Updates may be a bit sparse because I have a lot of work right now from school and I've been sick :P I'll update my other stories shortly! For now please forgive me for being slow :P

Akihiko Usami

The angel quickly withdrew his wings, the feathers drawing into his back where they disappeared as soon as his feet landed upon the solid earth. He looked up towards the sky, waiting to hear the other's voice. "Isaka-san, you'd better start explaining."

"We chose you to do this job because you're one of the most recent recruits, since you've only technically 'died' yesterday."

"What? But I've been in heaven for several weeks!"

"Yeah, well, there's a bit of temporal discontinuity between the two places and it all works out for us in the end. So basically, you've just died yesterday in this realm."

"..."

"Now, since not much time has elapsed, we can easily swap around a few things to make it look like you were just seriously ill. You'll be able to blend in like a normal human easily, as long as you don't do anything stupid."

"How am I going to help Takahiro if I can't use my powers?"

"Goddamnit, Akihiko. You're not here to help Takahiro, you're here to get rid of that demon before it wreaks havoc upon humanity! And if possible, find out how it even got here in the first place. You can use your powers, as long as you're sure that there are no humans in the vicinity."

"...Right."

"I'm serious. Don't meddle in any affairs you shouldn't be, or you're no different from that demon. Takahiro's currently being cared for by other humans anyway, so don't let him distract you from your duty."

"..."

"If you do anything out of line, I'll go down there and drag your ass back to heaven and send someone else in your place. If you think you can't do this, you'd better tell me right now."

Akihiko's eyes darkened. No, this is a good opportunity to get revenge on whoever hurt Takahiro. I can't pass this up. "I can do it."

"Good. By the way, you should know that the demon has cloaked himself as a human. We can no longer trace his location, but he was last seen right outside the hospital Takahiro's in, a couple of blocks from where you are right now. That idiot even revealed himself to all the humans and we had to cover for him and wipe the recent memories of anyone who had traces of him on them, including Takahiro. This is a risky business, Akihiko. Stay sharp."

"I will."

"Now that you're back on earth, you'll need to act like a human again. That means eating, drinking, and dressing normally. We've reclaimed your flat from the authorities, removed your body and informed them that you have recovered from your illness, so go about business as you did when you were alive."

"Alright."

"And make sure to scour every street for that demon. It's in human form, so it can't have gotten far without its wings. I have other business to attend to, so I won't be watching or guiding your every mood. I'm trusting your judgement here, so don't abuse it!"

"I get it," Akihiko replied solemnly.

"I'll check up on you later." He felt the other angel's presence withdraw and knew that he was alone.

First things first, visit Takahiro.

"I'm here to see Takahiro Takahashi."

"Ah, he was just moved from the emergency room to room B7 on the second level."

"Thanks." Akihiko wasted no time in hurrying up the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. "B7, the receptionist said?" he muttered under his breath. He didn't even know what to think, except worry about Takahiro's condition. He was just moved out of the emergency room, so that must mean he's fine… right?

Bursting into the room, he caught the attention of a couple of nurses at Takahiro's bedside.

"Excuse me sir, we need you to calm down so you don't alarm the patient."

"No, it's okay," Takahiro rasped, clearing his throat. "Usagi, is that you?"

"Yes…" Akihiko whispered, almost reverently. "It's me…"

"I thought you were sick… they told me you might not make it."

"I'm fine, but what about you? You look… terrible." He winced as Takahiro shifted in bed, eyeing the bandages covering his wrists. He was sure that beneath that blanket, there were far more and the angel's body began to shake in rage. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't remember." Takahiro shook his head. "I can't remember anything that happened last night, except that we were being chased by a group of thugs, and then…" he sat up suddenly, eyes wide. "Misaki!"

Damn it, I forgot that they've wiped everyone's memory. "What?"

"Misaki! They must have my brother. Have you seen him? He's got brown hair, green eyes, not very tall-"

"Takahiro! Calm down. What about your brother?"

"He was with me when we were attacked. I haven't seen him since. Where is he? Is he alive? Can you-"

"Calm down! I'll try to find him for you."

"Thank you, Usagi, thank you. I… I can't live without my brother… he must be looking for me as well if he..." Takahiro gulped. "...if he's still alive."

"I'll do my best," Akihiko sighed, knowing that he could never deny Takahiro anything.

Misaki Takahashi

He'd fallen asleep in an alley, curled among empty cardboard boxes. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes wearily and inspected his surroundings. Where the hell am I?

Misaki and Takahiro had been attacked by a gang of thugs, and somehow, despite being surrounded, outnumbered and weaponless, they had both survived. Or, at least he did… I died, didn't I? Misaki lowered his gaze to his hands, which seemed to him real enough with flesh and blood. But there were scabs over his knuckles where his claws had broken through the skin that refused to allow him to believe that the events of last night had all been a dream or hallucination, and there was a persistent stinging on the surface of his back that made him realize there were probably similar scars there as well.

What… what is this? What am I? he wondered, rubbing his hands together. It was chilly and the cold bit at his back and poor clothing. Nii-chan, are you okay?

He sighed. Maybe I can retrieve our things if they're still there, he thought futilely, standing up.

After several hours of wandering he finally made his way back to the alley where they'd been assaulted. As he rounded the corner, he found the whole area taped off, surrounded by policemen. Dirty rats, they've probably only done that so they can claim the remains as their own, he though angrily, yet he froze as he beheld the bodies that lay upon the ground.

Among the bloody ruins of the robbers' bodies lay his own pale, slashed body. It was undeniably his, even despite the severe knifing it'd taken.

How am I here… if I am also there…

Even more shocking to him were the dead bodies surrounding his own. I did this? He backed away slowly, terrified not of the scene before him but of himself. I did this… Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he inspected the scars on his hands and saw the gashes on the bodies from afar. This is my fault… nii-chan, I've done something terrible…

As he crept away from the scene, trying to forget the figures engraved in his mind, he saw black gloves lying on the ground. These are nii-chan's… he picked them up, sliding them onto his fingers. They wouldn't help much with the cold, but at least he wouldn't have to see the constant reminder of his terrible deed every time he looked at his hands.

Then the sound of footsteps made him jolt up in fear, and he quickly fled.

Akihiko Usami

He scowled as he made his way through the cold streets of the sketchy part of town. Damn it, Takahiro… I offered you a place to stay at my house, but you had to go and refuse because you couldn't accept my goodwill, could you? You had to stubbornly stay here, where robberies are such a common occurrence, and look at what happened. Now he was on his way to the place that Takahiro had described to him, to find the man's younger brother.

As he rounded the corner something crashed into his chest explosively, knocking him back. Akihiko steadied himself and readied a fighting stance, knowing what kind of people dwelled in these areas, but soon relaxed as he saw that it was nothing more than a short boy.

He put his scowl back on as the kid backed away, bowing. "I-I'm really s-sorry!" he stuttered, "Please forgive me, it was an a-accident!" His mussed brown hair hung low over his eyes and although his voice was clearly scared, it mostly seemed tired and weary, as if he would surrender immediately if Akihiko challenged him at all.

It was cold enough that with the few rags the boy was wearing, he would probably die of frostbite without a place to stay. Akihiko did pity the boy, but he knew that it wasn't his place to save or prevent people from dying. He was about to ignore the brunette and continue on his way when suddenly the other looked up, revealing misted, emerald eyes.

Akihiko breathed out, a puff of mist releasing from his mouth into the crisp air. "Are you, by any chance, Misaki Takahashi?"

At the mention of his name the boy cringed, his gloved hands curling into fists. "W-who are you?"

"Easy, there. I know your brother."

"You know… nii-chan? Takahiro?"

"Yes. He's worried about you and sent me here to find you."

"Is he okay?"

"He's recovering in the hospital. What happened?"

Misaki shivered violently, and Akihiko was reminded that he was hardly wearing anything. "Never mind," he amended, reaching for Misaki's hand. "I'll bring you to him now."

"N-NO!" Misaki said, jerking away. "I can't see him…"

Akihiko frowned. Is this really his brother? When he said 'not very tall' I didn't think he meant this short... "Why not?"

"B-because…" Misaki's voice trailed off and his eyes rolled up in his head as he slumped to the ground.

SecretPrussianCitizen: thank you! :o hope you enjoyed this chapter.

SuzukiChiyeko: Thank you for the advice! I split that paragraph in two to make it easier for anyone else who reads, hopefully :P and yussss all shall be revealed in due time xD I'm glad you like it so far. ye, i wanted to try something different with Misaki as the demon to switch it up a bit lol