Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE by Sanami Matoh and the inspiration of this story comes from 'Angels and Demons' by Dan Brown and the instrumental piece 'A Window to the Past' by John Williams from the 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' soundtrack.
Author's note: I've recently finished Dan Brown's 'Angels and Demons', a wonderful piece of fiction, I recommend that you read it. There was one section that I was particularly interested in and I want to incorporate a slight spiritual element with this story. Add the melancholy music of Harry's past in the third movie and see what you get. Hope it's worth it. Please...enjoy and then, read and review.
Warnings: Expect spoilers for the last acts in the 4th and 6th volume of the manga and some angst and OOC.
A Sign of an Angel
Dee didn't know how long he sat before this particular grave, gazing at name plaque glinting menacingly at him. Dee's usually cheerful face was grim and melancholy. Before him was a deceased young man named Arnon, a good friend whom he had let down, a poor deprived individual who was forced to do dirty deeds against his will to make ends meet. He couldn't forget the numbing shock when he and his other friends found him dead in an alley, shot through his abdomen and he was only staring ahead with blank eyes.
He sighed as he moved to kneel before the headstone, absent-mindedly rearranging the white roses he brought for his respects.
After a few minutes, he heard a deep soft coo and fluttering of birds' wings from above his head. Dee looked up and smiled slightly at the sight. Perched on the white headstone was a dove with large beady black eyes and light grey feathers with black pigment colouring the tips. But not just any dove, it was a mourning dove he believed was a live form of Arnon's spirit. It had been perching on the same spot ever since he was buried so every time the dove arrived, Dee would converse softly with it as if he was talking to him.
"Hi, there, Arnon," he said softly as he reached out for the bird to perch on, the dove jumped on and preened its feathers, cooing softly, "You hadn't forgotten, have you?"
"Uh...Mister Dee?" a small voice came from behind. It sounded very familiar, though.
Dee looked behind and smiled, "Hi there, kid. Haven't seen you around for a quite long time."
It was the same lost little girl who had tugged on his jacket when he was sick. He remembered that he had to travel throughout most of the city to find her mother. She looked slightly different and older. This time her face was sunny, she had grown slightly taller and her golden locks had lengthened. She was clutching a small bouquet of pink roses in her little hands.
"I..." the little girl stammered and blushed with a smile when she looked up at the handsome detective, "I didn't had a chance to thank you properly when you helped me find my mother."
"Hey...think nothing of it..." he turned to face her with a grin and pinched her cheek, making her giggle, "I hope you're not lost again this time, kid."
She shook her head, "No, Mister Dee, I came with my parents to pay respects to my grandmother, she died last year. I saw you some time ago and I decided to follow. And please...my name is Katie."
"Katie, that's a pretty name."
The dove had by then made a new perch on one of Dee's broad shoulders. It cooed deeply, its beady eyes examining its new guest.
"Why are you here, Mister Dee?"
"Katie," he ushered the girl to the headstone, "This is Arnon, one of my good friends when we were teenagers. I came to visit him, you know...keep him company for a while."
"What happened to him? Was he hurt really badly like my grandma? Why did you call the pretty dove 'Arnon' too?" Katie's eyes were filled with confusion as she shifted gazes between the dove and the headstone. She sat beside the man, tired of standing.
Dee sighed as he reached into his trench coat for some birdseed. As soon as he sprinkled the tiny seeds on the clean shaven grass, the dove flew down gracefully and immediately pecked at them.
He exhaled as he carefully thought out the words to say to the little girl. Through his experience, some children find it hard to fully grasp the knowledge of death that adults were most familiar with.
"My friend was not as well-off as we were, so he had to earn money to make ends meet," he started and was pleasantly pleased to see Katie placing her full attention, "He did find a job but...but then he started acting strangely, like he was sick all the time and then be back to normal in an instant. Me and my other friends then found out that Arnon had a job...but it was...really bad..."
"What do you mean that a job is bad?" Katie questioned, "I thought having a job is good because you can earn money and help people."
"Not this one..." his green eyes misty as he lost himself in a sad memory, "There were bad people using him...they hurt him very much...he didn't want us to be near him...he was torn inside...and we felt helpless..."
Dee emphasized by placing a palm on the left side of his chest where his heart was beating.
"You know when something bad happens to you or maybe your mother and father?" the little girl nodded, "You get this hurt coming from inside..."
"You mean...like you want to cry, Mister Dee?"
"Something close like that, Katie. My friend was found dead soon after...I felt lost afterwards and then..." Dee couldn't bring himself to go further than he really needed to do. This child needn't hear his story in this manner, he didn't want to break her innocence and naiveté in this harsh world by going into detail, "I lost another person who is dear to me...he's somewhere else..."
"It must be so sad..." Katie said with sadness in her bright eyes, "You must be lonely..."
"Well...oh..." the little girl had dropped her roses and hugged Dee tightly as her little arms could manage. He smiled and hugged back, "I'm not lonely, I have Arnon with me and other people who love and care for me."
The dove flew back to its usual perch on the headstone.
"You see..." Dee began, "Doves are different from pigeons. They are more beautiful and mean something. A lone dove is a form of an enlightened soul; it is a sign of peace."
"Enlightened..."
"You feel like you're free...without a worry in the world. And...I believe that when Arnon is with me, I am watched by him. Like...a guardian angel."
"Really?" Dee was most surprised to find relief in her voice, as if she had been afraid for his well-being, when they just strangers, "I don't know about all things you said but...it must be really nice to have an angel to watch over you."
The dove dropped to the ground and started to waddle towards Katie. The girl squeaked when it pecked at her shoes. Dee chuckled.
"Don't worry, that's Arnon's way of saying that you're nice to be with."
"Really?"
"Really really."
Dee had to smile at the girl's naiveté as he bent down to pick up the dropped roses. The bird stopped pecking at the shoes and flew back to the headstone, waiting in silence, cooing from time to time.
"Yes, it is..." Dee bowed low before her like a knight to a princess and handed her the flowers, "I believe that these belong to you, princess."
"Thank you," she was smiling widely, clutching them close and she placed a clumsy but sweet kiss on his cheek, making him stunned momentarily to be kissed by a young girl who was no older than eight years old, "You're so nice..."
"Well..." he shrugged, 'Not to the house apes...'
"Dee?"
Dee turned his attention to the figure approaching him. The taller man smiled as he recognized him. Ryo's face that had been filled with some anxiety was replaced with a small smile with a reprimanding look in his eyes.
"I've been looking everywhere for you since this morning," Ryo jabbed a finger at Dee's chest, "I was worried about you."
"Sorry," Dee apologized before wrapping an arm around Ryo's shoulders to give a squeeze.
Ryo smiled at Katie, "Hello there, nice to meet you...I'm sorry, what's your name?"
"Katie," she whispered shyly.
"Katie? Oh I remember. You're that lost little girl Dee helped. I've met your mother before."
"What's your name?" Katie cocked her head, her face now tickled pink.
"This is my partner, Ryo," Dee introduced him.
"Then you must care for him a lot, then, right?" Katie asked, noting how close the two handsome men were.
"Yes," Dee replied without hesitation, making Ryo smile, "I do care a lot for him."
Just the, they heard echoes of two worried voices. Katie squeaked an 'oops' when she realized how long she strayed away. Both detectives found a middle-aged couple rushing towards them.
"Honey..." the father wheezed, "Don't go wandering off like that. You had your mother and I worried."
"Katie," the woman knelt before her and hugged her daughter tightly, "Next time tell us where you're going, you don't want to happen like last time, do you, darling?"
"Sorry, mummy," Katie said sheepishly before cheerfully chirping as she tugged onto Dee's hand, "But I found the nice man who helped me when I got lost."
"Madam," Ryo intervened.
"Oh yes, Mr. Maclean, I remember you."
Ryo ushered his partner to the middle-aged woman, "My partner, Dee Latyner."
"Oh..." the mother's face grew warm as she reached out to shake hands with the dark-haired man, "Yes...I didn't have the chance to properly thank you when we met, Mr. Maclean told us you were sick at that time. It's been quite a long time since that incident. I do hope she wasn't any trouble."
Dee looked down on the little girl. She was a handful of trouble when they met for the first time, but then again, that was when he was sick and wasn't thinking straight. Dee grinned politely.
"No, ma'am, she was a little angel."
"Well, I guess we have to thank you for finding Katie again," the father smiled and kissed his daughter's cheek before taking his daughter's hand, "Come on. We have to go now."
"Bye bye, Mister Dee and Mister Ryo!" Katie waved cutely before disappearing with her parents.
Ryo's eyes twinkled with amusement when Dee waved in return. A coo brought both men's attention. Dee reacted first and knelt before the headstone. The dove perched on his fingers. Ryo watched with amazement when Dee stroked its feathers gently like it was made of fragile glass. The bird cooed and cocked its head.
"So you wanna go, huh?" Dee whispered to the bird.
"Dee..."
"Alright then, see you again next year, Arnon."
The said bird immediately took off into the sky, spreading out its wings as it flew gracefully with the winds. Before long it disappeared deep in the blue sky, leaving both men in silence. Ryo knelt beside him.
"How's Arnon, Dee?" Ryo asked softly.
"He's fine..." Dee sighed, a melancholy gleam in his eyes, "Arnon had so many troubles...I'm just glad that he's free from the pain...and be an angel..."
Ryo's heart twisted in empathy. He slipped his hand into the other and gave a comforting squeeze.
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest," Dee whispered up towards the sky before he turned to Ryo, "That's Arnon's favorite quote from the Bible. Now I think...he had his wish come true. Ryo?"
"Yeah, Dee?"
"D-do you...think...you know...Arnon could forgive me for not helping him when he needed most..."
Dee couldn't hide the guilt from his fading voice. Ryo sensed it. The guilt didn't leave though a trace lingered, haunting the younger man of the time when he had let his friend down. Ryo kissed his cheek softly and sweetly to ease his tension.
"Dee, I have a feeling that Arnon forgave you long before he was found dead...your belief in Arnon's spirit coming alive in that mourning dove proves that. How has that dove come to perch upon that grave every year when you arrive, allowing you to stroke its feathers when its species are not usually domesticated...it must be a sign of peace...to reconcile...to live on and preserve his memory..."
Dee's eyes softened as he took in Ryo's explanation, feeling better. He smiled down upon the man he loved as he drew him closer to kiss his forehead.
"Thanks, baby..." he whispered against the smooth skin, "Arnon did make me thing about one thing..."
"Oh?"
"About how lucky I am to find my soul-mate," Dee held Ryo close to his heart, sighing softly when Ryo wrapped his arms tightly around his neck.
Ryo smiled as he recalled a past conversation about doves mating once for life, using it as an analogy to their own relationship that was still going strong.
A comfortable silence reigned over them, content to be in each other's warmth until Ryo decided to speak up.
"Dee..." a hand gently cupped his cheek.
Emerald met onyx, "Hmmmm?"
Ryo reached up to kiss Dee.
"I'm glad that you're my soul-mate too..."
The End
Author's note:
Facts: Doves actually symbolize many things especially in the Bible. Two doves usually don't signify anything but a lone dove does. It signifies peace and reconciliation and it represents as the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The dove was also a pagan symbol for an angel and they say that when a soul is enlightened, it takes the shape of the dove. Doves are part of the pigeon family and they say that doves mate once for life in pairs... (Sigh)...so romantic...and the mourning dove was given its name because of its low pitched, soft coo, if you listened to it, you find that it sounds almost quite sad, hence its name.
OK...now I feel really sleepy. What do you think? Is it worth it? This was finished on the eve of my 20th birthday, 1st Feb. Call it a gift from me. Wooo...it was fun writing it. Please read and review...