Hi y'all! Yes yes, I know I'm late blah blah I suck blah blah blah. Ok, moving on! First order of business, I know this chapter is kind of short, but in my defense, my life has not allowed much time for writing lately. But I'm doing my best! I really am!
Anyway, second order of business, NinthFeather escaped again. SOMEONE *looks accusingly at Meme12* gave her the key to the shackles, so now, not only to I have to hunt her down YET AGAIN, I have to go find a new supplier for my shackles. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find good shackle suppilers these days? *sigh* Oh well. I'll figure something out...
And now, on with the fic!
Warning: Well, this chapter doesn't have a lot to warn about. Some slight trauma on Shin's part, but that's pretty much it.
Disclaimer: Why must I do this every time? Is it really necessary? *sigh* No, I do not own the bishies *mutters* Not that we haven't already established that by now...
Rei's heart seemed to freeze in his chest, and the air in his lungs seemed to turn solid as he struggled to find the breath to respond.
"H-How? How do you know?" Rei asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kira looked at him somberly. "I found this feather in a clearing in the forest close to where Maya and I had been staying. When I came upon it while searching for Maya, I found these encircling the clearing." Kira reached into the small bag he had slung over his shoulder and took out a smooth, flat stone, handing it to Rei.
Rei took one look at the seal drawn in blood on the stone and immediately knew Kira was right.
Lucifer had the Saint Beasts.
Lucifer...the Fallen One...the Black Angel...the Harbinger of Death...the Lord of Hell. His names were many, but none of them brought Rei any comfort.
He...He has them...Rei thought, letting the stone slip from his hands on to the bed. He really has them. He has Yuda...Gou...Shin...Gai...
He has Ruka.
That last thought was enough to break Rei out of his stunned stupor and clear his head. Turning to Kira, he asked calmly, "What else do you know? Were there any other clues as to where He might have taken Maya and the others?"
Kira, taken aback by the sudden change in Rei's demeanor, hesitated a moment before replying, "Uh, yeah. The whole clearing reeked with the smell of demons, so I'm pretty sure Lucifer took them to—,"
"Hell," Rei finished, cutting Kira off. Of course, that part was obvious. The only question was, which part of hell were their friends being held in?
Rei shuddered. Unfortunately, he knew the answer to that question as well, though he wished to Zeus that he did not. Wrapping the sheet around his slender body to cover himself, Rei stood up from the bed and, without a word, walked over to his closet.
"Rei? What the hell are you doing?" Kira shouted, looking at the violet-haired angel like he had lost his mind.
Rei glanced over his shoulder at Kira, his voice still retaining its earlier cold composure, "You don't expect me to go storming into Hell to save our friends clad in only a sheet, now do you?"
Now Kira was sure Rei had gone crazy. "S-Storming into Hell? Rei, have you lost your mind? Even if we did know where in the countless circles of Hell the others were being held, we'd need a whole army of angels before we could even think of mounting a rescue! And even then—,"
"I am well aware of all that, Kira," Rei replied calmly. "However, here are some things of which you should be made aware. Firstly, there is no army, no matter how large or how powerful, that could take on the massive legions of Hell."
"Secondly, even if there were such an army, let us be frank; Zeus would still not risk upsetting the delicate balance between Heaven and Hell over five angels and one half-angel, no matter how powerful said individuals may be."
"And lastly, we do know where in Hell Maya and the others are being held."
For a few minutes after his speech, Kira could do nothing but stare at the sheet-clad angel in front of him. Truthfully, the half-angel had never seen Rei like this before. Was this really the same angel who would explode in anger every time Kira teased him? Kira wasn't so sure.
Eventually, Kira managed to recover from his shock and reply, "Ok, Rei, if you're so sure, mind enlightening me as to where my little brother and the others are being held, and while you're at it, how the hell you're so damn sure?"
Rei just leveled his steady amber gaze at the golden-haired man. "It's obvious that Lucifer would want to hold the Saint Beasts—and by extension, your little brother—in a place that he feels is most secure. The one place that he is positive that no one, not even angels as powerful as the Saint Beasts, could ever escape from. The deepest circle of Hell."
All color drained from Kira's face. "Please tell me...you're not serious..."
Rei nodded. "Yes. They're in Judecca (1)."
"L-Lucifer," Gai stuttered, breaking the horrified silence that had befallen the six captive angels at the sight of the black-clad figure.
Lucifer smiled, a gesture that was probably intended to be comforting, but in reality served no other purpose than to send shivers down the spines of the Saint Beasts. "My guests, I apologize for not being here to greet you when you first awoke, but nevertheless, I bid you welcome." The black angel finished with an elegant mock bow.
"And may I be so bold as to ask where exactly it is that we are so welcome?" Shin asked, struggling to keep the tremor of fear from his voice.
Lucifer's smile widened as he slowly glided closer to Shin, causing the smaller angel to press himself further into the wall of the cave. "Why, I should think it was perfectly obvious, Genbu. You are in Judecca, the High Capital of my paradise, Hell."
A collective gasp of horror and understanding went through the six captives as they began to realize exactly how dire their situation was. They were in Judecca, the deepest circle of Hell. A place of pure evil where even the most vile and desecrated of beings feared to tread. The very gates to this cursed were inscribed with the words "omnes relinquite spes, o vos intrantes (2)."
"Why, Lucifer? Why have you brought us here? What purpose could such actions possibly serve?" Yuda shouted, practically shaking with the force of his anger.
Lucifer turned toward Yuda, the ice cold smile slipping from his face. "Purpose? My dear Yuda, must you always think the worst of me? I assure you, I am only doing this for your benefit. And really, you left me with few other alternatives. After you and the Seiryuu rudely rejected my offer to join me in my paradise, I was forced to resort to more...unconventional methods of persuasion."
"Although," Lucifer continued, turning back to Shin, "I can see now why you would wish to go back to that wretched, slave-like life in Heaven, with such a beauty as the Genbu here awaiting your return," he purred, gently weaving his fingers through Shin's soft, aqua hair, which had, at some point, been knocked loose from it's usual tie.
"Do. Not. Touch. Him, Lucifer," Yuda growled, his ice blue eyes glinting with barely restrained rage. Shin cringed away from the unwelcome touch and shuddered, both from the disgusting feel of Lucifer's hands and the terrifying, unfamiliar tone to Yuda's voice.
The fallen angel smirked, stepping back from Shin and walking back in the direction from which he had come. "Well, much as I hate to further neglect you, my guests, I'm afraid I have some other matters that I must attend to at the moment. However, I would not want to be thought a poor host, so I will leave you with someone else who can further...entertain you," and with a final, dark chuckle, Lucifer left the cave.
Almost simultaneously, footsteps echoed from the other end of the cave, and soon, a figure became visible in the faint torch light. A figure whose painful, bloody demise Ruka had dreamt about for the past six months. Slowly, and with all the hatred and malice he could imbed into it, Ruka ground out that despised and hated name.
"Stheno."
And that, my friends, is chapter 15! Like I said, I know it's a bit on the short side, but the next few chapters should be longer!
Speaking of the next few chapters, I have something to discuss with all of you. These next couple chapters are going to be...bad. Very bad. As in, the bishie abuse factor will go through the roof. I may have to raise the rating on this story to M, depending on how bad it gets. But we'll see what happens. I just wanted to give you all fair warning in case it happens.
Now, here's an explanation for some things you might not have understood in the story.
(1) Judecca is the deepest part of the ninth circle of Hell in Dante's "The Inferno." It is reserved for only the worst and most grievous of sinners.
(2) This is Latin, the translation being "Abandon hope, ye who enter here." It is the inscription above the gates of Hell in Dante's "The Inferno."
Adios for now!
~Neko-chan~