Piercing blue eyes that gazed into hers, seeing everything about her…
Long, beautiful blonde hair that swept down like silk upon his body…
The essence of beauty pierced her soul.
Riku was on her knees before the door even closed behind Lucifer. She felt compelled to worship this being greater than man.
"My Lord, I am unworthy of your presence," she whispered into the silence, shocking herself more than any other.
She heard a soft chuckle, a laugh— smooth yet powerful like the motion of a waterfall. Addicting. She wondered how she could make him laugh again…to hear that sweet and terrifying sound whisper to her once more.
Her hair had fallen in front of her face as she groveled before Lucifer, but she could hear footsteps approaching her, and her heart quickened.
"Seems Dark knows what he's doing," he whispered from somewhere close to her. Riku smelled sweet honey as he spoke and was intoxicated in his presence. She shuddered under the cold touch of his fingertips upon her broken wing. He caressed it softly before standing again.
"She's welcome outside the halls if she remains this way, Dark. I might even borrow her from time to time if your pet stays tame."
"As you wish, my Lord," Dark replied somewhere far away in the room. Riku felt a rush of cold air and the flapping of wings before something slammed into a wall on the left side of the room. The crash was followed by what sounded like books hitting the floor and papers fluttering down.
She heard a gasp and a moan, looking up slowly to see Lucifer pinning Dark to the wall, their lips crashing like waves in a storm. Dark was breathing deeply, but his eyes closed as if he wished it were over. Riku saw his eyes widen with fear suddenly, and his body convulsed as he slid down to the floor and Lucifer stepped back. However, when Lucifer looked into Dark's eyes, the fear Riku had seen was gone, replaced by confidence and a smirk.
Lucifer grabbed Dark's open hand and hoisted him up. Riku saw two bloody puncture marks on the side of Dark's neck and the trail of blood dripping from Lucifer's lips. Dark kneeled and kissed Lucifer's hand once more before Lucifer departed. His white wings flapped lightly at the door as he looked back and winked.
"I wasn't serious, Dark. You can keep it all to yourself. I'll never get bored with you around," he said before disappearing behind the closed door.
The moment the door clicked and Lucifer was gone, Riku felt the entrancement from before evaporate. She felt disgusted with the memory of her own words. Her wing burned where his cold hands has touched them. For the first time since she'd become one of the Angels, Riku felt ashamed of what she had done.
She looked over at Dark, rage building within her at the trickery. He must have put a spell on her to do that. To make her get on her knees before the Devil…
Just to make himself look good.
"How dare you look at me with accusing eyes," he said, already sensing her anger. "What else did you expect me to do? Let you mouth off to Him? Are you stupid? He could kill you without blinking an eye."
Riku stood up slowly from the floor, her wing aching at her side.
"I would rather be dead than betray God as you had me do."
The room was silent and dead. A slight draft embraced her skin, prickling her rising anger.
Riku was about to speak again until she caught the look on Dark's face.
"Wha… what else was I supposed to do?" he asked quietly, his amethyst eyes begging her for an answer. He looked like an abandoned child. "Let you die? He… killed your sister. Do you think I could bear to watch him kill you t-"
He stopped suddenly, and the pain Riku had seen in his eyes vanished. The air in the room began to swirl around them. She felt hot air whip her hair out of her face. Dark tilted his head from side to side and she heard a sickening crack in his neck.
"But why," he enunciated, "should I have to explain myself to you and your "holier-than-thou" complex?" Dark thundered. "You're a fucking piece of work, Riku. Ungrateful and naïve. And you have the nerve to say you're part of God's Army… Judgmental, arrogant, and simple-minded. You're just like the humans. I risked my life— No, my soul to save you. Or do we lowly demons not have those in your eyes? Didn't you see what He just did or were you too wrapped up in your own drama? Do you even know what it means to be bitten by another demon? Just… just shut the Hell up."
Dark laughed at his own joke before repeating, "Yeah… just shut the Hell up."
The whole room was shaking now. Riku winced as the burning winds beat against her broken wing. Dark's eyes glowed. His black wings beat furiously though he didn't move from his spot. Darkness itself seems to spring from his arms. Scales climbed his skin and pierced his body.
Riku stepped back in fear, inching towards the second door between the paintings on the wall. Dark growled and turned towards her at the sound of movement.
He only took a step towards her before the door burst open and the little demon boy from earlier came running in.
"Master Dark! Calm down!" he screamed, his hands outstretched before the raging demon.
"I… want… to… KILL HER," Dark responded, his voice deep and demonic. He took another step towards Riku, despite the little boy's attempt to block him. "She started this. This bitch just waltzes into Hell and thinks she can judge me? What do you know about anything? I'll kill this naïve trash and give her heart to Lucifer. I'll rip her wings off and boil them down and-"
Riku, cowering on the floor, glanced up at the suddenly silent, enraged demon.
The boy, the tiny little half soul child had flown into Dark's arms and was clutching him tightly around the neck.
"This isn't you!" he cried hysterically over the raging winds. "Master Dark is kind. He is the angel of Hell. Don't give into the demon blood. It's not who you are! You have to live and find him. Don't do this. Please! This isn't the man who begged for my life before the Devil."
The boy held onto Dark tightly, his long blond hair whipping every which way. Riku heard him crying softly as Dark stepped closer to her.
The girl looked from the boy to Dark's now golden eyes and oily black scales. She heard his wings crack and expand and he slowly bent over onto all four limbs, crawling towards her now. His neck made a nauseating popping sound as it slowly turn completely upside down and back again. Riku whimpered before the beast as it stopped in front of her.
She covered her mouth to keep from screaming as a foul stench escaped its mouth. The trembling boy was still clinging to him.
"It doesn't matter what she said," the boy cried. "You are you. Don't let the demon blood He gave you do this! Please, Master Dark," he sobbed into the demon's shoulder.
Riku felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. She prayed to God that she could join her sister in peace now. That Daisuke and Hikari would understand why she came here. That she had been killed by the Devil's Army like so many befo-
Riku glanced at the boy again mid-thought, remembering his last words.
She wasn't going to be killed by the Devil's Army.
But by a demon she had provoked.
Who had tried to save her, but she was too naïve to care.
"D…Dark…" she began, stumbling over her words. "Dark, I'm sorry! You've been nothing but kind to me from the beginning! You saved me from the Devil back in the prison! You bandaged my wing. You brought me food and clothes! And stopped me from getting myself killed by Him again…"
Riku felt herself shaking as Dark's contorted arms grabbed at her feet. She stifled another cry as Dark's nails dug into her skin.
Her whole body trembled with each sob. She felt stupid for taking all he did for granted. For making him turn into this mindless demon.
The boy was still holding him, silent, but with a strong grip around Dark's neck.
Riku, shaking and scared senseless, did the only thing she could think of. She reached around the boy and hung her arms around Dark's neck, too, despite the pain as his nails twisted into her skin. Sharp scales dug into her sides, but she hugged him tightly.
"It's okay, Dark," she whispered into his ear shakily. Her body ached from her broken wing, but she kept her arms around him and slowly stroked his beautiful purple hair. "I'm so sorry for saying that. You protected me and helped me… so many times. I was just too blind to your kindness. You're not a demon, are you, Dark? You're a half soul just like this little boy…. He needs you, Dark… I need you… Come back to us… I beg you."
Riku and the little boy continued to hug Dark as the room whirled around them. Slowly, Riku felt the pain in her leg subside, and the nails in her leg retracted back into Dark's hands. The pain of scales against her body disappeared as they slowly withdrew into his skin. Strong arms rose slowly around her and enclosed Riku in a tight hug.
She looked into his eyes and found the normal amethyst hue staring back at her, exhausted and confused. Riku let go of Dark, watching as his wings shrunk and returned to normal size, as the wind died down, and the heat from before disappeared. All that remained was the crying boy around his neck.
"Krad?" he asked, looking down at the trembling boy. His arms wrapped around the boy and stroked his long, golden hair. "Krad, I'm here. Krad? Look at me. I'm back!"
"Don't leave me," the boy begged, refusing to let go of Dark. "We have to find our other halves. You can't leave me. I can feel him all the time, but I can't find him. Blue eyes… silver hair! He haunts me in my dreams… Don't… don't leave me alone with a ghost."
Dark cradled the boy in his arms, and replied, "I could never leave you, Krad. I see him, too. Red eyes, sweet like honey. Hair like fire. Wings more pure than the human's snow. He plagues my dreams. I feel like an unfinished carving…" he whispered, rocking the boy to sleep.
As the boy's grasp loosened, Dark pulled him completely into his arms and kissed him on the forehead. He fell backwards slowly until his head hit the floor, the boy sleeping soundly on his chest.
Riku crawled over to the bed and yanked off the cover and a pillow. She dragged them over to the sleeping boys and put the pillow under Dark's head as quietly as she could and covered them with the warm blanket.
Riku collapsed next to them, completely exhausted from the pain and fear. Her legs were throbbing and her wing could have easily been a knife dug into her back.
'Blue eyes and silver hair? Eyes red and hair of fire?' she thought. 'Funny… they sound like the half souls from heaven. Satoshi and Daisuke… but… there's no way…'
Riku closed her eyes and succumbed to the quiet and darkness.
Chaos swirled around the camp as word got out. Angels kneeled in prayer before the infirmary tent. Captain Hikari glided above them and landed at the entrance. He felt uneasy for some reason, even before Niwa had fallen ill.
Lifting the flap of the entrance, Hikari called over one of the nurses.
"How's he doing?" Hikari asked.
"Not well, sir. We can find no physical wounds or punctures. His problem is within in his mind. Something is attacking him mentally."
Hikari nodded and walked briskly over to the bed where Daisuke lay. His chest ached more and more as he approached, but he ignored it.
"Daisuke," he said, taking the feverish angel's hand in his own, "what's happening to you?"
Daisuke's eyes were closed and he shivered even under the several blankets the aides had lain over him.
"K….?" the redhead mumbled.
Captain Hikari leaned over and put his ear to Daisuke's lips. He waited for the boy to speak again.
"Kr…ad… I won't… hurt you. Always… protect…" Daisuke murmured. His frail arm reached up and stroked Hikari's silver hair. "I'm… with you… always," he whispered again before his hand fell back onto the bed.
Captain Hikari bolted upright. His eyes were wide and his heart raced.
Krad.
That name. He knew that name. Always. He'd heard it so many times in his dreams. How did Daisuke come to know it as well? Was he seeing something? Something beyond the infirmary? Is that what made him ill?
"Wake up, Daisuke," Hikari whispered urgently, grabbing Daisuke's hand again. "Come back to us. Come back to the Angels. We have to find Riku."
The boy shivered again before slowly opening his eyes. For a moment, Hikari swore they were the color of dark purple, but when Daisuke blinked, they were red orbs once again.
"Satoshi?" He asked, his voice weak from fever… or whatever had ravaged his body.
Hikari grabbed Daisuke's hand and held on firmly.
"Don't leave us again, Daisuke…"
"What? I could never leave the Angels, Satoshi… The Angels are like my other half… I can never leave my other… half…" Daisuke said before passing out again.
Satoshi, still shaken from the mention of Krad's name, signaled the nurses to attend to Daisuke now that his fever was broken.
He walked out of the tent and bowed before his fellow men.
"The lieutenant's fever has broken, and he is slowly healing."
The crowd cheered and looked up into the deep, blue sky with eyes of rejoicing and gratitude.
"Do not rejoice too soon, my brothers and sisters. We continue our journey to Hell as soon as he has recovered. In three days… we will swarm the gates of Hell and bring back our captured Angels."
He thrust his fist upon his chest and bowed before the Angels again.
"In God we trust!" he cried.
"Amen," the Angels thundered in reply.
Did I do good? After the longest hiatus ever, did I do it some justice, guys? :)
Review and look for the next update. I promise it won't take forever again!