion.

Caim called out to her and it was like a light in darkness. She closed her eyes – at least, she thought she did, she might have opened them – but either way provided no change in her surroundings. It proved her point. She was nowhere – purgatory. She just had to live it through and deal with it.

And then... it was gone.

She roared in shock as the burden on her was lifted, the darkness gone and the pain still remained. She roared again, this time in pain, setting the buildings surrounding her into an inferno. The sky turned black with ash, and she recognized this place as the first time she met Caim. The Goddess Castle.

But... Who was Caim? Her eyes flickered over the cowering citizens she saved with her sacrifice, and she felt compelled to make them suffer as she did. And crushed them under her claws and raised her head to the sky, roaring with anger and betrayal.

"Never Forgive..." She growled, flame licking her defined teeth. "Never Forgive..." She beat her wings in an awesome display of power, blasting the rubble surrounding her into the sky. She kicked off the ground and flew off into the sky turned red with fire. She flew off with only one thought in mind;

"DESTROOOOOY!"

See me grow wings and fly high...
Passions will die...
Down below...