Useless information: This horribly late update was written to Belinda Carlisle's cover of "Heaven is a Place on Earth"

An update- finally! I wasn't entirely sure how to put this together but I did it the best I could and recently my writer's block has been lifted and I've been assailed with all sorts of ideas. Please review me and let me know that you're still there and if I'm doing okay, if anyone is left out there. x

Disclaimer: Raziel and Kain belong to Eidos, not me. Rhapsody, as usual is mine, although I'm sure she'd have something to say about that one if anyone took the time to ask her. Please do enjoy.

The thin garment that Rhapsody wore was the same stark white as the walls of the room and the bedding on which she sat, a far cry from the vibrancy of the her last dwelling.

She made a small gasping sound as Raziel's claw traced smoothly along the line of her neck and turned her chin up to face him. Noting that her tears did not burn him, she placed one small, light hand on the talon curled gently beneath her chin and tried to focus on his features, regarding her in an apparent mix of concern and adoration. How long had it been, she tried to remember. After the first year, the detatchment had grown and though her body had changed, she had ceased to register time with much clarity. It could have been three years or just as easily, ten.

"Oh god... you feel so real"

Her voice broke slightly as she spoke, her grip tightening on the talon beneath her hand. Raziel rose from his crouched position on the floor and came to sit beside her on the bed, one arm draped as lightly as he could manage across her shivering shoulders.

"My Rhapsody" there was regret in his voice as he spoke, claw edges running through her hair "What has become of you?"

Unresponsive in her silence, Rhapsody's eyes followed his movements, fingertips tracing the line of his jaw and then his lips in a bid to ascertain reality. After a moment she spoke again, this time with more clarity to her voice, more certainty. She did not quaver and a long forgotten sense of independance found itself again in her posture.

"Raziel" she said, her voice breaking free of its former restrained quality. She waited for him to nod in recognition of his name before continuing "Where did you go? Tell me what happened since we last saw eachother, please... you...left with no explanation"

"It would have been too difficult to say goodbye to you, and I needed to go, to... finish things."

"I waited" she said, not hurt or defiant, just a statement.

"Oh.. I know you did and I've come back for you" Raziel said, voice quiet, his words sounding more like a plea than a justification and with an ancient need to save face continued "Kain eluded me, twice and I'd like you to come with me this time. I missed you, Rhapsody"

She cast her gaze down to the white floor beneath her bare feet and sighed.

"You are real, aren't you" Rhapsody's eyes met his again and in one silent movement, she drew him towards her, one hand slipping lightly to the back of his neck, the other resting on one claw which had earlier fallen on her thigh. With a sudden, surprised intake of breath, Raziel made a slight attempt at speech which was quickly cut off once more. His grip on her tightened as their lips met and the streak of blood on her mouth that he tasted caused him to shiver, a familiar warmth spreading through his body. Instinctively, he found himself undressing her and noticed with a saddness how thin she had become. Rhapsody gasped wordlessly at the touch of his claws and arched herself slightly under his cool body to better feel his beat of his heart against hers.

Dawn had yet to fully break when they were woken by a faint clicking from the door of the room.The early winter frost making crystals on the window and Raziel stretched his wings against the wall and reached down into the covers, pulling them further over Rhapsody in an attempt to block out the cold. Her hair fell loosely over his bare chest and stirring lightly from her own sleep, she curled her fingers around one redded talon, pressing her back closer into Raziel's chest, cool as it was, and making a soft, satisfied noise.

The door opened into the room, despite the couple's oblivious state and the orderly who entered promptly dropped her tray.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I'm already planning out the next few chapters. Leave me some nice reviews and I'll have the next chapters up in no time, I promise. x