Die: I'M BACK, WOO!
Chazz: Great, just when I was beginning to think I was vaguely safe...
Die: *hits him* Hey, people like this story, so shut up and deal with it.
Chazz: *pouts* Fine.
Jaden: No one here owns Yu-Gi-Oh! GX unless they're Japanese and the actual creator, which these two authors are not.
Chapter Ten: Holy Dinner
"My friend Atticus Rhodes told me I should be here at this time," Branwin continued, her light voice slinking gracefully through the air, "since he's a seer, I listened to him, even if it was rather a pain in the ass to escape my dormitory."
Cienna scowled. "Atticus is quite the asshole. But I suppose we could use a seer..." She offered a mild smile. "Cienna Oliver."
Branwen laughed softly, a light tinkling kind of sound she kept hidden behind a small hand. "Yes, well," she uttered when she recovered herself, fiddling with the hem of her dark burgundy silk nightgown, "Atticus only acts like that when he's in heat. When he's out of it, he's simply annoying peppy."
"Wait a minute!" Jaden cried, looking at her. "Aren't you Obelisks forbidden from leaving your dorms right now?"
"It only really matters when they're in heat. Which she obviously isn't." Cienna answered.
"Actually," she murmured softly, ducking her head shyly in an attempt to conceal her blush, "female demons don't go into heat, only males. They merely state that all Obelisks keep to their dorms in an attempt to disguise what's really going on and to try to prevent any cross-dorm fraternization."
Cienna held down a laugh. "Explains a lot." She turned to Gabriel. "You still have to explain, Daddy."
He leaned in to whisper into her ear. "It's her relationship I'm dealing with!"
Almost as if she knew she was being talked about, Branwen cocked her head to the side, letting her hair fall over her face. "You know, I thought you were Zane's plaything, Cienna, what with the way his scent is all over you."
Cienna's jaw clenched, fingers still wrapped tightly around the feather. "And your point would be what?"
"Nothing," she stated. "I was just wondering if Zane was courting again." However, the way her fingers flitted lightly over the edges of her dark wings told a different story from the one her lips were distributing for display.
"Please." The blonde said. "I know I've known you for literally a few minutes, but I'd appreciate it if you said whatever's on you mind. If you feel comfortable."
She shrugged. "It's more information than anything, and I'm not entirely sure you'd want to hear it from me."
"But now it's hanging over my head." She grumped.
"Very well," she stated, leaning forward into the light and letting the moon glance off her incredibly pale skin and pin-straight black hair.
"Hey," Jaden asked suspiciously, interrupting what she was going to say, "are you related to Chazz Princeton in any way?"
She giggled at that, shaking her head. "No," she replied. "Most people think we are though." Growing serious, she added, "Chazz's family is known for producing demons, although there is some angel blood in there, but mine remains all demons, mainly because we're all born that way." She shook her head. "Anyway, to return to the crux of the matter, I used to date Zane Truesdale before he dumped me to sleep with Alexis Rhodes, my best friend's sister."
Cienna sighed. His reputation just keeps getting better. "Well I apologize for him." Oh, we're going to have some things to talk about when he gets over that goddamned heat.
She shrugged. "I'm over it now. Atticus was rather comforting at the time, though I dumped him because he always wanted to get into bed with me. I merely mentioned the affair because I thought it fair to warn you." Her fingers went up to brush her bare neck and she visibly drooped at the touch of skin against her sensitive fingertips.
"Thank you." Cienna smiled, eyes curious at her actions. "Are you all right, though?"
Branwen smiled softly, shaking her head as if to clear depressing thoughts from her head. "Of course," she murmured in her soft-spoken voice. "I merely feel rather lonely in a room where everyone has something to clutch onto of their loved one."
Cienna flinched, eyes falling back to the feather in her hand. "Yes..." She was entranced by it for a moment, forcing herself to return her gaze to Gabriel. "Any ideas on where he is, Daddy?"
"Well, I could guess…" he murmured softly. "But personally, I can't wait until your friend comes. The two of you always got along so well…"
She laughed. "Yeah, it'll be good to see him."
"See who?" Branwen asked curiously. She shifted her wings about from where they were folded against her back to reveal that they, like Jaden's, were rather small for a fullblooded demon, although she was pureblood demon through and through, a close niece of Leviathan's.
"Aster Phoenix. A good friend of mine." Cienna couldn't help but laugh at the memories that attacked her.
"The Aster Phoenix?" she gasped, dark wings snapping back. "You mean, like the Aster Phoenix who shot an arrow straight through a target and into an apple over fifty yards away?"
Cienna laughed. "Yeah. That's him. Such a damn show off." The demon merely nodded, biting her lip as she looked down into her lap. "He'll be coming here in a few days." She smiled. "You remember him, Jaden?"
"No," the brunet replied, obviously anxiously awaiting Syrus's return.
"Are you certain it is such a good idea for him to come to this school?" Branwen asked, ruby eyes fixated on her slender fingers. She hated how quiet she was, how fragile she was. She was a delicate thing, not at all hardy like Cienna was, and she could never hope to match the Ra's attitude and nature. "After all, I imagine most of the demons would be pissed to know such a powerful angel is currently on campus…"
"He can take care of himself." She smiled at the girl, taking a liking to her. "He always has."
"If you say so," the demon replied, hardly sounding convinced.
"Don't worry!" Gabriel chirped, smiling at her. "If you keep an eye on him, he might survive with a minor concussion!" She paled, trembling like an aspen leaf at that.
"Daddy!" Cienna snapped, crossing the room and setting a hand on the trembling gir's shoulder. "Don't scare her!"
"I'm not scared," Branwen whispered. "I just don't like the idea of violence, that's all."
"Huh, a demon who doesn't like to fight," Jaden muttered, "that's a first."
"Hardly," Gabriel snorted. "Luci didn't particularly like it either…"
"Would you get out of here!" the brunet growled, his patience having run out.
Cienna shot them both a glare. "Alright, here's the deal." Her voice forced the attention of those in the room. "Daddy, if you don't need anything else, do me a favor and go look for Lucifer so you can evacuate Syrus's body as soon as possible. Jaden, please try to tolerate Gabriel. I know he's a pain, but he is my father nonetheless. And Branwen, it's fine. I can protect Aster if he needs it."
Branwen held her hand out for the soul. "It's okay," she murmured softly, letting her long black hair shade her eyes as she got up. "I'll take Gabriel with me to find him."
"Ever the lady," the angel murmured softly, letting Syrus go limp as he stepped out of the body he inhabited and into hers, Jaden diving to catch the smaller boy in his arms. "Fare well, sweetie, and do not blame your soulmate for what the mistakes he has made in the past."
Her father's words ringing in her ears, even all those hours later, Cienna pushed what was left of her pancakes around her plate absently. Syrus sat beside her and Jaden beside him, the latter talking animatedly.
"Hey," Jaden asked, "is that Branwen over there by herself?"
He wasn't lying. Sitting there at a table that was one of the favorites of the Obelisks was none other than the Ravenwood, picking a bagel to pieces with her slender fingers, the majority of the bread sitting there untouched on her plate.
Thankful for the distraction, Cienna immediately stood. "I'll be right back." She weaved her way through the room, dropping into the empty seat by Branwen. A smile appeared on her face. "Hi."
The dark-haired girl gave her a small smile, pausing in her actions to affix her ruby eyes to the tawny ones of her interloper. "Hello there."
"So I was thinking that if Daddy didn't scare the hell out of you last night and you're still willing to talk to us, you're totally welcome to join me and the boys at breakfast." Her grin widened.
She looked down at the bagel. "I wouldn't want to impose…"
"You wouldn't be. I need someone sane aside from Syrus. Jaden's ridiculousness is overwhelming."
"Isn't there usually another person who sits with you, a Ra boy with black hair and slate-gray eyes?"
"He's... occupied." She laughed uncomfortably. "And even when he's back, you're welcome to come sit with us."
"Oh no, I could never impose upon someone, and besides, Atticus should be back by then. Alexis doesn't usually sit with me when her older brother isn't here since I can't stand her and her dumb-ass friends Mindy and Jasmine." She gathered up her books into her arms, pulling the plate with the bagel atop it, and shyly walked over to the table, placing her things down at the very end some distance away from the others.
"Nuh-uh." Cienna shook her head, scooping the other girl's things into her arms and dropping them across from where she sat. "None of us bite. I promise." She then paused, feeling bad. "But if you'd rather sit over there... that's okay. I don't want to make you uncomfortable..."
"No, no, it's fine." She gave a hesitant smile. "I just don't like a lot of people in my personal space. I was beaten often as a child, and while I don't hate people or anything, I just startle easily and always need to know who's around me at all times."
Cienna frowned at that. "You're safe with me, Branwen. Always will be." She offered another grin. "I don't usually ask before I kick ass."
"It's nothing personal," the demon murmured softly. "To be honest, most demons have some kind of trust issue because of how they ended up as demons…"
"Yeah, I've noticed that..." Cienna said quietly, reaching into her bag and finger the feather. I need to get a necklace or something for this. I don't want to lose it. "But I'm sorry about what happened to you."
"I'm not," Branwen replied. "If it hadn't happened, my parents never would have taught me how to be a 'proper demon', so they wouldn't have let me out of the house, and then I wouldn't have met Atticus, who smuggled me out and to Haven, where I met you three."
"Um, not to sound stupid or anything," Syrus interrupted, "but who the hell is this chic?"
"You're certainly more positive than anyone I know. Except maybe Jaden." Cienna laughed. "Syrus, this is Branwen Ravenwood. Branwen, this is Syrus Truesdale."
She gave a faltering smile in reply. "Only because I'm medicated." She nodded at the blue-haired boy. "A pleasure to meet you, Syrus."
"So now that we've got that out of the way," Cienna said brightly, "why don't we come to a more positive subject, eh?" She paused for a moment. "Oh! I know! Anyone's family coming to Parent's Day?"
Syrus shook his head. "Zane and I were disowned years ago."
Branwen bit her lip. "Perhaps. Father is awfully busy at this time of year, but Uncle might come like he did last year."
Filled with mixed emotions, Cienna directed each comment to their correct person. To Syrus, "God, I'm sorry." To Branwen, "Well someone's better than no one, right?" And to Jaden, "What about you, Jay? Do I get to see your mom again?"
Syrus shrugged. "Don't be, we're kinda used to it by now."
"Yeah, my uncle's a pretty nice guy, so I generally don't feel too bad. But, he also said he's been getting bogged down with work too, so he may have to skip this year. I'll be a little sad, of course, but Atticus said that if I was alone, he'd take me out to the beach, so I'm not going to be alone either way." Branwen.
"Probably, she's been looking forward to this thing all month." Jaden.
She laughed outright at Jaden. "I figured she would be. My dads are coming. And my uncles. And Sylvia." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be dead by the end of the day."
"Aw, come on, they can't be that bad!" Syrus chuckled.
Branwen's gaze fell to her food again. Am I really… that much of an outsider among others just because of my heritage? I am related to the seven incarnations of sin… and yet I feel just as out of place here as I am among my own kind… She pushed away her plate, her appetite suddenly gone.
"They are, though." Cienna shot back. "With Dad, Daddy, and Uncle Marik on the island all together, it'll be a miracle if I'm still allowed to go to school here." She shrugged despite her words. "But hey, they're family. What can you say?" Throwing a grin at Branwen, he face immediately fell, hand casually dropping across the table to rest near the other girl's—a small attempt at comfort.
"I'm fine," Branwen murmured, pushing away and striding towards the door, her uniform disgusting her. "I think I'm going to go see Atty today, he'll likely welcome the distraction…"
"All right..." Cienna couldn't help but feel like this was somehow her fault. If she hadn't brought up Parent's Day...
"It's nothing personal," she assured them. "I just… really missed Atty." A tentative smile graced her lips. "Atty's always been there for me, even if he is rather goofy…"
I get that. Cienna threw a look at Jaden. "Yeah, I know how that is. But we'll see you around, right?" I need more girl friends... I've spent my life surrounded by guys.
She looked down at her fingers. "I don't know. I have… business to attend to tomorrow, so I won't be here at school, and then I won't stay with you guys if Atty decides he doesn't want to…"
"Okay." She held in her frown. "Well it was nice talking to you, then."
"And you."
Zane sighed, leaning against the wall beside his bed. It was his last day of heat, so he was calmer, but still… he worried about Cienna. As if he had summoned her, a tentative knock on the door caught his attention. "Come in," he called.
However, it was Branwen Ravenwood standing on the other side. "Hello Zane," she murmured softly, settling herself on Chazz's bed.
"Branwen?" He was unable to contain his surprise.
She brought her wings around to run her fingers through the midnight feathers. "I was just wondering what your plans were for Cienna Oliver."
Eyebrows raised, he asked. "Why are you asking?"
"Because I met her last night and she seems like such a sweet girl. I don't want you to hurt her like you did me, Zane Truesdale."
Surprise registered on his face, falling quickly to his normal mask. "I don't intend to."
"I should hope not, otherwise I'll have to break the promise I made to Atty and let out my demon side." She smirked, letting the very tip of her ivory horns peek through her dark hair.
"Not to be rude, Branwen, but when did Cienna's well-being become your concern?"
Her wings ruffled in annoyance. "Since you decided that it was in your better interests to use me to get closer to Atticus, and thus to Alexis in order to sleep with her." Her smirk grew dangerous. "You never did know that the Ravenwoods descended from the Seven Originals, did you? If you had, you certainly never would have settled for a distant relative of Leviathan's, no matter how slutty she is."
His eyes widened. "There's no way..."
"Of course there is," she snorted. "I was sent here to counteract the angel who had descended from the Four Originals, but sadly, I haven't yet managed to find him." She wrapped her wings around herself. "In fact, killing him is to be my… initiation into the family."
"That's why you're here?"
She laughed coldly, letting her horns spiral out, criss-crossing her body over her uniform. "Of course. Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and the rest of the Original angels deserve to die in the throes of agony for what they did to my ancestors. Sadly, since they retreated to Heaven, the only revenge we can take is upon their children."
"I see..."
She tapped the pale bone, waiting until it shrunk back to hide beneath her midnight hair before she stood. "You can't tell anyone any of this, you know," she informed him primly. "They'll never believe you."
"I never particularly intended to." The other replied solemnly.
"Tell you what," she muttered, leaning against the doorway. "I'll give you one chance to undo whatever damage you've caused. If you don't have her willing to sit on your lap at dinner tonight… I'll take back my gift." She flapped her wings hard towards him, letting him smell the pheromones she'd collected that dropped him right out of heat as quickly as he would have if Professor Crowler had come in naked and started making out with Professor Banner and Pharaoh. "Remember," she murmured, recapturing his attention, "on your lap at dinner." She then turned and walked away, going next door to Atticus's room, where she curled up on the brunet demon's chest and fell asleep, his dark wings protecting her.
Cienna sighed, running her fingers through her hair absently. "Am I the only one bored out of their mind?" she whispered to Syrus.
"No," he whispered back. "And why the hell did we sit all the way up here again anyway? It's not like Chazz is here with us…"
"Easier to whisper without getting noticed." She whispered back.
"What are we whispering about?" Jaden added in a stage whisper. "Professor Banner looks like he's going to sic Pharaoh on the poor sap who's knocking on the door."
"I wonder who's gonna get clawed in the face..."
"Zane Truesdale?" the man asked at the sight of the demon in his usual uniform. "I thought you were going to miss today as well."
Cienna's head jerked up, eyes wide. "Zane?" She breathed.
"I was supposed to," he answered the man, not yet letting his eyes sweep across the room, "but my sickness ended early."
Professor Banner nodded. "Very well, take you usual seat up with the whispering trio. Hopefully you'll be able to keep them in line."
"I'll try my best, sir," he answered, turning and affixing his gaze to Cienna.
She flushed, turning her attention to her notes. Noting the rather... conspicuous doodles, she flipped the page, flushing deeper.
"I do believe you're in my seat," he whispered huskily into her ear, unable to resist nipping it softly with his teeth and uttering a low chuckle.
She jumped, flushing such a deep red that she resembled a stoplight. "A-am I?"
"Mm hmm," he hummed in confirmation, settling himself down in Chazz's usual spot. For once, his dark wings hid beneath his blue jacket, content to remain that way unless she pulled them out herself.
She forced her attention to her notes, resisting the urge to doodle for fear of what may result and struggling to pay attention because of the body resting in the chair beside hers. She glanced at him, offering a small, blushing smile. What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly so nervous?
He focused on the lesson, taking detailed notes even though it was near the end of class. Aware of her shift in attention, he asked, "Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Well..." she chewed on her lip. "Yes and no..."
"Go on."
"I just got a lot of unexpected information while you were gone and... I don't know... Part of me wants to know and part of me doesn't."
He sobered up, looking away. "I've done a lot of things in my past that I'm not proud of, but I promise to try to explain them all to you as best I can."
She smiled softly, blush having faded away. "I'm not sure I really need an explanation for the first one but... Branwen Ravenwood..."
Underneath his jacket, his wings stiffened. Of course it would have to do with Branwen, he thought to himself. "Can we talk about it at dinner? Class is about to end, and besides, I would like to have some company since Chazz isn't going to show up."
A cheery smile came to life. "Sure. No problem."
At dinner, Branwen sat on her own again, daintily eating a small slab of perfectly-cooked lamb along with some cooked carrots while reading a book on angel spells, though Zane was well aware of her eyes following him as he settled down at his usual spot.
Cienna walked in with the boys, giving them an apologetic look as she rushed through the line, snagging some ham and mashed potatoes. She set her tray down across from Zane and dug a Cherry Coke from her purse. "Hi, Zane." Kiss him, kiss him! No, no. Be patient.
"Hello, my kentouchigaino tenshi," he answered in reply, the place in front of him absent of both food and a table setting.
"Not eating?" She asked concernedly.
He shook his head. "Coming here is more about talk than food at the moment, for me anyway."
She laughed in astonishment. "Couldn't do it."
He chuckled in spite of himself. "Usually I don't, but when I have something serious on my mind, food becomes a lesser priority."
She sobered. "Well in that case, let's get the seriousness out of the way."
He nodded. "As you wish, tenshi."
"Branwen." She said softly, preparing herself for the brutal truth.
"What about her?"
"Why'd you leave her?" Honestly, she was terrified of his answer.
He sighed. "She may seem sweet and innocent, but to me… I was always thinking she was keeping secrets. She was always close to Atticus, and while I usually wouldn't mind that, it put a strain on our relationship. When Chazz started complaining about how her scent varied wildly, I took it as a sign and broke up with her."
"And started sleeping with Alexis?" She hadn't meant for it to slip out.
Another sigh. "In the demon world, influence is power. I became her lover thinking she was closer to her uncle Leviathan, but she wasn't. It was a one-time thing anyway, and I felt nothing for her."
How many times have I heard Father say the same thing about the demonic society? She let herself smile. "All right. I trust you."
He visibly relaxed, his wings coming out from inside his jacket. "That's good to hear," he murmured softly.
"Were you really that stressed?" She asked, worry crossing her face as she moved over to sit next to him, food abandoned. He nodded, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. She sighed, weaving her fingers through his. "I'm sorry, Zane."
"You didn't mean it, tenshi," he answered, looking down at their entwined fingers with a neutral expression. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
She looked down at their hands too, smiling softly. "This may sound stupid," she murmured, "but I missed you."
"It doesn't," he reassured her. "I missed you too."
She leaned against him, smile growing. "Good to know." She reached into her bag, pulling out the still-pristine black feather. "For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to leave it in my bag at Slipher..."
"That's likely a good thing," he murmured. "I've heard rumors that that Aster Phoenix boy can kill someone with only a feather…"
She laughed at that. "He's pretty good, no denying it. But I guess I stopped thinking about how powerful he is..."
He reached out, pulling her plate over, along with her silverware. "Eat," he urged gently. "No point in you skipping a meal on my account."
She looked up at him, smiling, and caught his lips with her own rather than eat.
"Hey," Jaden said, looking up from his food, "is that Cienna and your brother making out over there?"
"Oh, come on Jay, that'd be ridicu-" Syrus broke off when he saw that the brunet was actually right. "Holy shit on a damn sandwich with fuck on top!" he blurted, eyes wide.
Branwen scowled at the kissing couple, hating that she was so alone. She pushed away her half-eaten meal, suddenly not hungry anymore with the empty void in her stomach. She wanted someone to banish the darkness she knew lurked in her heart…
Aster stared out at the ocean he was passing through, noting with mild interest that the sun had almost set. More pressing things were on his mind, of course, things like the demon threat he would encounter at Haven, the possibility of ridiculous fan girls, and of course locating his best friend among the other students. No doubt, she'd tackle him the moment she got through the crowd, only leaving his side if there was something else catching her attention. She'd already sworn up and down that she'd keep an eye on him while he was at school. And then there was the matter of telling her that he was again single—something he did not look forward to. Only a few more hours. He thought to himself. Whether that be good or bad. And with that thought, he headed towards his cabin.
Chazz was the first to reawaken but only to the sight of Bastion curled up beside him. He sighed, soothing himself at the fact that the other male was safe. "Is something wrong, Chazz?" the angel asked, stirring at the wakefulness of the other.
The demon bit his lip. "Not particularly."
The Ra couldn't contain a small smile at how cute the other was being. "If you say so." He patted the bed beside him. "Now come on, back to sleep. We can't have me fall asleep in the middle of fucking you into next week, now can we?"
The Obelisk couldn't keep a slight twist coming to his lips in amusement. "No," he answered, settling himself back down. "We can't have that." Can I? Perhaps I will… but not now. When we wake up again…
Bastion: Yay, that's over.
Syrus: Hey, is the sky SUPPOSED to be dark like that?
Zane: No...
Atty: IT'S A SIGN OF THE END OF THE WORLD, EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
Aster: ... It's just a thunderstorm... with a possibility of a tornado...
Chazz: Yeah, I'm getting under cover.
Jaden: If you review, we'll give you some food! *gets strange looks from everyone* Hey, it's not MY food, so I don't care! Besides, Die promised me other food if I gave this stuff away.
Die: ... *innocent look* Sure, Jay, whatever you say...