Rating: M
Warnings: Blood and gore. Mentions of rape. Swearing and character death. Morbid themes. Parasitism.
Parings: Hinted ST/9 though not really implied.
A/N: This is a strange little thing I came up with. It was actually inspired by a oneshot piece at the end of Diabolo. This was supposed to come out as a 3/9 ST/9 piece, but it didn't come together. If you squint you can see ST/9 but that's only if you look hard. And, this will not have nice things in it, so if you're squicked by parasitism, you might want to leave now.
C&C appreciated.
In Angel's Wings
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"A cat once told me that an angel will never part with its egg…"---
From deep within the recesses of the lab, a madman chuckled. The laboratory was dark and dank; the nauseating scent of fresh death blanketed the room where three people sat quietly, waiting for their beloved prince to return in the hopes that they would be able to progress. The eldest demon sat in a corner by himself, studying a chessboard that hadn't been touched in two days for fear of losing the game. The woman in the room headed towards the only human on the entire campus, her heels clacking loudly on the stone floor as she approached. Her shoulder length hair bobbed as she walked, the clipboard in her hands absorbing her attention.
Stepping over a bundle of wires on the floor, she finally looked up. The dark haired human sat lazily in a chair in front of a computer screen, simply watching the pictures that danced before him, eyes narrowed in thought as he slowly nursed down his cigarette. He looked purely innocent, completely off guard. But Hwan knew that if she dared even lay a finger on him she would be dead within a moment. Just because he was human didn't mean he was helpless. Hwan had learned that a long time ago.
Hwan glanced up towards the screen as she stopped next to him; the light that infiltrated the dark room almost seemed blinding. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden flush of light, before her brows furrowed in thought. She at first had assumed that the doctor had been looking over charts and graphs for their upcoming project, though she wasn't surprised to find the doctor once again off task. Stranger then usual, though, he was looking over pictures of angels.
Dotted all across the screen were angelic pictures of all kinds. Some pure, others not. Some male, others female. They were all arranged along the screen so he could watch them all. Before Hwan could even demand why he was looking at such strange articles, Doctor Nii spoke.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?"
Annoyed, Hwan glanced over at the doctor with sharp eyes that held an aura of mystery and calculated action. Once the great Priest Ukoku Sanzo; now he was nothing more then a scientist in Gyokumen Koshu's army. He was a ghost, and often Hwan asked herself if it was truly Nii following Gyokumen's orders, or the other way around. Crossing her arms over her chest, Hwan wondered what kind of game the man was playing this time. He hadn't even bothered to take his eyes off the screen to address her properly.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hwan barked back, tapping her toe against the floor as she resisted biting her lip. The man could be so infuriating sometimes.
Still, he didn't look at her, though he did turn his attention to the cigarette in his hand. It had sizzled down towards the filter, though the end still burned brightly. The smoke trailed up from the cancer stick, twisting in the air before dissipating into the darkness. A smirk tugged on the madman's lips. "Angels are easy," he said suddenly.
"What?" Hwan barked back, confusion marring her features.
Finally, Nii turned to look up at her, dark eyes hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses. "Angels. They're easy, really. Humans and birds spliced together. Balance the weight and contort the shoulder blades and you could make an angel. An artificial angel," the man sing-songed as he turned back to the screen again. He placed his feet up on the desk, lounging backwards. Hwan turned her attention towards the screen once again, attempting to see what the doctor could. "Do you believe in angels, Dr Hwan?"
"Excuse me?" Hwan shot back, her face flushing lightly as it did every time the doctor addressed her on a personal topic. Nii could always make her blush, even though she despised him. She was thankful for the darkness of the room as he turned to look at her again.
"Do you think that angels are real, Dr Hwan?" he repeated, before a snicker wormed its way from his throat. "Bright, wonderful creatures that work for God and save his children from the darkness." He flicked the cigarette towards the ground, crushing it under his slipper. "What would God say if he knew his angels slept with devils?"
"What are you talking about?" Hwan asked. His tongue twisters were trying her in knots again. He seemed to enjoy the confusion marring her features as he simply began chuckling again.
"It's just… purely sinful, don't you think?" Laughing, Nii climbed to his feet. Grabbing his bunny, he slowly began to trudge off into the darkness. Only when he disappeared all together could Hwan see the bright glow of another freshly lit cigarette.
---
"…But the egg I carry now was given to me by a man in white…"
---
It wasn't rape, but it certainly felt like it.
Goku had been out late that night, taunted by the sweet scent of spice rolls down the street. The stand was open late that night, probably the owner's way of getting rid of the rest of his stock. Surprisingly, it had only taken a bit of pestering from Goku to convince Sanzo to give him some extra money to buy some rolls. He had been heading down the street at a lazy pace, sometime before midnight. The streets were devoid of almost all life, save for the occasional stranger passing by. It was peaceful, and Goku enjoyed the surreal atmosphere as he picked up his rolls and began heading back towards the inn.
He was halfway through his third roll when he felt the presence on him. Only two seconds later Goku found himself shoved into an alley by some unseen force. He crashed into several garbage cans, upsetting a pair of alley cats as they dashed off with annoyed hisses. The rolls had escaped his grasp sometime in the fall, but Goku wasn't too concerned. He was more afraid of the presence that wasn't even there. Golden eyes snapped open in the dim summer evening as he pushed himself to his feet. Before he could call Niyoi-bo, something pierced straight through the palm of his hand.
With a strangled cry, Goku clutched the injured limb to his chest, eyes narrow and feral as he searched for his attacker. His senses told him that there was no one around, but he knew better then that. Something was waiting in the shadows for him.
Just as he attempted to strike again, something shoved him back against the brick wall hard enough for him to knock the wind out of him. Just as he was about to strike back, he found himself pinned to the wall. Invisible restraints bounded him, and it seemed impossible for him to break them. Goku struggles uselessly as the man loomed in over him. He could feel cold, clammy hands pulling his shirts from his jeans and Goku's breath hitched. What the hell was going on?
Those same hands graced up his chest, mapping out every square inch of him. Goku could feel himself shudder, pulling again uselessly on the restraints. What the hell was happening? Who was this sicko?
"What beautiful wings you wear, my little devil," the man whispered against the shell of his ear.
Goku bit his lip, trying not to cry out and show his weakness. He had to figure some way out of this. The scent of smoke overpowered Goku's senses and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Sanzo and Gojyo each held their own different scent of smoke, because of the brands they smoked. But this man smelt of death, and of stale blood. The brand of smoke that accompanied the smells was unfamiliar to the young monkey. He tried not to gag on the combination as he tugged on his restraints once more.
Suddenly the man's face was in front of his, though he could not see through the cloud of darkness that had settled over them. "Let me show you what a real angel looks like," he whispered, before capturing Goku's lips in a searing kiss.
Eyes wide, Goku attempted to fight the hold, throwing his head back and forth. But the man held firm, driving his skull back against the wall in an attempt to keep him still. Suddenly, the kiss didn't seem too worrisome as Goku felt a sharp, painful stab in his stomach. Blood filled the inside of his mouth and he could feel the puncture wounds all across his chest and stomach. He wasn't sure what kind of weapon the man used, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Finally, the man pulled away from the kiss, allowing Goku to spit out the blood in his mouth. It dribbled down his chin, staining the front of his shirt. Goku could feel rather then see the man's twisted smile as he pulled away, melting into the shadows. As soon as he disappeared, Goku found the restraints had gone with him, and he sunk to his knees, clutching his bleeding stomach. The pain was grotesque, real, and flaming through his stomach and ripping him apart from the inside out.
Goku had somehow managed to stumble to his feet, ignoring the bag of spice rolls as he hobbled out of the alleyway and down the street. Once he entered the inn and arrived at his room, he found the wound had disappeared. Too drained to worry about it, he fell to bed almost instantly. The strong scent of the man's cigarettes clung to him even after Goku had fallen into a restless sleep.
And when Goku awoke the next morning, he found that the blood on his clothes had disappeared.
---
"…Is it an angel…?"
---
"Goku, is anything wrong?"
The young brunet did not look up at his name right away, instead merely staring off outside the window as the rain pelted down ruthlessly on the inn. He had been dazed for almost two full weeks now, and not even Gojyo had been able to get a rise out of him. The monkey just seemed to have been thinking about other things lately. Usually their young companion had been so easy to read, but lately it had been impossible to tell what he was thinking. Goku's posture didn't indicate anything was wrong; he was simply seated upright at the windowsill, his forehead pressed against the cool glass as his body slumped with relaxation. His lips would tug every once in a while, as though he meant to smile at his inward thoughts.
However, his behavior lately had been enough to raise alarm in everyone's minds. He ate exponentially. More then he did before, if it was even possible. Though he didn't have the same energy level he did before. He was often drained, even during battle, and slept far longer then should be considered healthy. He had also been complaining more and more frequently of an upset stomach. Gojyo had teased him, saying he was simply eating too much, though Goku never played along with the taunts. Usually, he would simply retire to bed after informing Hakkai of his condition.
After finally having his name called several more times, Goku looked up. His glazed golden eyes slowly blinked into focus as a lazy smile crossed his lips. Hugging his knees to his chest, he cocked his head sideways. "Yeah, what's up Hakkai?"
Hakkai frowned, crossing the room and placing the boy's dinner on the table. Goku's voice sounded raspy, as though he'd been screaming far too much, though Hakkai knew the boy had barely said a thing today. Instead of frowning, Hakkai placed on a polite smile. "Are you catching a cold, Goku? Maybe you should lie down," Hakkai offered as he moved around the table towards the brunet.
Goku smiled again. "I would… if I could."
Hakkai suddenly frowned, brows drawing together in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"
Goku shifted so he could wrap his arms around his stomach, a grimace working its way onto his features. "It hurts too much, Hakkai. I don't… I don't think I can stand."
"Let me help you," the green-eyed man said. He held his hand out to Goku, pulling him to his feet. But the second Goku's stomach muscles stretched out the man gave out a cry of shocked pain and he fell to the ground, curling up in a ball and trembling. Hakkai was stunned at the sight of their strongest member shivering on the floor in front of him. Attempting to regain his composure, Hakkai bent down in front of the young man, attempting to help him to the bed only a few feet away.
It took far longer then it should have, with Goku sobbing and crying out in pain every few inches. Finally, Hakkai managed to pull the man under the covers, pulling back and watching as Goku shook with tremors. He watched as a stray golden eye turned towards the table, before he grunted softly to himself and curled up in a small ball once again.
Hakkai slowly stepped out into the hall, finding his hands shaking. He then vowed to find out what was happening to their young companion, and set out to find Gojyo.
It was the first time Goku had ever gone to bed without dinner.
---
"…Or is it the Devil's snare…?"
---
It seemed like overnight Goku had gained his strength back. Hakkai realized it must've been that, as yesterday it seemed like the youth would fall asleep at dinner, and the next morning he was jumping about and having fights with Gojyo, just like he used to, if not even more. The first contact of a battle Goku was jumping about, Niyoi-bo out front and howling with joy. Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakkai had watched in morbid fascination as the body that only days ago was crumpled on the ground in exhaustion and pain was now flipping in the air and twisting about as demons seemed to fall all around him.
After the battle, Goku grinned, heading down from the hill he'd wound himself up on, waving the Niyoi-bo in the air like a victory flag. He raced down the hill, skidding to a stop in front of Gojyo and high-fiving the older man.
"Yes!" Goku cheered, grinning until it seemed his face would crack. "I think I beat you for sure this time, Gojyo!"
"Not likely," Gojyo replied, messing up his hair. "I got fifty-three."
"Ha!" Goku shot back with childlike exuberance. "I got seventy-nine!"
Gojyo began cursing and questioning Goku's honesty as the brunet simply giggled. Hakkai watched Goku closely, eyes narrowing as he studied the young monkey's form. A glance from the corner of his eye told him Sanzo was studying the same thing he was. Goku's already lithe frame seemed to have shrunken. His wrist only seemed like skin over bone and the muscles themselves up his arm seemed to have deteriorated. His face seemed to have lost some weight as well and his eyes seemed sunken back and dull despite his enthusiasm.
Despite the fact that his body seemed to have shrunk, it didn't seem as though he had lost any weight around his middle. In fact, it looked as though the weight he lost from the rest of his body had collected in his stomach, swelling so it was slightly noticeable through his shirt. Though it wasn't obvious if someone wasn't looking for it. Hakkai and Sanzo shot each other a look, the concern bare in Hakkai's eyes while Sanzo's were clouded with indifference. Though their expressions were different they both felt the same about the situation.
"Goku…" Hakkai said slowly, turning back to the young man who grinned and turned to face him.
"Yeah, Hakkai?" Goku asked, attempting to keep his focus on the older man while keeping Gojyo out of his hair.
Hakkai's concern was evident, though luckily the young monkey was too busy wrestling with the redhead to notice. "Are you…" Hakkai began, before figuring out how to phrase his question. "Are you feeling all right?"
Confusion flickered across his face, but Goku laughed to cover it up. "What're you talking about Hakkai? I feel great! Way better then I was before!" he said happily, before attempting to smack Gojyo for one of his usual taunts. The pair wound themselves up in another meaningless fight and Hakkai knew he probably wasn't going to get anything more out of him.
He and Sanzo shared another meaningful look before heading towards the Jeep. For now, there was nothing they could do.
---
"…And when it finally hatches…"
---
Goku was awoken late that night, long after everyone had gone to sleep. He could feel his stomach churning and taste the bile on the back of his tongue. He was grateful that Sanzo had ordered them separate rooms that night, because the way he threw the covers off himself and raced down the hall would've alerted his sleeping roommate.
Luckily, he made it to the sink before he lost his lunch. He'd been throwing up a lot recently. Often after dark, here and there. It wasn't every night, sometimes two nights in a row, and then it wouldn't happen again for another week. But it had begun to grow more and more frequent in the last few weeks, and it was starting to unnerve him.
Goku hadn't bothered to turn on the light in the bathroom when he raced inside, and the darkness made him self-conscious. Placing his forehead to the cool sink, he closed the door with his foot, hoping no one would find him in this pathetic position. He didn't want anyone to have to see him this helpless. Gojyo would laugh, Hakkai would worry and Sanzo would just think he was pathetic. He didn't need any of it. He could handle this on his own.
Spitting out the last of the vomit from his mouth, he stood to clean the sink and head back to bed. What he saw made him freeze. In the sink was not vomit, but blood. He had been throwing up blood. It may have been dark, but he was not mistaken. At first he wondered why he didn't smell the blood, before reaching up towards his nose to find he was bleeding there too. What the hell was going on?
Turning around, Goku quickly flipped the light on, and turned back to look at himself in the mirror. His face seemed like skin draped over bones and his cheekbones stuck out painfully. His eyes seemed glazed and sunken back, as though he hadn't been eating. But he had been! He'd been eating three times his normal amount and it never seemed enough. He was always hungry; never seeming satisfied in the least. It felt like someone was stealing all the food he ate, as ridiculous as it sounded.
All save for his stomach, which swelled out as though he were pregnant. It wasn't that obvious, but even he couldn't deny that he could start to see it, even when he wore his many shirts. He prayed it would go away soon.
Sighing, Goku turned on the water and began to wash the blood down the sink. It didn't take much effort, but he wanted to make sure there was no trace of it left. Afterwards, he wiped off the blood caking his chin and upper lip, before turning back to bed. He dragged his feet down the hall as he passed by Sanzo's room, then Gojyo's. Hakkai's was at the other end of the hall and Goku cast it a glance before slipping back into his own room.
He rested his back against the door, turning on the light and frowning at the sight that met him. Most of the pillow and the sheets were soaked with blood, probably from where his nose had begun to bleed sometime in the middle of the night. Goku rested his head back against the warm wood of the door, sinking to the ground before his knees gave out under him.
Leaning forwards, he pressed his palms to his face, giving a shuddering sigh. "What's happening to me…?" he whispered.
---
"…This piece… This shard of my angel will fly…"
---
"Goku, listen to us. There's something infecting you. We need to get it out."
They were ganging up on him, Goku realized feverishly as he pressed his back against the wood of the closet door. It had seemed like an innocent afternoon at a random inn in a random town, before Hakkai had brought up the fact that Goku showed all the signs of parasitism. He had been doing some research on Goku's condition, and had come to the conclusion that Goku had been infected with a parasite. It would be easy to expel with Sanzo's Maten scripture, if they could get Goku to co-operate.
The young teen looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were wide as he attempted to grip the wall behind him, though only managing to scratch pathetically at the wood. His normally bronzed skin had turned a pale white in the past few days, and it was then that Hakkai decided something needed to be done.
"It's stealing your strength, Goku," Gojyo added in, making sure to close off the monkey's route towards the window. "It's eating away at your muscle mass. You're becoming skin on bones!"
"N-No!" Goku squeaked, pushing himself further back into the wall. "S-Stop! Don't come c-close! Leave me alone!"
"Goku, please," Hakkai attempted again, placing a hand on his shoulder. Goku yelped and visibly flinched away. He looked up at Hakkai like a cornered animal about to be shot, and the green-eyed man felt for the young man. "It's starting to infiltrate your mind. If we wait any longer then you'll die—"
"Shut up!!" Goku screamed, throwing Hakkai aside as he bolted for the door. The other three members of the party were slightly surprised by Goku's sudden escape attempt. None of them wasted any time following Goku down the hall and out of the inn.
Goku bolted down the roads and out into the woods. He attempted to get as far away from the people as possible; as far away from his friends as possible. No, they weren't his friends anymore. They were trying to do bad things to him. Goku wasn't sure why, but some instinct deep within him told him to run. And run far.
It was only a few minutes until Goku could feel himself out of breath. He collapsed to his knees somewhere within the trees, throwing up blood in front of him, and sobbing. Why did it hurt so much? Normally he could run all the way around the country and still be fine, so why did a four minute run force him to his knees?
Pain started to swell in his lower stomach and Goku cried out, slamming his fist into the ground. Throwing up more blood, he let loose a scream. The pain in his stomach was unbearable. He couldn't hear, couldn't see because the blinding, ripping, shredding pain in his stomach blocked out all other thoughts. He dimly realized Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakkai had arrived and were holding him down even as Goku attempted to curl into himself. He could hear Sanzo chanting, calling upon the power of his Maten sutra, but it was too late.
The pain exploded.
Goku could only scream. It was one sudden rush of pain and he knew that whatever had been growing within him had emerged. The egg had hatched. Despite the exploding pain, it began to dim down rather quickly. His head fell to the side as he felt his blood seeping out of him from everywhere. He felt open and exposed and could only imagine what kind of mess he was in.
He stared out of glazed eyes at the creature that had been feeding on his life force for the past few months. In his awe he realized it was Seiten Taisei, or some creature that had been merged with him. With long brown locks that fell down his back, and golden eyes that radiated death. His back sprouted two large white wings that had been coated in blood, making him seem demonically angelic. Then he lunged.
Goku couldn't watch his friend's death—or rather, massacre. Goku shut his eyes, praying soon that he would be dead and wouldn't have to endure this kind of torture. Finally, it seemed as though Seiten Taisei was finished with his friends and dropped Sanzo's bloodied corpse to the ground. He slowly approached Goku's prone form, the sickly smile lost from his features. Goku wondered if he would be the next to be killed, and was surprised when Seiten Taisei simply straddled his stomach, pulling out a curved needle and some old thread. Goku wondered idly where the demonic angel had gotten them, but didn't bother to ask.
He listened as Seiten Taisei began to hum merrily, leaning forwards and pressing the hooked needle into Goku's stomach. Ah, Goku thought as his eyes began to drift closed. He's sewing up the hole he made.
Though the demon couldn't speak, Goku could hear him purring a melody as he methodically began to sew the wound up. Goku couldn't even feel the needle as it moved in and out of his skin. His eyelids fluttered softly before he slipped off into unconsciousness, Seiten Taisei's morbid lullaby singing him into death.
---
"…And the cat will laugh; it was right all along…"
---
From deep within the recesses of the lab, the doctor snickered. He watched the screen flicker from the bad reception, smiling away as though he ruled the world. He'd miscalculated, but that was of no matter. In the end the stress put on Goku forced his Angel from its cocoon sooner then he would've liked, but the end result was the same.
Leaning forwards, he picked up the bunny that lay slumped next to him. Holding out its arms, he began to talk with it. "What would God say, bunny? What would he say if he knew what his precious little angels have become?"
The bunny cocked its head to the side, and Nii let out a low chuckle, rumbling from deep within his chest.
"That's right little bunny!" Nii said happily, clapping the bunny's hands together. "He wouldn't say anything. He never pays attention anyway."
Turning his attention back to the screen, he watched the demon with angel's wings, wondering what it was going to do now. Smiling around the cigarette in his lips, Nii held his bunny up as if to show it the computer screen. "Living itself is a sin, isn't it, Mr. Seiten Taisei?"
As though addressed, the demon on the screen looked up, searching for the one who had called him.
And so, with Hwan's eyes on his back, Nii began to laugh.
---
"…A devil in angel's wings."
---