Recommended listening: It Is You by Dana Glover
My Angel
Chapter Five
The snow had settled down and only a foot of snow that had begun to set itself upon the cold cement ground was beginning to be kicked around by snow blowers, making a pathway in both the street and the sidewalk where some people walked along this day of December 19. Christmas was just around the corner, only a few days left until the Eve of the holiday and soon, the night of the special day, many were going to drink eggnog into the night.
Both Hisoka and Tsuzuki were window shopping their way around town, after doing shopping earlier that afternoon for clothes. Hisoka was wearing spruce green corduroy pants matching with a long sleeved cream shirt. Tsuzuki was wearing black corduroy pants and a shirt similar to Hisoka's own, except its color was a deep green color, only slightly lighter than Hisoka's pants. They both wore winter coats and tennis shoes able to stand up to the snow.
"Oh, Hisoka, look!" Tsuzuki exclaimed as they passed a pet shop. Green eyes followed Tsuzuki's outstretched hand to the window, where three little puppies were curled up together, snoozing light under a blanket on a tiny puppy bed. One of the puppies was a sandy color with light tan under parts, curled up next to his brothers, both of which were a deeper brown and slightly black. The tan puppy seemed to stick out from the other two.
Hisoka smiled at Tsuzuki's child-like emotions as they gazed at the puppies. Then, the little tan puppy began to stir. It opened its big eyes of which were a deep golden brown and blinked cutely, staring up at the two of them before giving a small yawn and uncurling itself from the group, padding quietly over to them and standing on its hind legs, putting its front paws on the glass. Tsuzuki knelt down and put his finger right over where the puppy's small paw was and smiled. The puppy's tail began to wag.
"He's so cute!" Tsuzuki exclaimed, looking a little goofy with the smile on his face as the puppy's paw followed his finger inch by inch across the glass.
"Do you want to go inside and see him?" Hisoka asked.
Tsuzuki nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, go on, then."
"Yay!" Tsuzuki bolted inside.
Hisoka shook his head, allowing that same small ghost of a smile before following his client into the store. It wasn't noisy in the store. Most of the pets had been adopted for Christmas and only the puppies in the window had no home, so it was fairly quiet and the storekeeper seemed to be in the back. Hisoka looked over as Tsuzuki knelt down by the small enclosed space behind the window, reaching out a finger to stroke the tan puppy's furry face. The puppy's tail wagged enthusiastically and happily as it licked the man's digit.
Hisoka walked over and stood next to Tsuzuki, watching his play with the puppy while the storekeeper was still nowhere to be seen. The puppy licked his finger before nipping it lightly and falling on its back, looking up with a cute expression. Tsuzuki rubbed the tiny dog's stomach and Hisoka watched as the tiny emotions from inside the puppy spiked at the affection he was getting.
Hisoka leaned over and scratched one of the dog's ears. It was then that the puppy yipped lightly and seemed to smile at them. At the yip, the other two puppies stirred and woke up themselves. Seeing the strangers and their younger brother getting the affection, they ran forward and furiously began licking the hands on his brother, causing his brother to move away behind them, failing to be happy any longer.
Hisoka glared ever so lightly at the jealous twin brothers and reached over, picking up the dejected puppy and holding him out of reach. The puppy curled up in his hands and shook lightly. Tsuzuki pet the tan puppy affectionately and it was then that an old grunt came from the back of the shop; emerging from the shadows was the storekeeper. It was an old man, in his late sixties or seventies, gray hair with wrinkles around light blue eyes.
Hisoka noticed him first. "Konnichiwa, sir."
"Eh? Good afternoon? Bah, it's cold and dreary," the old man groaned with complaint. "It's not good. These poor pups ain't got anyplace to go and no one wants them. It's sad and so this afternoon's no good."
"How long have these puppies been here?" Tsuzuki asked.
The old man scratched his chin. "Meh… I've lost count now. It's been months since I've gotten them. There were five, but now there be three left. And no one will come by. In fact, you're the first few I've seen in almost two months."
"Two months?" Tsuzuki repeated in shocking disbelief. Hisoka looked down at the sighing puppy in his arms and stroked its back gently, effectively calming the small animal down. Its brother continued to yip to get attention, but with one look from Hisoka, they were quiet.
"Yeah… two months. Most people are too busy with their presents and dinners to impress their guests to know about these pups," the storekeeper went on gravely.
Tsuzuki looked sadly at the tiny tan dog in Hisoka's arms, and then back at the two brown ones, who were busy playing with one another, having not been able to obtain attention. The old man seemed to see Tsuzuki's childish look and said rather hurriedly, "Tell you what. If you promise to take good care of that puppy, I'll let you have him."
"You're serious?!" Tsuzuki asked happily.
The storekeeper nodded. "Yeah. As long as you give him food and shelter and care and loving… I'm going to give him to you. Besides, he's got nobody here. His brothers don't think too much of him. I think he'll be happy with you."
Hisoka nodded. "He will be."
"Good. Then it's settled then?" the man asked. Tsuzuki nodded excitedly. "Then he's yours."
Hisoka handed the puppy to the happy Tsuzuki, who snuggled with it close to his cheek, beginning to talk to it about a name. Hisoka walked over to the old man, his green eyes searching and finding everything in one go. He placed a hand on the old man's shoulders. "We thank you for this. You're a good man."
The storekeeper attempted a smile and chuckle. "I'm just doing what I think is right. I know he'll be happy with you."
"He will be. May God protect you."
The old man actually smiled then and nodded back. Hisoka walked over to where Tsuzuki was still sitting down, petting the puppy as it licked his other hand. His happy eyes looked up at Hisoka as the angel approached. "Sankyuu, Hisoka! I'm so happy!"
"What are you going to call him?"
"I dunno," Tsuzuki admitted. I've been thinking about it. Can't think of anything; anything interesting at least."
"I know what I'd call him," the storekeeper said from behind them. The two turned expectantly. The man smiled. "I'd call him Pascal."
So that was the name they had decided. As they left the store, Hisoka placed the now snoozing puppy into a pocket in his coat to stay warm as they began to walk to Tsuzuki's place, where they would put the puppy in bed until it woke up to be fed the food the storekeeper had given them in a small bag.
"I'm so happy he's coming home with us," Tsuzuki exclaimed. "He's going to be joyful with us… I hope."
Hisoka smiled slightly. "Might want to stop hoping and start doing."
Tsuzuki chuckled. "Maybe I should… well, in any case, Pascal's away from that store and he's going to be okay with us. I wonder if anyone else will adopt his two brothers."
Hisoka suddenly got a bad feeling as they got to the top of the slanted road. He looked back at the store where they adopted Pascal and for a moment, no sound was heard, not even Tsuzuki's thought as he talked aloud, thinking Hisoka was listening. It became quieter than the falling snow. He saw the shopkeeper walk out with a bag in his hands, most likely to be going home. It was then that he paused and stopped, as if he forgot something, but he didn't move.
Then, all of a sudden, an explosion rocked the ground and the pet shop exploded from the inside. Tsuzuki and Hisoka's eyes widened as flames erupted around the store, throwing the old man off his balance and into the snow, his bag falling off to the side. Tsuzuki and Hisoka rushed back to see the man motionless on the ground in the snow, his bag moving from the inside behind him.
Tsuzuki shook the man, trying to get him to wake up, but nothing. The man had died on impact. Hisoka opened the bag and saw that the man had put the two other puppies in them, both of the tiny dogs shaking with fear as their sensitive ears heard the flames behind them.
Hisoka then looked back to see his client, eyes wide with fear as his hands continued to try and shake the owner awake. Sighing, Hisoka reached over and put a hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder. The man looked up at him, purple eyes glimmering with unshed tears, but Hisoka shook his head. "You have to leave him, Tsuzuki. It can't be helped."
His client looked down sadly at the snow before nodding in grief. Hisoka turned his attention back to the puppies, which were huddled together in the bag, seeking the other for comfort from the screams of other people that were beginning to gather and the roar of the flames behind them. Hisoka felt a movement in his pocket and took out Pascal, who yipped at his brothers, not knowing the danger, having just woken up.
Reluctantly, the two pups crawled out of the bag and licked Pascal, who licked them back affectionately. Hisoka glanced back to the dead man. 'He knew this was going to happen. Somehow he knew. Either that or he was an innocent who cared for these dogs at home. One way or another, someone planned this.'
As soon as he stopped that thought, time stopped again. Everyone froze except for Hisoka, who felt a familiar presence. Turning around, he saw a familiar angel behind him, white wings glittering in a soft golden light as her long golden hair fell behind her upper back as her deep brown eyes looked at the scene at her feet.
"Alexandra," Hisoka said, nodding.
She nodded back. "Hisoka."
"Do you know who planned this?" Hisoka asked.
Alexandra shook her head. "No, but it does not matter. It was his time today, in any case."
"This was just unexpected," Hisoka confirmed. Another nod.
Hisoka watched as the girl raised her hand. From out of the dead man's body came a small blue orb of light, his soul hue. In an instant, it had transformed into the form of a person. Light blue eyes were the only familiar trait about this man. Otherwise, he had short brown hair that didn't fall any lower than his ears and his skin was a smooth tan. He looked between Alexandra and Hisoka, confused, and then saw his body laying on the ground and the puppies huddled close together.
The storekeeper sighed. "I had hoped they would have been adopted before my time."
Alexandra put a hand on his shoulder. "It couldn't be helped, Astor. Hisoka will see to it that they get a home."
Hisoka nodded and the storekeeper, Astor, looked at him. After a moment, he raised his finger, pointing at the young angel. "I remember you… you stopped in my shop today…"
Hisoka nodded before gesturing to the frozen Tsuzuki. "He is my client. I am his protector."
"Well, I'm glad he has you around. It seems to fit an angel's job, ne?" Astor asked, smiling a bit.
Hisoka shrugged with a small smile of his own. "You'll find out that when you ascend today."
"You promised me to take care of Pascal," Astor said as he began to float up.
Hisoka held up his hand. "An angel never can break a promise."
Alexandra nodded to him. "Take care, Hisoka. And be careful."
Hisoka nodded before he sighed. Time picked up again as soon as he got his breathe out and the suddenly deaf silence was met with screams and exclamations, the roar of blazing fire and the whining of the puppies by Hisoka's knee as he knelt down, taking a good look at the old man that was once Astor. He looked as if he were sleeping, as if he were going to wake up any time he would, but no. He wouldn't. His only breathing done now would be up in Heaven.
"Tsuzuki, we need to go," Hisoka said halfhearted, standing up with Pascal in his pocket and the puppies at his feet.
"But what about Pascal's brothers?" Tsuzuki asked. "We can't just leave them here."
"I know we can't," Hisoka said dejectedly. Fortunately, a man came up to them, asking what happened and if the puppies were all right. Hisoka then got an idea.
"They're all right, sir," Hisoka answered. "But they need a home. We can't take them."
The man looked at the two quivering brown/black young dogs on the ground before biting his lip and saying, "I can take them if you can't. I promise to give them food and shelter and care. I promise!"
Hisoka nodded with a smile before handing the two puppies to the man. "Arigatou and God bless."
The man nodded and then smiled as Pascal's brothers licked his face affectionately; grateful someone was willing to take them on after this event. As the man walked away, Hisoka turned to Tsuzuki, kneeling down next to him, placing a hand back on his shoulder. "Tsuzuki—"
"Why would someone do this?" Tsuzuki asked, cutting the angel off as he looked up, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Why would someone want to kill him after he worked so hard to find these puppies good homes?"
Hisoka shook his head. "I don't know, Tsuzuki, but we can't stay here. Come on, I'll take you home."
Unwillingly, Tsuzuki allowed himself to be pulled to his feet as Hisoka steered him away from the burning wreckage, which was being approached by firefighters who began to blast water at it, intent on putting it out. As soon as they were clear from the burning building, Tsuzuki let himself collapse in the snow, shutting his eyes tightly as tears fell down his face. Hisoka knelt down next to him, knowing exactly what was wrong.
"He was an innocent. This shouldn't have happened," Tsuzuki wept.
"I know, Tsuzuki," Hisoka said as he put his arm around the elder man's shoulders. "I know how you feel. But it was his time, whether this happened or not. He would have died later on today, as Alexandra told me."
Shocked amethyst looked up at the young angel. "When were you told? I was with you the whole time! How did you know?"
Hisoka sighed. "When someone's soul is taken by Alexandra, Angel of Death, time stops for everyone except for angels. We can see it happen. You were frozen in the millisecond that Astor's soul ascended. It happens in hardly a millisecond, to be honest, but time still stops nonetheless. She told me everything in that short of time."
"What did she tell you?" Tsuzuki asked. "Who did this?"
Hisoka shook his head. "We don't know. But the thing is you shouldn't be grieved about this, Tsuzuki. He didn't feel a thing when this happened. He wouldn't have anything when it was his time to ascend anyway, because he would have been asleep. In fact, I think he was asleep even before the explosion. Alexandra does that sometimes. That's why the storekeeper stopped right before the explosion. Alexandra takes lives away when it is their time in the most painless way possible."
"I thought you said that this was unexpected," Tsuzuki said somewhat accusingly.
Hisoka lifted one of his hands, closing his eyes before they opened again and were gleaming with sadness, looking off to the side. "Angels have the ability to do something in the few seconds they are given in order to help life or end life. We aren't all-powerful, Tsuzuki. Just know that. You may think we are, but we're not."
Tsuzuki realized he had just hurt the boy with his accusations. He saw the slightly saddened look in those eyes. "I'm sorry, Hisoka, I didn't mean that."
"It's all right," Hisoka replied, closing his eyes. "You're human. You haven't seen or learned what we have. It's understandable."
Pascal poked his tiny head out, his little tongue out and his beady eyes looking up between the angel and the amethyst-eyed man. Hisoka reached down and pet the puppy's neck before scratching his tiny ears. "We'd better get home. Puppies can't be out in the cold for too long."
Tsuzuki nodded and reluctantly stood up, following Hisoka as they began to walk back to Tsuzuki's house.
"Oh, and Tsuzuki."
The man looked up as Hisoka turned around, emerald meeting amethyst for a brief, but meaningful moment. "It's not your fault."
Blinking, Tsuzuki nodded as Hisoka turned around and continued to lead him back home. Tsuzuki bit his lip and followed his guardian back to the place where he found some sanctuary. At the sudden moment, going out tonight might help. That's only if Hisoka didn't protest against going where he wanted to go to find salvation.
That thought in mind, they caught up with Hisoka and walked back silently.
