Title: The Strength of Difference: Chapter Five
Author: SynsOrion
Content: PG
Discription: A young girl finds that she has grown wings. She runs away because of her confused feelings and finds another like herself. Original story. Please r & r so that I know if I should put up more of it.
~*~
Suteru looked about himself. Blackness and dark surrounded him.
"What's going on here? Where the hell is tenshi-ko? Answer me, damn it!"
A sinister but seductive voice answered. It was a voice that had, many times before, slowly convinced people to do things that they otherwise wouldn't have. "Suteru. You belong to me."
"What the hell do you mean?! I don't belong to anyone! Show yourself!"
Hane appeared before him. "Suteru, it's me, Hane."
He looked at her, sensing something amiss. Something about her eyes didn't seem right to him. "You're not tenshi-ko! Show me your true form!"
The image of Hane flickered like a candle then disappeared and a new form took its place. A man, tall, with coal black hair and crimson skin, which carried a trident now stood before him. "This is my true form."
Suteru's eyes widened with realization. "Lucifer!"
The man smiled. "Call me what you will. That is just one of my many names."
"I don't really care! Leave me alone!"
"You see, Suteru, that's something that I can't do. I have a job that only you can carry out."
"Well, forget it! Do your own dirty work!"
Lucifer smiled craftily. "You will fall, if not tonight, then tomorrow."
*
Suteru bolted upright then realized what had been happening.
"A dream," he stated. "And a very realistic one at that."
He lay back down and, after checking to see if Hane was all right, he closed his eyes and drifted back off to sleep.
*
"Hane, Hane," a gentle voice whispered.
She opened her eyes. Bright white light surrounded her and there was another angel before herself.
"Where am I?" This was a dream, but it wasn't her nightmare. It was a different dream.
"Hane."
She looked up at the angel that stood before her. "Yes?"
"There is a great evil near by. You will have to protect your mother and your best friend Soyokaze."
"Suteru?" she questioned. "What about him?"
The angel's eyes hardened. "He will not need protection." He paused for a moment. "You will have to fight soon."
"Fight? How?"
"The great archangel Michael, with whom you're related, was a swords man, as are you. I will awaken the ability to use a sword within you when the time is right and I will give you a sword to fight with."
"Who will I fight?"
The angel closed his eyes. "I can not tell you that right now. I have to leave you. Farewell."
She looked questioningly at him then said, "Bye."
*
Hane opened her eyes and blinked. The room was completely black except for the moonlight that was filtering in through the window.
"Another--a different dream?" It had to be.
She looked over at Suteru who was sleeping soundly then smiled and closed her eyes.
*
Suteru nudged Hane in the shoulder. "Come on, time to get up. We have to get on the train."
"Train?" she asked groggily.
"Train! You need to get home!"
"Soyokaze! Home! Yeah!" She bolted up and sprang out of bed, snatching up her bag.
"When does the train come, Suteru?"
"In about ten minutes."
"Ten--?! And the train station is on the other side of town! We won't make it there in time!"
"We will," he said craftily as she looked over at him. "If you fly."
"You did that on purpose! How long were you awake?"
"We're gonna miss the train, tenshi-ko. Come on! Let's hurry!" he stated, neatly avoiding her question.
They both ran out of the room and out of the inn.
Hane sighed heavily. "Hold on tight to me, all right? I know you did this on purpose and, if I wasn't so set on going home, then I wouldn't even be doing this!"
Suteru held her around the waist. "'Kay. Ready."
She steadied herself as her eyes hardened. "Good. But, if you fall, I'm not stopping to pick you up."
She flung her wings out to their full span and started to flap them like she had seen birds do so many times before. Dust was kicked up off the well-trodden path and it swirled around in tiny dust devils.
People were starting to gather around them to watch.
Hane found that her feet were no longer on the ground. "Hey! I'm flying!"
"You can't stay to enamored with this, you know. We hafta hurry. The train station is over there." Suteru pointed ahead of Hane and slightly to the left.
Hane nodded as she brought her wings down and up faster. "We'll make it, Suteru. Don't worry. Hold on tight now."
He nodded. "I am."
They flew off as people on the ground pointed up at them.
*
"Well, here we are." Hane slowly landed at the train station.
Suteru let go and rubbed his head. "Next time watch out for buildings, all right?"
"Well, it didn't really help that this was the first time that I'd ever flown, now did it? Not to mention that I was also carrying someone. I'm sure that my wings were only meant to support my weight."
She looked around and finally spotted a conductor. "Um, excuse me, but could you tell me which train is heading to Neda?"
He stared at her wings for a moment before answering. "Neda? Why, that'd be this one right here." He pointed to the one right in front of them. "It's all most ready to leave so you better hurry."
She nodded. "Thank you! Come on Suteru! Lets go!" She grabbed Suteru's arm and ran aboard the train.
"Next stop! Neda city!" Came the announcer's voice on the speakers.
The doors on the train closed and the train began moving.
"Let's find a seat. Come on."
"Tenshi-ko! We don't have tickets!" Suteru whispered sharply.
"It's all right, Suteru. I got them last night."
"Last night?! When last night?!"
She gave him her most innocent smile. "While you were fast asleep. And, next time, before saying 'thank you' you might want to make sure that the person isn't faking sleep."
"Faking?! You weren't--?! You were pretending?!"
She nodded. "Yep. Here're some seats."
Hane sat down, pulling Suteru into the seat next to her. She flexed her wings slightly then folded them tightly down her back and looked out the window.
Suteru nudged her. "So how'd you like it?"
"What?"
He grinned. "Flying! How'd you like it?"
She looked over at him. "You can't be serious! We almost didn't make the train and you're worried about if I liked it when I flew over here."
He took his glasses off. "You did like it right? I mean, besides the part when you hit the building. Right?" He gave her a small poke in the arm.
She couldn't help but smile at him. "Yeah, I liked it," she admitted.
"Good! Glad to hear it!"
Suteru turned when he heard a sound across the aisle from him. There was a young girl, about three, who was watching him closely. He gave her a smile and she smiled back, clapping her hands as if she thought that it was a fun game.
"Why hello there, little one."
"Who you talking to?" Hane questioned as she leaned over to see. "Aw. What a cutie."
The young girl clapped harder a large smile on her face.
The woman next to the girl turned to see why she was making so much noise. "What--?" She looked across the aisle, straight at Suteru and Hane.
Suteru gave her a small smile, knowing very well that he didn't have his hat, glasses, or bandanna on.
Hane smiled as well. "Hello. You have a very cute--"
"Leave my child alone, freaks!" The woman snatched her girl up and changed seats.
"Shit. I hate people like that." Suteru's eyes were angry as he slumped back in his seat.
Hane set a hand on his arm. "It's all right. You notice that the girl wasn't frightened."
He looked over at her. "Child innocence. She didn't know any better. After all," he closed his eyes. "I'm a demon."
"Suteru, stop with the pity party, all right?"
He gave her a half smile. "'Kay."
Hane's stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungry. We didn't really eat before we got on the train, you know."
He nodded. "The food cart should be coming soon."
She gave him a small smile then turned to looked back out the window at the trees that were passing by in a blur.
*
"Drinks! Food! Anyone want something to drink or eat? Would you like something to drink, sir?"
Suteru turned to look up at the stewardess who, in turn, took a step back.
"No, but my friend would."
The stewardess looked from Suteru's face to Hane's wings.
Hane smiled at her. "What do you have?"
"I--I..."
Hane watched her, moving her wings out slightly. "What's her problem, Suteru? She looks like she's never seen an angel before."
"Angel?" she questioned.
"Y--yes. That's what I look like, right?" The woman nodded. "Good! And he looks like a demon, right?" Another nod. "Great! We're supposed to dress like this for a movie. At least we look the part, eh?"
The woman nodded with a smile. It wasn't real. "What would you like?"
"I'll have some water and a bowl of noodles!"
"All right. Here you go."
She handed Hane a glass of clear liquid followed by a bowl of noodles and chopsticks.
Hane opened her backpack and pulled out some money, which she handed to the stewardess.
"Thank you. Those wings look real, too."
"Thanks. I'm glad."
Once the woman left Suteru leaned over next to Hane and whispered, "That was an out right lie and you know it!"
She looked at him, noodles half way up to her mouth. "I know. But it's better for her to think that then to be afraid of you and me."
He nodded. "True."
She finished her noodles then drank her water and went back to looking out the window.
*
