+A week later+
"…And that's the town's bookstore, where you can buy anything from recent novels to the classics." Sion smiles at the male at his side, dropping his hand. "That pretty much sums up my little tour of No. 6." Nezumi nods slightly, eyes fixed on the last building Sion pointed out hungrily. "What to go in?" Sion asks. The angel glances to the unusual human beside him, trying to find the angle he's playing at, but can only see open kindness in those brown eyes.
Nezumi just can't figure out this boy! Sion allows him to stay for free in his home, demanding nothing at all for the food or room. Not only that, but the teen is naïve and pure as angels are in books at times, yet as clever in sarcasm as Nezumi himself others, making pinning down exactly who he is harder than most people. Sion always seems genuine with his kindness to others, but it's never forced out around Nezumi like it is with some. Sion's always himself around the angel, which Nezumi finds maddening and wonderful at the same time.
Nezumi's heart will gallop faster without his consent, but a warm feeling will spread out to cover his body, making up for the lack of control he experiences. The angel knows if his feelings grow too strong that heaven will be closed to him, and yet he can't bring himself to leave the small bond starting to form behind, already too important to server.
Sion gains something from this odd little friendship as well. Nezumi is like a breath of fresh air in Sion's suffocating life, and his very pretense changes the air around him. The sliver-eyed angel always dresses in bulky clothes and has a look of infinite knowledge about him that entrances Sion like a spell. He cares nothing for the riches Sion's family has, only ever seeking out permission to visit their piano; hardly valuable, it's a hard item to smuggle out under the coat Nezumi always wears.
The angel's vast knowledge of humans and his strong opinions on the foolishness of humanity allows Sion to actually observe and respond to the world and people around him in different eyes for the first time in his life, making him see the reality of the people he spends time around. Sion enjoys his brain actually thinking and working on something other than ecology for once, even if they've already had three fights on their conflicting views of humans in the seven days they've known each other.
Nezumi starts walking slowly to the bookstore, hiding his anticipation well as he takes up Sion's offer. He pauses when the other doesn't follow.
"Go on ahead," Sion tells him, waving Nezumi towards the door. "I'll be across the street looking at some sweets for dinner." Wavering, Nezumi eyes Sion with worry setting over him, but continues to the door anyway, the draw of human thoughts written down and turned into stories too great to hold back. Libraries with books written my mortals are hard to come by in heaven.
He causally walks down the few isles that hold books, no titles catching his eye yet. The word 'Hamlet' on a half-off shelf towards the front of the store pops out at him from a worn book, reminding him of the one actor he'd been assigned to a long time ago. The man had played Hamlet's dead father many times until his own death. Nezumi pulls the book from its resting place on the shelf, careful not to damage it, and flips to the first page. Nezumi is entranced by the familiar story in seconds, the background chatter of the people around him fading.
A strangled cry snaps the angel from the story. 'That sounds like…' His hearts sinks as he quickly sets the book down and runs from the store. Outside is Sion, held to the side of the building opposite the bookstore by a group of thugs. As Nezumi creeps closer, body lowered and ready to attack, he can see the skinny one ransacking Sion's pockets while the other, more chubby guy holds him in place by the throat. In Chubby's hand is a knife, gleaming wickedly in the sun. And people just pass by apathetically, uncaring the rich kid's being threatened!
Quick as the wind, Nezumi sprints forward, still mindful that he can't appear too amazing and reveal his less-than-human status. He punches Skinny hard in the face, knocking him away from Sion before driving his elbow into Chubby's side, making his grip loosen. Nose broken but still conscious, Skinny latches onto the angel's back, wrapping his legs around his waist and trying to get his hands around Nezumi's neck.
Sion, meanwhile, takes advantage of the loosened grip on his neck and kicks Chubby square in the crotch. He squeaks ('Just like a rat,' thinks Sion) and drops his knife. Noticing the guy on Nezumi's back eyeing the blade, Sion quickly scoops it up, away from the muggers.
Hands keep up their effort to grip Nezumi's neck, but the teen makes sure to keep moving his head and body to keep the mugger's balance off. Briskly, he looks around, trying to think of a way to get Skinny off his back. Eyes go to the wall Sion was being held against, and a cruel smirk twists Nezumi's features.
A burst of air comes out of the mugger's lungs as the angel slams back against the wall. Skinny falls off in a huff, stunned. Smiling with relief, Sion walks towards Nezumi, knife still in hand, but suddenly finds himself falling to the ground. His palms bite the dust, blade skipping away on the sidewalk. Chubby has recovered enough to grab his foot and pull him back. Sion gasps out in pain as he's yanked backwards, shirt riding up and belly scratching hard on the loose stones of the sidewalk bite into his skin.
"Sion!" Nezumi yells, charging forward. He bends down to grab the knife's handle without breaking stride and steps down hard on the mugger's hand. Chubby yells in pain as a 'snap' sounds sickeningly from his bone and releases the white haired teen. Sion watches with warped fascination as Nezumi skillfully avoids the man's other hand and sits heavily on his back, twirling the blade so the light it catches hits Chubby's eyes before he flashes the blade to his throat.
"If you ever threaten Sion again, "Nezumi growls, pressing the metal to bite Chubby's neck lightly, "you will die by my blade."
Chubby lets out another squeak, nodding fiercely. As soon as the angel shifts of him, the thief takes off whimpering down the street, cradling his shattered excuse for a hand to his chest and abandoning his friend. Skinny, coming out of his daze, takes one look at Nezumi's hardened expression and runs as well.
Sion gets up and runs to Nezumi, brushing his scrapped hands on his pants. He tactfully waits until the dark haired boy has hidden the knife in his sleeve before giving him a quick hug. He steps back as Nezumi spins around with an unreadable look on his face. "Thank you."
The angel glares hard at the teen. "You're rich, yet you don't know how to defend yourself?" he scoffs. Angels are trained to be prepared for anything, including fights, whether they're a guardian angel or a blessed angel who stays in heaven. Still, Nezumi has always had a love for combat that makes other angel's cautious around him.
Sion has the pride to flush red. "I-I did have instruction for defending myself... for about a minute."
Nezumi cocks an eyebrow. "Which was?"
Sion sighs in defeat. "To run like hell."
The angel gaps at the rich male. "That's it?" he asks incredulously.
"No, I was supposed to kick them in the groin as well," he smirks triumphantly, "which I did."
Laughter overflows from Nezumi's mouth as an image of Sion actually kicking Chubby where it counts flashes through his mind. "You're such an airhead!" He stops laughing, though, when a certain white haired teen beams at him.
"But you'relike a superhero!" he claims. "You took them down like it was nothing!"
Nezumi glares at Sion. "I just threatened to kill a man. You don't care?"
"No," the other responds, cocking his head in a 'what are you talking about?' way. "You're too kind to kill someone else."
The angel's eyes narrow like he's trying to clearly see the male in front of him. "You met me a week ago. You know nothing about me. As far as you know, I could be hired to kill you."
Sion frowns. "Then why didn't you let those guys kill me and save the trouble?" He moves towards Nezumi and lightly elbows him. "Admit it, you like me too much to kill me."
His tone is light and playful, but Nezumi feels a stab of truth at the words. Of course, he refuses to show it. "I was merely doing Your Highnessa favor," he retorts mockingly, knowing Sion hates to be addressed like he's above others.
The teen sticks his tongue out at him. "Don't you have a book to read? You were in the book store for half an hour." Realization dawns in his eyes. "Oh, you have no money."
"I don't want charity," growls Nezumi, dodging the hand reaching for his and hiding his discomfort at loosing his sense of time. He didn't realize he'd been in there that long! 'No wonder Sion was robbed! Probably standing there, zoning out like a moron.'
Sion glares. "It's not charity: it's a friend buying the other a gift." He succeeds in grabbing Nezumi's hand and pulls him along. "And for that matter, aren't you technically accepting charity by staying at my house?"
"But I fully intend to get a job," growls Nezumi. He asked Sion's mother, Karan, yesterday for some places hiring. She smiled warmly at him and said she'd look for him, but that he could stay as long as he wanted.
Sion ignores him a forges ahead into the bookstore. He demands the angel tell him what book he'd been reading, but Nezumi refuses. He pouts and looks around the store, eyes stopping on some girls giggling close by.
"Excuse me," he starts, walk towards them with an open smile, "did you happen to see what book my friend here was reading."
"I'm not your friend!" barks out Nezumi.
"R-really?" Sion looks pleadingly at him, eyes filling with (imaginary) tears. The girls both shoot Nezumi glares as they start forward to console the teen.
The angel sighs and drags Sion away. "It was over here." In the window they pass, Nezumi can see the reflection of the other's smug smile. 'Great, he played me,' he thinks, but with more amusement than anger. 'So he is learning.'
Nezumi stops at the shelf he was originally at and picks up Hamlet. "Ever read it?" he asks Sion indifferently as they move to the check-out line to pay.
"I heard it was a classic, but I never got around to it," Sion admits, looking around the store with a child-like curiosity. "In fact, I really haven't been able to read much at all."
Nezumi's eyebrows raise in awe. "No Shakespeare?" he asks, disbelieving. "Even Iknow some of his work! The man was a genius!" He stalks back over to the half-off shelf, grabbing 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' and 'The Taming of the Shrew.' "You're going to read these!" he yells at Sion, shoving the books to his chest. The angel, uncaring about the attention he's getting, berates Sion's general knowledge of literature the whole time they wait in the small check-out line.
"-and I can't believe you've never read a book!" Nezumi tells him, winding down.
The teen flushes red. "I've read some books," he defends as they move up to the register. He gives the worker the books with a smile before continuing. "They've mostly been Ecology, but Mom used to read fairy tales to me."
Nezumi sighs. "That's beside the point."
"Then what is the point?" Sion questions as he hands over money. The lady hands it back to him before moving on to the next customer. Her eyes follow the strange pair out the door as they leave, remembering the rumor that Sion's family is looking for a wife for the teen and wondering how the brunette can smile so easily. Of course, both Nezumi and Sion know nothing about the unusually truthful rumor and continue to argue on the way back to the house, carefree and ignorant.
"You've never even heard the 'All the World's a Stage' monologue from 'As You Like It?'" Nezumi asks, appalled.
"What's a monologue?" asks Sion.
Nezumi stops dead in the street before announcing loudly in a voice any actor would kill for, "All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
He holds up one finger as he continues, not noticing Sion staring at him admiringly.
"At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms."
Another finger, voice ringing true in the air. "And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school."
Nezumi looks at Sion and smirks slightly before going over to him and stage whispering closely to his face in a husky voice, "And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow."
"Then a soldier," he continues, moving away from the slightly blushing boy and squaring his shoulders impressively as his voice's volume increases to yell out like a general,
"Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth."
"And then the justice," he lets his posture relax and slouches slightly, voice becoming almost fatherly,
"In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part."
"The sixth age shifts," Nezumi announces in a soft tone, aware now of the audience he's gained,
"Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
"Last scene of all," the angel says, letting his tone give way to eeriness that humans can only hear when Death speaks to them on their deathbed,
"That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth,sans eyes, sans taste… sans everything."
Applause erupts from the people watching, and a few even throw coins at Nezumi's feet. He rolls his eyes but picks up the money anyway; no use letting it got to waste. Sion kneels down to help, practically beaming at the angel.
"What?"
"You're amazing!" he gushes, eyes shining with admiration. "I didn't know you could do that!"
'Thank god my hair is hanging between us,' thinks Nezumi as a blush rises to his face when he catches sight of the teen's hundred-watt smile that puts the sun to shame.
"Don't say stupid things," he tells Sion, finishing gathering the coins and starting home. 'When did I start thinking of it has home?'
The white haired boy frowns, but it comes out more as a pout. "I'm not stupid."
'Wow, he's so c- no!' The angel mentally shakes his head. 'I can't think like that!' Nezumi scolds, but his heart is already lost to the one walking by him. It's just a matter of time before he realizes it.
+one month later+
The new knife Nezumi always carries with him seems heavy and uncomfortable at first, but it soon becomes a source of comfort for him and protection for Sion. Sion's threatened almost daily since the muggers flock to the always well-dressed teen like a moth to flame every time they go out to do something in town to get away from Sion's endless studies. The angel's learned, though, that most back off with just a flash of his knife's blade.
He's also finally figured out that he is head over heels for a certain airhead.
Nezumi still hasn't the faintest clue how he fell so hard. The guy's sheltered and the 'Most Likely to Die Young' list's poster boy! Still, Nezumi found every excuse to stay near Sion, ignoring the knowing looks from his mother, Karan, and the glares from his bastard of a father whom he's too lazy to learn the name of. It wasn't until the strong desire to touch Sion finally come to light Nezumi realized his attachment to the teen was less than innocent. Still, he's content with this life, even if he's never told Sion how he feels. Sion has expectations he must carry out, and a boyfriend isn't one of them. Nezumi, aware of this, let the friendship full of meaningful conversations, teasing, and fights resolved by the end of the day be enough… until one day…
"It's no fair!" complains Sion from the floor. An Ecology book and notes lay scattered around him on the hardwood floor, forgotten, as he chews on his pencil and glares at Nezumi. "How can you play andsing? Who are you, god?"
Nezumi smirks from the piano chair, playing a simple melody to enrage Sion even more. "You ever just wonder if I'm normal and youare the one below par?" Sion playfully throws his pencil at the angel, an action his mother happens to see as she enters the room.
"Sion!" she exclaims, smile unable to be suppressed. "What have I told you about throwing pencils? You'll poke someone's eye out, and it would be such a same for Nezumi to lose his exotic gray eyes."
Karan moves further into the room, fondly pats both boy's heads and smiling brightly at Nezumi, grateful to him for being her son's first real friend. She can still remember back when Sion had seemed so... deadto everyone. Ever since the strange boy came, however, her son's pale checks have ained color, and his smile real again. She owes such a debt to Nezumi she'd happily given him her son's hand in marriage. Too bad her husband has other plans.
"Your father wants to see you," Karan gently tells her son, helping him to his feet. "Only you," she adds when Nezumi gets up as well. Both frown at being separated and breaking the peaceful atmosphere, but the angel lets him go. After all, Nezumi has every intention of eavesdropping.
"If you want to listen, use the vent down the hall," Karan tells him as she exits the room, a knowing look on her face. Of course she knows about his feelings; she's a mother. The angel takes her advice and quickly leaves the room.
He crotches down in the hallway, making sure no servants see him before pressing the side of his head to the vent.
Sion's cautious voice travels up to him, ringing clear in his ear. "You wanted to see me?"
Sion nervously enters his father's large study, knowing he's either in trouble or about to get life-changing news; his father wouldn't bother with him otherwise. The curtains are drawn, making the room seem foreboding. It's even worse when he closes the door behind him; the dark colors and lengthened shadows in the room don't help one bit to calm his nerves.
Several tense moments pass.
"You wanted to see me?" Sion asks, unable to stand the atmosphere.
His father, Rashi, looks up from the document he's looking at to study his son with eyes holding no warmth or love. "I've arranged for you to marry that girl Safu you've met at the few parties you've attended. Tomorrow, you will put your studies on hold to go help her pick out the dress." He says is casually, like he's just talking about the weather as apposed to his son's future.
Sion's heart plunges to hell. "What?" he yells. "I'm only sixteen!" Sure, him and Safu have both grown up relevantly close since they're some of the only kids in the rich families that aren't spoiled, but Sion only thinks of her as a friend- no, a sister! A life with her? It's unthinkable!
Rashi scoffs at him, but it's different from the way Nezumi does it. This one is full of loathing while the one Sion's used to is full of a fond annoyance he's come to love. "I was married to your mother at fifteen with less interaction between us than you and Safu." The man gestures at his wide office filled with expensive items. "I think it's gone pretty well."
'If by 'pretty well' he means they never talk and Mom is miserable, then, yeah, it's gone perfect!' thinks the teen bitterly. Sion grits his teeth to hold back the obscenities he's learned from Nezumi and grounds out, "Is that all?"
His father waves him away. "Glad you understand. Go study."
Sion yanks the door open, suppressing the urge to slam it behind him as he stalks down the hall back to Nezumi.
"I've arranged for you to marry that girl Safu you've met at the few parties you've attended. Tomorrow, you will put your studies on hold to go help her pick out the dress."
Nezumi gasps and flings himself away from the vent, Sion's voice echoing loudly as he protests. 'No!' he screams in his mind, despair echoing through his body. Sion married to some girl? He'll have to move out of this house, get a job at sixteen just to support him and his new wife, and slowly turn into a bitter adult with the world pushing and shoving on him till he became as bitter as his father; Nezumi's seen it happen multiple times. He feels his frustration rise at the thought of Sion starting a family with this Safu. No, the angel was the only one who should touch him! Day after day of the agony of not taking what he wanted and hiding his feelings tares him apart, and now he would lose him without even a chance?
"Nezumi?" He snaps his head up to meet concerned brown eyes as Sion spots him kneeling on the floor. "What are you doing?"
The angel stares at Sion, body shaking with the strain to not grab him and slam his lips against his. Nezumi hides his desire and sadness behind a cocky smile, standing up. "Planting bombs in your house." He snaps his fingers. "Too bad you caught me."
Sion rolls his eyes and moves back towards the room they were previously occupying. Nezumi follows at a slower pace, the weight of the situation dragging him down. He sits back down at the piano and stares into space, absentmindedly playing a disturbingly sad song with one hand.
"Why are you so sad?" asks Sion, sliding on the bench net to Nezumi instead of returning to his studies like he should.
The silver-eyed angel stops playing to study the other. "I'm not. Why would I be?"
"I don't know! You're so difficult!" yells Sion, throwing his hands in the air. He sighs and runs a hair through his brown hair, frustration in his eyes. He didn't need something going on with his best friend with the looming marriage he's being forced into. "Is there something I can do to cheer you up?"
Nezumi scans the teen's body. There is, but Sion would never do it; humans just didn't support the same gender mixing, even if one member wasn't exactly human. "No." It's flat, unemotional, and uncaring. The angel ignores the look of hurt he receives and gets up to walk out of the room. He stops in his tracks when a hand grabs his arm. It's noticeably smooth from no physical labor of any kind.
"You heard about Safu, didn't you?" Nezumi doesn't meet Sion's eyes. "Why? Why are you so mad? It's no like I can help it!" Sion tightens his hold. "What can I do? It's not like Father will listen to what I want!"
The angel rips his arm away, closing his eyes in annoyance. "If you're not willing to fight for it then it's not worth anything to you," Nezumi spats, a horrible desire to burn everything dancing in behind his lids as he leaves Sion alone with the piano.
"Sion!"
The brunette gives a start as his friend- no fiancée- yells his name. He sheepishly looks around the store and apologizes as everyone turns towards the couple to see the problem. Other teen brides just roll their eyes, glancing at their equally unresponsive grooms. After all, who would expect a teen forced into marriage to really care about a wedding dress?
Safu rolls her eyes as she looks at a complicated dress that makes Sion cross-eyed. "At least pretend to pay attention like the other grooms." Her eyes turn concerned. "What's on your mind?"
The teen just smiles and shakes his head, trying to resist looking longingly at the book shop across the street. Sion tries to distract himself by looking at the other dresses around him in the shop, but all it does is remind him of the enviable wedding to come.
If you're not willing to fight for it then it's not worth anything to you.
'How am I supposed to fight, Nezumi?' thinks Sion bitterly. 'Everyone in this country and the next knows about Father's temper! Say no to him and you may not be alive the next day.' He lightly touches his cheek where the physical bruises his father would make during his childhood had faded long ago. 'Family isn't excluded.'
His brown eyes somehow land on the bookstore again, but all he can see are angry mercury eyes looking at him. There's no doubt in Sion's mind Nezumi heard the conversation, but what right did he have to be mad? It's Sionwho had to get married! The other can easily leave and go see all the places Sion never will now that he has to take care of a wife he doesn't even want. To make it worse, Nezumi's avoiding him, or they're taking turns avoiding each other. Sion desperately wants his friend back but can never find the right words to fix the situation.
"I'm done." Safu's flat voice nips the reluctant groom's thoughts as she walks passed with a bag containing the dress she picked out herself. "I'll just go home; forget about the rest." The bell above the door jingles as she leaves.
"Safu!" The teen chases after his old friend, silently yelling at himself for being such an airhead, which just reminds him of Nezumi all the more. "Safu!" he screams again, accidentally attracting the attention of a certain angel in the bookstore close by.
He finally catches up to her a few blocks later and grabs her arm to swing her around. "What?" she demands, tears in her eyes. "You think I don't know you don't want to get married? Guess what? I do!" Sion recoils in his mind but forces his body to remain still. He thought Safu was against the idea as much as him. "I love you!" she confesses, dropping her wedding gown.
'Where'd he go?' thinks Nezumi as he casually strolls down the street, a new book in hand. Sure, the girl's feelings have no value to him, but Sion could get robbed again if he didn't keep a close eye on him. 'Is that…?' Gray eyes widen in shock as he sees familiar brown hair with fingers woven into it. He shifts to the side a little more and almost dies right there.
Sion is kissing Safu.
Nezumi feels a forbidden feeling burst in him, free from its dam as he touches the blade in his jacket, eyes locked on that hated girl.
Blood lust.
Sion's shocked when Safu kisses him and awkwardly places his hands on her hips, unsure of what to do. An image of Nezumi's mad eyes flashes in his mind. Angry, he kisses Safu back to chase the picture away, much to the surprise of the girl.
'I can give her a chance,' he thinks, quickly pulling away when she tries to make the kiss deeper. 'I have to.' Sion takes the dazed Safu's hand and leads her to their next destination, shaking his head at the feeling of guilt in his chest.
More then once, his thoughts go to Nezumi during the day. 'No! I'm marrying Safu!' he screams to himself , getting strange looks from Safu went his expression becomes furious without anything being said to him. He accidentally snaps at the workers asking about food, trips every two minutes when trying to learn to waltz, and barely eats anything as his thoughts go around like a merry-go-round.
Even when he walks into his house after the dropping Safu off close to home, he's still fighting with himself. 'Nezumi is a guy! Guys don't like guys! I shouldn't feel guilty; I should feel happy I'm being married to someone like Safu!' He's so lost in his thoughts Sion doesn't realize the object of his confusion is right next to him until he's shoved roughly against the wall.
"Wha-" Sion's eyes go wide as his lips are caught by the angel's in a bruising kiss. His body freezes in shock as Nezumi licks his bottom lip, more in a warning that he'll enter than a request. "Nezumi," the boy tries to say, but he other's tongue cuts him off, probing his own. Sion's brain goes fuzzy for a moment at the sensation and feeling that sweeps over him, but then reality sets in.
"Nezumi!" he yells, attempting to push the other off him.
The angel mentally laughs at his lack of strength but slightly moves his body back, disconnecting their lips. "Yes?" he leers.
"This…we can't do this!" explodes Sion. "I'm getting married…and we're guys…and I'm getting married…"
Nezumi snorts. "Not anymore." The angel moves forward to kiss him again but stops when Sion holds his arms out again to push him away.
"G-get out…" he whispers, head swimming with feelings he didn't even know he had. "Just…leave…" Nezumi blinks once at him before turning on his heel, walking calmly to the door, and slamming it behind him as he leaves. It's a miracle the wood does't break in half.
The strong wave of emotions knocks Sion off his feet, and he slides to the ground, running his tongue over his lips and staring numbly at the door.
Karan's voice echoes from in the house. "Sion? Sion, is that you? Please answer! Are you okay? Sion!" He looks up with a dazed expression as his mother charges in. She drops to her knees and embraces her son, body shaking. "I…I thought…Oh, Sion! My baby!"
He frowns as he returns her hug, daze receding with a new problem introduced to him. "What happened?"
She pulls back, making sure to look Sion right in the eye. "It's Safu…she's dead.
He feels a rush of joy at Safu's death- 'I can be free!'- but then almost drowns in shame at his joy. Who takes happiness at death? Only a monster.
"How?" asks the teen, feeling his gut twist as Nezumi's words echo in his head.
"…I'm getting married…"
Nezumi snorts. "Not anymore."
Karan looks to the door that slammed not a minute ago. "Her throat and wrists had been slit; she was left in an alley to bleed to death." She touches her son's cheek, wiping the tears that started to fall gently with her finger before pulling him back in a hug.
Sion cries into her shirt, feeling so confused as to why he wants Nezumi to be the one holding him with such love even though he'd caused the sorrow in the first place. It's a feeling he takes and locks in his heart, stifling the desire to run after his friend and apologize for pushing him away. No, now he must grieve with his mother for his friend.
Nezumi kicks the wall belonging to the building across from the church holding a service for 'poor' Safu as he sees a black-clad Sion disappear inside. It isn't that Sion was mourning the girl that made him mad. No, it's the completely closed-off look in his eyes. What the angel wouldn't give to get that look out if his eyes, to get him away from this damned place and back to Nezumi.
"You're a desperate angel to give off this strong feeling of blatant sin," observes a cocky voice. Nezumi spins around to see a man leaning on nothing but air, downing a bottle of whisky. His hairline is just starting to recede, and he has a small mustache Nezumi feels the urge to pull off. "Are you willing to enter a deal for that cute human?"
The angel backs up, palming his blade still dark with Safu's blood with a forced smirk. "What a dumb question, Rikiga, or do you prefer Satan? I'm sure you know what I already did; what's a deal with you after murder?"
The devil smiles and snaps his fingers. Shadows lunge at the angel, holding his arms and legs firmly in place and pulling the knife away from him. Nezumi doesn't even flinch; his gray eyes hold Rikiga's at the devil comes closer, hand transforming into a claw with razor-sharp nails.
"I will change you to a more…acceptable form that the human Sion will not reject in return for your wings," he tells Nezumi, placing one pitch-black nail on the exposed flesh of the angel's arm, tracing it lovingly. "Do you accept?"
The church bell tolls for the funereal Nezumi caused with his own hands. He casts one longing glance at the church, hoping for a glimpse of Sion as he nods in agreement.
A small hiss of pain barely audible escapes Nezumi's mouth as Rikiga pricks him. One fat bead of golden blood- ichor- springs from the cut. It slowly slides down the angel's arm, leaving a small path of gold on his skin before free-falling into the air. As it falls, the golden color turns a mortal red, sinking into the shadows.
The darkness ripples and immediately moves to surround Nezumi in a single moment. Horrible pain like he never felt before rips through his body, slashing his whole body apart. He experiences earth-shattering agony no mortal could survive as one perfect wing is torn from his body and then the other, creating an open would that the shadows can use to get inside him.
Still, he doesn't fight. Nezumi lets the dark move in through the open gashes, fusing in with his blood- his very existence- to change him. A heartbeat sputters to life, roaring in his ears as his whole body tingles with fever. His hair grows out and spills on the sidewalk, his limbs become slightly leaner and more feminine, and his waist shrinks while his chest grows.
"I wish you luck, fallen angel," whispers Rikiga as the transformation finishes, holding two small charms in the shape of wings. He strolls away, completely unconcerned about the human female lying in the street, tossing the charms in the air without a care in the world.
Nezumi tries to move, but black still dots his vision, moving in fast to knock him out. Still, not once ounce of guilt is in his body. In fact, his last thought is he'd do it all over again just for the chance he's been given.