Of Heaven and Hell

Ryo Angel

R

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I had stayed up for what seemd to be years going over what Father had said to me. Mother was in Usagi's dreams? In her past? Her future? As I downed my third cup of wine, Celine appeared with a disapproving frown. "This really isn't like you, dear." She wrenched the cup from my hand and set it down on the table. Hand on hips, she stared down at me, "It's Usagi, isn't it?" Anger sparked in her eyes, but I saw her pity and for that I looked away.

Not wanting to have the bunny running through my mind, I had tried to drown out her image in my mind, but it seems the more determined I was to forget her, the more she invades. She consumes me, burning a hole in me. She's all I can think about. All I can see in my mind's eye. I had set out to crush her. Now... with a frustrated yell of anger, I grabbed a soul from the line of rebirth and disinergrated it, crushing a life. Still I rage on, wanting very much to seek and destroy the very thing that was causing me such distress, yet at the same time, I want to pull her to me and bury myself in her. With an angry snarl, I sent a ripple of energy through Earth, shattering homes and forging

rivers. There will be many souls coming tonight.

Celine's sharp voice called out to me, but I didn't hear her. I continued with my rampage, needing to spend my rage. Finally...

"Endymion!"



"Come here, love." A young woman with long raven locks and bright hazelnut eyes beckoned to the young Prince of Darkness, "Let Mother see that wound."

Small beads of tears were already forming in the corners of the cherubic face.

"Aww..." She walked her young son to the cottage and dipping a cloth in a bucket of cold water, she cleaned the wound. Then she spread a small gunk of willow bark paste to dull the pain before dressing it. "Stay near the house for the rest of today, okay, sweet?"

The small boy nodded his head, "Can I have some cocoaberry jam for lunch?" He asked, looking at the bandaged knee with resentment.

She smiled and nodded, "Of course, your Royal Highness." She made a mock bow in her peasent dress before bending down and swooping the child up, littering the air around with the sound of childish giggles.

So intent with their happiness, they failed to notice the dark shadow that passed through them. She was the first to sense it and stopped in mid-swing, holding her child to her bosem protectively. Fear grew wild in her eyes. "My Lord..." She lowered her head in fear, clutching to her son with her life.

The dark shadow loomed above her, his wild mane of raven locks curled around his hard chiseled face only served to enhanced his already threatening figure. "Celinya." He purred, eyes flickering to the child she holds in her arms. "You are well."

Trembling, she nodded, "Yes, my Lord."

"You need not be afraid of me." He said gently, striding forward.

She dare not move, her head still bowed, she tried to shield her son from him. "Come now, let me hold him."

"Please, I beg of you..." She started, her head jolting upwards when she felt the first small tug. Her son looked between the stranger and his mother with curiousity, but hated how the strange man made his mother cringe and flinch. There were tears in her eyes.

"You believe that I would harm him?" The voice held a small tone of amusement.

"I dare not." Celinya lowered her head again, "Just... he is only ten, my Lord. A few more years is all I ask..." She tried to control her tears, but found that she couldn't. "Just a few more years..."

He considered this and agreed. "What is his name?" He asked as an afterthought, taking in the child's intelligent eyes and his mop of black unruly hair.

Celinya lifted her eyes and whispered, "Endymion."



It couldn't be. This couldn't be. SHE couldn't be... "Mother?" I whispered hoarsely. She looks down at me with pained eyes. "Mother?" I asked again, hating myself for the child-like tone that crept into my voice, yet I could feel hope begin to grow in my dead heart as the silence stretched.

"My Endymion." She finally said, closing the distance between us and threw her arms around me, holding me close to her. "My Endy." I could feel her tears wetting my cheek and I looked up at her when she pulled back. "Sweet, sweet Endy..." She ran her knuckles down my cheek. I have spent millenniums with her, yet I had never known. HOW could

I not have known?

Disbelief written all over my face, I manged to croak out, "How?" Here she stands before me, to only woman who had loved me unconditionally. Who had stood up to the Lord of Darkness himself so she could have me with her for a few more years. "Why?" I asked her.

She looked bewildered. "Why what?"

I stood and looked down at her, she was so beautiful, so hauntingly beautiful. And I had thought once to be so pure. "Why did you come here of all places?" I asked almost accusingly, she's not meant to be here. "You should have ascended to Heaven. You are meant to be an angel, not a spawn of Hell!"

She had a trace of sadness in her smile, "And it was for the love of you that I came here." She shushed me when she saw the anger and disbelief in my eyes. "You are my son. My only." She stressed, "I had to know how you were." She sighed, "I wasn't fully truthful with you, sweet." She looked up at me, begging me to understand. "I was the only daughter of the youngest Fate. A half-mortal. Because of my mortal blood, I was sent to live with them until death claims me as it does to all creatures that walk on Earth." She paused a moment, unsure of how to proceed, "Then I met your father. He was someone that I could defy all laws with. Even the Fates couldn't have foreseen us together. They didn't. Together we created you - a being of the Other world. You are not part of the mix of evil or

of good. You ARE."

She pressed her lips togeter as I absorbed this information. "When your Father took you, He did not kill me as you had thought. The Fates called me home. It was my time." She smiled sadly, "They gave me the chance to see you again. And I snatched it up without hearing the consequences." Her cold hands touched my cheek, "If you should ever find out my identity, I would have to leave you. They were clear on that fact. They could not risk my parting to you any information of your own fate..."

"What of Father? Did he know?" I demanded.

She smiled and shook her head, "He would have forbade it." At least one of them has a brain. "No matter what others believed, Lucifer had loved me." Her eyes took on a dreamy look, "Although he never told me and hadn't expressed it fully, I knew."

"But you were afraid of him." I reminded her, remembering her tears.

She shook her head again, "FOR him." She corrected. "The Fates control everyone's life. No matter if you are mortal or immortal. I was afraid how they would weave his thread." She stopped and cocked her head to one side as if to listen to something and then nodded sadly. She turned to look at me and stepped forward. "My time is almost up."

My eyes grew wide as her being slowly started to dematerialized. "Mother?" I started. "What's happening?"

"It has begun, my son." She told me as she took my hands. "Cry not, we'll see each other again. Our fates are intertwined. Nothing can break it." She was smiling as she fully disappeared. I stared at where she had stood, tears burning in my eyes. The Fates! I growled, snatching at the goblet and smashed it against Hell's Flames. The Fates are cruel. They are NOTHING! Nothing! With a determined look in my eyes, I went in search of my Bunny. I will defy the Fates. She WILL be mine!

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