Ok, so my muse decided to go all bipolar on me (yet again) and gave me so much inspiration for this next chapter that, low and behold, it is not only on time, it is early! O.O OMG! This is a moment that shall be celebrated throughout history, as it has never happened, and more than likely never will again!
An unfortunate down side to this early publication, however, is that I have yet to re-capture Feather-chan. *sigh* That girl just doesn't know when to quit...
So yeah, as promised, this chapter is much longer than the last one. However, I don't think the length, or the fact that it was published WAY early, will matter to you by the end of it, cause you're going to want to kill me either way. Just warning you.
And now, on with the fic!
Warning: There is some serious bishie abuse in this chapter. Not M worthy (yet), but still pretty bad. You'll probably hate me by the end.
Disclaimer: I do not own the bishies. Except Stheno, but he's not really a bishie, so he doesn't count. Besides, who would really want to own Stheno? He's icky.
"You're insane."
Rei sighed. This was probably the fiftieth time Kira had said that to him, and quite frankly, it was starting to wear on him.
"I mean, not only are you suggesting that we attempt a raid of Judecca, the High Capital of Hell and a place of pure evil, based on the the possibility that Maya and the others might be there, but you're also suggesting we do it alone? This is completely crazy, even for you!"
"Kira," Rei stated, as calmly as he could manage, "As I have explained to you numerous times, I realize that this plan is risky—,"
"Risky? Oh Rei, this plan isn't just risky, it's Goddamn suicidal! I can't believe you're even considering this! The only thing this plan will succeed in doing is putting the both of us in the same position as the others, where we won't be able to do them any good! Do you want to end up as a toy to some demon? Cause I sure as hell don't!"
Rei flinched at the hard edge in Kira's tone, and shuddered violently at the picture his words painted. He knew all too well what the demons did to the angels, and occasionally the humans, that they captured, and it made what Stheno did to him six months ago look like an innocent game.
"Seriously, Rei, I knew you could be impulsive, but this is just stupid! Are you really that much of an idiot that you think this could actually work? How in Heaven or Earth do expect us to—,"
"Then what would you have me do, Kira?" Rei shouted, cutting the ranting half-angel off. "What would you have either of us do? Should we just sit here safe in Heaven and hope that Lucifer decided to return our friends when he's finished with them?"
"I...I didn't say that!" Kira shouted back after a moment's hesitation. To say Rei's outburst had stunned him would be an understatement. The delicate, feminine angel was soft spoken even at the best of times. Still, Kira was not one to back down from an argument simply because of a little surprise. "I just meant that we should think this through and—,"
But once again, Rei cut the half-angel off, "'Think this through and...' what? What is there to think through? Tell me, what options do we really have available to us at this point, Kira? Because if you know of any, please, enlighten me."
For once, Kira had no response, and merely looked away so he wouldn't have to meet Rei's intense gaze.
"Here's something for you to 'think' about, Kira," Rei continued, beginning to feel the burning of tears behind his eyes. "What do you think they are doing to Maya and the others right now? You're the one who mentioned about becoming a toy for the demons. Well, that's exactly the situation our friends are in now. Lucifer can do whatever he wants to them now, and we're just standing here 'thinking'! He could be beating them, torturing them, or worse..." Rei trailed off, realizing exactly what the "or worse" could entail.
"Gou, Shin, Gai, Yuda...Ruka...they're your friends as much as mine! Do you really want to just leave them in a situation like that? And what about Maya? He's supposed to be your precious younger brother! Just imagine what they could be doing to him! Or is it that you simply do not care what happens to him?"
Slap!
The awful sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the room as Rei reeled back, a hand held gently against his rapidly bruising cheek. He looked up at Kira in shock, the tears finally beginning to fall down his face, and not just from the pain in his cheek.
Kira himself was shocked at what he had just done. I-I just hit Rei. Hell, forget hitting him, I damn well backhanded him! Yes, he and Rei had had more than their fair share of arguments before, and, if truth be told, Kira often went out of his way to antagonize the feminine angel, but they had never come to blows before!
Silently, Rei stood up from where he had fallen against his bed and walked to the door, pausing when he stood in the doorway. Without even turning to look back at the silent half-angel, he said, "Kira, do as you please. I don't care. I am going to Judecca to rescue my friends, whether you choose to accompany me or not."
"You son of a bitch!" cried Ruka, violently pulling at his bonds in a vain attempt to attack the smirking angel in front of him. Ruka couldn't believe it. After six months without even a trace of Stheno, the bastard shows up here? In Judecca? If Ruka hadn't been so furious about the fact that he was unable to kill Stheno at the moment, he would have found that knowledge ironically appropriate.
"Good day to you, Houou no Ruka-sama," Stheno purred with a mocking bow. "I trust you are doing well?"
"I'll be better once these chains are removed so that I may tear you limb from limb!" Ruka growled, glaring venomously at the angel before him.
"Why, Ruka-sama! What could I have possibly done to have earned such cruel words?" Stheno asked, feigning hurt and surprise. "Especially after I took such good care of that little bird of ours. And speaking of which," Stheno continued, smirking, "How is Rei-sama?"
"After what you did to him, you don't even have the right to speak his name, you bastard!" Much to everyone's surprise, this exclamation did not come from Ruka, but from Yuda.
Stheno sighed. "Ah, so even Yuda-sama is angry with me as well? I am truly sorry to hear this. However, is it really me towards whom you should direct your anger?" he asked, turning and walking towards Maya.
The small red-haired angel began to tremble as Stheno came towards him, remembering all too clearly that what had happened to Rei had been intended for him. Nevertheless, Maya steeled himself and glared boldly back at Stheno when he stopped in front of the captive half-angel.
"After all, it was never my intention to harm Rei-sama in any way. I was only doing my duty as an angel to rid Heaven of certain...vermin," Stheno continued, giving Maya a disgusted look. "Because Rei-sama chose to try and protect such filthy creatures, he, unfortunately, had to be dealt with as well. So, rather than blaming me for Rei-sama's injuries, should you not blame the insects he was trying to protect?"
"B-But I'm not the one who hurt Rei-san! You are!" Maya shouted, surprising everyone, including himself, with his sudden outburst. After a moment's hesitation he began again, speaking a bit more softly, though his voice still trembled. "I-I know it was my fault when Rei-san protected me from your whip, and I know I also carry some of the blame for when he f-fell."
Maya shuddered, remembering all too well the sickening anxiety he felt as they had begun to drop from the sky. They would have surely been impaled on the branches of the trees and perished had Rei not managed to slow their descent at the last minute.
"B-But what you did to Rei-san after Kira-nii-san and I left was not my fault! We should not have left him alone, but that does not mean you are blameless in what happened! I saw what you d-did to R-Rei-san's back," Tears began to flow down Maya's cheeks as he remembered exactly how torn and abused the violet-haired angel had been. "How could you do that to him? He was completely defenseless! Only a monster would be so cruel! You call me vermin, but you are the one who is truly disgusting, Stheno!"
A loud crack echoed throughout the cave as Stheno punched Maya across the face with as much force as he could muster. Maya cried out as his head snapped to the side, the left side of his head connecting with the cave wall with such force that the small half-angel saw stars.
Stheno then reached out and gripped Maya's now-bleeding chin hard in his hand. "You'd do well to watch that tongue of yours, you filthy little half-breed," he growled, "Or someday, someone might come and rip it out."
"Get away from Maya, you bastard!" Gai shouted, thrashing violently against the chains that held him. No one hurt Maya like that and got away with it! Not while Gai was around!
Stheno chuckled and released Maya, moving to stand in front of the small, cat-like angel. "Really, Byakko no Gai-sama, I will never understand how one as great and powerful as yourself would willing associate with such...trash."
Gai opened his mouth to reply, but Shin cut him off. He knew how the smallest of the Saint Beasts could get when he was angry, and he did not wish to see Gai come to harm over some thoughtless, yet well-deserved words. Nor did he wish to see Gou completely lose control of his temper, which would inevitably happen should anything happen to the blonde, cat-like angel.
"Stheno, why are you doing this? Why are you working with Lucifer? Do you realize that you have betrayed Heaven? What could you possibly have to gain from this course of action?"
Stheno's smile widened as he walked over and stood in front of Shin. "I should think the answer to that question was quite obvious, Shin-sama, especially for one as intelligent as yourself," Stheno smirked, "It's quite simple really. I join Lucifer-sama and help him capture the six Saint Beasts, and in return..."
"I get Rei-sama."
There was a collective gasp among all of the captive angels in the cave, followed by various shouts of outrage and vehement denial from all of them. The shouting died down, however, as Shin asked his next question.
"Why?" Shin cried, shaking with fury. "Why are you so set on Rei? What could he possibly have done to warrant so much malice from you?"
Stheno laughed and shook his head. "Shin-sama, I'm afraid you have gravely misunderstood my intentions. I bear no malicious intent towards Rei-sama. On the contrary, I merely have some unfinished business with him."
Ruka and Yuda both stiffened in unison, realizing what Stheno alluding to, however, before they could cut in, Shin asked, "And what, pray tell, might this 'unfinished business' be?"
Stheno smiled and drew even closer to Shin, so close that the aqua-haired angel could feel the heat radiating off Stheno's body. Slowly, sensuously, Stheno ran his hand up Shin's side, caressing his hip and moving up the side of his waist and chest. Wrapping his free arm around Shin's slender waist when the smaller angel cried out and struggled to move away, Stheno leaned up and purred in Shin's ear, "Would you like me to show you?"
I'M SORRY! I know, I'm the scum of the Earth! First I torture Rei mercilessly, now I'm torturing Shin and Maya too! I suck! *crawls into a hole and cries*
Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're a sadist like me. Hehehe) the bishie toture is not over. Not by a long shot. In fact, from here on out, it's only going to get worse. MUCH worse. Be prepared.
Also, I've meaning to tell you guys this for a while, but I keep forgetting. In future chapters, there will be some spoilers for the "Saint Beast" drama cds. Don't worry, even if you haven't listened to the cds, you'll still be able to understand the plot, but if you were planning on listening to the cds and don't want spoilers, I suggest you stop reading this story now.
Until next time, my lovelies!
~Neko-chan~