Chapter 7

A/N: As a treat to all readers, I've released this chapter alongside Chapter 6. Enjoy and please review! To all Chinese readers, Happy Chinese New Year!

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It was entirely dark.

Every fibre in his being ached as though he had been relentlessly pummelled by millions of clenched fists. He was rather drowsy… as though he had been heavily drugged.

His chin was resting on his chest, as stray strands of his hair brushed his cheeks. He felt as though he was sitting down in an extremely hard chair, but his hands and feet were restrained by something cold and solid.

He forced his eyes open, but everything started spinning and he shut them tightly at once. From the brief glimpse he had, he did not recognise where he was.

Suddenly, there were hands, fingers running through the feathers of his wings. He tensed at the sensation, a weak gasp escaping his lips but he was powerless to stop them.

Voices flitted in and out of his hearing, carrying bits of conversation which his half-asleep brain struggled to process.

"…grown quite nicely…"

"… positive response to the excess Mako…"

Angeal tried to lift his head, but it required too much effort. He tried to speak.

"Please… stop…"

His voice was no higher than a hoarse whisper.

The people around him gave no indication that they had heard anything as they continued to caress his extra appendages.

"…should keep him here…"

"…new specimen…"

Even through the haze of fatigue clouding his mind, he felt a surge of fear and despair. They had found out about his secret. What would happen to him now?

Suddenly there was a cry of surprise. The hands touching his wings withdrew quickly and there was a low buzz of voices. One voice soared above the indistinct murmur, high and filled with rage.

"What've you done to him?!"

Angeal frowned. There was something familiar about it…

Someone muttered something about needing him for experiments.

"I don't care!" the voice shouted. "Let him go now!"

Why, why could he not remember whose it was? He shook his head, trying to clear it of the blanket addling his thoughts, but the movement sent a sharp stab of pain through his skull. He moaned softly.

At once, long graceful fingers grasped his own as he heard the person whispering urgently in his ear, "Angeal, are you all right?"

He tried raising his head again in this person's direction. At once, he was aware of glittering sapphire eyes, brimming with horror, anger and concern.

"Genesis?" he whispered, disbelief winding its way into his faint voice as he finally recognised his friend.

Genesis Rhapsodos squeezed Angeal's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry," he murmured, "I'll get you out of here, I promise."

Angeal's head dropped back to his chest, but he could still hear bits of Genesis's angry conversation with the people.

"Why did you do that to him?!"

A soft murmur.

"Release him. Now."

It felt like a dream, all of it. As though it could not be happening.

"What do you mean 'it's not possible'?!"

He half-expected to wake up in his bed at any moment. But, he thought, smiling, even if it was real, Genesis was here.

"What the hell! Find someone else!"

Angeal's eyes began to drift shut. Genesis was here, that was all that mattered. He would set things right. He had said that he would help Angeal. And he would.

He promised to.

The voices around him seemed to soften as sleep tugged at his exhausted mind, pulling him down into a dreamless slumber.

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Angeal was lying down on something soft. It felt so comfortable that he did not want to wake up, but he did. His eyes flickered open and he looked around, recognising the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. It was dark outside the window.

Then, his gaze fell on Genesis, sitting by his bedside. His eyes were closed and his expression was one of utter exhaustion. His breathing was deep and regular. He had evidently dozed off a long time ago.

In fact, he was still wearing his scarlet cloak, Angeal realised, shaking his head in exasperation.

But his thoughts were banished when he caught sight of the single white feather clasped gently in Genesis's hands.

Angeal stared at it, feeling the blood drain from his face. He bolted up in his bed, letting the thick warm blanket slide off his body. At once, he realised he was wearing a white sleeveless turtleneck shirt.

But that was impossible! He did not have any clothes like this in his wardrobe.

He was even more surprised to find that his wings were spreading wide from his shoulder, free from the restraint of cloth he was forced to endure whenever he wore a shirt.

What is going on? he wondered, flexing his wings slightly in amazement.

His feathers brushed Genesis's hand lightly. Genesis grunted and began to stir slowly.

In the blink of an eye, Angeal was off the bed, clutching the blanket close to his chest as he backed up against the wall. Genesis yawned widely and stretched.

Angeal's heart was in his mouth. He could feel his own soft feathers brushing his arm as he pressed back against his wings, trying to block them from sight.

His earlier notion of telling Genesis about them had fled to the recesses of his mind, shoved down by the more overpowering terror that his secret had been discovered.

It had to be. Or else, why would Genesis be holding a feather Angeal clearly recognised as his own?

Genesis blinked sleepily, before turning to Angeal and saying, "What're you doing?"

Angeal tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. His hands were shaking so badly that the blanket in his hands began to slip. He grasped it tighter, halting its descent.

"Angeal?" Genesis was rising, concern written all over his face. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Angeal shrank back from Genesis's approach.

"Genesis, no, please…" he croaked hoarsely.

"Angeal, come on-" Genesis began to reach out to him.

"NO!" Angeal reacted impulsively, throwing out his hand before him to stop Genesis.

There was a thud and Genesis recoiled with a hiss of pain, snapping his hand back from the invisible barrier that had just formed between Angeal and himself.

Suddenly, a brilliant lilac glow engulfed him and he froze stiff. Angeal stared in shock as Genesis lifted slowly into the air, hovering a few feet off the ground. Genesis however, remained quite calm as he looked down at Angeal.

"Angeal…" he said evenly, "please put me down."

Put him down? Angeal frowned in bewilderment. He was not doing this; he did not even have any materia…

Then he saw that his still-upraised hand was spilling the same lilac glow which was surrounding Genesis. He stared in shock.

Magic? He was using… magic?

But how could that be? There no strain which usually accompanied the usage of such a powerful spell as he was casting…

Oh, no… what was this now? How could he use magic without materia?

He noticed with a start that the magic no longer felt like it had before, a far off source to be tapped into when needed. Instead, it was coursing through his very blood, throbbing in rhythm with his pounding heart… as much a part of him as his wings had become.

The amount of magic at his fingertips was so vast that it was inconceivable that someone could hold so much power without being blown to pieces.

Oh gods… what did it all mean? What was happening to him?!

"Angeal…"

His eyes were burning with panic and confusion as they snapped back to Genesis's motionless figure suspended in the air. Angeal was both amazed and terrified at the knowledge that Genesis was utterly at his mercy. The powerful magic pulsing inside him made it possible for him to snap Genesis's neck as easily as a twig.

"You know I'd never hurt you…" Genesis sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry they did this to you."

What was he, Angeal, doing? Genesis was his friend!

He had to stop this. Gritting his teeth, he lowered Genesis gently onto the floor before releasing him. At once, the soft glow disappeared from his hand. The aura around Genesis vanished as well and he almost stumbled.

Despite that, Angeal kept the invisible shield around himself up. He did not know what Genesis would do now.

"I-I am sorry, Genesis. I-I did not mean to do that…" he said.

Genesis shook his head. "It's fine." He cocked his head. "How's the shirt?"

Angeal glanced down. "It is yours?"

Genesis smiled slightly. "I thought it rather matched the colour of your feathers."

Angeal froze. There it was; a confirmation of sorts. Yet, he had to ask…

"You know-?"

Genesis nodded.

Angeal let the blanket slide wholly from his numb fingers, piling in a mass of white at his feet. His wings were exposed, fully revealed to his friend.

He dropped his gaze to his feet. Somehow, he felt ashamed to meet Genesis's knowing eyes, eyes which saw him for what he truly was.

"You must think me a monster…" he whispered.

The larger wing rose, partly concealing his face in a futile attempt to hide himself.

"Angeal…" The hesitation in Genesis's voice was evident. "I-I really didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry."

"Why?" Angeal said softly, lowering his wing slightly to allow a single glaseous eye to peek through the feathers. "Why do you apologise? It is not your fault."

Slowly, as though he did not want to alarm Angeal, Genesis raised his hand and pressed it against the barrier. His fingers spread out, feeling its smooth solidity.

His expression morphed to one of untold sadness as he looked up, meeting Angeal's eyes. Angeal was shocked to see tears glimmering in those sapphire orbs.

"You really don't trust me anymore, do you?" he whispered. "So much that you have to keep yourself safe from me."

Angeal sighed. "I was going to tell you, but…" he broke off, glancing at his wings, trying not to choke on his words. "I was so afraid… that you would not accept me… that you would be repulsed by what I have become…"

"I don't care!" Genesis exclaimed passionately, striking the shield with his fist.

The barrier made a low vibrating hum which rose to a single pure note before fading gradually.

Genesis ignored the sound, fixing his eyes on at Angeal instead.

"Please, Angeal… don't shut me out…" he pleaded, tears trickling down his face.

Angeal looked down at Genesis's hand, pushing against the shield so hard that his fingers had turned white. His eyes strayed back to the feathery plumages sprouting from his own back.

For some reason, Genesis understood what was happening to him. And he needed answers.

Desperately.

Hesitantly, he raised his own hand, touching the invisible wall lightly. At once, he sensed it disintegrate into the air.

"Genesis, please tell me what is going on," he said urgently.

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