Category: Darksiders I & II

Rating: M

Couples: Azrael/War

Warnings: AU, Yaoi, Debatable-Con (once), Lemon, Mpreg

Chapter:28

Copyright: Characters & places © By Appropriate Copyright-holder, Plot & OC´s © by me and Food-for-mind

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Strife sighed lightly as he sank through his knees beside the angel. "Will you look at me, Azrael?"

"Leave me." With a monumental effort the Archangel moved the slender wing covering him, looking up at the Nephilim. "Kill me."

"I don't think that will do any good." Carefully the Gunner pulled the scholar up, half-dragging him to the bed. "War does not know I am here. He's out to vent his fury."

"He would not care regardless." Azrael's eyes were hollow as he was planted on the bedside. "I am but a whore to him…" A choked sound escaped him. "He…"

"Ssshhh…" The second-eldest surviving Nephilim shushed him, before briefly leaving the room and returning with some water and healing-herbs. "What happened?" He demanded while cleaning the cut and applying healing-herbs to the swollen jaw.

"Lilith captured me. Then I woke here with War having seen my memories…" The mystic flinched a bit. "I didn't mean to…" New tears formed in his eyes. Where was he finding them?

"She tried to Mark you, according to War. When he arrived, she showed him memories she had freshly pulled from your mind." Strife rose from the bed to find a tunic or something like that. "He brought you back after that."

"So I would bear him this child before he kills me." Azrael shuddered, resting a hand on his stomach. "Like… like some brood-mother." This was what he had been reduced to: his life ebbing away as another grew inside him. "Is this my fate now?"

"War is entirely unreasonable right now. Believe me, I tried." The black-haired male sat down beside him, hesitantly resting his hand over the pregnant belly as well. Worry filled his mind as he saw the look in the ivory eyes.

"No." Azrael's hands became fists. "I will not give him that."

"Azrael?" Strife blinked, carefully forcing the other to look him in the eyes.

"I will not give him this child." Trembling again, the white-haired male stumbled to the nearest window. Leaning on the windowsill, he looked up at the sky where a pair of the planet's prime hunters were cruising through the sky. "If he thinks so badly of me… What will he think of my child? What will he do to it?"

"You are not seriously considering killing it or something, are you?" The sleek armor moved smoothly as the other male joined him at the window. "Azrael…"

"Of course not." The angel shook his head. "No… you will take it." And before any argument was forthcoming, he continued. "I will die, one way or another… and when that happens, you will take it at the first opportunity and bring it to Heaven."

"Steal my brother's child from him?" The White Rider demanded in disbelief. "I might be named 'strife' but that is beyond even me."

"Then could you assure me he'd treat it well?" The Gatekeeper blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears from coming again. "You know what happened that night… If he declares me a deceiver and whore over that… what will he declare my child?"

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Fury had followed War to ensure he would not bite off more than he could chew. Despite her intentions, the Red Rider had headed straight back to Lilith's domain. His rage at her ruining his dream would not allow him any other course of action.

She walked slowly through the ravaged corridor. Gouges denoted where Chaoseater had bit into the fleshy wall. On occasion, she would have to step over a destroyed demon who had been foolish enough to attempt to stop the enraged Nephilim.

Mad laughter echoed through the pulsating passageways. They had started quite a while ago: roughly at the time of War reaching the Mad Queen. He was truly tangling with her now.

The female Rider kicked aside another foolish pet of the Mother of Demons. Sighing a bit, she thought back to what War had informed his siblings of just a few hours ago. Azrael had deceived them all, using the youngest Nephilim's attraction for his own gain. Quite frankly, the only reason the angel had lived to the end of that conversation had been War's insistence that he would not condone his child to be harmed, regardless of what the 'mother' had done. Closing her eyes briefly – it wasn't like there was anything left that could be a threat – she snarled a bit. How could an angel have fallen this far? How could Azrael have fallen like this, premature Endwar or not?

Death had left shortly before she and War did, leaving only Strife in the fortress. She just hoped the Gunner would not do something rash. Then again, he had shown no reaction when War revealed what he had learned… The laughter had long stopped by now.

The door to Lilith's throne-room was ripped open at the hinges.

"War?" Fury entered hesitantly, one hand on the handle of her whip. Blood mixed with the putrid excretions of the walls, the room having been ravaged. Her younger brother stood in the middle of it all, Chaoseater rammed in the backrest of Lilith's overturned throne.

Of Lilith herself, only small parts remained.

War was wobbling on his feet, collapsing after just a short while. As he looked at Fury, she realized that it had not been only Lilith laughing madly just now. He looked broken like she had never seen any of her siblings before. His hopes and dreams were crushed into tiny pieces.