AN: Hey guys Im sorry it took so long for me to update! but Ive been busy with school and cheerleading so I didnt really have enough time. OMG I got like sooooooo excited when I got my first review its sad I know but hey! there should be another chapter coming up real soon so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much!

Love
Sashenka
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Chapter 5 – Pain beyond pain

Richard laid face down twitching and growling in pain, but his stubborn nature took over and he placed one shaking hand down upon the floor and he followed it with his other hand, Richard pushed himself off the floor still growling with the pain that was shooting through his body. Richard stood up defiantly and stared at all of the members of the council a grim satisfaction clearly written on his face. The councillor that Richard had long picked out to be the leader, shook his head also grimly before speaking. "Why do you have to rebel if you stay calm and just say that you will never see the angel again, you can have your title back and you can have your mortal life back, its your choice" he hissed from under the hood, Richard thought for a fraction of a moment then he shook his head violently "NO!" he yelled so that the words echoed around the cavern that followed with a low rumble and the sounds of a rock slide. Richard half ducked looking around for any falling debris. The councillors all laughed at his childish movements but the main councillor soon ordered silence. "Silence!" he snarled the others fell to his command "Richard I know you and you would not want to throw away all you have worked for!" he hissed taking a step towards Richard then another and another in time to his words that seemed to pierce Richard like lightning. Richard remained still and affixed to where he seem to have become rooted, he was still shaking and beginning to sweat with the heat and the force of keeping himself under control, he knew there was no escape now. The council had formed a tight circle around him enclosing him, trapping him, Richard felt like he couldn't breathe, His shirt had become rags from the fight and his jeans had been torn. Richard looked at the councillor and let a small frown crease his face "You do not know me any of you why don't you all, live like the men you once were and show your face to me?" Richard asked staring around revolving on the spot. Richard saw each of the councillors shuffle uncomfortable and glance at each other. Richards face broke into a wide smile and he laughed loud causing another rumble. "Oh I cant believe this, I know why you do not show your faces to me" he stared at them, playing with his words before letting his tongue form then and release them into the air. "Your afraid of me, that's why you wont let me see your face's" he laughed again this time more evilly than he intended or felt he turned back to the man in front of him. Richard looked into the darkness trying to make out some features to place him. The man shot out his blackened hand, for a fraction of a second it clasped around pure air before finding Richards throat. The fingers clasped around his throat in an iron grip and Richards nostrils filled with the scent of his own burning flesh, he yelled out and it was the councillors turn to laugh. "Not too tough like this are you?" he sneered looking at Richard who fell to his knees his eyes clouding his vision fading he could feel himself slipping away to where he did not know, death oh no he was already in death but to a form of unconsciousness that he knew he would never wake from. The councillor threw Richard from him and made a loud noise of disgust. " see what this mortal body had done to you! Its has made you weak and let you have feelings you should not have!" he hissed Richard's anger found him his voice, still on the floor he attempted to get up but failed pathetically and collapsed to the floor. "You say I'm weak? You know I could take you all out as easily as breaking a match stick, that is why you will not show your faces to me!" he rebelled another wave of murmurs rippled through the councillors. "Silence!" the main man ordered he then walked up to Richard again and pulled his hood back, Richard could not help but gasp stood their in front of him was the man he had hated all of his life ever since he had first come to hell, centuries ago he was always there. Richard looked back in horror, the black hair was in the same style as his own, short with curtains that fell into his eyes, the black bottomless pits that were his eyes were the same shape and had the same depth filled with evil and hate. Richard finally managed to stand up and looked at the man with utter disgust, he had the same shaped face and the same shaped mouth. "So I see you have finally made it onto the council, brother!" he hissed Richards brother laughed and it rang around causing another rumble and the sounds of a distant rockslide. "Yes brother I made it, struggling against your reputation from the beginning where as you were promoted from soldier to councillor because of your so called talents I had to do it the hard way! And raise slowly throughout the soldier ranks and through the high beings through assassin and through Law patrol before I finally reached the council" he snarled back Richard suddenly found it all very funny he stepped up to his brother "wait so this means you had to be an office boy?" he asked laughing, his brothers fist shot out with the fast reflexes that Richard never had, his fist collided with his face and Richard staggered "Hey" he said still laughing seeming to ignore the punch "There's nothing wrong with an office boy" he chuckled, he could see his brothers face slowly redden in anger, Richard stared stopping his muscular body shaking with laughter it took him all of his self control to stop laughing but he soon did it, staring at his brother with pure poison. Richard could feel something liquid on his lips and tasted it, it tasted salty and like blood, he guessed that his brother's blow must have split his lip another injury to add to the great list. "Richard why must you fight this you have wronged now take it all back swear on your own pathetic excuse for a life to never see her again!" he hissed Richard had no humour left and returned to the more serious matter "I cannot do that and I will not do that….I love her and I will not leave her again because this so called council commands me to!" he yelled another louder rumble echoed throughout the cavern. "Then you will suffer this councils punishment!" his brother yelled back, the other councillors were starting to fidget the rumbling was getting louder, and louder rocks started to cascade from the ceiling and dust clouds formed all around them. "The rest of you strip him of his wings demote him to soldier we will reajourn later" he yelled, Richard suddenly looked shocked, angry and upset all at the same time. "You can't do that!" he yelled his brother was still holding the black liquid orb and he threw it at Richard who accepted it into his body gratefully, he was going to start after him but it was too late suddenly Richard found himself laying flat on his back with every single councillor on top of him, his form slowly being pressed into the ground as piles of near human beings jumped on top of him, trying to restrain him and strip him of his extra agent powers that he had gained from the promotion. Richard struggled and fought back, his vision slowly clouding and his ears ringing with the screeches of the councillors and the rumble of the cavern. Richard saw his brother back away through the tangled mass of robes and flesh. Richard growled loudly and found that last scrap of hidden energy that mortals cannot find. A few of the councillors were thrown of him and there hoods had fallen away Richard saw the faces which he had grown up with and loved he named them all each in his pathetic mind and growled with pity and disappointment. 'Simon still a soldier when I left, Damien the boy next door I called him, Louisa the girl who was in the same regiment as me, Michael the hells disciple' he smiled to himself most of these men and women were friends of his they all grew up with him, they laughed together and fought along side each other. Richard threw some more councillors of and their hoods fell back too, he saw more faces that swam out of his few memories. Friends of his, men he had fought with, women he had slept with but none of it mattered to him now, all that mattered was that he got out of the cavern and back to Corrine. The councillors all piled on top of him again screeching and screaming there blackened hands burning Richards flesh, wafting the scent all of him and up his nostrils, the stench of his own burning flesh was so strong he nearly threw up. Richard blasted away one of the councillors with the power he had been given back and he flew into the wall and blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth and from under the black hair. Richard turned around turning his attention and his powers onto the other members of the council who had backed away slightly, now Richard had found his last scrap of strength to use his powers. Richards's eyes turned an even darker shade of black and an aura surrounded him causing him to glow in an eerie shadow of death and darkness. Richard span around on the ball of his heel welcoming the new found space, he aimed his leg high and his aim hit true straight in the face of one of the councillors, he span around quickly and threw a ball of black energy straight at another stumbling figure, he smiled enjoying the thrill of the fight. If he was going to be taken he was not going to be taken without a fight. Richard threw yet another ball of destructive energy not caring where it hit or who it hit, for just that second he had to dive sideways to miss a falling rock that cascaded from the collapsing ceiling, but even has he dived, he knew it was too late the rock was too big for even him, the quickest agent in two worlds could not escape the blow. Richard slumped down upon the ground in a state of unconsciousness that no one could be sure he would wake from, the councillors were panting and breathing heavily aware of the roaring in their ears and the continuous rocks colliding from the ceiling, the approached Richard warily one of the women hissed "fool!" and Richard could give no reply he was sleeping, sleeping in a swirling void of darkness. In the end the council that consisted of just over 30 men and women alike, he was defeated by nature and the harsh rocks it produced did not defeat Richard, as such they merely made him sleep but no for as long as people thought.

At least five hours later, Richard groaned, his vision was black and his senses were foggy, he felt somehow light and empty and his mind seemed black. In a fraction of a second all that had happened flashed through his mind. Richard saw himself in the police station ready to ride to the bank, he saw and heard the mans mocking laughter, he saw his own face as the gun banged and a speeding bullet he felt once more the pain as two bullets buried themselves deep in his body. 'Two bullets?' he thought unconsciously he was sure he only got treated for one wound. Richard saw again as he busted open the door to the apartment he remembered the feeling of awareness he felt. Richard remembered the warmth of Corrine's body against his the taste and feel of her lips as they kissed passionately