Warning: Again, this chapter contains disturbing content. It isn't the same as last chapter, but it's perturbing nonetheless. You have been warned.

Numb, Uriel accepted the mug of coffee from Father Gabriel. Although the heater was blasting, a chill still crept through the chapel: it wasn't very well ventilated. A blanket would have been nice, but it was only a church. She was lucky there was a coffee machine in the priest's preparation room.

The coffee was bitter, unsweetened, but she didn't care. She welcomed what warmth it brought. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of coldness that went deeper than the chill of the room.

Father Gabriel hadn't asked about anything when she'd returned. All it took was a glance to figure out something had happened, and he'd reacted immediately. He'd invited her to stay and pray with him, and asked if she wanted coffee. So here she was, sitting like a stone in one of the center pews, sipping coffee that burned. She was trying not to think.

After eying her for a moment, the father asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

"Do you want me to talk?"

She lifted her gaze to look at him, thinking. Then, "Sure." It might help her get her mind off of things.

"How's your manager? Has she been going to mass recently?"

She repeated the earlier head motion, her voice coming out strained. "She was fine, last I saw, but...I haven't seen her lately."

"Why not?"

"I've been staying inside."

"What brought you out today?"

"It was tedious." She returned her gaze to her drink.

Father Gabriel sighed and asked, "Would you rather I gave you some time to think?"

No, she didn't want to think. The quieter it was, the more she remembered things. Feelings. Disgusting sensations. And that she was hated. But now that she thought about it, the church was quiet, too. Father's presence made it better, but it was still near silent. Maybe she should head home. At least the animals would be there, and they'd probably be making a racket like usual. The chaos might help her relax. So she held the cup out to Father Gabriel and stood, muttering, "I should be getting home."

He frowned. "You can't stay a little longer?"

"I, um, have pets. I need to take care of them."

"Can I walk you back, then?"

She wasn't about to refuse the offer. She cupped her hands around her elbows as the two of them left the church, and kept herself somewhat hidden between the priest and the walls of buildings. Although she felt safer being wedged hidden between two things, her eyes nervously fluttered down every alley they passed. The only time she spoke was to give her accompaniment directions.

After a walk that seemed miles longer than it had when she'd walked it earlier that day, her feet finally screeched to a halt. "This is it. Thanks for bringing me home."

Father Gabriel glanced from the apartment complex to her, worried. "Are you sure you'll be alright? Should I come inside with you?"

She attempted to smile, but the upwards pulling of her lips didn't reach her eyes. "No, I'll be fine."

"I apologize for pushing the matter," he persisted, "but I really don't think you should be alone right now. May I please come in with you?"

Not really having the willpower to resist, she relented, "Okay," and began trudging towards the entrance. The halls were empty, as they had been the last few times she'd ventured out. No one wanted to be seen by anyone. In this day and age, even your next door neighbor could be a monster. And that wasn't necessarily limited to demons.

The elevator ride up was consumed with the disturbingly light-hearted elevator music. Even though she'd never really cared about it before, this time, Uriel tried to listen. It kept her occupied. When the shuttle came to a stop and the doors dinged open, the father was out before her. He turned back, patient, and she stepped out just before the doors slid shut.

"Which one is yours?" he asked, eyes gentle.

Her mouth stayed shut and she instead turned and began down the hall. It wasn't long before she froze.

"What's-" Father Gabriel cut off when his eyes drifted from her to the area ahead of them. Then, rushing around her, he questioned in a huff, "Yours isn't the open door, is it?"

He skid to a stop in front of the door, his eyes widening as he looked inside. Uriel began to step forward, but he immediately wheeled around and came back to her, a gentle hand on her shoulder beginning to lead her away.

"W-What is it?" she stammered, head turning back with rising curiosity.

"You shouldn't look."

The grimness in his voice instantly morphed her curiosity into anxiety, and she began to resist his lead. She repeated her question demandingly. "What is it? What did you see?"

He turned to her. "Uriel, please, trust me. Let's go back to the church. I can get you some blankets and books, and you can stay there for as long as you need."

She planted her feet and tried to turn against his hand. "I want to see! Let me go!"

"No! You don't!"

His raised voice didn't frighten her in the least. In fact, it only solidified her determination. That was her house, her home! It was her safe haven! Why was the door open? What had he seen that he didn't want her to see? She had a right to know!

"Uriel, look at me!" Finally, she froze, turning her head in obedience. What she saw in his eyes...was fear. Not of some big bad, but fear for her. "It isn't good, what's in there. I don't think you can handle it right now. We'll come deal with it when you're feeling better, but right now, you need to leave it."

She searched his face. He was being so earnest, he was almost begging. Clearly his intentions were good. She trusted him. He was a servant of God, and whether God was just or not, Gabriel was a man with a good heart. It saddened her that she was about to hurt him.

Her voice cool, steadier than it had been since her return to the church, more confident that it was even on her best days, she commanded him, "Let me go, Father."

The reaction was instantaneous. His hand jerked away from her as if electrocuted, and, with a pained gasp, he fell to his knee. Wide eyed, he tried to lift his head, but it was as if some unseen pressure was holding it down.

Uriel took this in with muted surprise, taking a second to understand what just happened. But that...that meant...and if that's what happened, then why didn't it awaken earlier? She'd needed it so many times, so why now?

But she could ponder that later. She left the priest to recover and, without hesitation, walked over to her apartment door. The light was on. That had been the thing that had first made her realize the door was open. If it hadn't been on, maybe she would have been spared the full brunt of the scene.

Red. Dark, thick red.

Her hands shook as she made her way into her apartment, her eyes absorbing the gruesome display before her. When her foot sank into something, her gaze went down. She lifted her foot.

Bloodied guts squelched as she removed her shoe off of them. Her line of sight followed the string of organs to a smashed, red-stained shape that lay in near pieces in the pool of blood. Underneath the red that covered it and everything as if to swallow all that it touched, a small patch of grey fur sat conspicuously clean.

She sidestepped the mess and continued into the main seating area.

Blood and fur might as well have been synonymous to dust with the way that they covered everything. The chairs, the carpet, the pet beds, even the coffee table. Motionless lumps were scattered everywhere.

A bump shook her from her stupor and had her running towards the bedroom with one thought in mind.

What about the lizard?

She stumbled into the room just in time to see a man swing a wooden pole into the terrarium. All of her limbs went limp as she murmured her first curse word.

"What the hell?"

The man whirled, eyes mad and fists clenched tight around his weapon. She didn't move even when he came at her. When he swang, only being yanked back by the arm prevented her from being hit.

"Get out of here! Go!" Father Gabriel shouted, pushing her away and waving his hands.

"But Fiji-"

"The lizard is dead! The glass killed it! Now go!"

She was just beginning to step away when the guy brought the rod down on the father's head, and Father Gabriel crumpled to the ground. Fury sprang up within her and, without thinking, she flew towards the attacker. She froze with her fingers inches from clasping around his neck, the man having gone rigid.

"D…Demon," he gasped, his words barely audible.

Immediately she retracted her hand, gasping. What...had she been about to do? What had she been about to use her holy strength for? She was an angel! An angel! But she had just made this man, mad or not, call her a demon.

Her thoughts elsewhere, her awareness of the assailant faltered and he broke free of the pressure that had descended on him. He wasted no time in drawing back his weapon to hit her. Startled by his motion, she jumped, immediately stilling him again. Then, her feet slipping on the blood-slicked floor, she scrambled out of her apartment and out of the complex. Her head was spinning.

Through the jumble of thoughts, she tried to focus on the most imminent matter. Where was she supposed to go? The place where she had been hiding from the world was gone, her home, and she couldn't bring herself to return to the church for a multitude of reasons, but she had to go somewhere! She couldn't just wander! Not like this! Not when the world was how it was!

Could she go to Akira? No, that wasn't safe. His house was going to get attacked. The strange thing was, the thought of going to save the people in that house didn't even cross her mind. Instead, she simply pondered where it would be that she would be safe. And there was one place she figured would fit that criteria. One place in the whole chaotic world that she was confident would never be destroyed. And it wasn't a place.

It was a person.

To my credit, I did not just create her pets to kill them off. This scene in particular was the main reason I told my best friend not to read this. She's particularly sensitive to graphic scenes, and immensely fond of animals, so I thought it better if she didn't read this. Of course, this anime is not something she would ever watch on her own in the first place. I love her, but our tastes in entertainment lie on opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't know, but maybe my little rant about my best friend lightened your mood after this chapter? I promise I'm not trying to send you guys into a depression. I'll try not to be so brutal next chapter.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!