Tenshi and Akuma
Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: I own everything; worship me! No, really... I don't own anything... T.T

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Bulma sleepily rubbed her eyes. She groaned as she tiredly glanced over at the clock on her nightstand. 5:45 AM. She turned her head towards her bedroom window and was pleased to find that the sun had not risen yet.

Perfect time to take a stroll with Juu-kun, she thought to herself. She slowly rose from the bed and proceeded to dress in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. For the past three years, Bulma and Juunanagou, another angel though of lower status than herself, had made it a point to take an early morning walk together on the seventeenth of each month. They had never missed a 'date' and Bulma always found herself looking forward to it, but she was awfully tired as of late due to her constant watching over Vegeta. She was interested in hearing about how the war was going though and Juunanagou was the only one who would tell the Prodigal One about anything dealing with the war.

She loved that about Juu-kun. He was out-going, fun to be with and he wasn't afraid of her because of her status. She, herself, hadn't even known what a Prodigal One was for the first twelve years of her life. As a child, she had often wondered why most of the other children seemed frightened and wary of her. It had been the cause of a night full of crying on more than one occasion, but on her thirteenth birthday, all had been revealed to her.

The Prodigal One of Heaven was only born once every thousand years and it was a time for celebration... and fear -- the Chosen One of Hell was also born once every thousand years. Bulma recalled the pride her parents held when they had told her she was the Prodigal One. She was the most powerful angel of their time, her powers only being bested by God himself. However, her underlying powers would only come forth if the angels were in a time of great peril. She believed that the war was a time of great peril, but apparently, her powers did not because she had not ascended yet.

Her father told her that she had not ascended because she wasn't needed yet. The angels were winning the war. She wasn't allowed anywhere near the war for the angels feared she would be killed before she ascended. Bulma frowned as she pulled her t-shirt over her head. It was unfair; the Chosen One was fighting in the war, or so her father had told her. But apparently, he hadn't ascended either. The circumstances for the Chosen One were different than the Prodigal One. The Chosen One's ascension dealt with strength. Once strong enough, he/she would become the Chosen One of Hell. Bulma shook her head; those would be very dark times indeed.

She opened and closed her bedroom door quietly as not to rouse her sleeping 'guest' in the next room. As she passed his room, she figured that she had better check on him quickly before leaving. She silently opened his door a crack and peeked inside. Sure enough, he was still sound asleep, laying contently on his stomach. Bulma's eyes roamed over his bare back shamefully. Some of his injuries had healed as scars, but her eyes stopped completely on his wings. They weren't dark red and black anymore, they were... grey? She shook her head. They couldn't be. Maybe she WAS too tired to take that walk with Juunanagou. She closed his door and proceeded to exit her house, Juu-kun already waiting outside.

"G'morning, cutie-pie, sugar-plum, hunny-buns!" the black-haired, male angel greeted jokingly, "What took ya' so long?"

"Oh, I was just checking on..." Bulma stopped abruptly before revealing any information about the demon in her guest room. Unable to lie, she changed topics, "Shall we walk?"

Juunanagou looked at her thoughtfully, but nodded with a grin, "We shall!"

As they walked together, the sun was rising over the horizon and the chilly air was slowly becoming warmer. Bulma held her friend's hand as she engaged him in conversation.

"So, tell me, how are the angels faring in war?" she asked as they walked on at a leisurely pace. He cast a sideway glance at her.

"Well," he started, "I haven't been the past couple of weeks because I was off of shift, but from what I hear, we are doing fairly well. We were doing somewhat badly up until I took my off-shift, but now we have come out ahead. The Chosen One hasn't been seen much lately for some reason."

Bulma raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" Juunanagou nodded.

"Yeah, as for me, I think he's off somewhere... training, so he can ascend," he said gloomily. "If he does, it could be very bad for us. We can't even imagine the amount of power he or she will have upon ascension."

Bulma shook her head to herself. "Yeah, then maybe I will finally ascend and be able to help."

At that, Juunanagou grinned and ruffled the hair on the top of her head. "And how is our little prodigy doing?"

She glared at him in return. "Don't call me that, Juu!"

He chuckled and drew her in closer to him, throwing his arm around her neck. "Aw, you're just too cute for words when someone calls you the Prodigal One!" She slapped him on his arm for his teasing antics.

"Because I don't like being called that!" she retorted scornfully. He looked at her with a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Very well, B-chan. I need to be getting to the post though," he told her regretfully. Her face took on a look of sadness, but she nodded.

"Don't go and die on me, okay?" Bulma requested seriously and he smirked at her.

"Ha! I can't die!" he laughed and rubbed her cheek with his thumb, "I'll catch you later." With that, he turned and began walking in the other direction. Bulma looked after him and he glanced at her over his shoulder.

"It's a shame not all of us can just disappear and reappear all over the place like your mother!" he laughed and Bulma smiled. He waved and she turned around to head back to her house. She was sure Vegeta would be awake by now.

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Vegeta yawned as he opened his eyes. He looked around him, feeling oddly strange all of a sudden. He shivered unconsciously as he felt renewed inside. He sat up in bed and couldn't help but feel that something was amiss.

He reached up to feel his flame-like hair, touching his horns along the way. Well, I'm not bald, he thought to himself. Shrugging, he stood from the bed. He stretched lazily and listened for any sign that his angelic savior might already be awake. He was awake earlier than usual as the sun was just now becoming visible over the horizon. He wasn't sure of the time Bulma usually awoke.

Leaving his room, he called out, "Woman, you awake?" Upon hearing no response, he frowned.

"She's probably out frollicking with the squirrels or whatever the hell it is angels do," he muttered cynically. He walked into the kitchen and looked around expectantly. When nothing happened, he made a sound of frustration.

"Oh, don't tell me these people are too noble to have servants! The woman's gone and no one is here to feed me!" he yelled, throwing his hands up irritably. He grumbled to himself and stormed out of the kitchen, passing by a mirror as he did. His ebony eyes bulged out of their sockets and he back-tracked a few steps.

"What... the fuck..." he trailed off. His once dark and devilish wings were now a shiny grey. He spread his wings with his mouth hanging open. Unable to fathom the sudden change, he continued to spread and flex his 'new' set of wings.

Suddenly, a thought struck him and he walked outside. Crouching down next to a tree, he concentrated his energy. Without notice, he punched a hole completely through the tree with practically no effort. Pulling his hand back, he stared at it in wonder. He looked up and grinned maliciously. "I have ascended."

"Vegeta, is it okay for you to be out here by yourself?" came Bulma's concerned voice from behind him. He heard her gasp.

"What happened to your wings?! Are you okay?" she asked, running up to him. "Oh, no, you're really sick now."

He didn't answer her desperate pleas for his health. He spun around, drawing his sword as he did, and pressed the sharp blade tightly against Bulma's throat. She screamed and fell backwards to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" she cried fearfully.

He dropped down to the ground, covering her body with his. Pressing his sword even harder against her exposed neck, he smirked evilly.

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DUN, DUN, DUN! Heheh... I'm pretty evil, too, aren't I? ^-~ I get no love on this story... for the first time in like two years... I'll beg: REVIEW, PEOPLE! Let me know what rocks, let me know what sucks! Just let me know! Oi... ;.;