Shun

I felt as if my breath was being sucked from my lungs every time I breathed out. I felt Alice shaking in my arms, and I saw my own hands shaking slightly. In order to hide that he had scared me, I clenched my hands into fists and kept them tightly by my sides. I glanced over at Thatch, Ebony, and Bertha.

My two Clan mates were shaking as well, and it seemed as if only Bertha was the only one holding herself together at the sight of Mason. But I still saw she was scared like us. Mason grinned and paced back and forth in front of us. "What? I've been gone for over a week and I don't at least get a decent hello?" His eyes flashed red. So it wasn't the lights reflecting off of them.

There was a running down the stairs, and Adam skidded to a halt when he saw Mason. He was probably coming down there to tell us to keep quiet while he tried to sleep. Adam backed away slowly, not taking his eyes from Mason. "I thought you'd all be happy to see your old Clan mate." There was a touch of sarcasm in his voice. His eyes went from Adam, to me, and lastly Alice. A devious smile slapped across his face and he practically purred, "Alice. You're looking as lovely as ever."

She moved backed away from him and moved closer behind me for protection. I asked him, "Where have you been, Mason?" I tried to keep my voice from wavering, but it was pointless. The sound of fear was implanted in my voice as long as Mason was standing there. And it would probably stay even after he left. If he ever did. He put up and hand and said, "Just around the town. Seeing some of the sites. You know I've been here for years and never went to visit any attractions."

He was toying with me. Trying to make me seem like a fool, and was succeeding at it. He had me right where he wanted me. Mason shot a look at me with those red eyes and said calmly, "Any of this coming back to you, Shun?" What? Did he expect me to know this was going to happen? As if he had told me? Mason's eyes narrowed at me, and his voice became harsh and stern.

"What has been plaguing you all this time? Huh? Do I have to spell this out to you?" I backed up a little, and bumped into Alice behind me. There wasn't much room to get away from him in the kitchen, and I was sure that he'd easily catch me if I tried to run. Or he might of gone to the next level and hurt Alice or somebody else in the room. As I thought about him asking if anything was coming back to me, an image popped into my mind.

I was back on the dark street, and watching an Angel of Omen attacking Alice. But this time, he turned around, and I saw its face. I came back to my senses, and stared at Mason. "It's you. It's been you this whole time." He flashed a smile of victory and tilted his head up slightly as if to signify he was superior. Mason unfolded his black wings, and I watched as the feathers fell to the floor and revealed the wings that belong to an Angel of Omen. All this time it had been him. But why?

The wings he had now, looked sinister in their own way. Nothing with any good in their heart would have something like them. My body tensed up as I was slowly going into fight mode. The only thing fueling my will to face him, was all of the pain and aggravation he had caused me in both my dreams and reality. I said over to Thatch, "Get Bertha, Adam, Ebony, and Alice out of here. Got it?"

I caught him out of the corner of my eye and they filed out of the kitchen. It was just me and my second in command. Nothing was said, and the only sound was the water dripping from the faucet. I broke the quiet and said, "Why? Why did you become one of those things?" Mason had found the imprisoned Angels of Omen, and they apparently thought he was good enough to join their club. Mason moved his wings, and I heard them crack as they moved. I cringed at the sound.

"I got tired of this. Being a Fallen, and being in your shadow. I did just as much work, and even more, and never got the credit I deserved. And most of all. I got tired of you. You, of all Fallens, get the responsibility of keeping a Clan safe when you can't even keep them in line." I was lost for my words. Fear set in on me if I said anything to him. I had backed into the counter that Thatch was laying on not an hour ago, when everything was still together for me. Mason continued.

"I had heard of the Angels of Omen for some time, but never could figure out where to find them at. After going from Messenger angel to Messenger angel, I was left with Kiba. He told me everything. And after that it was just a short walk to where we are today." Why had Kiba given him the information and not me? Damien had said it was forbidden for Messenger angels to speak of. My mind picked up a hint of corruption either with the rest of the Messengers, or just Kiba.

I asked Mason, "But why have you been invading my dreams and showing me you hurting Alice? What has she ever done to you? If anything, this should just be between the two of us since you have such bad blood with me." There was a shift in his eyes. I had never been scared of Mason, but now he had a grip of intimidation on me that I wasn't used to. I wasn't even this scared when Damien had jumped me and had a knife to my throat that could of ended my life with one swift movement.

I was fearful for my life, but not scared. This feeling of pure fear was new to my body. Almost alien. Mason started to do something like circling me, but was only going back and forth with his eyes fixed on me. He said, "I don't want anything to do with you, but I do need Alice. You see, the Angels of Omen would only allow me to become one if I freed them. And the only way to free one, is to pour the blood of a Bondage over their imprisonment site. I think you can figure out where this is going now."

I then understood why Bondages were so uncommon now. They were the only way to free the Angels of Omen. A sick feeling hit me in my stomach and I yelled, "You're not going to kill Alice you sick bastard!" Something in me flipped on with knowing his true intentions. He wasn't about to lay a finger on Alice as long as air still filled my lungs. Mason seemed to of gotten closer to me, but only by a foot or so.

There was still a decent distance between us to where I felt safe and out of his wrath. "Those dreams were as real of a scenario as you standing right there. If you couldn't save her in your dreams or when you saw me standing over here, then you're going to be just as worthless when I go after her." A cold heat rushed through my body.

In my dreams I was frozen by fear and the sight of the creature attacking Alice in them. Mason pretended to look at a watch on his wrist and said sarcastically, "Oh would you look at that. I'm wasting time that I could be going after your little Bondage. Listen, no hard feelings about this, kay? I'm just repaying a debt. Think of it like that." I growled and charged at him, but with one wave of his hand I was knocked back as if I had been struck by the air. I hit the cabinets and blacked out.

Alice

Thatch held on tightly to my wrist as he dragged me out of the building through the back door. Bertha was running behind me, and Adam was pulling Ebony just like I was being pulled by Thatch. I hated leaving Shun back there with Mason. No.

That wasn't Mason anymore. That was a monster now. It looked like night had fallen above us as we ran down the alley, but only an hour ago it was early morning. This had to be something to do with Mason. The streetlights had flipped on as they sensed the sky darken. My heart rate was speeding rapidly in my chest from running and the adrenaline.

We ran out into the street at the end of the alleyway, and looked around frantically. Just like when the final fight between the Clans happened, the streets were empty and it was as if all of the people in the world had vanished. They wouldn't see or know of what was about to happen. We ran under an awning to a flower shop and panted. Thatch told us, "If he finds us, we need to be careful and stay together. He has powers that we can't even begin to understand. You got to remember, the Seven Lords got rid of them because of that very reason."

My fingers began to go numb with the cold. I had only my sleep clothes on, and no jacket. The cold air was nipping at my exposed skin, and making my skin tighten with chill-bumps. Alice. I stood still. Alice. Help. I was hearing Shun's voice, but something wasn't right about it. I turned around and saw him laying in the street. Out of instinct, I ran towards him, ignoring Thatch and the others yelling at me to come back. When I knelt by Shun, he vanished into a dark mist, and Mason was standing in front of me. I had fallen into a trap.

Shun

I was leaning against the cabinets, completely disoriented. I felt something warm drip down my neck, and brought my hand up to it. My fingertips had blood on them. At this rate I'm going to get a concussion. The room was spinning, and my body felt like I had been hit my a train. Plates laid shattered on the floor from where they fell out of the cabinet above me. Silverware was scattered around too. I leaned up, and cringed in pain at the movement. I picked my hand off the floor and looked at my palms.

Glass from the plates had stuck into them, but most of them not far enough to break the skin and only left an indention. I brushed them away and staggered to my feet. When I almost lost my balance, I caught myself on one of the kitchen table's chairs. I turned back and looked at the small pool of blood in front of the broken cabinets. What happened? My legs buckled under me, and I dropped to the floor. My hands still held on the back of the chair, and my breathing came out heavy and short.

Mason. Why did his name randomly come to my mind? What did he have anything to do with this? Mason. Angels of Omen. Alice. I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling, and felt my glazed eyes trying to find the answers above me. My mind was trying to piece itself back together from its state of confusion. Alice…..Help Alice…..You have to help her…..Save her from Mason…..

It all rushed back at me in an instant, and I felt my eyes clear up and I could see clearly. Mason had done this to me after I tried to stop him from hurting Alice. He was probably searching for her right then while I was left in a daze for who knows how long. I stood back up, and felt a rush of vertigo hit me. The wound on my head might not of been able to kill me, but that didn't mean I didn't feel the effects of the blood loss.

I held on tightly to the back of the chair and waited for it pass. Every second felt like an eternity as I waited to recover my center of balance. They were precious minutes and seconds I could use to be helping Alice. When I felt firm on my feet, I ran outside.

Thatch wouldn't of taken them and hidden them in the building. He was much too smart for that. But there was no telling where they had gone and how far they had made it while I was out. There was a screaming in the distance. It was Alice.

She sounded like she was near the Misaki's café a few blocks over. There was only one way I could make my way to her with any chance of doing it on time. I unfolded my wings, tested their movements a few times. They seemed to move easily with no pain from the break given to me from the arrow that killed Tristan. It was now or never to see if they were fully healed.

Alice

Mason had scooped me up and I was held in him embrace as we flew over the city. Thatch and the others tried to help me, but he was long out of their range by the time they registered what was going on. I kept screaming and trying to wiggle my way free. Mason kept telling me, "If you break free it's a 200 foot drop to the ground. And I need your blood to pay back a debt."

I didn't care if I feel to my death. I wasn't about to give Mason the satisfaction of killing me. He started to descend to the ground, and landed across from the park near the Misaki's café. Mason slammed me against the brick wall behind me, and I felt my body being weighed down. I looked and saw a dark mist holding me in place like chains. My lip quivered and a tear rolled down my cheek. My body was shaking under the darkness that was surrounding me. Mason slammed his hand into the brick right next to my head, and I squealed and tried to run. "It's pointless. You're not going anywhere. Not until I say otherwise."

There was the flapping of large wings, and I saw Shun drop down to the street right behind Mason. "Shun!" His wing was working, and he found me. I saw his shirt stained with blood, and he didn't seem to be in his top form. Mason turned around and bared his teeth and growled. "You again. I've about had it with you popping up at the most inconvenient times." A dark aura started to surround Mason, and he smiled grimly. I yelled at Shun, "Get out of here!" Before I could blink, Mason threw his hand out and a sphere of darkness flew in Shun's direction.

It hit him, and knocked him back. His body was now laying crumpled in the street, and I saw he tried to get up but it looked like he was being weighed down. He fell back down, and didn't seem to move after that. Tears were flowing from my eyes and I yelled at Mason, "Let me go! Let me go!" He grabbed my chin and directed my face right to his. I clenched my teeth and spit right in his face.

He leaned back and wiped it away. He told me, "I was going to give you a little more time, but you can forget that." I braced myself for my life to be taken away from me. When my eyes were shut, I heard Mason cry out. I opened them back up and saw Damien right above Mason, and the angel wing knife stuck right into Mason's back where his wings were connected.

Blood poured from the knife wound, and he stumbled around to get Damien off of him. Mason lost his hold and the darkness that was holding, and I was freed. The first thing I did was make a dart for Shun. He was limp, but was still alive. His chest slowly moved up and down. "Get…Off…..Of….Me!"

I turned and saw Mason shoot Damien like he did Shun. Damien was slammed into the sidewalk across the street and I heard him groan in pain. By the way he landed it would have been a miracle if he didn't shatter his ribs. Mason yanked the knife from his back and tossed it to the side. It slid on the road and stopped short of me. His attention was fully on Damien, and rage burned in his eyes as he looked over the injured Half-breed. My eyes went back and forth between the knife and Damien.

Without thinking, I picked it up and ran towards Mason. With his back turned away from me, and his focus on killing Damien, I jumped on his back and stuck the knife into his throat. He let out a wail like an injured animal and his arms flailed and I was flung off. Blood spurted from his neck, and he tried to stop it by pressing his hand to the wound. I was covered in blood from the wound next to his wing. Being this close, I got a good look at the damage Damien had caused. The skin around the base of the "wing" was completely ripped apart.

Mason staggered on his feet then fell to his hands and knees. One hand still gripped his neck. Blood splattered from his mouth, and he fell onto his side. The ex-Fallens body twitched in its last final moments of life. I stood over him, and watched as the life in his eyes vanished. He made no more sounds. I tossed the bloody knife next to his lifeless body. Damien was trying to get up on his feet.

I ran over to him and helped him up. He looked at Mason and said, "You killed him, sweetheart. I guess the Higher Powers didn't know you could handle yourself like that." His voice was tired and weak. That one blow did a number on Damien, and no telling what it had done with Shun. It was obvious that Mason's attack on Damien wasn't intended to kill him, but just to get him off of his back.

Shun's though, was intended to kill him. Once I was sure that Damien could stand on his own, I ran back to Shun. He had rolled onto his back, and was tightening his closed eyes in pain. I was too worried of touching him in case I caused him more pain. "Shun. Shun, wake up." Damien walked up behind me, and was holding his ribs. Further down the street, four figures started running towards us.

It was Thatch, Ebony, Adam, and Bertha. They saw Shun and started running towards us faster. Bertha knelt down across from me and looked him over. She looked around and saw me covered in Mason's blood, Damien with his injuries, and Mason's dead body. "What went on here?"

I didn't feel like going into full detail and only told her what happened to Shun. She understood that Shun should be the top priority, and got Thatch and Adam to carefully pick him up. We stayed clear of the damaged kitchen when we returned to the tenement building. Thatch and Adam had taken Shun upstairs to his room, and Bertha was treating his injuries. I was sitting on the couch in the living room in a pair of clean clothes. I had thrown my blood soaked ones away.

There was no point in even trying to salvage them. Damien was sitting next to me. His shirt was off and I could see the bandages around his chest. Ebony had been the one to fix him up since she had picked up a few tricks from Bertha. "Thanks. For saving me back there. I guess I really was wrong about you." He smiled at me and said, "That you did, sweetheart. But it was my job, and I think I did a pretty good job if I say so myself." I rolled my eyes and he laugh, but grabbed onto his side and bent over and groaned. "Ow. It hurts to laugh." It was my turn to laugh, and he glared at me.

Which only made me laugh more. It didn't bother me anymore that he called me sweetheart or acted obnoxious at times. He had done his job as a Guardian and saved me from Mason. I asked him, "Now that you've done your job, what happens now? Are you still assigned to me, or will you go on to somebody else who needs you?" Damien looked up to ponder for a moment and shrugged.

"I don't know. Could go either way, but I guarantee you'll see me around." Damien winked at me and I rolled my eyes. He stood up and walked towards the door. I asked, "Where are you going?" He opened the door and stood in the doorway.

"I've got to go to the Realm and speak with the Higher Powers. That was my orders for when I did my job. I just hung around to get patched up." He smiled and slid his shirt back on. Damien then walked out of the door and took off into the air. The sky outside of the window started to turn from dark like night, back to like it was this morning.

ah, the story's climax. :) the chapter title it based off a skillet song. just wanted to put that out there. i almost felt like i wrote myself into a hole, but came through in the end. ^^ i'll have to start on my x-mas special soon, so the last story may be delayed for a little bit. (I'm not going to start late like i did in The End Of Our World) keep an eye out for the sequeal though. i do believe it will go by the name Forgiven and will be based off the song by skillet. i'll say whether the title changes or not, but i do believe that is what im sticking with. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~