Eden
Chapter 2
Garden

There was a story...

Rin's eyesight rested on her boots as she remembered, as she forced herself to think about something else. Miku's soft giggling reached her ears and she shut her eyes tighter at the sound. Her body tensed and her head hung low. She couldn't watch. It hurt to watch so she remembered instead.

It was her favorite story. One Kaito would often tell her to distract her from the human realm.

Miku smiled at something he said. He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Darling," she called him.

"Beautiful," was his response.

Rin tried harder to concentrate.

He often did that, or tried to. Kaito always worried about her and since Rin loved humans so much, it was only natural that she would love their myths. So her best friend would smile and repeat to her the story she had heard so many times before. She loved it so much and it kept her out of trouble, so what was the harm?

Rin's breath stuck painfully in her chest like a swollen bubble. She wouldn't cry; her sadness was one too deep for tears but it was shallow enough for the tiny tremors that slid along the edges of her skin.

The tale told of a woman - the first woman, according to the Greeks - and of the gift given to her by her father, the god Zeus.

Miku's voice rang out happily across her thoughts. The day was finally approaching and she was to be married soon. The bubble in her chest expanded at the thought and the angel held back a small sob at the unpleasant feeling.

It was a box. And she had been forbidden to open it.

Rin's eyes traced the outline of her boots, the pristine white of her gloves…the stainless shine of her belt.

She finally managed to raise her eyes from the ground and up to the couple. She was beautiful, she always was. Even though her insides were in torment, the sight of her softened Rin's mood and the angel thought that she even felt a tug at her lips. It wasn't exactly a real smile. It was longing, it was sad and it held behind it a terrible secret that she could never speak.

She watched him pull her closer, watched him whisper softly into her ear. Rin dropped her eyes straight down once again to her shoes. Her wings twitched as those tiny tremors continued across her skin. Rin was healed, had been healed for some time now but she didn't leave. She couldn't leave. Her fists tightened as he leaned in closer to Miku. Rin sucked in another deep breath, causing that painful bubble to balloon and swell.

At first she had been confused. Angels weren't emotionless. Rin had the capacity to feel just like any human but these were things the angel had never felt before. She struggled with them. During the day they consumed her. At night they left her restless. It was a good thing that her angelic body didn't necessarily require sleep to function.

The bride -to- be spoke excitedly to her future husband. She spoke of how beautiful her dress was, of how happy she was and of how the next few weeks would last forever because she simply could not wait. She ran her gloved hand along the fabric, fingering the material and smiling at the thought of wearing it. Rin could barely keep herself together as she stood away from them in the sparse shadows of the bridal shop. She couldn't let Miku see how upset she was.

Weddings were important to humans. They were joyous occasions. They brought with them a holy vow, a sacred promise. They cemented two souls, entwined them together, and made them one. It would bind the man and woman together eternally…and it would forever sever the woman's bond with the angel.

Rin would have to leave soon.

She didn't think that she could bear it. The angel became sick at the thought but she would not ruin this for Miku. She would not, could not because she…

Because she…

Rin had thought her grief past the point of tears but the deeper her ache, the stronger the urge. She swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes.

Love. Rin had heard of it, had watched it from the edge of her clouded paradise. It was as beautiful as it was ugly; a double edged sword that sunk deep into her skin. Rin tried to ignore the laughter, tried to ignore their proximity. She tried to ignore the way he looked at her. She tried over and over again to talk herself out of this. She couldn't love a human. In fact, she should even be here. She shouldn't be standing in a bridal shop watching them together. She should fly home to Kaito. He was probably worried sick about her. Her wings felt heavy at the thought of him. Was he watching her? What would he say?

Rin's insides clenched. She had never vomited before but she was sure this was what it felt like when one's body was getting ready to. Would he hate her? She had never seen hatred twist Kaito's handsome features but it seemed that being on earth brought out a side of Rin she had never known existed. If she returned would he reject her? He just might, Rin thought as she raised her eyes back to the couple. But he might not have a say in the matter.

They seemed so perfect. He was the handsome young man, wealthy and charming. She was dazzling, the epitome of beauty and kindness. What was Rin? Nothing but a fallen angel.

She blinked dazedly at the polished floor of the prestigious bridal shop. The gorgeous woman moved her left hand as she nodded and ran her fingertips along a curve of the dress. The light that gleamed from her engagement ring winked mockingly at the poor angel and she wondered - with more than a bit of spite for the man who would have her most favorite person - if he specifically bought her that type of ring that it might shine and announce his ownership.

She shut her eyes tight and lowered her head again. Her shoulders slumped, her hands formed into fists. The small tremors that had seized her earlier shook her more visibly now. The terrible, forbidden feeling inside of her had grown too strong and she could deny it no longer.

What would she have to do? What would she have to sacrifice? What would she be willing to sacrifice?

He bent a bit lower to place his lips against her cheek and Rin could take it no longer. She turned her back on the couple and left the store as swiftly as her legs could carry her.

It was slightly past midday and the number of people along the street was large and somewhat annoying as Rin tried to distance herself from the little shop of horrors she'd been standing in moments before. She was used to the crowds by now, having walked the streets plenty of times to navigate her way through without mishap- without being pushed to the ground - but she couldn't seem to get away fast enough.

Why? She asked herself. Why am I still here?

The sight of them together in the bridal shop flashed through her mind once again and motivated her to move a bit faster.

Her time on Earth hadn't been at all what she had expected it to be, nothing at all what she'd dreamt it to be. She wondered what she had truly expected. She'd known before her accidental tumble over the side of Paradise that the world below was anything but. Though, the more she thought the more she realized that Paradise…hadn't truly been one either. Despite the eternal ache in her chest she wouldn't trade her time with Miku for anything.

The street ended sooner than Rin had expected it to. She stood at the edge of it, eyes once again on her boots which had become slightly brown with the dust of the street she walked. People passed her effortlessly, staying close to the buildings and squeezing past the dazed angel. A few of them gave her curious glances but she didn't take notice. Realization was slowly creeping over her and as she stood at the edge of this street she began to fully understand the weight of her situation.

She could leave. She could spread her wings right now and leave. She could fly back to Kaito and the comfort and safety of a home she had always known. Earth was a painful place filled with a confusion that left her distraught and drained. She didn't belong here and yet…even as the thought crossed her mind she found herself glancing back toward the shop. The faults of Earth redeemed themselves with Miku. She was paradise and as hard as Rin tried to resist it, that fact would always remain true.

Her gaze dropped from the bridal shop and she took a deep sigh.

So yes, she could return home. She could spread her wings and fly off to her world but what was a world without Miku? She closed her eyes and wondered pitifully in the swirl of the crowd around her how someone who made her so happy could also cause her so much pain.

It was dusk when Miku found her. The orange of twilight was giving in to the red of late evening and the traffic and noise had shifted to the eastern side of town where the bars welcomed all under the cover of night. Rin sat alone as the air cooled and the people vacated the town's drowsy western sector. The shops stood quietly at her back as the last of the humans made their way past but she remained seated on a solitary bench in a small park just beyond the bustle of shops, trying to gain the will to lift herself toward Heaven. It had been a mistake to stay. It had been a mistake to allow Miku to lift her from that dirty alley. It was a mistake but it was one she could easily correct if she could find the ability to escape.

"I have finally found you, my darling angel."

It certainly wasn't the first word spoken to her that entire day but it was the only one that could possibly snap her out of the state she was currently in. She lifted her head a bit and was rewarded with that beautiful smile, the one that left her dazed and breathless. It was the one she had fallen in love with, same one that weighed her down and trapped her to the impurity of Earth.

"Milady…" Rin whispered but her words were lost immediately to the familiar pain in her chest and she averted her gaze. The scene at the bridal shop played once again in her mind; a broken record continuously skipping. It wasn't the embrace of the perfect couple that bothered her now but the fact that she had left so abruptly. A shameful blush crossed her angelic features. Love wasn't selfish, if she was in love (as she was beginning to suspect) then why hadn't she be strong enough to stay? A sinking feeling formed around the pain in her chest and she had the strangest urge to break down into tears. Perhaps she was confusing insanity with love.

Or maybe…she was insane with love itself.

"I must beg your pardon," Miku said as she took a seat next to her friend. "I hadn't realized the untowardness of my own behavior until you had already left."

The statement surprised the angel beside her and she quickly lifted her head to face the woman. She smiled sheepishly in return, as if she was the one ashamed. It confused Rin and she opened her mouth to protest.

"Milady, I-"

Miku held up a slender hand to stop her.

"I had asked you to accompany me and I became distracted. It was very rude of me to neglect you so after I had specifically asked for your presence."

Rin was clearly baffled by Miku's apology. She'd done nothing wrong. No, quite the opposite. Miku had been nothing but kind to her. She'd rescued her from her foolish fall, had nursed her back to health, had allowed her to stay with her in the glamorous manor she called a home and even now she was attempting to assuage the pitiful little creature's guilt - one she very much deserved to feel. The beautiful vision placed her hands on top of the angel's folded ones and leaned over toward her a bit. Rin's blush darkened at their proximity and at the soft touch of the woman. She took a silent, wavering breath and noticed – with a small leap of her heart – that she loved the way Miku smelled. It reminded her of fresh cherries, the black cherries the beautiful woman was so fond of.

"Do forgive me, Rin. I couldn't bear the thought of you so incensed by my actions."

Rin slid one of her hands out from under Miku's hold to place it on the top. She offered her a sweet smile and shook her head.

"Milady," she said softly. "Nothing you could ever do would upset me."

"Truly?" She asked in earnest.

"Truly," Rin answered.

Miku's smile brightened immediately, causing her gorgeous teal eyes to sparkle. She slipped her hands from Rin's grasp (much to the angel's displeasure) and folded them in her own lap as she pulled away to lean against the bench.

"I am glad to have found you," Miku said, relief heavy in her voice. "I was certain that you had left me for good. How would I ever go on without my lovely angel?"

Miku giggled a bit and Rin's heart pounded a little faster in her chest. She was happy to hear that Miku cared for her so much but it contrasted greatly with her guilt. The feeling left her a bit tongue-tied and she found herself giving the excuse before she had thought fully of what she was to say.

"Forgive me. I…was feeling a bit ill."

Miku gave a surprised little noise and covered one had over her chest, placing the other on Rin's shoulder.

"You're unwell? Do your wings bother you still? Come, let us get home-"

Rin smiled. "No, Milady. I am fine."

She moved her wings a bit to prove it and Miku relaxed immediately. She dropped her hand from Rin's shoulder but her smile didn't return.

"I'm sorry if I worried you," Rin said urgently. She'd already shown her immaturity once by abandoning Miku at the bridal shop, she certainly hoped that her outburst hadn't made the situation worse. Miku only shook her head.

"No, it isn't that."

Miku sighed a bit and shifted uncomfortably. She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her engagement ring. Rin tried not to look at it. She couldn't begin to understand why such a small object could ignite such anger in her but she decided not to dwell on it. Instead she kept her eyes on Miku's face. Her perfect lips were pulled into a slight frown, trembling a bit with hesitation. Why was she so worried? Rin was about to ask her when Miku spoke up.

"This may be…a bit selfish of me but I find myself sad that you've recovered so soon."

She shrugged a bit and heaved another sigh. "Your wings are strong enough to carry you home and I assume that you'll be leaving me. I imagine that Earth isn't anywhere near as wonderful as your own home. "

Miku raised her eyes to meet Rin's blue ones. "But I know for sure that I'll miss you. You've become my dearest friend."

The sentence ate away at Rin's resolve. She had been certain that she would leave. As excruciating as it would be, she simply had no other choice. It had been a mere three months since she'd fallen from grace but the time she spent with Miku was the greatest she'd ever spend. She couldn't imagine waking up anywhere other than the room Miku had given her. She couldn't imagine a morning spent doing anything but eating breakfast with Miku. She couldn't imagine a day she didn't spend with Miku in her garden, in town, anywhere.

But even this wasn't enough. It didn't matter if she stayed because Miku was getting married soon and there would be no space left in Miku's home or her heart for the pathetic little creature beside her. The longer she sat with her however, the more she realized that she couldn't bear to leave. She'd never be able to spread her wings no matter how strong or healthy her body was. Her heart ached for Miku and that was a pain she was certain would never fade.

It was forbidden, she knew. Angels and humans were meant to live separate lives, never to intersect. And while it wasn't unheard of for an angel to travel to Earth, they did so only when instructed to. They didn't stay for long and they surely didn't stay long enough to fall in love. As far as she could tell, she was the only one. As the pain in her heart grew and the will to resist temptation lessened, she knew without a doubt that she was in love. There was no other explanation. Before her fall she had loved humans for their nature and had wondered at them, curious and eager for understanding. The mystery of them still eluded her but she liked to think she understood them a little better. Miku taught Rin so many things, had opened her eyes and awakened parts of her she had never known existed. In her dreams she had loved all humans but now she loved only one.

"Are you sure," Miku whispered softly. "That you could not stay…just a little while longer?"

"Milady…"

Rin sighed and averted her gaze. There was no point in staying. She wouldn't be able to stomach the wedding. Miku had asked her time and time again to come but Rin always turned her down. She had to return, was her excuse. It was her excuse until she came to adore the woman beside her so much that she was thinking…

"Well, there's nothing for it I suppose." Miku said as she looked up towards the darkening sky. It was early spring yet and as the sun continued to settle below the sky the air around them turned cold. Miku shivered a little and rubbed her bare arms.

Rin decided that she didn't care what it took. She pushed herself up from the bench and moved to stand in front of Miku. If she could stop that marriage, she would stay.

"Come, milady," She said with a soft smile as she offered the woman her hand. "A proper lady such as you shouldn't be out here so late."

Miku giggled and raised her hand to Rin's. Rin pulled her up effortlessly from the bench, her heart a squirming mess of swirling emotion.

"I've told you to call me by my name. You know better than to be formal with me."

"Forgive me." Rin answered, " I just can't seem to get used to it."

The humor in the angel's voice ignited one of those gorgeous smiles. The sight wasn't as pleasant as it had always been, soured by the knowledge of their impending separation. They had been inseparable since the day Miku had saved her. The angel could lie to herself and pretend that it was always going to be that way but it wouldn't change a thing.

She would do whatever it took to keep Miku. She would betray her home, her past, her very essence if it meant that she would be with Miku. If being an angel was the problem, she'd rip the wings from her body and toss them aside like trash. If it meant that she could have Miku…she would do anything.

Miku lead them out of the park and the two made their way between the buildings toward the main street. Rin had offered before to fly Miku home but she'd always been too afraid to even try it, certain that she'd drop her no matter how many times the angel promised. They often rode home in hansom cabs as a result but Rin didn't mind. Actually, she looked forward to it. Cabs were small and the occupants were forced to sit close together. That combined with the cold would have Miku becoming extremely close and Rin couldn't think of a better form of transportation.

It had been a mistake. It had been an even bigger mistake than allowing Miku to rescue her from the dirty ground. It was a mistake and she didn't know how to fix it.

She simply couldn't stop herself and perhaps she honestly hadn't wanted to. She had needed this, had wanted this for so long and she couldn't leave without telling her how she felt. But the words wouldn't come. No matter how hard she tried to say them, they eluded her. Ever since their ride back she had been trying to tell her, certain that she could not leave until she spoke the words, until she could make Miku understand. She had to at least try.

But she hadn't been able to. Her voice, stubborn as always, refused to obey and all she managed was a small, inaudible, "…Miku…"

And when she hadn't heard it, Rin had called her name again, louder, to stop her.

She had paused but only for a second. The street they stood on was a quiet one, one few people walked during the morning on the eastern side of town. They were alone but for the occasional passerby and Rin felt terribly loud despite the volume of her voice and when she tried to use it again, it failed her just the same.

The woman before her sighed a bit, not from frustration but because the glove on her left hand just wouldn't seem to fit right no matter what she did. It was a new black glove to accompany her favorite dress (the one she wore so very often) and it seemed to insist on being stubbornly loose. She had been fiddling with it since the moment they had left the manor, vowing to pick up a new one at a nearby shop. She rubbed the back of her hand, trying to smooth the rebellious material.

Had she paused because Rin had called her or because she had had enough of the uncomfortable cloth, Rin didn't know. She figured that it didn't matter.

She wasn't really sure how it happened. She hadn't thought it through - it wasn't something she had planned. Before she knew it, she was reaching out for Miku. Before she could stop herself that same hand had moved up the smooth skin of her neck to cup her jaw.

Miku flinched as she felt fingers on her skin and tried to spin around but Rin was faster. She caught her by the left arm and pulled the woman backwards until their bodies were flush against one another. She shook slightly, a tiny tremble that traveled her entire body as she whispered, shocked and perhaps a bit afraid:

"Ri-Rin?"

But Rin's voice had shut down, lost to the adrenaline of her body. The hand on her jaw gently, lovingly angled Miku's face upwards and Rin didn't hesitate. Without a further thought the angel bent down to eliminate that microscopic space between them and placed her lips against Miku's.

It was a mistake but not one she realized instantly. Her mind was gone, her every sense focused on Miku and her perfect pink lips. The daze caused by her smile was nothing compared to the feeling she acquired from tasting her lips. They were deliciously intoxicating and set her heart pounding desperately against her chest. Miku's lips trembled slightly beneath hers and Rin pressed down on them again, eager to get more of this feeling, to lose herself in it forever. It was paradise, the true paradise, the one she had sought after for so long…but it wouldn't last.

A forceful twist brought her back to reality. The following shove jarred her senses and sent her stumbling a foot or two backwards.

It took her less than a second to realize the horror of what she had done.

Miku stood frozen five feet away from her, her slender hands held clasped over her delicate lips as she shook slightly with each of her quivering breaths. Her beautiful teal eyes were wide with a wild accusation and a painful confusion that broke the angel's heart.

The sight crumbled the angel. The vicious animal of guilt ripped her apart like nothing else could and although she was certain that a woman as pure as Miku wouldn't turn her away for being an angel she'd forgotten something very important.

Rin was a woman. To a human, that kind of love would be more forbidden than any other.

Her immaturity, her undeniable selfishness and her ultimate ignorance on the all things human had ruined the one chance she'd had to be near Miku. What did it matter? What did giving up everything she possibly could amount to when the problem was impossible to change?

She wanted to speak. She wanted to apologize and explain herself but her voice had never recovered. The horrible futility she felt, the realization on Miku's face...all she could do in response was smile as if the agonizing pain she felt was the punch line to unfathomable joke . It was a painful, powerless thing, full of defeat and guilt that seemed to whisper, "Now you know…"

Miku shook her head as if she was unable to accept what had just occurred. She averted her gaze for a moment and Rin took the opportunity to run. By the time Miku looked back, there was nothing left but a single white feather.

Rin slammed herself against the wall of the closest alley. With her arms and her back placed firmly against the wall she lowered her head and finally allowed herself to cry. It started as small, steady tears like the beginning of a quiet rain. It was a mindless and painful process, the crying. She had been so worried about their separation that she had become the main cause of it. Better that she had left had flown to Heaven when Miku still cared about her, before Rin so selfishly betrayed her. She shuffled her feet a bit, trying to keep herself up and the sound of her boots on the dirt gained her attention. In her blind attempt to escape Miku's accusing eyes she had stumbled into an alley, but not just any alley. It was the exact same alley where Miku had found her. It was the very one that had lead to their very first encounter. The agony of her situation finally broke her and she truly cried.

Her sobbing was uncontrollable. Her shoulders shook with the power of it. Her heart felt fit to explode with the weight of her loss, a pain she herself had created. She eagerly hoped that heartbreak actually caused one's death because she didn't think she could stand another second of this mind-numbing torment.

The sun began to move across the sky. Morning turned to early afternoon. Rin remained in her alley, the very statue of dejection. She was lost and alone once again; wounded, broken and heartsick. Heaven wouldn't accept her back and she couldn't dare to show her face, couldn't bear to imagine what Kaito would think of her. Kaito…how she wished he was there with her. He always knew how to fix everything.

"Tell me, Kaito," she cried quietly. "What do I do now?"

She earned a response quickly but it wasn't Kaito's presence she felt. It was something dark, something evil. It permeated around her in tendrils, wrapped around the perfect white of her boots as it traveled up her torso to wrap around an arm. She knew this presence, had felt it before lingering on the Earth, feeding on the havoc it wreaked.

"Lucifer?" she questioned.

"Sister," he cooed with a false sweetness that rotted in her ears.

He had been waiting, undoubtedly, attracted to the scent of sin the way an animal is to its prey. She could sense him though she could not see him but it didn't seem to matter. His voice (unlike her own) was working just fine. He coiled around her, a smoky presence with no true form, offering to her in the kindest voice she had ever heard the solution to the pain consuming her.

What would it take? It was a question she'd asked herself a few days ago. 'Anything,' had been her decision. The very answer to her problems was coiling around her body like a serpent, eager for its prey to submit. Her memories of Miku flashed through her mind all at once from the very first time she locked gazes with those beautiful, sparkling eyes to the feel of her lips against Rin's. She had made a mistake, hurting Miku, one she vowed that she would never make again. With this she could and would fix everything.

Rin took a deep breath and wiped her wet face dry of her tears. She could live without the purity of her heart, would willingly abandon it if she could have Miku.

And just as Eve had taken a bite of the forbidden fruit, the pitiful little creature succumbed to the devil. The demonic smoke shivered in pleasure around her, delighted and eager to gain his own reward as the lovesick angel willingly fell into his forbidden embrace.

A/N: Good lord, it's been almost a year since I've updated this thing! D: I apologize for my absolute rudeness. I thank you all who reviewed and favorite this story and I hope that this new update lived up to expectations despite the fact that I'm absolutely horrible for making you all wait! I hope you can all forgive me. C:

Reviews are my muse people, so inspire it up. ;P