Author's Note: This story was inspired by Mythyra Mystic's story, Aiden. Her fic is fantastic, I highly recommend! Thank you again to Mythyra for giving me permission to venture into her universe and tweak to my hearts desire.

Set 5 Years Before The Events of Legion

Zuriel fell to the ground with a hard thud, she curled into herself while covering her face. Her mother stood over her, kicking and punching her. The young girl screamed and begged for the pain to cease, but it didn't until her mother was satisfied with the crunch of her boot against Zuriel's rib cage. The girl coughed blood which smeared the floor and made her dark curls stick to her skin. Her mother spat on the floor near Zuri's face and stalked off out the front door.

She laid there for what felt like hours before she managed to roll onto her hands and knees and push up into a wobbly stand. Zuri made her way into the kitchen to clean the blood and sweat off her face before returning to her place in the livingroom and cleaning the floor. Zuriel sat on the couch, sobbing into her hands. Her ribs ached and throbbed, but she knew she couldn't go to the hospital.

The girl also knew she'd have to skip school the next few days for the bruises on her arms and no doubt on her face, to heal over.

x-x-x-x-x

Michael peered down as he often did to look upon Zuriel, she was shaking and crying in her livingroom. Upon closer inspection of her physical condition he could see the bruises upon her skin, and the two broken ribs under her flesh. He sighed, standing to move away from the cloud that acted as his portal to seeing the mortals below and made his way to God.

Enough was enough, it was time he was allowed to rescue her. Afterall, she was the soon to be warrior to guard the next Messiah.

x-x-x-x-x

Zuriel left the house early the next morning, having her black curls loose around her face. She wore a thick layer of concealer to cover the bruise across her left cheek and a bit on the back of her hands. She wore a gray thermal shirt under a leather jacket with black jeans and combat boots. With a glance at the couch, her mother was still fast asleep.

She left the house almost an hour before school should start and walked to the library. It was early and the New York air was crisp and cool for the beginning of September. Zuri didn't seem to mind, the chilly air helped the burning of her new bruises and her old. She was certain her ribs were broken, so she moved with a caution; each step causing her a severe ache to rush through her body. After a while, the ache was just a burn she could ignore.

Zuriel felt a warm presence as she neared an upcoming alley to her left, she thought it was the heat coming from the back of the pizza place she was about to pass. She paused for a moment, looking around the light foot traffic of the streets and the few cars already going about their days and decided to stop and warm her hands; she could hardly feel her thin fingers.

She entered with a slight caution, the dim alley was obviously empty as she continued toward the heat. She settled beside the back door of the pizza place and placed her hands against the warm door, sighing quietly against it. Zuriel felt content for the first time a long while, being away from her abusive mother and the pressure of school and hiding the evidence of the abuse.

Then, suddenly a hand flew over her mouth as a man stood in front of her. She hadn't realized her eyes were shut or that she'd settled against the dirt covered ground until then. She looked panicked as he leaned in, catching her wrist in the his other hand. Zuriel let out a yelp as he easily caught her left wrist in his large palm, a fearful look flooding her golden eyes.

"Shh, shh, Zuriel calm yourself. I won't hurt you." Her name coming from his lips sent another wave of fear through her, despite his voice being somehow familiar. She didn't know how he knew her name, and as she kept staring into his blue orbs she realized she couldn't fight back in her condition. Zuri decided to wait for an opening to allow herself to run, because if she was anything, it was fast.

Her eyes roamed over him, he was wearing armor which made a surprised look cross her eyes as she leaned back. Her head bumped lightly into the brick building as his hand, warm and almost reassuring followed to hold over her mouth. Then, her eyes fell to his magnificent wings which seemed to be made of steel.

"Zuriel, look at me." His voice, steady and even. She couldn't place how she knew it, but she did. She was positive of that if nothing else. Zuri met his gaze and he smiled, her heart which was already beating rapidly, skipped.

"I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth now, please do not scream." She nodded rather quickly at this, feeling his hand fall away and the other releasing one of her arms. She watches with mild interest as he pushes her sleeve up to reveal her bruised and scarred flesh beneath. Something in this man, no this Angel, breaks at the sight. His brow furrows as he gently turns her arm over to view her inner flesh. Some of the marks are older here, but seem uglier to Zuriel as they're different shades of yellow, purple, and a bit of black.

Zuri tugs her arm, hoping he'll let go, but he doesn't at first. His fingers holding her hand give a slight squeeze as a signal to wait just a bit longer. Eventually, he does let go, his eyes returning to her face. His large hand coming to her cheek, making her flinch then freeze, she can hear the soft cooing sounds he makes to help reassure her as he wipes away at the make up.

A tear slips passed her eye and down her cheek, the angel wiping it away. "Come with me Zuriel, I'll take you away from all the pain." His hand is open to her, offering her a choice; offering her freedom. She stares at it for a long time, staying crouched against the ground with the hardness of it biting into her knees.

"How do I know I can trust you?" He smiles at this, staying bent onto his knee with his hand held out. He doesn't seem bothered by her question at all, though somehow Zuriel thinks she's being ridiculous. He is an Angel… Isn't that enough?

"I've watched over you since the moment you were conceived, since the very first breath you breathed within your mother's womb. I've seen so much happen to you, and now I'm here to end it." He is calm, he is patient and as she keeps staring she can see the clean cut of his blonde hair, the ever so slight bit of stubble around his jaw. Zuriel closes her eyes tight, pulling in a huge gasp of air and taking his hand.

x-x-x-x-x

Michael brings Zuriel to an apartment that is seemingly owned by a mysterious bank rep that comes and goes at all hours of the night and day. The people within the building seem hardly interested in knowing more than necessary, as it should be with the wards around the place. The apartment itself is a sanctuary for angels that are sent to earth on missions as a place of rest if needed.

Zuriel is very timid, quiet and keeps close to Michael until they enter the apartment. Once the door is shut, she releases the hold on his hand and moves away from him to sit on the couch within the large space. Along the way there, Michael had briefly explained his name and that she'd learn more once they were alone.

Sitting there she held her hand over her ribs, she felt a bit light headed as she clutched at her skull. The angel came over to sit across from her on the wooden coffee table. "Zuriel, let me heal you." The girl jerked her head up at his words, whispering a quick "What?" at his statement.

"I can heal you and patch up the worst pains of your body, later I'll need to do more extensive healing, but for now I need to fix your ribs and stop your internal bleeding. The fact you've made it this long since your mother beat you last night, is literally a miracle." Zuri shook her head, trying to push away the thick fuzziness that was clouding her train of thought.

"Okay, yes, please make it stop." She hisses out the words as she reaches for him, Michael carefully coming to lift her off the couch and carry her to the bedroom. He lays her down as a whine of pain escapes her lips, Michael settles onto the bed without jostling her too much, his left hip against hers. Her hand clutches hard onto his thigh, watching him roll up her shirt to rest under her bust.

Up close, the bruises, marks, and scars look so much worse. He grimaces at them, unable to contain his own grief coming to the surface. "Michael, please." The angel glances at her face before his steady hands rest against her broken ribs, the other tracing slowly up and down over where he can feel the steady stream of internal bleeds.

Michael's eyes fall close, whispering soft ancient words that Zuri can't identify. Her eyes roll in pain, feeling the flesh and bone slowly piecing back together, her nails dig hard into the leather of his pants. She's mumbling incoherently, though the one thing that is steady is how certain he is with every movement, how comforting his touch against her injuries feels.

Zuriel slips off into a gentle lull of unconsciousness, the pain slipping away just like her thoughts.

x-x-x-x-x

The angel looked down at the work he'd done on Zuriel's torso, seeing the bruises faded completely at his healing touch, her ribs once again whole and her internal organs stitched together once more, the flesh sealing against itself to remain intact. Her torso held a slight glow, the soft caramel of her skin clear and healthy though she was a bit thin.

Her hand was limp against his thigh, her breathing even as her heart beat steadily. She looked peaceful despite the bruise across her cheek. He knew she had so much more that needed his attention, and he was more than willing to give it. Michael traced his hands slowly over her covered arms, hips, and legs to feel the extensive damage under the thin fabric.

Michael moved off the bed, removing her shoes and socks, tucking a blanket around her as she rest. He knew what he'd have to do, he had to rebuild every piece of her, until she was reborn into a world where her life was still tragic, but her body wouldn't be the living evidence of such a thing.