Ten

Yuki finally made it back to the haven of her room. Guh, she thought, why does Valentine have to be so hectic? She went to her jewelry and make-up stand and undid her hair, which ended up just slightly wavy. She went to her closet and changed into a comfy gray cashmere nightgown. She lay down on her bed and just stared up at the ceiling. Then she remembered she had something to do.

She got up and went to Kyo's room just down the hall. She stopped in front of the door and lightly knocked on it.

"Coming," Kyo said on the other side and opened the door. "Oh, hi, Onee-sama."

"What's wrong, Kyo?" Yuki asked and bent down a little to get a closer look at him. "You look a little pale. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kyo said. "I just finished a whole load of work and more is coming. So, how was your day today?"

"Well… hectic," Yuki said. "Here," she handed him a box tied up with a red ribbon, "Happy Valentine's Day. Maybe it'll help you get energized a little."

"Thank you so much," Kyo said. "I better get back now."

"Alright. Don't stay up too late," Yuki said and Kyo closed his door after a nod. Yuki returned to her room.

"Hey, Hime-san," Dark said when she entered.

"What are you do—why do I even bother asking?" Yuki said and sat on her bed. "So are you off now, or did you sneak out?"

"I would ever sneak out, unless it's a job-job."

"Right," Yuki said and crawled into bed.

"You're going to sleep now?" Dark asked. After a moment he went over to the bed and crawled on it. He moved his face really close to Yuki's. "So do you want to get to it?"

Yuki blushed like a volcano erupting. She jumped out her bed. "God! Why are you so vulgar?"

Dark just sat on the bed and laughed a cherry laugh. "I'm kidding. Remember I'm an angel, I won't do things like that." Then he said with a different tone, "All I want is to finish the job and return to heaven."

"Dark," Yuki muttered. She kneeled on the bed, feeling empathy. She muttered his name again and put and hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Suddenly he grabbed her hand, pulled her into his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. Yuki felt his heart pounding against her chest and it melted into her. She closed her eyes as two heartbeats became one.

Just then, this pain shot into her back as if a blade had stabbed her. She cried out. Dark pulled her away from him. "Hime-san? What's wrong?"

Yuki curled up and clasped her teeth together to stop herself from screaming out in pain. Dark sensed magic in the room, and then suddenly a brilliant light filled the room. It escaped through the balcony and shone like the light of a lighthouse.

The guards outside saw the light and called their captains. "Hurry," they said and called the soldiers inside.

After the light disappeared, Dark opened his eyes. Yuki laid on her bed unconscious. Everything in the room was in place as if nothing happened, except for the golden wings that stuck out of the princess' back, glowing like fire.

Yuki breathed heavily and sweat covered her brow. The footsteps of the soldiers came crashing through the hall. Dark panicked for just a second. He had to get out of there, but he can't just leave Yuki their with her wings sticking out of her.

He quickly lifted her into his arms. Her back burned like fire on his human skin, but his cherubic side sets his spirit to calmness. He headed for the balcony with her and shut the doors using his magic to lock it and flew off in the dark as everyone else looked in the other direction.

Yuki opened her eyes and found herself in a little clearing. Cool water dripped on her forehead and flowed down the side of her cheek. Then a moistened cloth touched her head. She reached up caught Dark's hand.

"Good morning, Hime-san," Dark said. "How are you feeling? Does your back still hurt?"

"Good morning," Yuki said one at a time. "I'm feeling fine. No, it doesn't. It's just sore. What is this?" she asked and took the cloth off of her head.

"You caught a slight fever in the middle of the night. You should be all better now," Dark said and put his hand on her forehead. "Yup. All gone."

Yuki sat up and her wings popped opened. She turned her head. "What the heck?" she practically screamed. "Dark, why are there wings on my back?" She lurched toward him as if to run away from the wings.

"I'm not sure," Dark started, "but I think you are also an angel."

"That's impossible! I was borne from a human woman."

"That might not be totally true. You see, before God sent me down, he sent another down. Nobody knows what she looks like, or when she was sent down." Dark stroked her face. "You are getting all of this?"

"So you are saying, somewhere along the path up my ancestors, some are angels?"

"No. They are probably put in a human vessel and the granted power of the angel is sealed until something breaks it. It's probably… a very strong sense of will, or strong forces of emotion toward something."

Yuki sat in a daze. After a moment, "The masked man said that he saw wings spring out of my back. You think I started years ago?"

"What happened that time?"

"My mother and I were just in the courtyard and were attacked. That was all, well, I don't remember the rest."

"Was you father there?"

"No. He wasn't."

Dark thought about it for a while. "I'll try to find out what's happening. In the mean time we should focus on how to hide them. You can't be walking around the city with them."

Yuki just nodded. Dark held out a dark feather and waved it around the wings, and then they just disappeared.

"Alright," he said, "that should keep them away from human eyes for a while." Dark put a hand on the very pale Yuki, "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," she muttered and then cleared her throat. "Um… I'm a little shaky right now. You can go first. I'll stay here for just a little longer." She waved her hand around to emphasize for him to leave.

"Alright," Dark said and steadily got up and left. "Be careful."

Yuki sat still at the clearing for another fifteen minutes then she got up on her wobbly legs. She caught herself on a tree, her head throbbing just slightly. She stood there for a moment and picked herself up and walked out of the clearing.

When she made it out of the woody park, tired from carrying her abnormal heavy body, she staggered into the street. Everybody that was in eye view stopped what they were doing and crowed next to her. Then the soldiers came rushing to the site.

"Alright, everybody back up!" they shouted and the people made a tiny little void for them to pass. Yuki saw, from behind the wall of people, a tall man coming towards her. His hair was long and golden; his clothes white like a dove's. She vision blurred and she fell forwards and he caught her.

"Hime-sama," he said with an angelic voice, full of pride and dignity. Yuki closed her eyes and fell unconscious again.

I'm sorry for updating to late. I kinda had a writer's block on all of my stories. Anyways, I'm going to get back to writting now. So cherio!