Hey y'all! It's me, the one, the only, the soon-to-be-officially-declared-insane, NEKO-CHAN! YIPPEE! *starts running around in circles for no apparent reason*
NinthFeather:...what the heck is wrong with you?
Me: Wrong? Nothing's wrong! Why does something always have to be wrong? Can't I just be happy and hyper for the simple joy I get from it? WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS ASSUME THE WORST? *eye twitch*
NinthFeather: Because you're eye is twitching, as is most of the rest of you.
Me: *eye continues to twitch* Oh, that. That's just because I'm currently working on my fourth cup of coffee. *starts randomly singing* Coffee makes the world go around, the world go around...
NinthFeather: You're really starting to scare me.
Me: Just starting?
NinthFeather: I mean more than usual. And that's saying something.
Me: Gimme a break. After the month I've had, I need all the caffine I can get.
NinthFeather: True enough.
Me: Ok, so I quess I should explain to y'all why I didn't update as quickly as I had previously planned. Well, first, the holidays got in the way (and I had a birthday in there somewhere...). Then, because fate is a bitch and seems to take great pleasure in tormenting me, my laptop died. And for those of you who have not paid attention to the previous author's notes, my laptop had all of my fics. And I mean, all of them. So it took me a good two weeks to recover them from my hard drive, and then another week to gain access to another computer.
But, of course, fate's "let's torture Neko-chan fest" did not end there, because soon after I rescued my fics, I had a nice little stay in the ER due to severe illness and dehydration. Oh joy. And then, after I got out of the hospital, my good friend Mr. Writer's Block decided to pay me a visit. More joy.
But, after a nice conversation with Feather-chan, I was finally able to get enough inspiration to finish this chapter. Thank you, Feather-chan!
NinthFeather: I still don't get why you keep coming to me for inspiration in your SHOUNEN-AI story, when you know I don't do shounen-ai.
Me: Because it works! And it annoys you, which makes it all the more fun!
NinthFeather: *grumbles* Just shut up and get on with the chapter already.
Me: *bows* Yes, my lord. (I have been watching WAY too much Kuroshitsuji lately...)
Warning: Violence, angst, torture...ya know, all the stuff you've come to expect from me. If you don't like it, I really have no idea what the hell you're still doing here after 20 chapters, but kindly leave now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Beast or any of the bishies within, so Mr. and Mrs. Lawyer, kindly take little Lawyer Jr. and go home. Thanks.
Rei had always known Gai's inability to understand the difference between subtle defiance and outright antagonism would one day be the death of the cat-like angel. He'd lost count of the number of lectures he'd given Gai about how taking things too far could get him seriously hurt, but the blonde angel had always just laughed and said that Rei worried too much. The violet-haired angel had always just sighed and shaken his head, realizing that Gai would probably have to learn this lesson the hard way.
Never had Rei regretted being right as much as he did at this moment.
Lucifer slowly wiped the blood from his face with a look of cold indifference that terrified Rei more than any expression of rage. "Very well, Byakko-sama. I had hoped for a more intelligent response to my proposal, but no matter. I'm sure, once your...unfortunate fate is made known, your friends will prove much more cooperative." And with a dismissive hand gesture at the demon horde behind him, the dark-haired man turned and left the cavern.
Immediately after the departure of their master, the demons began to close in on the wounded angel once more. Rei's stomach turned at the sight of the sickening grins on their faces. He didn't know what they had planned for the youngest Saint Beast, but his imagination supplied him with numerous options.
And Rei wasn't too keen on seeing any of them become reality.
So, without even pausing to think his next course of action all the way through, Rei clasped the Kira's hand in his own and stood up, pulling the other up with him.
Kira had, at this point, still had not caught on to what Rei was planning, and thus was very confused by the violet-haired angel's actions. Why the hell is Rei holding my hand? I mean, yeah, I get that seeing Gai like this must be really hard for him—dammit, it's even hard me, and I don't even like the brat that much—but seriously, holding hands? Why would he...
Then Rei stepped up to the edge of the cliff.
Oh shit. "Rei, don't you dare—,"
But before the half-angel could even finish his protest—or even get the amber-eyed angel to acknowledge that he'd said anything—Rei lept off the cliff, dragging Kira over the ledge with him.
Then, just before the two of them hit the ground, Rei snapped out his wings.
The pain was intense. As soon as his wings appeared, Rei felt as if his back had burst into flames. It took all he had not to black out in mid-air as he flew toward the crucified angel at the center of the demon horde.
By some miracle, Rei was able to not only make it to his destination, but land without immediately collapsing from the pain. As soon as his and Kira's feet touched the cave floor, the blonde half-angel turned to face the (thankfully) stunned demons, but not before growling, "Rei, if we make it out of this alive, I swear to Zeus I am going to kill you."
Rei didn't even pause to look at the half-angel before replying. "Kira, if we make it out of this alive, I just might let you."
The violet-haired angel then focused all his attention on freeing his wounded friend, while Kira freed his whip from his belt and began cutting down the hideous creatures that surrounded them.
Rei quickly assessed the situation, trying his hardest not to give in to the rage and guilt that coursed through him at the sight of the smaller angel. If Gai's wounds had look terrible from a distance, they were horrifying and nauseating up close. But Rei couldn't focus on that. First he had to rescue the tortured angel, then he could give in to his emotions.
Gai's hands were held in place on the cross by two large, rusty nail that pierced through the palms, and his feet had been placed over top of one another and fastened to the bottom of the cross with one nail going through both of them.
Rei knew what was necessary to free his friend, but he the thought of doing it made him feel ill. Still, the petite angel knew what had to be done, so he took a deep breath, wrapped both hands around the nail that was pierced through Gai's feet…
…and yanked it out as hard and fast as he could.
Rei had never been so grateful for anything in his life as he was for the smaller angel's unconsciousness at that moment. Because even in his non-waking state, when Rei pulled out the nail, Gai's entire body jerked and his mouth opened as if to scream, though no sound came out. Still, it was one of the most painful sights Rei had ever seen, and yet he was forced to put Gai through it again…and again…
Finally though, the third and final nail had been removed from Gai's left hand, and the small, battered angel fell forward into Rei's waiting arms.
Rei quickly turned to see how Kira was fairing (and rescue the half-angel, if need be) and was surprised, and begrudgingly impressed, to find that Kira was not only almost completely unharmed (excluding a few cuts and bruises that were to be expected in a fight as one-sided as the one he was currently fighting) but the half-angel was actually doing rather well in his fight against the demon horde. He was by no means winning—the sheer number of demons negated any chance of that—but he was holding the horde back and buying them time, which was exactly what they needed.
Glancing around the cavern, Rei frantically began looking for a means of escape. Their salvation presented itself in the form of a small, almost crack-like entrance to a cave set high up on the ledge of a cliff on the far side of the cavern. Glancing back at the demons, Rei quickly established that none of them had wings, and thus would be unable to pursue them for quite some time should they make it to the cave.
Grimacing at the pain he knew his next actions would cause him, the violet-haired angel braced himself and silently willed his wings to emerge.
Rei bit back a scream of agony as the golden appendages appeared on his back. It felt like someone was trying to rip his spine from his body. Still, Rei had no time to concentrate on the pain, and so, without giving himself any time to recover, Rei shifted his hold on Gai to one arm and lept into the air.
"Kira!"
The half-angel turned towards the voice that had called his name just in time to clasp Rei's outstretched arm and be yanked off his feet and into the air. Truthfully, Kira once again had no idea what the amber-eyed angel was planning, but previous experience had taught him that, when it came to Rei, it was best just to go with the flow. So he vented his frustrations by throwing taunts and insults at the confused and angry demon horde that was quickly getting smaller and smaller beneath him. Rei, though still in a fair amount of pain from his back, still managed to roll his eyes.
Honestly, Kira was so childish sometimes.
Rei was half way up the cliff face when he realized that it was getting harder and harder to flap his wings. Still, he managed to make it to his destination and heave Kira up onto the ledge. He had just handed Gai over to the half-angel when pain, worse than any the violet-haired angel had felt previously, seared down the center of his back.
Rei couldn't scream. He couldn't think. He couldn't even breathe beyond the pain. It was torment the likes of which the amber-eyed angel could not remember feeling ever before. There was no way to describe it, it was just hell. Pure hell and…oh Zeus, make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop…
And then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain was gone. And Rei was falling…falling…
Only to be jerked to an abrupt, and rather painful, halt when something grabbed his arm. Looking up, Rei saw that Kira had grabbed hold of his wrist and was now slowly pulling him back up to the ledge.
When Rei finally had both feet planted firmly on the ledge of the cliff, he quickly pick Gai up from where Kira had laid him against the side of the cliff and hurried into the dark expanse of the cave, Kira following close behind. Only when they were far enough in that they knew they could not be pursued did they allow themselves to collapse, breathless and exhausted, against the wall of the cave.
"What…the hell…was that," Kira asked angrily a few moments later, still panting from exertion.
Rei knew exactly what he was referring to without asking, but he still had no answer for the half-angel as to why his wings had given out. At least, none that he wanted to consider. Yuda's warning about his wings came unbidden to the forefront of his mind:
"If you were to try to bring your wings out again before the healing process was fully completed, you could lose the use of them...permanently."
Thankfully, Rei was spared having to answer Kira's question when a soft moan sounded from further into the cave. Immediately, Kira and Rei were on their feet and alert, squinting in the darkness to try and make out the source of the noise.
The moan came again, louder this time and accompanied by what sounded like the clinking of chains. Rei, recognizing the sound to by one of pain rather than threat, stepped closer to the fuzzy silhouette he could barely make out in the dark. Using his powers to make a small orb of light, Rei held it out in front of him and gasped at the sight it revealed.
"Pandora?"
Well, there you have it, chapter 20. I know I'm leaving you with yet another cliffhanger, but I'm sure you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me. And if not...well, that's your problem, not mine.
NinthFeather: It will be your problem when all your readers finally go insane from your sadistic cliffhangers and team up to kill you.
Me:...Oh well. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. ^-^
NinthFeather: *facepalms* What am I going to do with you?
Me: *ignores Feather-chan* Please review! Reviews motivate me! I NEED REVIEWS!
Until next time, my dears!
~Neko-chan~