Chapter 2

(Kenshin)

"Kenshin. Come on Kenshin, wake up now."

My father's whispering pulled me from my deep state of sub consciousness, and awakened me from my sleep. I blinked fuzzily, yawning and bringing a hand up to rub away the sleep in my eyes. "I'm up tousan…."

I heard his soft chuckle. "You still look half asleep to me."

I mustered up a glare and he laughed out loud. With another yawn I raised my arms to the sky, stretching out the kinks in my body. I heard a 'Whoa!' from my father and I glanced at him quizzically.

"Watch what you're doing there Kenshin!" he said teasingly, onyx eyes glinting with laughter.

I grinned sheepishly. I had forgotten about my wings and stretched them unknowingly, nearly knocking down my father. "Gomen tousan. I kind of forgot…."

He laughed again, and then pulled me to my feet by the hand I put up. I realized something. "Tousan, yesterday was my birthday. When I got my wings."

He was silent for a moment. "That's right, you're 15 now aren't you."

I glared at him. "You forgot."

He glared back playfully. "I did not. I was stressed all day cause I knew you were

going to get those wings of yours."

I was silent. "Oh…."

He chuckled. "It's alright Kenshin. Now come on, it's a beautiful day outside to stretch those new wings of yours."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "You mean fly?"

He nodded. "Hai. I want you to learn as soon as you can, just in case something happens." He started to pull me outside, even as I protested his reasoning. Nothing had ever happened to us up here on our mountain, why would anything happen now?

We stopped out in the yard, and I must admit, the sun did feel good on my feathers. I stretched them out again, savoring the warmth against them. "Hold it there Kenshin."

My father's voice startled me and I didn't move, my wings remaining stretched to their full length. I watched him as he walked behind me, whistling. "Nani?" I asked.

"You've got an impressive wingspan Kenshin, bigger than your mother's already," he replied, circling me to stand in front of me. "I'd say around 16 to 18 feet."

My eyes grew wide again. "16 to 18 feet? That's huge!" That would give me around 8 to 10 feet on each wing. That was a lot of wing…. I shook my head lightly, and then blew on a strand of red hair that had escaped my ponytail to hand in my face. I reached up and pulled out the tie, shaking out my long hair and retying it in its high samurai topknot.

"Alright, first we have to make sure that your wings can hold you in the air," my father was saying as he paced back and forth in front of me.

I snorted. "Tousan, look at them. They're GIGANTIC! How could they not hold me up?"

He gave me a look. "Sure, they're plenty big enough, but that's not what I'm worried about." I cocked my head. "Strength Kenshin, we have to make sure they're strong enough. Have I taught you nothing?"

I rolled my eyes, and for my troubles received a smack on the back of my head. I glared at him. "Hey!"

He glared back, causing me to back down. "Show respect for your sensei baka deshi."

I groaned. "Tousan, not that nickname again!"

He suddenly grinned. "It's what you are, might as well call you what you are."

I glared at his back again, but sighed and consented to him. I suddenly noticed something. I was still bare-chested. I must have ripped my gi off last night in my pain. It didn't really bother me, but I didn't think that I could go like that for the rest of my life. But, seeing as I had wings I couldn't really go around people now could I? 'Wait, tousan said something about not knowing about kaasan's wings for a while. Does that mean there's a way to hide them?'

I darted towards him where he was thinking by the large tree I had practiced on for years in my sword training. "Tousan!" He turned to me. "Is there a way to hide my wings? You said you did discover kaasan's wings until after you were married."

He nodded. "Hai, there is a way, but I can't remember what she told me. You'll have to wait until I find her journal."

I frowned. "Her journal?"

He grinned. "While she was pregnant with you she started keeping a journal. She only told me that if you ever grew wings it would tell you all you could want to know."

I looked up at him. "Really? Everything I could want to know…." I focused my attention on the ground again, and I heard my father's footsteps as he walked back into our cabin, leaving me alone in our yard. I suddenly looked up with determination. I would fly, as soon as I could. I glanced up at the tall tree in front of me, and then leaped nimbly up into its branches as I had done so many times before. Once at the top I felt a sense of peace come over me, a feeling of belonging.

I closed my eyes and let the wind blow through my hair, sweeping my bangs away from my face. I let out a breath, and then narrowed my eyes in concentration, spreading my wings. I strangely felt no fear at this attempt, as though I knew I would make it. I surged my wings downward, and felt the wind pick up around me, as though it was helping me. With almost no warning my feet left the tree, and I found myself hovering above it. I looked down and yelped, very nearly loosing the altitude I had, but I managed to keep it. I flapped my wings harder, and was rewarded as I rose higher.

I let out a happy yell, circling our yard high in the air. I looked down and saw my father come out of our cabin and look up at me in shock. I could hear him easily as he called to me. "Kenshin, get down here right now! I don't want you to fall!"

I folded my wings and freefell towards him, and I heard his shout of alarm. I flared my wings just before I reached him and landed lightly on my feet. "I won't fall tousan." I said confidently, wrapping wings around my shoulders as I had done last night.

He rubbed his forehead, as though he trying to ward off the headache I knew I had brought on. "Oh Kenshin, she said this would happen."

"Nani?" I asked, confused.

"She told me that all angels are infused with a distinct knowledge that they need to get into the air as soon as they can, for that is where their strength lies. She said it's just like letting a fledgling fly for the first time, only it happens as soon as the angel gains their wings. And they automatically know how to fly so they will always be able to get away even if they are being hunted." He marched closer to me, shaking a finger in my face. "However, baka deshi, I cannot allow you to just go flying like that without me here. You may know how to fly, but your wings are not yet strong enough to hold you for a long period of time."

I looked down. "Gomen tousan. I should not have done that."

I heard him sighed and a large hand rested on my head. "It's alright Kenshin. The need to fly is woven into your instincts, you are not at fault. Just don't do it again, okay?"
I nodded, looking back up at him. "Hai."

He put his arm gently around my shoulders, giving me a soft tug towards our cabin. "Come on, I found your kaasan's journal."

My eyes lit up at this information, and I followed him eagerly into the cabin. He handed me a worn book, small, yet packed to the brim with pages written in my mother's neat writing. I took it too my room, sat on my futon, and began to read.

My child,

I do not yet know if you are a little boy or a girl, but I look forward to seeing you. There are some things you need to know, in case I should not be there for you.

You are a great thing, little one, something that has survived past the ages. You are half angel, and with such you will gain wings and learn to fly. It will happen around your 15th birthday, when you were born. That is when I gained my own wings. These will give you both an advantage in the world and a disadvantage. If anyone sees your wings, it must only be if you truly trust them. It took me a long time to trust your father.

Now, in this book I will write everything you need to know about you new abilities, and I have answered any questions that I think you may have. I love you little one, and I can only hope that you will not have to get the information from this book, instead from me.

Your kaasan

I did nothing for a moment. She hadn't wanted to leave me at all; she had wanted to be there for my own transformation and for my training. I looked down, and then turned the page. I read late into the night, before I finally fell asleep.

(Hiko)

I found Kenshin some time after he went into his room with the journal sound asleep on his futon. The journal was open, resting beside him on the bedding. He was resting his head in the circle of his arms, his cheek resting against his forearm. His hair had been pulled loose, and was flowing like silk around his shoulders.

I smiled and moved forward, picking up the journal and putting it beside his futon on the floor. I stepped carefully over one outstretched wing. One crystal feathered wing was flung out behind him, the other folded over his body as I had found him this morning. I gently covered him with the blanket, brushing his bangs from his closed eyes. "Sleep well my son."

HM: -chokes on fluff- Lovely fluffy father/son moment….. Anyway, please review as I enjoy it!