Alice

We had left the sidewalk once it had started to grow too busy, and moved over to the Bay City park. It wasn't crowded today, being a weekday and everyone was either at work or school. There were a few parents out with their younger kids, but they didn't pay any mind to us. We found a secluded bench out on the outer parts, and I sat in it while Shun stood on the side. Sirens blared in the distance and you saw cop cars and an ambulance fly past us. Probably another Slasher victim…..I wonder if Shun knows anything about the Slasher.

"Hey, Shun. Do you know anything about the Slasher? Just curious." He smiled and spoke, "That's what I find funny about humans. The Slasher isn't even a person. It's a Fallen. But the victims aren't human as you've probably seen." I had. The first time I noticed was when they showed the picture of the last victim and his eyes looked different. Shun continued to explain. "But since you humans have no knowledge of the angels that are around you everyday, you assume this 'Slasher' is just some sick person with nothing better to do. But it's not just one Fallen going around killing other Fallens. All fighting styles of angels are basically the same. So everyone of those victims you see may have been killed in the same method, but it's been a different Fallen killing another every time. Make sense?"

It did. I was happy to know what was going on with all those murders, but hated that I couldn't tell anyone about them to shine the light on them. I found myself looking back up at the sky. Seeing it gray 24/7 was starting to get really boring. But with this bond that I now I had with Shun, it'd have to stay that way till I repay my debt or one of us die. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want Shun to die either. So that only leaves me with repaying my debt. I thought of another question to ask him. "How exactly do you kill? I know you can't use your hands and inflict that kind of trauma. You had to of had a weapon of some sorts. Right?"

He had started circling the bench I was sitting on, and I felt oddly like I was being stalked. He stopped in front of where I was sitting and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. "You're pretty observant. But nonetheless, you're right. We can't do something like that by hand, but we don't have any weapons either. Weapons are forbidden to Fallens." Then how did they inflict all those slash marks? Those can only be cause by something like a blade. Even I know that. Shun unfolded his large black wings. The sudden sound startled me, for I still wasn't used to them yet.

He said, "Our wings are our best weapon. What look and feel like regular feathers to you, are actually the equivalent to a sword to us. Once another angel gets sliced by the feathers, it rips them open just like a knife would do you." All of those slash marks in the victims, were caused by their attackers wings. I could help but stand up and place my hand on one. He was right. They felt just like regular feathers to me. But from news reports, I had seen what they could do to another like him. They were warm. Not as warm as they felt when he busted through my window and forced me under the bed to keep me safe, but still warm. He suddenly folded his wings back up and said, "Sorry. Forgot you're not used to them yet."

I felt my face warm up a little. For that little moment, I was completely ok with them. I felt like I should of asked another question. To change the subject. "From stories that I've heard, angels are immortal, right? Since you're a Fallen, did they take that away? Or was the whole immortal thing just smoke and mirrors?" I knew they could die. I had seen them ripped apart on TV. I could see Shun was happy that I was changing the subject. I guess the wing thing a minute ago was a little odd for him as well. I didn't think about it being the first time that a human had touched them either. So maybe it was a little uncomfortable. I felt like I had stepped over my boundaries now.

Shun started to answer my latest question, "Angels are immortal. We can't be killed by the conventional methods you humans use like guns, knives, and so on. But we can die. Only another angel can kill us. Now we do have weapons that can kill us as well, but they have to be made in the Realm of Angels to have any effect. Don't know why thought. It's just always been that way." Thunder then rang out in the distance. I couldn't tell what was storm clouds, and what was the barrier to the Realm of Angels. Shun reached down and grabbed my wrist and tugged on it.

He told me, "Come on. I have to stop by somewhere and talk to a friend real quick." I let him lead me for a few feet before he let go of my wrist and I was walking next to him. He didn't face me when he said, "Listen. When we get to where we're going, I want you to stay right next to me. Do not leave my side. No matter what." He was saying this sternly. Where was he going that involved me having to stay right up under him? We had walked back onto the sidewalk, but it was in a part of town that wasn't safe. It was the part of Bay City that had gone under from all the recent crime. There was something else I noticed about all the people that were standing on the streets; they all had the same eyes.

The Fallens had taken over this part of town. I whispered to Shun, "I don't feel comfortable being here." He stopped walking and faced down a short alleyway. He whispered back to me, "Don't worry. If you stay next to me I promise nothing will happen to you. This will all be over with soon." I took a deep breath and walked with him down the alley. There was a steel door at the very end of it, and Shun knocked on it with the back of his knuckles. A little door slide open, and a set of shocking purple eyes looked through the little window. He asked, "What do you want?" I couldn't tell if that was how he talked or if he was being rude.

Shun's golden eyes were fixed on the ones in the window as he spoke, "I need to speak with Kiba. Is he in?" The little door slide shut, and I heard locks and latches being undone on the other side. The door swung open and the purple eyed Fallen was standing there. He was much bigger than Shun, and all muscle. He had short blond hair that was spiked. "Kiba is in. But make your conversation quick. He has somewhere to go soon." Shun held back onto my wrist and pulled me into the room. Shun turned his head back and told the Fallen that was manning the door, "Don't worry. I won't take long."

Alice

The room that was behind that steel door, smelled of cigarettes and alcohol. It was also packed full of Fallens. This was why Shun wanted me to stay close to him. I heard the high pitched shrieks of a girl, and eventually found her. A Fallen had a young woman pinned down on a table and was having his buddies try and tear off her clothes. I hit Shun's arm and told him, "Do something! They're going to rape her!" Shun turned and saw the girl that was being attacked, and turned away and kept on walking. I ran up back with him and asked sternly, "Shun! Why didn't you help her!" He grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me into a hallway where there wasn't anyone else.

He told me harshly, "It's not that I don't want to help her, trust me I do, but I'm outnumbered in here and if I get in their business then I'm as good as dead. If this was happening several months ago then I promise you I would of done something. But not now in this day and age. Now let's hurry up and find who I came here for." I felt like there was a lot more going on here after what Shun had just said. He couldn't of meant he would be outnumbered by that Fallen and his buddies who were raping that girl.

I was sure he could of taken them out easily. But he had said something about it was several months ago. Back then, the crime level was almost nonexistent. I wanted to ask Shun what he meant back there in that hall, but I didn't get the chance when he walked into another room. He popped his head back out and told me, "Stay right here. If something happens, call for me. Don't talk to anyone else either. Got it?"

I nodded my head and leaned against the wall. I heard the shattering of glass, and saw the girl that had been pinned to the table, scrambling around on the floor to get away. Her clothes were ripped up, and you could hear the booming laughter in that room. Tears were streaking down her face and she ran from the building. I felt anger towards Shun. He could of helped her.

Instead he let them do what they wanted and now that girl was probably going to be skrewed up the rest of her life. I clenched my hand into a fist. Although I was angry with Shun, I wanted him back out here with me because I didn't feel safe. Those creeps might of come after me next if they saw I wasn't with somebody. The door opened next to me, and I expected to see Shun walk out. Instead, a brown shaggy haired Fallen with pitch black eyes walked out. Is this that Kiba character that Shun and that guy at the door were speaking about?

Shun followed out after him and said, "Thanks, Kiba. I'll have your payment in a week or so." Kiba just waved his hand and kept walking. He had to be no bigger than Shun, but those eyes weren't like most Fallens. The Fallens, all seemed to have stunning colors. "He's a messenger. We get information from him." I knew he didn't seem like the others. We hurried out of the building and back into the streets. It was getting darker now. How long had we been in there? We started to walk away from that part of town, and I instantly felt safer being back in the familiar parts.

I ran in front of Shun and stopped him from walking. I was going to get my answer. "Tell me what you meant be you would of saved her several months ago." Shun stared at me, his eyes narrowed and seemed annoyed. I guessed he wasn't expecting me to be so persistent. "Fine. Several months ago was when the Clan Wars started. Before then all of the Fallens coexisted without any problems. But you had one Fallen who didn't think that was how it should have been. He started to corrupt the minds of all the Fallens, and soon we split into two Clans. Since then, the Clans have been fighting one another. That's also the reason I didn't help that girl. The ones attacking her were an opposing Clan, and most of the ones in that building were with them. If they saw another Clan member was by themselves and interfering with what they were doing, everyone of them in there would of killed me on the spot."

Shun walked around me, and I just stood in the sidewalk frozen. There was probably so much more that I didn't know about what was going on with the Fallens. But I did know that there was surely more that I would find out. I turned around and ran to catch up with Shun. His hair was covering his golden eyes. Apparently those Clan Wars were something that weren't taken lightly.

I knew now, why all the crime increased. The fighting between those Clans had been attributed to gangs fighting. The Fallens weren't killing people as far as I knew. Only other Fallens. Shun looked up into the clouded skies and narrowed his eyes. I tried to find what he was looking at when he sighed. "Let's get you back to Murucho's."

-yawns- man i'm tired. i think it's time for a nap. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~