Recommended listening: Now We Are Free (Gladiator Theme)

My Angel

Chapter Four

Hisoka watched the light falling of snow outside, watching the cold wind nip at the windows. It was about an hour before Tsuzuki had to come home from work and Hisoka felt a little bit of loneliness catch hold of his heart. He never liked that feeling and he'd pray so as to not feel so alone all the time. Dropping to his knees by the back window away from the door, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head, closing his eyes.

"My God, my God, please guide me to Your Path," he whispered to the silence, taking in a deep breath and repeating the phrase after a moment as he felt warmth seep through the cracks in the room from the outside. He felt a ray of light come forth through the clouds to shine upon him and he repeated the words again, concentrating on what he was and whom it was he spoke to. A voice, strong, but very gentle spoke into his ear as he felt the warmth of the light consume his spirit.

"Why do you call me so?" the voice asked of him, a calm demand, not harsh in any way. Hisoka lifted his head slightly, looking straight up into the light, not affected by its brightness.

"Father, I call for Your help because I wish for Your guidance," he answered the voice, wavering and hesitant, but at the same time, just as calm as the perfect voice responded back to him.

"You, My son, are never lost as long as you believe in Me."

Hisoka bowed his head again, nodding into the light, his hair shining with streaks of gold. He felt what seemed like hands upon his back as he calmly allowed two perfect white wings to unfurl, stretching back and relaxing in the air behind him, folding back to rest upon his back, forming into the curve of his body.

"What troubles you so in this time?" the heavenly voice asked, as calm as before with warmth shielding off the owner from above.

Hisoka looked up at the light once more, eyes glazed over conflicting emotions that were beginning to give him a headache. "Father, I do not fully understand what I am to accomplish here. I know my mission is as of protection and importance, but I do not understand how I can help."

He knew his words were faltering and unsure even of themselves, but he needed more guidance on his thoughts and needed someone to help him understand what he had to do.

"We sent you to protect and you have done so, but not to the full extent," the voice answered simply, as though the owner of such vocals said this to everyone. "You must find happiness, as you hadn't before you came to us."

"Father, I know it is not my place to question You, but how will I find happiness?" Hisoka asked hesitantly, looking back down to the floor, flexing his wings a bit. "I don't even know where to start."

"I believe you should start with whom you protect," the voice said, once again, simply and calmly and then went on to explain, "Before you came to us, you had endured much of what we can only imagine. You made your way into the Haven of your new home because you had done no wrong on your life. We are giving you a second chance to find what you could not have when you were alive."

"Father, now I am confused," Hisoka protested. "Why give such an offer to me?"

"I placed you upon earth for a reason," the voice got a stronger tone to it that made Hisoka flinch. "The reason why you were was not fulfilled. Instead, you suffered and endured harsh trials. I am giving you a second chance for you to find a place to exist here before you come back to us."

Hisoka inclined his head again, closing his tear filled eyes and having his golden blond bangs flying in front of his face. "Thank You, Father. I deeply appreciate it."

He felt something warm touch his head and knew it was a simple blessing from above that they were giving him for both luck and faith.

"You realize that finding happiness is not as easy as it is made out to be, young one," the voice said gently to him. "But remember to not violate our laws in your pursuit of your goal."

"I will not," Hisoka whispered. "I will not violate our laws and if I do as such, I shall endure any punishment handed to me for any reason you see fit--"

"Hisoka?"

The boy jumped and stood up abruptly, whirling around quickly, the light above him fading as soon as it had come. Startled green eyes fell upon confused amethyst, widening slightly. How long had he been standing there and listening to him speak to the true light from Heaven?

Hisoka was going to pretend nothing had happened, then he felt the piece of himself on his back move and he realized that Tsuzuki could now see his wings, the wings he had so well hid until now. His arms fell and he stood there, looking down to avoid the purple gaze.

"Hisoka, you—you're an angel?" he asked, stepping forward to the teen, but the said boy took a step back. Hisoka reached across him and held onto his arm, the only source of comfort he knew of in his childhood, and the one distraction that he wished to help rid his ears of hearing the statement.

"Hisoka, please, talk to me," Tsuzuki pleaded, eyes switching from the teen's hidden face and his shining white wings in disbelief, trying to believe what he was seeing. The boy he had taken in, the boy who seemed so alone and desolate was the same boy standing in front of him, a heavenly being that had descended from light in the clouds. It was too good to be true.

"Hisoka—"

"Aa," came the quiet response as the head came up, green eyes startlingly sharp and ashen blond bangs flying in the line of sight of those deep orbs, dancing around as though in worship as the room grew steadily warmer as the white wings began to pulse. "I am an angel. I am Kurosaki Hisoka, Angel of Archery from the gold hierarchy in Heaven."

A soft golden light surrounded the boy like an aura, pulsing as his wings did, steady and with a rhythm of a heartbeat. Tsuzuki's own heart skipped a beat at the calm look on the boy's face. Now he knew why he seemed so perfect. He was an angel, one of God's perfect creations, one of the highest classes in Heaven.

"I was sent here to protect you, Tsuzuki Asato," he continued in a gentle voice, the vocal of his voice raising a pitch to meet a high tone spreading warmth in the room as his green eyes shone a shade lighter. The light above him glowed softly, highlighting his beautiful ash hair with pure streaks of golden silk. "Sent here to protect you from what I could not be protected from."

"You already knew me," Tsuzuki uttered out with wide eyes. Almost mournfully, he watched as the angel nodded before taking a step forward towards him hesitantly, as if waiting to be thrown back. But Tsuzuki refused to move as he too waited for any reaction.

"I knew you, but could not recognize you the night you found me, as my senses had been injured by my fall," Hisoka continued to explain, taking another step until he was five feet from Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki shook his head slightly. "But you said you got lost."

Hisoka nodded. "It was true when I said I got lost, so don't you dare hold that against me. I was flying through that storm and ended up losing my way to where I thought you were at the time. I ended up only by chance in that alleyway, where I hit my head, knocking myself out. My senses were scrambled, but that's when you found me."

"And where you said your home was…"

"Heaven."

"That was why you said I couldn't take you there," Tsuzuki exclaimed, the pieces falling together. Again, a nod.

"Angels cannot lie under any circumstances, but they can manipulate words to make it seem like a humane answer as to not be found out by others," Hisoka responded, his wings flexing slightly again, growing achy from their current position. He folded them to fit the curve of his back before sighing lightly.

Then, he said quietly, "I will understand if you do not trust me anymore, but know that I did not intend for you to be at all hurt or betrayed by this. It was supposed to be so you did not know or suspect anything. I'm sorry for leading you astray, truly I am, but I am grateful to you. If you had not found me, I would not have survived. You have my apologies… and my thanks."

Tsuzuki was silent for a long time as he soaked this up. He began to understand why the boy was somewhat distant. He also began to realize the reason for the crucifix necklace, the reason he had been in that alleyway, and the reason he was here in first place.

"But the clothes you wore," Tsuzuki protested suddenly. "If you knew you were coming here in this weather, why did you wear them?"

At that, Hisoka colored lightly, a pretty shade of pink. "I didn't think I was going to be out that long in the storm. I was arrogant and stubborn about this mission, and I usually only wear this when I'm around everyone else, so… I just thought it would be fine. Guess not."

"You wear that all the time?" Tsuzuki asked then, wondering how in the hell Heaven could be a wonderful place if one didn't bathe and change every now and then. As if reading his thoughts, Hisoka actually smiled a bit and the golden light made his face glow.

"Well, when you're up there, you're practically clean all the time, although holy water every now and then is comforting," he explained again in that short simple way that made Tsuzuki wonder. "There's a private holy water spring up there that I like to go to," the teen added as an afterthought with a red blush. "It feels nice."

Tsuzuki stared impassively at the teen before allowing his body to fall back into the couch as his mind tried to soak up the knowledge that Hisoka was giving him. The boy had been an angel sent to protect him, sent to take care of him… it was such a powerful thought and it made Tsuzuki's heart hurt. He knew the boy hadn't meant for him to feel betrayed, but he couldn't shake off that sort of emotion that was welling inside him. And he had thought that the boy was a lost person with no home. But he did have a home and he wasn't lost and was from Heaven… That alone was hard to believe, but it was true, it was all true.

"I think you know most of what I had kept from you," the boy said, interrupting the amethyst-eyed man's thoughts. "But I understand if you'd rather I leave you…"

Tsuzuki looked up at the boy, whose head was inclined slightly, his hand on his opposite arm, as if holding onto it for emotional support or a sign of comfort that was the only thing he seemed to know. His wings folded neatly and silently onto his back, flexing as they went, stretching out the seemingly sore muscles. It was now that Tsuzuki realized how fragile the boy was, or rather, how alone he was.

Although he was a high being from a place Tsuzuki knew he would never reach one day, the amethyst-eyed man seemed to know that it wasn't anything to help the boy with whatever was going on in his mind. Whatever went on his mind seemed off, and it didn't seem as though it could be erased at all, at least not anything from Heaven. Tsuzuki began to think that there was something more to this mission than Hisoka let on. Then again, the boy said he had probably said all that he had kept from Tsuzuki and angels could not lie.

Tsuzuki shook his head. "You don't have to go."

He said this with a soft tone, nothing angry or frustrated, but more tired than anything from gaining such knowledge in a short amount of time. He even felt tired, especially after working so hard today.

Hisoka's head snapped up, eyes wide in shock and he asked disbelievingly, "You're not angry with me?"

Tsuzuki looked at him, at his surprised face. What did the boy expect? A slap and being thrown outside? Deciding to be honest and truthful with the boy from now on, he nodded. "Maybe I am a little… but not so much as you as with whoever sent you."

Hisoka forced the smallest of smiles onto his face. "I guess that means you're angry at God."

"I guess I am, but that's okay, I guess," Tsuzuki attempted a smile as well.

"I probably should have told you this beforehand, right?" Hisoka asked, the small smile vanishing.

Tsuzuki nodded. "But what's done is done. It's all right."

Hisoka nodded and the hand that had been clutching his arm fell. "Thank you… Tsuzuki Asato."

Neither one of them noticed the pale figure standing outside with black wings that contrasted against the snow. Icy eyes with no warmth stared with death on the tip of the snake-like tongue before the figure vanished from view, leaving not a trace behind.