Hi everyone! And welcome to chapter 2 of "Strength"!! *purrs* I'm really happy I was able to get this chapter done so fast. My muse has been rather stubborn lately, so I was afraid this wouldn't be done until the weekend, but thankfully it all worked out! YAY!!

Oh, and I would like to dedicate this chapter of "Strength" to Akai Tenshi, for being my first reviewer for this new story! Thank you, Akai Tenshi!! You rock!!

And now, I'm going to stop ranting and shut up, so please enjoy this new chapter of "Strength"!

Warning:...Well, actually, there isn't much to warn about in this chapter. Just some implied bishie x bishie romance, but I assume none of you have a problem with that! ^_~

Disclaimer:I still don't own the bishies, and I'm still broke, so don't sue me, you'd get absolutely nothing...T.T

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Rei screamed and sat bolt upright in bed, sheets tangled around his slender legs. His whole body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his long violet hair sticking to his body with it.

Rei took deep, rasping breaths, trying his best to calm his racing heart. A dream, that's all it was, he though to himself. Just a dream, another nightmare. And yet, no matter how many times he told himself that, he could not seem to stop his body's trembling.

When he had finally managed to at least stop the worst of his shaking, Rei realized that he was alone. Looking around his room, he breathed a sigh of relief. Well, at least it seems Ruka went to his own bed tonight, Rei mused to himself. I would hate to wake him up with my screaming...again.

A few days after Ruka had first found out about Stheno's attack on Rei, the silver-haired angel had insisted that Rei stay with him every night, claiming it was for Rei's protection, seeing as they had yet to locate Stheno. However, Rei suspected the real reason was that Ruka knew how terrified Rei was of being alone after, and how, after the attack, his fear had increased ten-fold.

A few weeks after the attack, however, Rei began to insist that he start sleeping alone in his own room. While in truth, the last thing Rei wanted was to stop sleeping with Ruka, to wake up and not feel Ruka's warmth beside him, he knew he'd have to eventually. Besides, even though he knew Ruka would never say so, Rei felt like he was beginning to become a burden to the older angel, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Ruka had protested, reminding him that they still had not apprehended Stheno, but Rei argued that if Stheno was going to try something, he would have done it by now. And besides, how could he hope to get anywhere near Rei when he lived in a mansion with five of his incredibly powerful friends and comrades, including one very volatile and very protective lover.

So Rei had gone back to sleeping in his own chamber, and for a while, everything seemed to be almost back to normal.

Until the nightmares started.

It eventually got so bad that Rei was afraid to even close his eyes at night, because he knew the images that would plague his dreams if he did. So Ruka had come up with a compromise. He would stay with Rei in his room, sometimes all night, sometimes only until he fell asleep. That way, Rei could feel safe and protected from his nightmares, and at the same time begin to become re-accustomed to sleeping on his own.

And, though this solution worked most of the time, it did not work all the time, which is why Rei was incredibly thankful Ruka wasn't present when he had woken up screaming. He didn't want Ruka to know how bad his nightmares could still get.

As Rei was beginning to feel more and more calm, he also became more and more aware of how disgusting he felt, being covered in sweat like he was. He quickly disentangled his legs from his sheets and gracefully slid out of his bed, slipping a thin robe over his unclothed body. Quietly, so as not to disturb the other Saint Beasts, the small, lithe angel slipped out of his chamber and crept through the halls of Heaven's Palace, stealthily slipping out a back entrance.

Once outside, Rei instantly felt calmer. He didn't know what it was, but something about breathing in the still, fresh night air always made him feel at peace. And tonight was a full moon, which made it even better, as the moon lit everything up almost as brightly as if it were day, only instead of harsh sunlight, everything was basked in a beautiful, silver glow.

Rei sighed and made his way over to the glassy pond that was located in the center of a grove of trees right behind Heaven's Palace. It was small, private, and isolated, the perfect place for Rei to take a late night bath.

Rei slowly slipped the robe off his slender body and lowered himself into the water, gasping as the chill water hit his skin. Yet despite the temperature, the water still felt incredible against his sweat-coated body. He quickly dived under the water, wanting the cold water to wash away any trace of sweat, and with it, any lingering feelings of uneasiness his nightmare caused.

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Ruka slowly walked the grounds of Heaven's Palace, admiring have everything seemed to be bathed in silver by the light of the moon. This seemed to be his pattern of late. After Rei had been peacefully asleep for a few hours, he would, instead of going back to his own chamber for some much needed sleep, wander all throughout the grounds of Heaven's Palace.

Honestly, if anyone asked him why he did this every night, Ruka would not be able to give them a definite answer. In truth, he didn't even know why he was doing this. But ever since Rei's nightmares had started, the silver-haired angel just couldn't seem to get a peaceful night's sleep. Every time Ruka closed his eyes, the memories he had seen in Rei's mind of Stheno and what that bastard had done to his beautiful angel just kept playing over and over behind his eyelids.

That was why Ruka had wanted Rei to sleep in his room in the first place. While part of it was out of concern for the delicate angel's safety, a good part of it was also to ensure Ruka's peace of mind. He never wanted Rei to be out of his sight again. He wanted to keep the small angel near him at all times, so that he would know, with absolute certainty, that Rei was safe.

But it was only a matter of time before Rei began to desire his independence back. After a couple weeks, he had insisted on sleeping on his own again. Much as Ruka tried to dissuade him, Rei wouldn't budge. So, even though it pained him deeply to do so, Ruka relented, and Rei began to sleep by himself again.

But then the nightmares started.

The first night it happened, Ruka's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard Rei screaming from his chamber. He'd all but flown to Rei's room, followed closely by the other, newly awakened Saint Beasts, thinking that Stheno had somehow managed to get to the small angel. When they reached Rei's chamber, however, all they found was Rei, sitting alone on his bed, his whole body trembling and tears streaming down his beautiful face.

After that, the nightmares occurred every night, each one worse than the last. All of the Saint Beasts felt terrible knowing Rei was still so affected by what happened, but none of them knew what they could do to help. Ruka knew that Rei would refuse if he asked the smaller angel to start sleeping in his room again, but he just couldn't stand by while his beautiful, fragile angel was in so much pain. That was something Ruka would never, ever do again.

So he eventually came up with a sort of compromise. He would stay with Rei in his room, sometimes all night and sometimes just until the smaller angel fell asleep. That way, Rei could still fell like he'd gained back some of his independence, while at the same time feeling secure enough that the nightmares stopped. And an added bonus for Ruka, he could now regain some of his peace of mind, having Rei sleep next to him again.

Or so he thought. Yet, despite the fact that Rei's nightmares had all but stopped, Ruka still could not shake his feelings of uneasiness and dread, which is why he found himself wandering around every night, instead of sleeping peacefully beside Rei. Even though it had been almost six months since the attack, and in that time, almost everything about the Saint Beasts' lives had returned to normal, Ruka couldn't help feeling that this whole incident was still far from over. Adding to his fears and uneasiness was the fact that, even though they had searched every inch of Heaven and Earth, they still had not located Stheno.

The very thought that that son of a bitch was still out there after what he had tried to do to Rei was enough to make Ruka blind with fury. Rei was the victim in all this, and yet he was the one who had to live with fear, the insecurity, and the scars. He suffered everyday with the knowledge of what had happened to him, and worse yet, what could have happened to him.

But Stheno...Stheno hadn't received any form of punishment! That sorry excuse for an angel hadn't paid at all for what he had done to Rei, Ruka would not let that continue. He would find Stheno, and when he did...all the horrors of hell would not compare to the agony Ruka would put Stheno through.

Suddenly, Ruka heard a splashing sound coming from a grove of trees behind him. Ruka crouched low to the ground, quickly and stealthily running towards to source of the disturbance.

When Ruka finally came upon the lake, he didn't see anything at first. After a few seconds of scanning the area surrounding the water, the silver-haired angel was about to chalk the noise up to his recent paranoia, when suddenly a small figure broke through the glassy surface of the water. Ruka tensed, ready to attack, but then he froze, and found he could do nothing but stare at the beautiful being in front of him.

The moonlight shone off the figure's pearly skin, making it seem as if the being himself had a ethereal glow about him. Small droplets of water traced shining paths down his lithe body, making it seem as if his skin was imbedded with diamonds. And his long, violet hair cascaded down his body in a way that could only be described as breathtaking.

This being was by far the most beautiful creature Ruka had ever seen, and he knew that only one angel could be so absolutely, heart-breakingly beautiful. His angel. His love.

Rei.

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And there you have it! Chapter 2! I know, I'm evil for leaving y'all hanging like this, but I what can I say? Being evil is fun! Mwahahaha!

Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter out by Thursday, but depending on how unpredictable my life decides to be this week, it may not be until the weekend. So keep your fingers crossed!

Also...please make sure you un-cross your fingers long enough to...REVIEW!!!! Please!! I need feedback!! I need to know what y'all think! Please!!!

Ta ta for now!

~Neko-chan~