Title: The Strength of Difference: Chapter Six

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.

~*~

        "Tenshi-ko, wake up."

        Hane felt the poke of a finger in her side.

        "Tenshi-ko, come on."

        She blinked her eyes.  "Guess I dropped off there, eh?  What?"

        "We'll be in Neda in five minutes."

        "We will?" she asked, yawning.

        "Yes."

        "Oh.  Thanks for waking me up then."  She got her bag ready.  "What day is it?"

        "Tuesday."

        "Tuesday, eh?  And what time is it?"

        "'Bout eleven."

        She smiled.  "Soyokaze will still be in school.  I think that we'll visit her first."

        "All right."

        When they were off the train Hane lead him over to her school.

        "There's something that I've been meaning to ask you?"

        "Yeah, Suteru?"

        "Did you have that nightmare again last night, or not?"

        "No.  I had a different dream."

        "Strange thing, dreams."

        Hane nodded in agreement then looked up.  "Well, we're here.  This is my school."

        Suteru read the sign.  "Unity, eh?  Don't sound too bad."

        She smiled.  "The lunch bell's gonna ring soon.  We'll wait outside for Soyokaze."

        He nodded as Hane lead him onto the school grounds and over to a large oak tree.  "We used to always eat over here.  She still should."  Then Hane grinned in a slightly mischievous manner.  "Wings do have their good points.  At least now Zankoku won't be able to pick on me.  I'll just fly away if he does!"

        "When does the bell ring, anyway?"

        "Noon.  Which means, right-about-now!"

        Hane grinned as the school bell started to ring, signaling lunchtime.

        Soon after students started to walk out the doors to go outside and eat their lunches.

        Hane looked at all the familiar faces until she spotted one in particular.  "So-yo-ka-ze!  Over here!"  She stood up, her wings spread out to their fullest and waving her arms madly.

        "Hane!"  A girl with shoulder length curly hair ran over to them.  "You're back!"  She looked around Hane and spotted Suteru, who had put his hat and glasses back on.  "And this must be your new friend!"  She held her hand out and Suteru shook it.

        "Hi."

        Soyokaze grinned broadly then looked back over at Hane.  "Zankoku's gonna be surprised to see you."  Hane nodded as they sat down.  "Oh!  Your wings look so cool!  Did you fly yet?"  Hane nodded, a smile on her face.  "Oh, neat!"

        "Ah, Hane is back."

        Suteru looked up, a frown on his face at the tone of voice that the person had used.

        Hane smiled slyly at Zankoku.  "Zankoku, met Suteru."

        Suteru stood up to face him.

        "Another freak, eh?" he questioned, looked at her wings then at Suteru's scales.

        "Yeah.  I'm another freak." Suteru stated, his eyes hardening.  "And if you keep pestering tenshi-ko then I'll have to hurt you."

        "Yeah, I'd like to see you try."

        Suteru grinned.  "'Kay," he stated, rolling up his sleeves.

        "Suteru!"

        He looked back at Hane.  "Come on!  I really need to ease some stress!  A nice fight would do me good."  He stepped closer to Zankoku, looking him straight in the eye.

        Hane looked at him for a moment then smiled.  "Zankoku, are you gonna leave us alone or not?"

        "Why should I?  You two freaks and," he snorted.  "Soyokaze."

        "Fine, Suteru, you can."

        "All right!  Get him Suteru!" yelled Soyokaze.

        Suteru pulled his hat and glasses off, handing them to Hane.  "Watch these for me, 'kay?"

        She nodded as he turned back to face Zankoku.

        A ring of students had already formed to watch what was going on.  Some were pointing at Hane and asking each other if they knew how she had gotten wings, others were wondering whom the person with scales was.

        Zankoku seemed unsure of himself now.  Suteru looked at him angrily.  "You're the reason that tenshi-ko left here in the first place.  I think that it's only fitting that her new protector should even the score a bit."

        "New protector?  Ha!  Sounds more like her new boyfriend.  Tenshi-ko...  What a bunch of mush."

        Suteru's eyes became slits.  "Don't mock me.  You don't wanna piss me off!"

        Zankoku took a punch at Suteru's head but his opponent caught his arm in a steel grip.

        "Is that all that you've got?  Shit!  At least present me with a challenge!"  He flung the arm down then quickly crouched, kicking out with a leg and neatly tripping Zankoku.

        Zankoku lay on his back, winded.

        Hane's face appeared above him.  "Apparently your bad reputation has now gotten you into deeper trouble then you can get out of."  She gave him a grin of malice as she spread her wings out to their fullest then beat them at the ground.  The gust of wind that she had created hit him hard and he grunted.  "Sheesh.  You're just a weakling."

        Suteru nodded as he stepped up next to her.  "Wasn't even worth my time, damn it.  And I was so looking forward to a good fight."

        Zankoku sat up.  "You're the one that's worthless!" he spit at Suteru.

        "What?!" Suteru questioned, his eyes blazing with rage.

        Hane grabbed his arm.  "You're not worthless.  Don't listen to him, all right?  Come sit under the tree with me and Soyokaze."

        "You're just lucky that tenshi-ko's here or I'd rip your head off.  If I ever meet you alone then you better watch out because one of us won't walk away."

        He allowed Hane to steer him over to the tree where he sat down with her and Soyokaze.

        "Here you two, I packed extra food today.  Dig in!"

        "Thank you but No Thank you.  I'm not hungry," stated Suteru.

        "Come on, Suteru.  You have to eat.  It's really good.  Soyokaze is the best cook in this school."

        "Well, I don't know if I'm that good, Hane.  You're really good at cooking yourself!"

        "Come on, Suteru.  Eat some."

        "What?  Freaks don't eat?"

        Zankoku had walked up behind Hane and was watching Suteru.

        "Zankoku, go away!" Hane emphasized the 'go' by letting one of her wings swing all the way back so that it smacked Zankoku full force in the face.

        "Ow..."

        Hane grinned at Soyokaze and Suteru.  "Better."

        Soyokaze burst out laughing.  "That was hilarious, Hane!"

        "Now eat, Suteru."  She handed him a rice cake and a donut from Soyokaze's lunch.  "Come on."

        He gave a small nod.  "All right, all right."  He took a bite out of the donut.  "Hey!  This is really good!"

        Soyokaze smiled.  "I made it myself."

*

        "Bye, Soyokaze.  I have to go talk to mother."  Hane grimaced.  "She's gonna kill me."

        "If you live, come to school tomorrow, all right."

        Hane nodded.  "If I live.  Come on Suteru.  Let's go."

        She walked up her driveway, paused, took a deep breath to steady herself, then knocked on the door.

        A woman with short hair, that, in almost every way, resembled Hane, opened it.

        "Hane!  You're home!  What is this?!  What are these?"

        "Mother, they're wings."

        "What?!  Wings?!  Well, take them off!"

        "Mother, I can't."

        Then she caught sight of Suteru.  "We have company?  Hane, who is this man?"

        "He's my new friend."

        "Well, come on in.  Come on!"  She opened the door further so that Hane and Suteru could walk in.  "Have a seat in the living room."

        Hane leaned over next to Suteru's ear as she grabbed his arm.  "This way."

        She steered him to the left and into a room occupied by a couch, chair, love seat, and coffee table.

        "Sit here with me."  Suteru sat on the love seat and Hane sat down next to him.

        Her mother came back with tea, which she placed in the middle of the coffee table and then sat herself down in the chair.

        "Now," she said, pouring them each a cup then one for herself.  "Tell me what happened, Hane."

        Hane took a sip of tea as she tried to make her wings fold tighter down her back.  She moved closer to Suteru to gain courage from his presence.  "Mother, four days ago, the day that I left, I found two small wings on my back in the morning..."  She proceeded to tell her the rest of what had happened and to explain about Suteru.

        When she was done her mother spoke up.  "You had me so worried, Hane.  I didn't know what had happened to you.  You didn't even leave me a note.  I was afraid that something terrible had happened."

        Hane's hand found Suteru's and he gave hers a reassuring squeeze.

        "And your friend!  What if he had been a rapist or some horrid thing like that?  And you just trusted him right away."  Hane's hand tightened around Suteru's.  "He could've killed you!  And you bring him in here.  He doesn't even look human."

        Suteru stood up.  "I'm sorry.  But I can see that I'm not wanted here."

        Hane looked from her mother to Suteru then stood up as well.  "I'm leaving if he is, mother.  I trust him and I don't see why you can't."  She turned to Suteru.  "Let's go."

        "Wait."

        Hane turned to look at Mother.  "What?"

        "I didn't mean to sound angry with--"

        "Listen, mother.  Where ever we've gone we've experienced people who are as inconsiderate as you.  It hasn't been easy.  Then, just when I finally get back home, you start treating Suteru as if he's some sort of bug.  Well, why not me, mother?  I'm a freak just like him!  I happen to have wings, if you had't noticed!  So, if you insist on treating him like that then I will take it like you are treating me the same way.  We are alike and we've come through so much together.  It isn't fair that you just walk all over us."  Hane quickly wiped the tears away that had formed in her eyes.

        "Please, sit back down, both of you.  I understand now."  She looked from Hane to Suteru.  "You'll need a place to sleep, right?"

        Suteru nodded.

        "We have a spare bedroom that you can sleep in."

        "Thank you, but I'd rather keep a closer watch over tenshi-ko."

        "Tenshi-ko--?"  She looked at Hane then realization dawned on her.

        "Yeah, that's what he calls me."

        "Well, any way, I don't want you to sleep in her room."

        "Mother!  What do you think that we've had to do in inns?  We slept in the same room then!"

        "That may be but I won't have it."

        Suteru nodded.  "All right."

        Now, I think that supper's ready.  Come on, time to eat, you two."

*

        Hane stifled a cry of distress into her pillow.  She felt unsafe knowing that Suteru wasn't with her.

        But Mother had said...

        She closed her eyes and soon drifted into an uneasy sleep.

*

        Suteru gazed up at the ceiling, wishing that he was with Hane, wishing that he could hear her gentle breathing that had calmed him so much late at night, wishing that he could feel the brush of her snow white feathers on his hands…

        He closed his eyes as he turned onto his stomach.

        "Tenshi-ko..."

        Soon after, he was snoring gently.

*

        "Hane, Hane."

        She recognized the voice as the same one from her last dream.

        "It is time, Hane."

        She looked up at the angel and then felt a warmth spread through her body as he touched her forehead.  "I have awakened your ability to use a sword.  You must take this for the time draws near."

        He held a sword out to her.  The hilt was made of black leather and it had an emerald pommel stone.  The blade was made of a blue-silver metal that caught the light and threw it back as bright, shimmering diamonds.

        It felt light in her hands and she looked at it with amazement.

        "I must go now.  Farewell."

        She nodded as she continued to look at the wondrous blade.  "Bye."

*

        Hane blinked and opened her eyes.  Another dream, she thought vaguely.

        Then came the obscure realization that she still held the sword that the angel had given to her in her dream.

        She flicked the light next to her bed on and looked at it with amazement.  "I still have it.  I still have to sword," she stated, as if saying the words would make it seem real.

*

        Suteru looked around himself, slightly on edge because he recognized the place.

        "Will you fall tonight?  I think so."

        "Leave me alone!" he yelled at the figure that had appeared before him.

        "No."

        Lucifer reached a hand out and touched Suteru's shoulder.

*