Send an Angel
She sat up in bed as one of the maids shook her, putting the tray of her breakfast in front of her, handing her a spoon and showing her where it was. When she had realized where it was, the maid left her to her business. Nevaeh struggled as she always did to get it too her mouth, wanting to peek from under the bandages to see, but unable to do so even if she did. She sometimes got frustrated, sending the porcelain bowl flying across the room and smashing into a wall. Of course, that only happened once, and with it woke Strife up to witness she could barely eat on her own. Today he just happened to be awake, looking on as she wrinkled her nose when the spoon flipped in her hands, sending the soup to go back into the bowl.
"You know, I could help you with that," he said.
"I don't need help! I am not an infant!" she shot back angrily. "Besides aren't you suppose to be asleep or something?"
"Couldn't sleep, and I never said you were one," he shrugged, standing and walking forward. "But I could help you out, just this one time. Only problem is...I can't exactly reach you."
She hesitated, but soon put the spoon down, getting the key from around her neck and tossing it across the floor towards him. He quickly picked it up, undoing the cuffs and dropping them to the floor. Strife rubbed his wrists as he walked over, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. He could see her steaming with calm anger, picking up the spoon and holding it out to him.
"This is not exactly how I want to be fed, thank you, but it appears I have no choice, seeing my disability," she said, shaking her head as he took the spoon away.
"Ain't exactly what I want to do either, but everyone's got to eat, and I can't have you killing over," he replied, taking a spoonful. "Now open your mouth."
She did what she was told to do, closing as the spoon went in her mouth and swallowed. He took the spoon away as she spoke.
"Why?" she asked.
"'Cause, I'd rather have you for an owner than that one creep."
"You mean Hades? Yes, I see your point," she answered, eating yet another spoonful.
"So, if you don't eat you might die, and if you die I'll have to be placed into someone else's care."
"What if there's someone better than me?" she asked.
"What?! Since when is there a better owner who let's there servant slack off all day?" he replied, humor in his voice.
"Slack off, huh? Why, is that what you think you do?"
"What else? All I do is sit around all day, talking to you."
"That's exactly it," she said. "You keep me company. Someone normal to talk to after all these battles."
He stopped, thinking. She turned her head, her gaze upward in not knowing where he was. She asked if he was still there, and he responded shortly. She reached out her hand, wondering if he was still there, and met the top of his head. Nevaeh pulled her hand away, contemplating what was wrong, and finally asked. He did not answer, but took one of her hands, just holding it there for a moment. It was so frail compared to the left hand he held it in, finding it hard to believe anyone could think of him as normal.
"Do you really think of me this way...even though I appear as a monstrosity to others?"
She laughed. "Monstrosity? Strife, you are more human than myself. If you believe that hand of your makes you any lesser, don't." She sighed, Strife looking up from his hand. "It is strange, really, that such a cold blooded being as myself could possibly share a friendship with one like yourself. I thought from the start you would fear me, just like the others, but you didn't. I'm surprised, but actually quite glad I met you."
He frowned, shaking his head slowly and sighing. He stood up, holding, still, onto her hand and helping her up. She asked what he was doing, and he only said, "It's about time to showed you the truth."
She had no idea what he meant by it, seeing how she could not see at all. But he lead her along anyway, tying the white rope around his wrist and handing it to her between their hands. As they walked out the door, the guards were about explain when she stopped them, knowing they would say something. She just said they were going for a walk, and they'd be back shortly. They would have disagreed, but they could not go against her word and let her go. Strife continued to lead her through the hallways, finding the stairs and the door to the arena entrance. She could tell it had brightened, when they suddenly stopped in the center, Strife letting go.
"Strife, what are you doing?" she asked, reaching out as he was not there.
But he came back, putting a hand on her shoulder and the other over her eyes, whispering to shush. "It's about time you saw the sky," he said.
Her face turned to worry, knowing she was helpless. "But I-I can't look at the sky! I'll go blind permanently!"
"You won't," he said, shutting his eyes. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small container of blue water as he continued to cover her eyes. "This was a gift given to me by one of the miners. Something called 'eye drops'. It's supposed to cure blindness, but only if we do this right. Keep your eyes shut until I tell you to, okay?"
"Are you sure it will work?" she questioned.
"Of course it will! And if it doesn't...then you can shoot me. But it won't fail. I'm going to take this bandage off your eyes, but keep your eyes shut, understand?"
She nodded slightly, Strife preparing to do so. He took off the bandages, lifting her head up and Nevaeh squinting her eyes tighter. He opened the small container, putting two drops onto her eyelids. It seeped in, her eyes relaxing. Strife then told her to open her eyes, which she did.
Her eyes no longer burned, but blinked with the brightness of the blue sky. She just stared, smiling as she realized she was seeing this, for real. The sun glazed off her silver hair as she twirled around, laughing. No more darkness, no more blotted out sun, but just seeing for her own eyes the sky. She looked back to Strife, still smiling, but it faded when he didn't give the slightest indication. She walked over to him, about to thank him, when he stood back, shrugging.
"And now to show you," he said, sighing. "I couldn't do this unless you saw with your own eyes. And I couldn't just tell you or else you wouldn't believe. I didn't use the eye drops because...I really didn't want to tell you, but I guess I have to."
"Strife, what are you talking about?" she finally asked.
He reached for the collar of his cloak, swallowing. Strife somehow managed the courage to pull it off his head. He threw it to the ground, stretching out his left arm as he did, and unleashing what had been on his back the whole time. A wind drifted by with the silence, Nevaeh wide-eyed. She shook her head, backing away.
"No...how can this be?" she said. "You remind me...somehow...of someone I once new...but I can't quite remember...I knew he meant something, but I don't know who he is...Somehow you remind me of him. Of the one...I used to know."
"As do you...That's why I thought I had to tell you, because you reminded so much of someone. Your name seemed so familiar, and I thought you might know. That's why I stayed before."
"Then why do you stay now?" she asked suddenly, looking to his face from where she stared at his wing.
He shook his head. "I don't know. I just know I have to stay for some reason..."
She stood there, the wind beginning to blow her hair into her face. In an instant she was suddenly there before him, wrapping her arms under his and hugging him. He was completely stunned, not knowing what to do. But he soon put an arm around her shoulder, a hand on her head.
She shook her head slightly. "I don't care what you are, Strife. Just don't go. Don't you ever leave."
"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere."
Somehow that stuck in the back of their minds, crawling to reach the surface of their memories. But it died before it could, back to where it came, Nevaeh's eyes beginning to water. He pulled away, knowing this, and smiled half-heartedly.
"I thought I told you not to cry anymore," he said.
"You did, but these aren't sad tears." She smiled, taking the rope around his wrist. "Now come on, let's get back. Maybe you can tell me more about this person."
She walked along with him as he continued, picking up his cloak and making their way out of the arena. But little did they know of the being looming overhead. He had watched this unfold, getting curious when he saw that wing. He remembered such another being possessing one leathery wing, and knew exactly, now, who this man was. He grinned once more menacingly, knowing how good an opportunity this was.
As they reached her apartment, she took the rope off his wrist, running over and sitting by her desk. She asked him again to tell her what this person might have been like, why her name reminded him so much of this one. She began to think that he might no something about her own past, that she might have been apart of it somehow, and that he might actually be this person she herself had remembered somewhere in time. And maybe, just maybe, he was the angel she had asked for. A while ago she had asked for an angel from above, to wipe away the tears she cried in sorrow and tell her about her past. Somehow, in some unusual way, he had done one part, and now she wanted to know the other.
He explained to her the things that were foggy to him, that somehow reminded him of her. Her greens eyes, the feathered wings on her back, it all lead up to something, though he could not quite gasp it. But she really didn't care, as long as it held some significance. He finally said he couldn't remember anything more, but that was all right with her. As long as he knew something.
She stood, hearing something at the door. She walked forward, seeing Hades enter without even knocking, and narrowed her eyes in anger.
"Good afternoon, Nevaeh! Up and well I see!" he said.
"What do you want, Hades?" she questioned angrily, wanting to get this over with.
"Actually, I came for him," he said, pointing to Strife. He walked past her slowly floating over. "See, we've had a bit a change in plans, and I'll be needing to confiscate this from you." He snap his fingers, the black collar appearing around his neck again with a chain leading into Hades hands. But a metal sound rang, Hades turning to find a sword pointed to his neck.
"Put him down, Hades, he is my property! You take him away you die!" she threatened, narrowing the rang of the masamune to his throat.
"First of all," he laughed, moving the sword away with a finger, "too late. I'm already dead. Second, it appears there has been a bit of a misunderstanding. All caged beings were sold to the fighting arena, and he just happened to be a caged being. I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding, Nevaeh."
"You deceitful crazed..." she began, but was cut off.
"Well, if this is all, then I best be going. Good day, Nevaeh."
As Hades dragged him away on his feet, Strife whispered out of his notice that he'd be okay, the door shutting when they were out of the room. Nevaeh fell to her knees, unable to do anything. She could not go against the rules of the fights, not even her, so she was powerless. Outside the doors, Hades handed Strife over to the guards to take to the dungeon with the rest of the fighters, grinning as he left to his own layer.
When he wandered the halls, the called upon for old women, two of them missing their eyes and one with just one. He walked with his hands behind his back, thinking everything was calm and going to plan.
"So, is everything set then?" he asked.
"Yes, sire, but there is a slight flaw."
He stopped, turning to face them. "Flaw?"
One of the women hit the other on the head, popping the eye out and putting it into her own socket. "You did get rid of the problem for her remembering..."
Another poked the woman in the eye, taking the eyeball and putting it into her eye socket. "Though we made him forget as well, our magic only works so well."
"What do you mean? I thought you said it was the best," he stated.
"Yes," one replied, the other take the eyeball once more.
"But when twice a go, up will the memories show."
He rubbed his head, getting annoyed. "So what your saying is that if he hits his head twice he will remember everything?"
The one now with the eyeball spoke, "Not everything. Just the first thing he sees that is from his memories, which shall probably be her."
The second one to have the eyeball took it again. "And it does not have to be a hit on the head. It can be any traumatic event, in saying the girl has done this once. Face another, and she shall remember."
"Oh great, that's just perfect!" he shouted, rolling his eyes.
"But you did get rid of the one problem for now. All you have to do is keep the boy from hitting his head too hard again and the girl out of harms way."
"So...how do I do this?"
"Keep her from the games for a bit, and slowly that event shall disappear back to zero."
He nodded his head, grinning. "Alright...that's reasonable. Very good." With this, he turned away, the women thinning to nothing as he continued his way into the shadows once again...