A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to write. I didn't know how to portray Jin…because…I have not read Chu yet…Haha. If somebody wants to inform me on his personality so I can tweak this later if needed, then I would love you and…uh…gift you with a story? Yeah, that sounds good.

I don't like this as much as the last chapter. It's too choppy. I might revamp it later, but probably not.

Please read my ending notes! Thank you!

The Three Realms;

Chapter Two: jin, third realm

"A pretty little half-breed…" Jin murmured to himself, gently touching said half-breed's hair. "But not as beautiful as the darkness, are you, hmm? Did you find yourself drawn to its powers?"

He laughed. "I forgot. You can't talk right now, can you?" The demon fingered a glass vial carefully. "Without your essence, you're just a living doll."

Michiru stared into nothingness, his different-shaded eyes devoid of emotion, pain, or feeling. Jin smiled and ruffled the damaged, weak-looking feathers of his half-formed wings, causing white feathers to begin littering the ground.

"You wanted proper blood…well…I can't give you that," he admitted. "But I can give you wings."

The demon lord suddenly got up and laughed. "How would you like the wings of Kujyou Kazune, half-breed? Because I think I'll just have to get those for you."

"…I don't get it."

"What's there not to get?" Kazune gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew that humans were mortals and overall lesser beings than Angels, but he didn't recall that humans had to be downright thick about every other thing. Of course, he wasn't thinking about the fact that he had grown up an Angel and she hadn't, and that most of the information he was disclosing wasn't particularly well-known.

"So, the gods have their will, and the Voice is the voice, enough said…and Angels are the, uh, mouthpiece. Right, got it…" Karin hesitated. "But what does the Voice—what will I do?"

"How would I know?" replied the Angel snippily. "I'm an Angel, not the Voice. Probably you'll sit around most of the time."

Karin muttered something under her breath, probably 'how boring' or something along those lines, but Kazune was too busy thinking to notice. He had said he would stay with no good reason except a strange instinct that told him to. Either way, he couldn't take it back now. The girl would probably not hesitate to rip his head off and he wasn't allowed to incapacitate her.

"And then humans and Angels go around doing whatever it is that the Voice says the gods will."

"Correct." Finally, progress.

The girl frowned. "Well…what if the Voice just…made stuff up?" she asked tentatively. "Isn't that possible?"

Kazune stared at her as though she had just said the most vulgar thing in all the languages in the world. "Gods help me, no!" he replied. "We're Angels. If we sin freehandedly like that then we turn into demons. Half-truths are acceptable, and a lie is okay, but only if it's vital…but making stuff up and saying it's the will of the gods? That's a great way to get devoured by darkness."

"So then…what are demons?"

The Angel resisted a growing temptation to hit his head on something hard repeatedly. Apparently this girl simply could not connect one dot to another.

"The original demons used to be Angels, who either fell out of grace or…differed in opinion to our general cause," he said, attempting to keep this as simple and as ambiguous as possible, because the real stories were much more complex and macabre, and hardly any Angel knew them anymore. "To make the story short, they were taken in by the darkness, given powers that no Angel may possess, and became a twisted form of an Angel. Technically, they are still Angels, but we do not recognize them anymore, and they don't seem bothered being called demons. But demons started emerging many millennia ago and only a handful of the original demons still live—their lifespan is longer than an Angel's. They've bred though, and there are demon children running amok, usually causing a lot more trouble than the older ones."

"I kinda get it, I guess. So when are we leaving, then?" asked Karin.

Kazune's fingers twitched to grab something he could impale his head with. The New Voice couldn't even stay on topic. How is she supposed to be the New Voice if she's so easily distracted? he wondered.

He managed to rein his temper in temporarily and evenly replied, "I don't know. A week, perhaps, longer if there are setbacks. I still have to get rid of any stray memories of you. You don't have any relatives in other villages, do you?" Karin shook her head. "Good, that makes it a lot easier."

"I guess I better go talk to my friends, then…," Karin said ruefully. "I'm gonna miss them…"

Kazune crossed his arms. "Get used to it," he said, "you're going to be living a life of solitude for a very, very long time."

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, so far away that its name was forgotten, there was a boy named Daiki. There was nothing particularly special or interesting about him—he was a normal boy living in a land far, far away. But when he was at the age of 15, an Angel by the name of Himeka descended to the Second Realm. She had been sent to bring him to the First Realm to become the New Voice.

Daiki followed her and fell deeply in love with the Angel. She was a Lady of the Gods, they said, but all he knew then was that she was beautiful in both mind and body. She had dark hair, and a kind, sweet mentality. She was a young Angel, she told him, a mere half-century old. On the day that he was to leave and become the New Voice, he panicked. He was afraid he would never see Himeka again. So he asked her if she would come with him.

She smiled, too innocent to know the consequences. When she entered with him to the sacred chambers, she split into two beings, both newborns.

Daiki was horrified, but he was forced to live his long life as the Voice. Every day haunted him with his terrible mistake. But his time was ending, and soon he would drift in the Land of the Dead, with no more regrets.

"Himeka. Himeka! Where are you?"

A pale-faced girl stepped out of the shadows. "I'm here," she replied, her voice faint and wispy, as if even the smallest breeze could blow it away. "What is it, Kirika-nee-san?"

Kirika was a female demon, who spent part of her time in human form, masquerading as a teenage male, another part of it in animal form as a weasel, and the last part of it in her demonic form. She was currently in her human shape, so she reached down and patted the small girl's head. "Please don't run off like that," she said soothingly. "Kirio will get worried, and we know what he's when he gets worried."

"Kirio-nii-san does not know what he is doing."

The older demon firmly rested her hand on the girl's head, as if to hold her in place. "It's better to let him do as he wishes," she replied. "I…would follow him, but in some places I can't. Please, just…let me know if you want to walk around, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Himeka nodded blankly. Kirika had misinterpreted her words completely.

Himeka, in the times when she was a whole Angel, was not an ordinary Lady of the Gods. She didn't channel any god's power. She was the Lady of Light and Dark, a balance between the good and bad in the world. When darkness reigned, she could feel it, and if light was dominant, she could feel it also. Balance was preferable for her, though.

When she split, one Himeka became the Lady of Light, the other the Lady of Dark. They, too, could feel when power shifted—one would become sickly, the other stronger. But they could also feel more than the original Himeka could. Every act of evil was imbedded in the Lady of Dark, and every act of good was in the Lady of Light. The sheer numbers of these things crowded their minds, made them sickly and unwell.

Trapped. He was trapped.

Frantically, he shifted around in his imprisonment. No good—he didn't have a body anymore. He had no material behind him…just stuff, the stuff that made him, him. What did Jin say it was? Essence…epitome…started with an e, either way.

The worst part was that he could see his body. It was strange, seeing yourself. He smiled. He was taller than he thought he was.

His little glass world was tapped. "Soooo, thisss is the masssster's new toy?" hissed the demon. "Lucky little boy. The massster ussssually doesssn't take anybody into his private quarterssss, only his most trussssted officialssss and I am allowed in."

Well then, Michiru thought (as he could not talk), why are you bothering me? Get your hands off of my vial! Or I'll…err…yeah…not much I can do, is there? Well, once I get back into my proper body I'll do something about it.

He sighed.

Jin was a strange demon. He liked playing around with humans and Angels and even the occasional demon, saying it was funny how people reacted under different situations. Angels were prone to thinking their way out. Humans panicked initially then tried to find a way. Demons tended to pressure and force their way out. Overall, the most adaptable by far were humans, but Angels and demons didn't need to adapt to survive. They were find as it was.

Perhaps, then, that was why he found toying with the strange situations that Kazune, Karin, and Michiru were stuck in, and yes, why he helped Kirio with his little problem. His Himeka was part of a larger plot than Kirio knew, but he humored the former lord and went along with it.

He had decided that he would pay the Lord Uranus another visit. It would prove enlightening for the both of them.

Kazune sniffed the air and stiffened. "Karin," he said, "…I think there's a demon around here somewhere."

As he expected, she started to panic. He was almost anticipating her to start flailing, but the soft tap, tap, tap of feet against the floor distracted him. He held out his hand and his bow materialized, and he reached for an arrow in his quiver, stringing the bow, waiting for movement.

Calmly, the demon lord stepped into the room, and Kazune didn't hesitate to lay an arrow in his body.

Jin's golden gaze went to the arrow, and then to the Angel. To his grim shock, the demon's gaze didn't hold fear, or pain, or even surprise—but amusement. He extracted the arrow without even flinching, and Kazune noticed that he wasn't bleeding at all. He frowned—divine weapons should have had more of an effect than that!

The demon dropped the arrow, and it disintegrated before it hit the ground.

"You seem to like to play games, Lord Uranus," said Jin. "Would you like to play a game with me?" His smile was too happy to be real, it seemed. "If you win…I'll leave you alone. No more bothering. No tampering with the New Voice. Nothing. You won't hear from me for another few good decades."

"And if you win? Which you won't," Kazune added after a moment, fulfilling the need for egotistical banter.

"Don't be too sure of yourself. And…what do I want? Well, nothing much. Just your wings."

Kazune's grip on his bow grew tighter; his knuckles were turning white. "How do you plan to take my wings?" he questioned.

There was a whirlwind of black and red. Kazune found himself on the ground, a blade pressed against his throat.

"I think you know how," said Jin softly.

An Angel's wings are no simple appendage. It's not like cutting off a limb. An Angel's wings go straight down to the soul, and ripping away that vein causes more than just physical pain. Only the blackest magic can remove them, and often an Angel will not heal from the pain. They will fade…and join the realm of humans. Even there, they are sickly and pale, never as strong as a normal human.
They had went out into the most convenient place that they could find. Jin seemed content to stay on the defense, deflecting arrows and occasionally going on the offense. Kazune was frustrated, to say the least; none of his arrows were connecting, and it was going much too slow. He preferred quicker, faster action.

"I expected more out of you, Lord Uranus," commented the demon, and he dropped his weapon, letting it dematerialize. He tossed aside his black and red cloak. "I think I can take care of you the old-fashioned way."

As he spoke, his features suddenly started changing. His fingernails grew longer and sharper; his stature changed. Black wings unfurled from his back, and when he smiled, he revealed wicked fangs. He was going to fight tooth and nail—literally.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice sounding different: like he was hissing. Kazune merely smirked, and the demon lunged forward—his speed significantly increased.

The Angel had studied demons before, obviously. He knew that Jin had turned himself into his proper demon form, although it really just looked like a feeble twist of human and Angel, with a few animal characteristics thrown in. From Kazune's guess, he was a third-generation demon, just by looking.

The first generation demons were, in essence, dark Angels, but during the second generation, they somehow started taking on animal and human traits. The third generation became a mix of Angel, human, and animal, some combinations more perfect than others. He supposed that Jin was being careful not to lose himself—fighting in demon form…both of them would be thankful if he didn't get caught up in his more animalistic instincts.

Kazune shot arrow after arrow, but soon was running out quickly. He used his bow and remaining arrows to defend himself, but the method wasn't very conventional, and every sweeping slash of the deadly-sharp nails brought him closer to losing.

"What is this about, demon?" he rasped, holding the bow to deflect his stinging blows. "It isn't about the wings, is it?"

"It's part of something bigger. You know what of which I speak." Jin swooped low and attempted to unbalance the Angel, but Kazune was saved by a quick step back. "The Voice is dying. I can do two things that could unhinge the way the Three Realms live."

"Which are…?"

The demon smiled, and it sent chills down Kazune's neck and through his back. His wings tingled slightly, and flickered back into visibility. "…I think you know."

Reaching forward in a stabbing motion, the demon ripped through Kazune's feeble defense, slashed his right arm, and grabbed one of his wings, not sparing any gentleness. He crushed the wing, a sickening crack filling the air, and the Angel couldn't suppress a scream of pain.

"Oops," said Jin casually. "I got a little carried away. Forgive me. Ah, well, I don't think I can take your wings now."

"Kazune!" Karin had came running out of the house. "Kazune…are you okay?"

"And the final piece of the puzzle arrives," murmured the demon. He turned to the girl and gave her a flourishing bow. "It's nice to see you again, Karin. An honor, actually."

"Karin, are you curious about demons?" asked Jin after a few moments. "I have… a well-researched hypothesis that you were asking certain Angels about it. And I can assure you, however esteemed the Lord Uranus is, he doesn't have the right story at all."

Kazune staggered to a standing position, clutching his wound. "Don't believe him," he said, half-struggling for breath. "Don't…he…"

"The thing is…Angels are just pawns. They don't really have a will of their own. They do whatever the Voice tells them to do, whatever they think the gods tell them to do. But what they're really doing is destroying each other. Haven't you ever stopped to wonder why, Angel? Why there aren't many Lords of the Gods anymore?" Jin's cheerful smile was annoyingly present.

"The answer is simple. Angels are destroying them. There was Apollo, and there was Ares, Athena…and so many more. Angels destroyed them trying to fulfill their gods' so-called will."

"You're…wrong," rasped Kazune, blood beginning to seep through his fingers. "You…you demons destroyed them."

"If you're going to attack us—well, start a war on us, really—how else are we supposed to retaliate?"

"…I…"

The demon was just infuriatingly happy-looking. "Exactly! Demons don't believe in this 'will.' We carve our own path. We do what we want; what we think is right. Angels are restricted by this supposed will. You'll see, Karin, when you become the Voice. You'll see how Angels twist the gods' words. You'll see the toll this war has taken on the gods."

He walked away, carefully retrieving his cloak, leaving one bleeding Angel and one confused human.

Jin was back, Michiru could tell. He could tell because he got a strange prickly feeling in his shabby wings. He could faintly feel the detached sensation of somebody stroking his hair and wings, and a light touch over his eyelids—there, but not really there. The demon seemed to have some strange preoccupation with touching him here and there, usually his face or wings.

He was slowly getting this feeling in his chest. His lungs were filling up; he could hardly feel his heart…and there was a paralyzing emptiness somewhere.

Wonder if anybody misses me…he thought ruefully. Probably not…maybe Ami…poor Ami. She shouldn't worry.

His eyes closed, but he somehow thought he heard Jin telling him he was sorry.

Kazune closed his eyes and let magic run through his system. The cut across his arm sealed itself with a small sizzling noise, but his wing remained crippled. He sighed. He would have to let it heal the old-fashioned way.

"Karin, would you help me find some bandages or something?" he asked, but he got no reply. After waiting for a few moments, he turned to look at the girl.

She looked slightly hysterical. "I'm…I'm just so confused," she stammered. "Please. Just leave me alone! I don't want to be part of your stupid war!"

The Angel coughed, and blood came up. He wiped it from his mouth, staining his sleeve. "Trust me," he said. "I didn't either."

Then he fainted.

Ending Notes: Mmkay, like I said at the beginning. A thorough description of Jin's personality (I will be the judge of thoroughness. I'm not hard on this stuff, don't worry). The first three people who do this, I will gift with a story! YAY.

I'll PM you asking for a type of story. By this, I mean, give me a prompt, a pairing, a situation, or something to write about. I'll even see about different series (if I have read them). You can be as general or as specific as possible.

Thinking of getting a LiveJournal. Your opinion?

Now review, or I'll cry salty tears and never write again. Just kidding. (x