Thanks for coming this far with me, for what I hope will come off as a fun chapter, if not filled with too much exposition. :P But hey what can you do sometimes. I'm glad to have the fans I do, and I'm never disappointed to hear readers speak out, whether they be good things or bad. On that account, I thought I'd address what I have seen.
Gabryl being weak and well, hated on by others. I don't want to give away much, but some of that issue will be looked upon in this chapter. Outside of the fact that he never knew he had so many powers, or potential, there is a lot of deep psychological reasoning happening in some of the characters, which was really a goal I had for this story. This includes Leyla's actions. I truly wanted to make it dark, in that you slowly learn the character's opinions and such based on their experiences.
So uh have fun with that. I know I am. :3
And of course, for using other KH characters. This is a no-brainer, being an AU story, but I've realized I'm lacking on them. I do plan on putting up many more as the story progresses, and have a few popular ones chosen already. Expect a couple (and by that account "implied" few) in the next couple chapters. Fun fact, however, in case you haven't noticed, there have been three KH characters used so far in total. One is a little hard to spot out, but pretty obvious if you find the right spot. And, as I said, that character implies more~
Lastly, as of posting this chapter, this profile is officially up to date with what I have typed so far. Meaning that I hope this doesn't mean there will be any hiatuses because of writer's block, but I have tons of ideas ready to type. Enjoy chapter four!
IV - Far
The tiny metal point made rough strokes, etching into the wood. Nonsensical shapes and lines were formed. Occasionally it would stop in one place and pivot, driving into the table, digging up little shavings. Gabryl blew them aside and started over. Then he realized that he was probably damaging private property in some way and stopped, figuring he would pass time in a more effective way. Perhaps he would plague the other bored Reapers with inquiries as to what was going on at the moment, as the last half hour flew by with the four of them just sitting at the usual spot. This was after they fought their way through a crowd of anonymous Reapers, who had all thought they were trying to cut in line. This left them a little frazzled, and had Gabryl thinking how much he loathed mob psychology, but that was trivial, and he figured there were more important things to think about.
Why were there all these other people mobbing to get rooms? Was something going to happen soon? What was that Heartless thing that tried to attack him? There was also the Keychain he had found, where did it even come from? He decided that question was better to keep to himself, because Gabryl wanted to keep it as his own. His hand patted the side of his jeans, feeling for the small crown. Just to make sure it had not disappeared, or that it was even real. More pertinent however, was why Raimyd felt it so necessary to whine about how hungry he was.
"Damn it." One fist clutched his stomach, while the other clenched in pain. "I'm hungry Ley, do I need to stay here or what?"
"Yeah." She answered, quickly and with authority. "I'd like for us to all tell Ansem what we saw."
Raimyd was beginning to sweat a little, but Leyla did not care what kind of agony he was facing. She found the current situation to be a critical one, and planned on giving Ansem a full report, having them act accordingly.
"I don't care. I think my gut's trying to eat itself." He spat, trying to move, and faltering. Medea grabbed his arm to hold him steady, which he pulled away in indignation.
"A sandwich or something! I'll be five minutes. There's this place right over-"
"No." Her answers were not at all hesitant.
"Well I'm sorry we can't all be running on caffeine all day." Raimyd shot back, as if thinking that insulting a person would in any aspect inspire them to let you do what you wanted.
"Quiet, you two." Medea said, before Leyla could mutter something increasingly offensive, and motioned towards the desk. "Place is booked up as it is. Won't take Ansem more than five minutes to come this way." She glared at Raimyd, and saw his eye twitch. In fact, he almost looked sick, and coming to a realization, Medea rolled her eyes.
"Rai, when's the last time you killed anyone?"
Gabryl looked up, suddenly distracted by the carvings he had gone back to installing on the beaten table. Listening to these people bicker was nothing compared to paying for a few damages, and he lacked money to begin with. His goal was to make a hole deep enough for the Keychain to stick up in, so he had zoned the talking out to make better progress. The last sentence though, caught his attention. Raimyd seemed to catch himself before speaking, expecting a less rational answer, or name-calling to make up for their earlier tussle.
"…Oh."
"Mmhmm." Medea nodded.
Raimyd felt his stomach, noting how the pain seemed to be coming from his muscles, chest, and where his heart would be. He took a step away from his chair, and limped to Gabryl, holding his hand out for the Keychain, and received it with a disappointed pout as Gabryl hung his head back over his unfinished renovation. Raimyd took a deep breath, bracing himself, and took off towards the exit, speaking over his shoulder.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "Been like, a week." Raimyd tucked the object into his breast pocket, and gave a kind of embarrassed smirk upon turning his head. It was not an enjoyment of his to be wrong, but now that he knew for sure what the pain was, he wanted it to go away as soon as possible. And if, by chance, a café or something was on the way back from his target, then so be it.
Those remaining reverted to their original silence and irritation of the new, not so silent guests. Gabryl had to ask his latest question, spurred from a conversation that troubled him, and while backlash from Leyla was inevitable, at least Raimyd was not there to double the dirty looks.
"So, hey." Gabryl winced, feeling like his every word was a hindrance. Medea looked up, lifting her cheek from her shoulder, breaking her concentration. She seemed to have been looking at some of the Reapers at the desk and other tables, as if looking for one in particular.
"We have to kill people even with the Keychains?"
Leyla nodded, staring aimlessly into nothing, and Medea added on.
"Yeah, they just let us have a little more time in between."
Gabryl recalled Raimyd saying it had been a week since his last kill, which was far more than a "little". Especially for him. Holding off his murders for more than a day was enough to keep him content, though. His eyes caught a dusty clock hanging near the lobby television, and realized, with fascination, that it had been at least twenty-four hours without getting an impulse. No Angels trying to kill him either. Medea noticed how deep in thought Gabryl was, remembering again how new he was to everything, and in need of so many explanations. She checked to see whether or not Leyla was in the mood to talk. Her bored trance said no.
"Keychains are real important, Gabe." She added on, eyes darting from her student to the door. As it turned out, there was someone she wanted to keep an eye on, but they had not yet arrived. "They're what let us stay off the Angels' grid. One moment without one, and they'll come right down to take us out."
He slowly nodded, already knowing these basics through his experiences. This explained what had happened when Leyla first found him; there was no Keychain with her, so she had to find one before that Angel found her, and she was lucky.
"Lot of us have been teaming up with only a few chains. Makes us stick together, in case anything happens. If an Angel does show up, there's a better chance it could be taken down with more of us."
"Or just last longer." Leyla added grimly, still fixated on nothing in particular.
"Yeah, yeah." Medea's intention was not to make things seem so hopeless. "But, problem is, every now and then we come to a shortage. That's why we're making groups like this in the first place. Eventually, time come's when we gotta find more."
"Uh…huh." Gabryl mumbled, trying to fit in a response to show his interest. Finding more? Did that mean going around, picking up Keychains wherever a Reaper happened to die?
"So, every few years we have a "Raid". Bunch of Reapers from around Twilight Town, even outside it, come in, and we steal some of the Keychains from the Angel base of operations."
Gabryl's blankness suddenly flashed to one of utmost confusion, as, once again, a single sentence completely dumbfounded him. Was that the reason for all the Reapers? Were they all going to fly out to this place, probably risking their lives, to grab a few handfuls of magical pieces of metal? And this would not be any regular place, but where the Angels worked from, or something. That meant they would be there, maybe even waiting to vaporize them on the spot. Disturbing images began to come back to him, but he ignored them enough to phrase his surprise.
"You mean, um, they just fly out or something to find…them?"
Leyla was cursing the incompetence she felt she would need to get used to, and cursing the possibility of never getting used to it. Medea continued speaking, looking straight past Gabryl and to the door, which he found a little rude. She found herself engaged, though, taking out her own Keychain and laying it on the table.
"Mmhmm. Last time it was me, Leyla, and Lucre. 'Bout five years ago." She smiled a little, reminiscing, while Leyla scowled at the mention of Lucre's name. "Left way early in the morning, so no one would get in our way. Had to be stealthy."
"Why? Didn't the Keychains just hide you?" That was the first time he had said something so openly in their company. Being so comfortable around others was coming off as quite the comfort, and Gabryl found himself leaning forward a little, just as excited as the woman explaining things.
"Well, see Gabe." She said, wagging a finger. "The Keychains don't make us disappear entirely. We just blend in. In crowds, on the streets, anywhere with a bunch of people, they make us safe. Angels could always blow up the whole town to get rid of us, but they won't kill that many people until it's their time. Overflow of hearts or somthin'."
"Oh." Gabryl said, thinking. Keychains really were not the end-all be-all answer then, they could not do everything for him. He would still need to keep himself hidden, and kill on the weekends. He sighed, and tried not to let the learning session he was enjoying die. "So it would be weird to have some normal people walking around where they live then."
"Normally, yeah." Her smile widened a little, and she tilted her head towards Leyla, who slumped lower in her seat. "But another thing about Keychains, is they got powers. Magic" The last words was said with a little exaggeration, but Gabryl was willing to believe it just because of that. Also because he was a supernatural being that killed people for a living.
"We have some kind of secret weapon?" He asked. Medea's increasing smirk answered this prematurely. Leyla produced her Keychain.
"Yep. This little guy here." She flicked the shiny circle, making it swing back and forth. Leyla let it do so, and moved her finger a little to make it move faster. She did this very apathetically, as a kind of joke, but no one paid particular attention to this.
"See," Medea continued, "Ley's Keychain lets us turn invisible. All out of sight. That way we don't get seen at all."
Leyla reeled it in by the chain, and bunching it in her fist. She felt like a pointless visual aid, to which the viewer only noticed what they were holding, or what was displayed on them. Gabryl reinforced this by looking straight at her closed, leather-bound hand, seeing the Keychain in an entirely different light. Imagining what his own Keychain could do, both the one assigned to him and the new black crown, it occurred to him once more that Leyla was extremely lucky to run into him of all people, with such a Keychain. She did not just tackle him to the ground to keep him concealed, but so she could get her hands on the Keychain and access its ability. He had not realized it then, but they must have been invisible, and undetected by the Angel. The frightening consequences filled his mind as well, for if Gabryl never looked down to pick up that chain, or if Leyla never came down that street, at least one of them would be dead. Her in both scenarios.
The very fortunate girl knew what Gabryl was thinking, as he was staring into nothing much like she was before. She bit her lip, and pushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"And are very, very glad that you of all people were able to retrieve it for us." Leyla narrated the irony in his position, in a sardonic tone. Medea disapproved, and kicked the leg of her chair.
"But that brings me back to my point." She said, ignoring a glare. "Cause we got our special Keychain back, we can go on the Raid without worry. Happens tomorrow, too. Would have been the worst time to lose it…"
Something in Gabryl clicked at that last sentence, that childish sense of curiosity that was becoming ever-apparent as he explored this new world.
"Um, would it be too much trouble if…can I go?"
Leyla shook her head before he finished speaking, mouthing a 'no' to Medea. Her negativity was ignored once more.
"Erm." Medea wanted to say something uplifting here, and turned to Leyla, who offered nothing. "Well, Gabey, it's a far ways off, is all. We tend to have to fly there."
And, like a child, the light died in Gabryl's eyes a little. He was so behind on all this Reaper business, and not knowing how to fly seemed to be hurting him the most. Leyla looked as if she was taking joy in his hopes getting crushed, and smiled herself, finally, and tugged at her hair.
"Oh…" He sighed, trying to block out the one putting him down. "But, but what if I learn how? There's still tonight-"
"Yeah!" Leyla yelled, in a voice that, to anyone who knew her well enough, was very out of character. Gabryl knew enough to understand this as well. "Yeah. Learn to fly in a few hours, and you can tag along tomorrow. Enjoy the ride until you get killed or something. Or hell, maybe when we all die." She stood, sarcastic expression of joy turning sour, and walked towards the stairs.
Gabryl was put off by her show, and wondered how difficult it was to fly as a Reaper. In logically, something as huge as flying should be fairly difficult, but he had no was to be sure. However, the good humor in him could not help but find it ironic, since the task of staying downstairs had been the reason Raimyd was not allowed to leave at first. Furthering said irony, Raimyd was only a few steps away from the table, dripping blood on the floorboards.
"Hey." He took a bite of the muffin he had picked up, and narrowed his eyes at the empty chair. "She took off. I knew it. Bitch just tries to get on my nerves sometimes." Sitting, he laid his right arm on the table, which seemed as if it was dipped in a bucket of red paint, or blood. It splattered, along with some crumbs, onto his lap. Another mouthful of pastry occupied his mouth before he spoke again. "So why'd she go?"
"She lost her temper when Gabryl and I talked about him flying." Medea explained.
"But I thought he couldn't fly."
"That's what she went on about."
"And I can't." Gabryl added on.
"…Alright." Raimyd bit off another little bit. "So she's getting pissy being right about stuff now?"
Gabryl sighed, and pointed to a pair of imaginary wings.
"No, I can't, but Medea was saying I could learn how to so I could go on the Raid thing tomorrow." He said this quite openly, which showed a new level of confidence for talking to the guy he was afraid would cover his other arm in his own blood.
"Oh." Raimyd gave a slightly confused but educated look. It was without the intensity Gabryl expected, but he was glad for that. "Man, what did I miss?"
"You missed." Proclaimed Medea, to Raimyd, brushing a few muffin crumbs off from her side of the table. "The part where I told Gabryl that you would help him get his wings tonight."
Both made a double-take, then Gabryl once more, as he was sure he had missed that part too.
"What?" Raimyd asked, with emotion somewhere between anger and annoyance. The remains of his breakfast was smashed in his non-bloody hand.
"Yeah, Rai." Medea said, standing up. "Leyla won't do a damn thing, and I gotta meet up with someone from out of town. You're the only other guy left whose good side he's on."
And it was at that moment that Gabryl realized that he really was on good terms with the people who likely wished they had never met him.
"…Besides, he'll have to fly eventually if he knows what's good for him. May as well teach him so he can go tomorrow, get some field practice." She smiled, albeit kindly, to Gabryl. "Hope you two have fun." Bidding that, she tossed her Keychain to Gabryl. It was a blue, butterfly-shaped thing. She gave it to him in case they were separated while flying around, should Gabryl learn how, or if Raimyd just left him on the streets.
The usual spot was quiet for a few minutes, filled in by sighs and awkward glances. Raimyd rolled his eyes, then rolled his neck, then did both simultaneously. He lifted his arm up and whipped it to his right, letting some blood splatter to the floor. Gabryl watched, hoping that Raimyd would take him out, despite them not being too friendly. The company may not be much, but Gabryl did want to fly; it would give him some feeling of freedom.
"Okay." He said, slipping his heavy, shoulder padded coat off. "I'm gonna clean off. Meet me down here in an hour, and bring a jacket or something. Gets cold high up." He stood, slowly, tossing the wrapper from the muffin to the ground. "Of course, that's wishful thinking in the first place, huh?" Raimyd chuckled to himself, and went for the stairs.
Well, something good had come from that, Gabryl thought. At least Raimyd could try to teach him. Worst case scenario, he will not have to go on some mission that would threaten his survival on his second day of new Reaper life. Maybe there would even be some middle path where he would end up knowing how to fly, but not be experienced enough to venture out. Win-win situation really, so he was content. Just as long as Gabryl did not break anything being thrown off a building in the process.
A Twilight Town evening, moisture hanging in the air after a heavy rain, red glow of the sun spreading out from the horizon, had a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere. Everything, from buildings to people, seemed to take on an orange hue from the radiating dusk, relaxing to the eyes, turning the world into a visual narcotic. Gabryl felt like he could fall asleep standing up, but Raimyd would rather have just been in bed, especially since he would have to wake up earlier than his usual early. The voices of local denizens drowned into the splashing of puddles, and ringing of a distant bell, which became louder as they came nearer. Like a deep, slowly chiming alarm clock.
Raimyd was not a very sentimental person, but it was not as if he could not notice the subtle beauty around him. The Chapel Hearts tower, across the park, stood strong, casting a cold shadow over the plant life. He wanted to make some joke, paralleling religion, in his head, but thought that admiring the sight would be better. Raimyd shivered when an autumn breeze pushed against them, and crossed his arms to defend himself from the chill. He was the only one of the two without the benefit of something warm to wear, and shrugged comfortably under the thick cotton, and brought a finger to the top of the tower, where the clock faced the setting sun without unflinching.
"We're going up there. Nice and high to practice from." He smiled at Gabryl's reaction, which showed concern.
Gabryl just tried to focus on the very pretty scene around them, trying to not think of falling, or dying. Getting evaporated had finally stopped plaguing his conscience for the day, and hoped being killed in any other form would stay away too. He let his train of thought keep flowing, on the topic of the pretty sky and pretty trees. Some were brown and some were orange, preparing to fall off for the winter. Gabryl has always appreciated the twilight aspect of Twilight Town, when the twilight in question did not signify some sun poking through gray clouds. This was a lot nicer to look at, especially with the bell, that finished its eighteenth ring right as Gabryl snapped out of his thoughts to cross the street to the old church. Six, which was fairly early for the sun to be setting, but it was late in the year.
Wait. Time, clock, tower, falling. Gabryl looked up at the building, which seemed a lot more demeaning up close, particularly when staring straight up from the base. Before Gabryl knew it he was watching himself plummet from the top. Crap. He was really wishing that image would go away by the time he was up there.
"Oh." He said, looking to Raimyd, who also partook in taking in the sheer height of the cathedral.
"Mmhmm…?" Raimyd was enjoying the sight as part of his late afternoon walk. His teacher responsibilities were escaping him, blocked by his trance.
"How are we getting up there?" Gabryl hoped that learning to fly involved him going up, rather than down.
"Right." Raimyd said, snapping out of whatever had enticed him so much. He remember what time it was, being sundown and by the position of the large clock hands, and figured that since it was a Thursday night, there would be no mass in session. Very calmly, he strode to one side of the clock tower, to an old wooden door on the side. A few steps led up to it, which were discouraged to be climbed in the first place due to a sign hanging over the door. "Do not enter" was written on in commanding letters. Raimyd silently brought his right leg back, and kicked it open. Gabryl jumped back from the smooth movement that ended with such a bang.
"There, no one should have heard that. Won't need this on the way down anyway, or at least we shouldn't." He eyed his companion upon saying his last word, pushed the door a ajar, and beckoned Gabryl in. They climbed the dimly let tower interior, which lacked the bright bricks or vibrant colors created from the sun. If anything, the air around the two completely changed once they stepped through the doorway; warm and thick, with the feeling as if they were being haunted. Anyone who regularly visited the Chapel Hearts and was a devout believer would probably say that it was whispering from the hearts that still flittered about the building. Gabryl and Raimyd knew better than to believe such things, though, as they saw hearts going out on their own quite often, not needing to stop off at any church. The steps creaked mournfully, cobwebs hung, catching bits of moisture, and were swatted out of the way for their trip up. Deep grinding clanks from the large, ancient gears that moved the clock hands echoed, becoming louder and louder, until the mechanisms loomed dangerously close to their bodies, threatening to tear a limb off. Soon they reached the door, which would lead off onto an edge on the side of the very top of the tower. Peaceful, with quite a view. They walked on this bordering edge until they came across a corner and stood in front of the enormous face itself.
The park outside Chapel Hearts was even more beautiful seen several stories up than it is from the ground, and Gabryl took the opportunity to take it all in. Light reflecting off of leaves and wet grass, wind lightly tussling them, as well as his own hair. The sun was half concealed by the gently sloping, green hills miles away, making the horizon in the opposite direction begin to darken. There was the distinct arc of a rainbow, visible between two taller buildings, in the main part of town. Gabryl then looked downward, thinking the ground would be just as interesting if not more, only to learn that it was very far down. Nauseatingly far down.
"Well?" Raimyd chirped. "Just a matter of…jumping off. If you can fly, and I'm sure you can, then you'll do it."
Gabryl turned, raising an eyebrow and making a face the displayed how insane he thought this man was.
"Just, jump?" He checked the ground again. It was not any closer.
"Uh-huh." Raimyd said. One of his feet moved out, over the ledge. "Real simple. Like this." The other foot followed, and he walked straight off the tower. And it was the moment that he lost contact with the stone ledge, and the moment that Gabryl thought he was even more crazy, that a pair of black feathered wings emerged from his back. They seemed to come right out of his back, melting out of his coat, while still materializing on the spot. Raimyd had fallen not an inch before he came to a sudden, gravity-defying stop. It was as if he stood on some unseen surface. Gabryl wondered if flying was as easy as joining him on that surface. No.
"Look, I…I've never done anything like this before. I don't think this is the way to start."
Raimyd narrowed his eyes, looking him over, crossing his arms and giving his wings a flap. They were thinner than Leyla's, but seemed to be rounder, fluffier even, but the feathers were overall the same, and just as black.
"Gabe, I think that you may be making this more complicated than it really is."
Ignoring the nickname he had gained, and called many times, as of late, Gabryl did not see how he could simplify things more. Jumping of a building and hoping some wings popped out; what else was there?
"Well sorry, but it's not like I've ever shown any signs of being able to do this."
Raimyd sighed, and drifted to his left, floating in front of Gabryl. His head tilted, causing his body to lose its balance and tip backwards a little. He corrected this and spoke again.
"How long've you been dead?" Raimyd asked, rolling his eyes back in thought.
"…Two years, about."
"Oh, good. That's when I started flying. Found out about it when some serial killer pushed me off a bridge. But that's beside the point."
Gabryl was under the impression that he had made that up to inspire him.
"Happened completely by accident, and the body did it out of impulse. Like a Reaper failsafe. That's pretty much how we all work. Don't worry about it."
"But…" Gabryl, as much as he wanted to fly, wanted more to not break his neck. "But what if it doesn't work? How come I've never grown wings when I really needed them on the ground? What--"
"Hey." He interrupted. "Over-complicating things. You don't always fly by choice, sometimes it just happens. It is installed into us, and there's no avoiding that. You're treating it like it's some right of way for Reapers. Pfft." There was a taunting smirk. "Just do it. Come on."
Gabryl was still apprehensive, which was beginning to make Raimyd a little irritated. So, to speed this needlessly anxious guy up, he did something very logically, that did not involve wasting more time trying to give him confidence. One arm, his right, slowly unfolded from his chest and gripped onto Gabryl's collar. It was a calm movement, but a shocking one to Gabryl, who was too surprised to react. Raimyd tugged, pulling Gabryl forward and making him fall head-first over the ledge. His hand let go once Gabryl fell past his waist, and he watched, bored, as he fell. Yes, he had done something which would cause many to believe him mean, or lacking confidence in Gabryl, or a murderer, but he knew it would work. And if it did not, oh well. He was a little annoying anyway.
To his respect, he did not exactly push him off.
Which was what Gabryl thought as he was falling, thinking that that thought would be his last, and wishing it was not something partially kind to who may have just ended his afterlife. He yelled something scornful upwards as his feet left the floor, and decided he would stay silent the way down. There was really no one to hear him anyway. Twilight Town did not lose its beauty upside-down though, and Gabryl thought that he would enjoy the view while it was in that position, or while he could still see. That is, while his eyes were still in his skull. That is to say, while he was not a splatter of blood and bones. Eventually Gabryl realized that he had been looking at the distorted world for nearly five minutes and since he knew that he was not that high up, there must be something stopping him from falling.
Averting his view from the skyline, Gabryl looked down, or, up. His head fought the pull of the planet to see Raimyd still suspended in the air, looking back down. Gabryl was hanging as well, albeit awkwardly by comparison, staring up at him between his legs, which were forced up to his head. Or, as Gabryl thought, comprehending what he thought was impossible, down. He saw something poking out of his pocket, something shiny glinting in the setting sun, and pushed in his secret Keychain before anyone noticed. There had been a strong lurch that almost made it fall out, when his wings erupted from his back for the first time.
So, he thought, he had flown. No, he was flying. Now. Gabryl tried to push himself, tumbling in the air, so that he was upright. It was a strange sensation, like swimming, only surrounded by a lighter substance. His legs and arms felt like dead weight, as it was his torso that was primarily being lifted. Gabryl turned, and saw his own black feathers extending out of his back. As he saw the large, new limbs, he could simultaneously feel them, what nerves flowed through them, suddenly connecting with the rest of his body. These new features, as the moments passed, felt as if they were as natural as his lips. Soon it was as if they had always been there, and a sense of weightlessness set itself into Gabryl. His wings were one with him, and gave his whole body a feeling of freedom that Gabryl could never have imagined.
He floated, which he now discovered was as easy as willing it and shifting his wings, up towards Raimyd. He seemed bored, and impatient as Gabryl made himself used to his new ability. Unexpectedly, he was slapped right in the back of the head. Then Gabryl glided away.
"That's for pulling me off a damn building!" He shouted, smiling, and let a soft gust carry his body to the low clouds. It was colder, and wetter, but he did not care. This was exactly the kind of freedom he dreamed of, and wanted to feel and savor. To move down, over the treetops, casting an invisible shadow on the people below, only took the smallest flap of his wings and slightest change in their angle. He experimented with how fast he could go, and stopped himself before crashing into an office building. The sleek, unused feathers provided a large amount of wind resistance, so he could cease movement at a second's notice. This also let him see his reflection in the glassy mirror of a window, other than his proud, arcing wings. It was his usual, unkempt self, but there was something different, and not just his hair, blown to the side by the wind. On his face, under his nose, was what resembled a genuine smile.
He let it widen a little more, and let his weight shift backwards, falling, except this time he willed himself to. The flipped Twilight Town was still just as pretty, getting dark, and the sky dilating purple. Gabryl spotted the tram zipping by on its flat tracks, snaking through the town common, where that Heartless had attacked him that morning. He flew down, making himself parallel to the top of the train, and let the hum and roar of the wheels and engine vibrate up to his stomach. It was one of the more relaxing feelings that he ever had in that area. Gabryl, stretching his neck, then brought his knees up, letting his feet make contact with the train, and unsteadily stood up, as if gravity was going to make sure that he would never be off the ground that long again and would make sure of it personally. He yawned, exhausted, and looked around, letting a thumb hook into his belt. A moment later his chest hit the train.
"Idiot!" Raimyd yelled. He had dived straight at Gabryl, kicking him down, and pinning him to the roof. Raimyd's shoe was firmly planted between his shoulder blades.
"What?!" Gabryl growled, trying to roll from under him. "What did I do?" His wings, light as they were while flying, threw him off in such a position. Raimyd grabbed onto a handful of feathers to stop him from twisting, and glared.
"Stupid!" And Raimyd repeated a number of similar words, all a variation on Gabryl being the most unintelligent person in the world. "Christ! You can't just go on your own like when I have the Keychain!" His fingers pulled harder, prompting a yelp from Gabryl. "I can't believe you aren't dead right now." He finally let go, after yanking him to his knees by his wing, and Gabryl scowled, adjusting his new features.
"What are you talking about? I--"
"I have it! Remember? I went out before?" Raimyd produced their shared Keychain, clear as day. Little pointy spokes twirling around as he held it by the very end of the chain.
Gabryl felt the barely visible bulge on his thigh, where his secret hid. Shit, he thought, no one knew about it. To Raimyd, it looked like he just went out to let himself die. Growing paranoid, Gabryl scratched his head, averting eye contact.
"I, um…" He could not see Raimyd's eyes, but knew they were hot on him. "I forgot! I forgot giving it to you and getting it and, er, yeah."
"Idiot. And you want to go to where the Angels live. It's like you're just serving yourself on a platter to them."
Gabryl winced. Admittedly, that is what he had been.
"I won't do it again." The tone in his voice had signs of that admittance, which was enough for Raimyd. Still angry, he turned, blonde hair blowing away and chilling his ear. Gabryl noticed how his roots were much lighter, but Raimyd turned again, this time lowering himself and sitting, crossing his legs.
This newbie, he could not help but pine over, was just so stupid. Leyla was right. At first it seemed like she was just exaggerating, as she often does, and was taking out her anger on him. It definitely was not the fairest thing she had ever done, and he felt bad for the guy. Sure, he would be hazing him a little, being a jerk, making sure that he was not too soft, but that would be the climax of his actions. However, he was still being dumb, flying away like that. Raimyd really was surprised an Angel had not come down and stabbed him in the chest. Was he really that lucky? Last thing this kid needed to be was some crazy prodigy. Leyla would just get pissed off more. That was bad for everyone. A small part of him was worried for her feelings, though, false as they were, since they were Reapers. Was what he was feeling some kind of fake-caring?
Isolated, he sat down on the train, coughing to break the silence. Gabryl tried to fold his wings around his shoulders, seeing if he could shield himself from the cool wind from the speed of which he was moving. It helped some, and he watched the sky change to a full, inky darkness. A couple stars stood out among the light from the town, pouring upwards. The moon was also prominent, about three-quarters full. Gabryl watched it as well, staring without blinking until he could see the craters and shadows.
Raimyd knew a little about psychology; he was working towards majoring in it before he died. Therefore, he knew how perfect the situation was, for things to go badly for Leyla. Gabryl was replacing Lucre, in her view and theirs, and maybe they were all having high expectations for him. Impossible ones, for someone so inexperienced. It took years for this guy to even meet up with another Reaper, let alone fly. They should not be building him up as a replacement, like Leyla might be doing. Raimyd sighed. Loudly.
"Hey." He said, slurring words out of his tired sigh.
Gabryl looked down, at his billowing hair, and was not even sure if he had really said anything. He thought it might be his mind playing tricks on him, hopeful that relations would improve.
"Yeah…?" Speaking, he realized, cemented that something would come from this.
"I shouldn't have been so upset. You're new."
And that was the closest Raimyd would ever come to an apology for the way he acted that day. It was hardly much, but the fact that he had acknowledged his mistake, meant more than Gabryl would ever know. Raimyd sighed again, and drummed his fingers on his knee, and watched the road and buildings that the train passed up. He had another idea, one that required less of him verbally admitting his defeat, and that he could enjoy.
"Gabryl, we're getting off just ahead, c'mon." His wings flapped, and Raimyd leapt off the train, to the sidewalk. Gabryl followed, stumbling when he landed, his head spinning due to the transition from land to air to land again. Raimyd could not help but smile a little when he saw the scene, and took hold of Gabryl's shoulder, leading him in the right direction.
"Where're we going?"
"Clock tower."
"Why don't-" Gabryl tripped over one of his feet, still bemused from his short jump. "…Why don't we just fly there?"
"Other than making sure you don't vomit onto some people from fifty feet up, we have a stop to make."
"Oh."
He threw up.
Gabryl was glad that Raimyd made them stop at that ice cream store first. It was where they sold what Twilight Town was famous for; sea salt ice cream bars. Pleasantly colored, with contrasting flavors, almost anyone could find it delicious. Raimyd was no exception, and he lapped and bit at his like the night before, not letting a single drop fall off. If one did, it was on his hand. Gabryl was timid to trying it, but after a few initial licks, he enjoyed the sweet taste.
"How do you like it?" Raimyd asked, chewing on the top of the stick, which he had managed to eat down to.
"It's…" Gabryl licked again. "It's alright. Gets rid of the bitter taste in my mouth.
Raimyd laughed, something which flattered Gabryl.
"That's deep."
"I meant from vomiting."
"…Right." Raimyd tried to shake the image in his head of someone spitting out bile and whatever remained in their stomach after not eating in so long. Gabryl was just glad he had something to replace whatever he gagged up, but the cold substance also felt nice on his burned throat. Damn he was hungry. Before he knew it he was going at his ice cream quite ravenously, and both of them held damp, flat sticks.
"Love these things." Raimyd said, staring to the blot of orange still left behind the trees. Gabryl noticed that he was deep in some thought, probably thinking about whatever had been so interesting when he would not talk to him on the train for half an hour. Whatever that was, though, maybe something good or bad about him, Gabryl could not help but feel a little happy. This guy, Raimyd, had lashed out at him, made him feel like an outcast, almost killed him, then attacked him, but had made this miraculous change. It made him feel a little happy. Or, as happy or however happy as he could feel. Feel being a loose term of course. Thinking about life as a Reaper was getting to be very depressing, so Gabryl decided it would be more fun to pretend he was alive, and just be truly happy, and enjoy the closing of such a beautiful sunset.
Raimyd, still contemplating on how nice he should be, thought he would be blunt.
"Guess we should go."
The sun was concealed behind the skyline, and night was taking over. The sunset was really the only reason they had been sitting back on the clock tower in the first place, so the lack of it was a fine reason to leave.
"Think I can go then, tomorrow?" Gabryl asked, a little excited. He brought this up when they were half way to the inn, watching the lights from buildings and suddenly appearing stars illuminate the dusk.
"I don't know how crazy Leyla will be about it." Mumbled Raimyd, recollecting on her volatile attitude. "But the others should be on your side. I think you'll be fine."
Gabryl smiled to himself, rotating, and flying on his back, gazing at the sky from below. It was so vast, and those little flickering stars were so far away, yet their brightness managed to make it here. Gabryl had gone far too. He had traveled from an isolated, depressing life to one with people who understood what he had gone through. He walked the long walk to his new home, full of anticipation. He fell what seemed like quite a long way before his wings saved him. And with this breathtaking view of the town, roads like rivers of swarming lights, people like ants, time felt like it slowed, making the trip back seem much farther than it really was. He would be going on an even farther trip the next day.
"Just don't die on is." Raimyd mentioned, letting his arms hang down. "Would be kind of a waste of an evening."
That, Gabryl was not sure whether or not was meant to dwindle his confidence.
