(part two)
A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio
Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money,
please don't sue me.
***
Monday
****
Gabriel glared at the ceiling of his room. He was hanging from his favorite rafter, wrapped in his cape, bat-style, contemplating his actions like he'd been ordered to. Why did he have to be grounded? Miruru was confined to her bed, it's not like he was going to go in there to deliberately...well, especially after last night, he certainly wasn't going to seek her out.
Being a vampire in the Human World was hard. Gabriel sighed and dangled from his legs on his rafter, letting his cape fall behind him with a soft sough of silk. The muted green and black blended in with the Gothic decorations of his bedroom, or at least it would if the lights had been on in Gabriel's cave. It had been much easier in the Demon World, he decided. There, vampires were an accepted part of life. No one would mind if he took a little bite now and then, especially if he was sure to vary his victims. But here, it'd probably get him arrested, or worse, send Miruru into a jealous rage.
And why did she have to pick him to begin with? He certainly hadn't ever encouraged her. In the Demon World, he'd run away from her as soon as he saw her because she made him itch something terrible. Now that he was cured of his allergies, she'd been glomped onto him at every opportunity, and nothing he could say or do would deter her.
It wasn't that he didn't like her...not that he didn't lo -- he steered away from that line of thought before he could finish it. She had the body of a goddess, after all, and she was really a good person, deep down inside. But why him?
A soft knock at the door broke his reverie, and he swung his legs off the rafter, doing a perfect backflip to land lightly onto the floor below, his cape catching in the dim dim light as it billowed out behind him.
"Whoever it is, I'm grounded and can't come out," he said, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Gabe?" Miruru called timidly.
Oh, no. She was out of bed. Swearing under his breath, he opened the door to reveal her there, wrapped in a sheet, her hair dishiveled with those damned dark circles still underneath her eyes. The light from the hallways bled in, forming an aura around her.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said coolly, leaning against the door, blinking slightly as his eyes adjusted.
"I had to come by to tell you something," she replied, her ears drooping slightly at his frosty tone.
"You need to be in bed. You're not well."
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted again, brushing past him into his room without his permission. Gabriel tried to stop her but she was quick, and in the end he decided to just shut the door in case anyone came by. Wouldn't do to see them together after this morning. He turned on the one lamp, so that they weren't in his usual pitch black haven.
"Miruru." He said her name sternly, but his resolve was melting under the sad look in her eyes. Globe eyes, he thought of them, so huge and round like a greeny yellow moon, far too big for her face.
"I had to tell you that this wasn't your fault, Gabe," she said, strangely dry eyed. She was only an actress when it suited her purposes, and right now, she was trying to radiate honesty.
"Not my fault? What the hell do you mean, not my fault? I nearly sucked every damn drop of blood out of your body and it's not my fault?"
"I seduced you!" she cried with emotion, then calmed down. "And now because of me you're being punished as well. But none of this was your fault at all. If I hadn't --"
"It's both our faults. Yes, you seduced me, but I gave in. And you need to be in bed." He debated whether he should pick her up and take her back to her room, grounded or not. She was swaying on her feet, and if she collapsed in here, he'd never forgive himself.
"But Gabe, we need to talk about us," she said plaintively, stepping closer and resting her hands on his arm.
"Us?"
"Our relationship. They're trying to separate us, can't you see?
Gabriel backed away, his eyes widening. She had gone delusional. "Miruru, what the hell kind of relationship did we even have to begin with? You can't base anything romantic off me sucking your blood. It doesn't work."
"But Gabe -"
"I know, I know, you love me. And I lo --" he stopped himself just in time. He was not ready to say that, not yet. Hell, he didn't even know if he would mean it. How could he know what love is?
"Yes, Gabe?" she prompted, loosening the sheet wrapped around her ever so slightly. Gabriel nearly had a nosebleed. She was naked under the sheet. That body . . . it was literally the emodiment of a man's most lustful fantasies. That's what minor demons like themselves were, after all, just human dreams and nightmares. Somewhere, some human had fantasized about a cat girl with an impossible body, and Miruru had been born. Hourglass figure, velvety ears, mile long legs . . .
But that was neither here nor there. Her eyes had widened, waiting for him to finish his statement. Those eyes...how could he deny those eyes? Huge eyes, cat eyes, waiting for him to finish his declaration of love, eyes that saw nothing but him, that waited patiently for him to realize what an ass he was being and just admit that he was as crazy about her as she was about him.
"I . . ." he started again. Damned if he couldn't say it. It would seal his fate. She'd already finagled herself into an engagement with him without his consent. But then, again, there were those sad, sad eyes. It was tearing him apart.
Just say it! he scolded himself. Then you can take her back to her room, so that she'll get better.
"I . . ."
A soft noise at his door let him know that they were not without an audience. He nimbly leapt over to his door in one fluid motion, and opened it, revealing the entire eavesdropping family. They fell as one to land, facefault style, on top of Papa in a heap on the floor.
"Just...say it...son," Papa said, suffering under the weight of his entire family.
"Papa, Mama? Sara, Ruka? Noelle? Even you, Yuusuke?" Gabriel was seeing red. How dare they eavesdrop on him!
"Hi!" Miruru said in her cheery way, tightening the sheet again with one hand and waving the other in a friendly gesture. Only Noelle waved back. Noelle, the eternally joyful.
"Say it!" she said with a happy smile to her older brother.
"No way. You think I'm going to admit that I love that . . . that cat-girl?" He pointed vaguely at her, still staring in disbelief at the assembled Family, unaware of what he'd just said. The look of joy that spread across Miruru's face let everyone know that she hadn't missed it, however.
Just then Baba came upon the group. At first she ignored everyone, stepping on Papa's back to peer into the room, taking stock of the situation. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the two inside.
A heavy silence descended upon everyone like the weight of a thousand curses.
"Miruru!" Baba's voice sliced through the weighty silence, full of controlled anger. "I forbade you to see him for a week!"
"But --"
"Get back to your room, Miruru. I can't believe you all. Look at you! Get up off the floor." She kicked imperiously at Papa, not enough to really hurt him, but just enough to let them all know that she meant business.
The family scampered off Papa's broad back, and cowered, fearful of Baba's wrath. Nekhbet jeered at them from Baba's shoulder.
Miruru exited the room slowly, gracefully, the look of silly happiness still fixed on her face. Baba had heard the tail end of the argument, and knew that Miruru had heard more than enough to keep her satisfied until she was well again.
"I'm going to pretend that none of this happened." Baba stepped away, her maroon robes trailing behind her as she walked down the hallway to the living room. She heard an audible sigh of relief from the Family before they scattered in the opposite direction.
Then she paused and waited for a few moments, as Gabriel closed his door and replayed the last minutes of conversation in his mind. Three, two, one...
"I said WHAT? Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Gabriel's cry resounded throughout the household.
And Baba smiled to herself before she continued on her way to her workshop.
***
To be continued...