Konnichiwa, mina! Tanslation: Hi, everyone! And welcome to chapter 12 of "Strength"! I tried to get this chapter done faster than the last one, but, well...my life got in the way.
NinthFeather: What life?
Me: -.- Shut up, Feather-chan. I do so have a life!
NinthFeather: Sitting at your computer all day reading fanfiction does not mean you have a life. It means you're pathetic.
Me: Like you're one to talk.
NinthFeather: I'd have a life if you didn't keep me shackled to the freakin' wall!
Me: Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that.
Ninthfeather: I'm going to smack you.
Me: Unless you've suddenly become a WHOLE lot more flexible, I don't see how that's going to happen while you're shackled to a wall.
NinthFeather: I hate you.
Me: ^-^ You love me.
NinthFeather: I'm beginning to think I should look up the actual definition of the word love...
Me: Anyway, moving on!
Warning: LOTS of bishie x bishie romance, including some lemon-scented stuff in the beginning (sorry, Sky'sShadow. But don't worry, it gets better!) So if you don't like...
NithFeather: For the love of all that's holy, LEAVE NOW!
Disclaimer: I do not own the bishies, so please, put the lawyers away.
NinthFeather: Not like they'd get much anyway...
Me: TT_TT
When morning dawned on the day that the Saint Beasts were to descend to Earth, Rei found himself lying awake, in bed, and staring at the sleeping silver-haired angel lying next to him.
Beautiful...was all Rei could think as he reached out a hand and gently traced the masculine, yet somehow still delicate features of Ruka's face.
Ruka moaned something in his sleep and tilted his face towards Rei's feather-light touch, subconsciously trying to get as close to the loving contact as he could.
Rei smiled at his sleeping love. When he sleeps like this...he seems almost child like, Rei thought to himself, then he sighed. He knew he had to wake Ruka soon, before the others came looking for him. Rei winced. That was something he definitely didn't want, especially considering their current state of dress...
Still, Rei was very reluctant to wake the peaceful angel next to him. That is, until he got an idea. Smiling to himself, yet still managing to blush at the same time, Rei pressed his lips against Ruka's neck in a gentle kiss. Smiling at the way the larger angel moaned and squirmed in his sleep, the violet-haired angel continued trailing feather-light kisses along his lover's neck until he reached his ear. Nibbling gently on Ruka's sensitive ear lobe, Rei couldn't suppress the shiver of excitement that traveled down his spine at the sound of Ruka's appreciative groan.
"Ruka," Rei whispered softly in his lover's ear. "Ruka, wake up. I'm waiting for you," Rei breathed, then captured Ruka's soft lips in a light, tender kiss.
Less than a second had passed before Rei felt his lover begin returning the kiss, and less than a minute after that for Rei to find their positions flipped, with himself lying on his back against the mattress and Ruka hovering over top of him.
"Mmm...that was some wake up call, Rei," Ruka murmured, his voice not but a purr as his smoldering eyes devoured the beautiful body beneath him. Smirking, he leaned down and breathed into Rei's ear, relishing the shiver that went through the smaller angel in response. "I do hope you intend to wake me in a similar fashion from now on."
Rei blushed and turned his head away, his voice trembling as he replied, "But R-Ruka, surely if I did that e-every morning, you'd grow tired of me far too quickly."
Ruka smiled at how innocent the lovely angel beneath him could still be. "Trust me, Rei," He growled, lightly skimming his fingertips down Rei's back, "There is no way in Heaven I could ever grow tired of you."
Rei squeaked in surprise and pleasure as Ruka's fingers passed over that sensitive spot right between his shoulder blades where his wings would emerge. Happy to have discovered another one of Rei's pleasure spots, Ruka passed over that area again, pressing a bit harder this time.
"Mmm, R-Ruka!" Rei moaned, squirming under Ruka's expert touch. "We...we can't do this...not now...Ahh! N-Not there! Ruka!"
Ruka ignored Rei's words and instead focused on the incredibly pleasurable sounds his actions were drawing from his delicate lover. Using his free hand, Ruka skimmed his fingers down Rei's bare stomach, ghosting over his rapidly heating flesh and proceeding to caress and message its way down the soft, milky skin of Rei's inner thigh.
Rei's semi-restrained gasps and moans soon turned to barely suppressed cries of pleasure, yet, much as he desired for this to continue, he knew it could not. "R-Ruka, s-stop...Nnn!...you...you have your mission t-today..."
Ruka sighed. Much as he wanted to continue wringing those immensely attractive cries and moans from his beautiful angel in any way possible, he knew Rei was right. Grumbling about how the mission could go to hell, Ruka rolled off Rei and lay on his back next to him.
Sighing in both relief and disappointment, Rei sat up and looked over at Ruka, smiling fondly at the child-like pout on the older angel's face. Planting a light kiss on his cheek, Rei whispered in Ruka's ear, "Ruka, just think of it this way. The sooner you leave for the mission, the sooner you can return..."
Ruka still wasn't pleased with the situation, but once again, he knew Rei was right. Putting a smile on his face so as not to cause the smaller angel any extra anxiety, he sat up and reached out a hand to brush some of Rei's silky hair away from his face. "You're right, love. I need to prepare for the descent to Earth. But first..." he murmured, trailing off suggestively as he closed his eyes and leaned in towards Rei...
Only to be interrupted by a loud pounding on the door of Ruka's chamber. "Oi, Ruka, you awake? Yuda sent me to tell you that we need to be ready to leave in an hour, so get ready."
Ruka groaned in frustration. That little blonde angel certainly knew how to ruin a moment. "Very well. I shall be ready before then. Thank you, Gai."
Only when he heard the small angel's footsteps move away from the other side of the door did Ruka turn back to Rei. "Well, if we want to avoid him coming back and dragging us out of here by force, I suppose we should dress and meet the others."
Rei sighed, "Yes, I suppose so." Truth be told, he did not want to leave the bed anymore than Ruka did. He was certainly not looking forward to watching his love, as well as his friends, go off on a potentially dangerous mission without him, nor was he eagerly anticipating the anxiety-filled days and nights that he would experience while Ruka and the others were gone. Still, he could not afford to let Ruka get even the slightest insight into the trepidation and fear going through his mind. It would only distract the silver-haired angel and, for a Saint Beast, distraction could be fatal.
Once they were both dressed (Rei in the clothes he had worn the day before, as he had not had the time to run to his chambers to get new ones) they met the others for breakfast in the dining hall. It was a quiet affair, as most of the Saint Beasts were already thinking about how best to complete their mission, what dangers would be involved, et cetera.
Just as everyone was finishing their meal, a messenger ran in through the doorway of the dining hall. "Saint Beast-samas, Pandora-dono is here to see you."
Yuda nodding at the adolescent angel. "Thank you, Akira. Please inform him that we will meet with him shortly."
"Yes, Yuda-sama," Akira replied, bowing as he hurried from the room.
"Well, I guess that's our cue, huh?" Gai said nervously, casting an apprehensive look towards Rei. Next to Ruka, Gai was probably the one who hated the idea of leaving the violet-haired angel behind the most. Rei was injured, for pity's sake! He shouldn't be left to fend for himself alone. Plus, it just...didn't seem right, somehow, only five of them descending to Earth. The six of them were always together when they were sent on a mission, and that was the way Gai thought it should be.
Unfortunately, however, none of them had much choice in the matter, so Gai figured it was best to just go along with it without a fuss.
When the Saint Beast reached the main corridor where Pandora was awaiting them, the green-haired angel turned to them and smiled. "Good morning, Saint Beast-donos. I trust you slept well?"
"Perfectly, thank you, Pandora," Yuda replied coldly.
Pandora's smile merely widened, "I'm glad. Now, here are your vials of water from the Spring of Life, so you can travel to and from Heaven without any difficulties," he explained, holding out five glass vials of water. Once satisfied that each of the angels descending to Earth had one, Pandora turned his snake-like smile toward Rei.
"Rei-dono, I had heard that you were injured in a training...accident," Pandora said, feigning concern, all the while shooting knowing glances at Gai, who flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "I trust your injury is healing well?"
Rei had not missed the look Pandora had given Gai, and his response to Pandora was so cold, his voice sent shivers down the spines of the other Saint Beasts. "I thank you for your concern, Pandora, but it is severely misplaced. Rest assured that I am perfectly fine, and that my staying behind from this mission is merely a precautionary measure."
Pandora's smile faltered for a moment in response to Rei's icy tone, but was quickly put back into place. "That is good to hear, Rei-dono. I am glad," Then, turning to the other Saint Beasts, he said, "Well, now that my duties here are done, I must get back to the temple. I wish you luck on your mission, Saint Beasts. May you be successful," and with that, the Heavenly minister departed from Heaven's Palace.
"He's always pleasant to have around, huh?" Gai muttered under his breath. He really, really hated that so-called, "Heavenly Minister."
Yuda chuckled. "Well, as unpleasant as he might be, in order to fulfill our duties, I'm afraid we must endure his presence from time to time."
"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I have to like it," Gai grumbled.
This time the others just ignored him. "Well, we should probably make our descent. According to Pandora, Zeus gave this demon eradication mission high priority," Shin stated, then much to everyone's surprise, he walked over to Rei and embraced him lightly.
"Please try and rest while we're gone," he said teasingly, then, whispering so the others would not hear, he said, "Be careful, Rei. I have a very bad feeling about this. I hope it's just my imagination, but I don't like leaving you here alone."
Rei shuddered, unnerved by his friend's warning. It was well known among the Saint Beasts that Shin had the power to control time, and as such, he sometime got...feelings about events to come. The fact that he was worried about this mission was cause for concern. Still, Rei tried to appear outwardly calm.
He smiled, as he was truly touched by his friend's caring. Returning the embrace, Rei whispered, "Don't worry, Shin. Everything will be fine. It is just a routine mission, so all of you will be back in a few days. Believe it or not, I am capable of fending for myself for such a short span of time," the violet-haired angel finished with a laugh.
Shin pulled away from the embrace and smiled in response, though his eyes still shone with anxiety. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Take care, Rei," Shin stepped back and waited in the center of the corridor where they would descend.
After receiving a friendly clap on the shoulder from Yuda and Gou, and nearly getting knocked over by Gai's enthusiastic embrace, all the Saint Beasts had gathered in the center of the corridor, save Rei and Ruka.
As Ruka came towards him, Rei was horrified to feel the beginnings of tears burn behind his eyes. No, he could not cry. He could not let Ruka see how lonesome he'd be without him, how worried he'd be while he was gone. Ruka had enough to worry about, he did not need Rei's feelings as a burden on top of it.
Ruka stood in front of Rei, his muscular body mere inches from Rei's slender one. Reaching out, Ruka gently placed a hand on Rei's cheek. "Rei..." said whispered softly, almost reverently.
Rei smiled up at him, trying desperately to ignore the growing tightness in his throat. "I wish you success in your mission Ruka," he said brightly. Then, looking into his love's expressive crimson eyes, he let his mask drop, just for a second. "Please...please be safe, Ruka," Rei whispered, placing his hand over Ruka's.
Ruka smiled at him and leaned in to press a tender kiss to the smaller angel's forehead. "Don't worry, Rei. I'll be fine. And we will complete this mission with such speed, you won't even have time to feel my absence."
Rei felt a few of the cursed tears begin to leak from his eyes, but still he smiled. "I love you, Ruka."
Ruka brushed away a stray tear and leaned in to steal a light kiss from Rei's lips. "I love you, too, Rei." Then he drew back and went to stand with the other Saint Beasts in the center of the corridor.
There was a brief flash of white light as Shin said the incantation to take them down to Earth, and then, they were gone.
Rei managed to make it back to his chamber before he collapsed on the bed, finally allowing his tears to fall as he felt the loneliness consume him.
"Nee, Shin, wasn't there supposed to be a...town, somewhere around here?" Gai asked in confusion. The had just materialized on Earth, but it was not where they had intended to be. The demon sightings had all been located outside the small village of Cimpros (1), so they had intended to descend in an area just outside the town's limits where, according to Shin, there was an old wheat field that would be abandoned that time of year.
Instead, the five Saint Beasts had found themselves in a heavily wooded forest, where they neither saw nor heard any signs of human life.
"But I don't understand," Shin said in confusion, "I'm certain I said the spell in exact accordance with the instructions Pandora gave me. So why...?"
While Shin, Yuda, and Gou discussed what might have gone wrong during their descent, Gai and Ruka began to examine their surroundings. Ruka tried to fly up to see if he could tell where they were from above the trees, but the canopy above them was too thick, and he was unable to break through.
"Nee, Ruka? Come have a look at this," Gai called from the other end of the clearing, where he appeared to be examining something on the ground. Walking over to the small angel, Ruka knelt down to get a better look at what Gai was referring to.
"Look at these marks. Don't they seem a bit...familiar? I just can't place where I've seen them before," Gai murmured, gesturing at the dirt.
Carved deeply into the dirt, then outlined in what looked almost like blood, was a five pointed star, encased in a circle. At each of the points, there was an intricate symbol representing one of the Saint Beasts.
Ruka stared at the symbol in puzzlement. Normally, a symbol such as this would involve a star with six points, as there were six Saint Beasts, and the star would not be encased in a circle or restriction of any kind. Normally, inscribing something inside a circle was meant to...
Suddenly, it all came into place. This was a binding seal! Jumping to his feet—and causing Gai to fall over in surprise—Ruka called out, "Yuda! Shin! Gou! Get out of the clearing! It's a—,"
But before he could finish his warning, a blinding, mind-numbing pain shot up his body. Every nerve ending in his body felt as if it had been set a blaze, almost as though he had been hit by lightning. And from the screams his pain-muddled brain was able to make out, the others were suffering a similar fate.
When the pain finally dissipated, Ruka didn't even have the strength to remain standing. Immediately his legs gave way and he slunk to the ground, landing softly in a pile of long dead leaves. As he slowly began to sink into the painless black of unconsciousness, Ruka became aware of soft footsteps coming towards him.
Using the last of his energy to keep lift his head ever so slightly, Ruka caught a brief glimpse of a tall, graceful figure with long white hair, before a sharp pain split the back of his head, and the silver-haired angel slipped gratefully into velvet darkness.
Dun dun dun! The return of the sadistic cliffhanger! Oh, how I missed doing that.
NinthFeather: I guess I'm not the only one you enjoy torturing, huh?
Me: Nope! I'm an equal opportunity sadist!
Ninthfeather: Wow...equal opportunity and sadist in the same sentence. Scary...
Me: ^-^ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Now, you all know what comes next, so let's just get it over with...REVIEW! I NEED REVIEWS! I THRIVE OFF FEEDBACK! SO PLEASE, GIVE ME REVIEWS!
(1) Oh, and btw, that village name in the story, Cimpros, is completely and utterly made up. Just in case you were curious.
Well, that's all for now, my lovelies! Ta ta!
~Neko-chan~