Chapter 7: Hands and Feet

White.

To his left. To his right. Below him.

The sky above.

Everything was just a stark contrast to his self.

Black.

The crow flapped its wings, eager to settle over a garbage bin. It had been three days since he decided to pay the mortal world a visit. Much to the bickering of the other angels above, he decided to follow his curiosity and take a taste of the human world.

Humans. They never fail to amuse him. As far as he knows, they are creatures of endless wishes. 'I wish I could pass the test'. 'I wish I could win her heart.' 'I want money.' 'I want to fly.' 'I want to go there.'

'I want a happy life.'

'I want to go to heaven.'

And yet, no matter how good or bad they are, these wishes remain constant. Sure, there are deviants who wish for pain and enjoy solitude, not even fearful of death.

But then again, they are humans. To him, there was not a single one who hasn't been tainted with sin. In this aspect, each and every one of them were the same.

And this was clearly the case right now. The angel with the crow wings who chose to go down on earth in avian form gets to witness the proof of his thoughts.

"Woah…look! A crow!"

"Baka! Crows are birds of bad luck!"

Damn you. I'm not a crow. I'm an angel. The crow thought to himself as he cocked his head on their direction. There were two of them. Oh well. They looked pretty nasty.

"But it seems that it's wounded…"

"Who cares? It's just an animal!"

"But…" The smaller of the two bowed his head. He was wearing a bonnet. He kept on glancing at the crow.

"His leg is broken."

"Tch. Fine, you go stay there and freeze with that thing. Don't blame me if you get cursed!" The taller kid yelled at him. Before the smaller one could even retort, the other kid had went ahead, never even looking back. Was he really his friend? What more could he expect...

But indeed. This injury was getting worse. Had he been not stupid enough to get caught up in some branch, this would have never happened. Good job, Kageyama Tobio. For an angel whose name meant "flight" in itself, he sure was some angel right now who was handicapped to soar back to where he came from.

"Are you alright?" The kid whispered, kneeling in front the crow.

Yeah I am, was the crow's response. He only heard a squawk from himself. Oh yeah. He was a crow for now.

The kid smiled, and the moment he did so, the crow could not help but just stare at him.

His smile was blinding.

Like the sun.

He then removed his bonnet, revealing a mass of spiky, orange head.

Amidst the expanse of white that laid ahead, his hair seemed fiery.

Warm. Burning. Eternal.

Like the sun.

It was an act that he least expected from a human. The kid was now wrapping him with the rayon piece of wear with utmost caremas if he was as fragile as a wounded puppy.

The kid beamed at him once again.

"I'm taking you home. Let's take care of that leg of yours, 'kay?"

Ah.

I wonder what this human's name is.

By some miracle, the little kid gave a response.

"I'm Hinata Shouyo."

Hinata.

Sunshine.

Just like his name.

The crow gave another squawk.

This kid deserved the place where he came from. Unlike that selfish kid and the countless selfish people that he had seen, this kid deserved to live.

And with that, the crow ducked its head beneath the bonnet, and took a slumber.

When Kageyama opened his eyes, Hinata was gone. His heart raced. Did something happen to him? He looked around the room and found a note.

Sleepyhead, I went ahead. Your breakfast is on my desk. Eat up. Will bring home pork buns. \(^_^)/

A smile crept on Kageyama's face as he read the handwriting which was obviously written in a hurry. The idiot must have woken up late. But wait, was his sleep really that deep? He did not even feel the shrimp shake him let alone leave the room.

Then again, maybe the shrimp chose not to wake him up.

The angel grimaced and leaned against the wall. He then glanced on Hinata's desk. True enough, there laid a tray of fried rice and sunny-side up eggs.

Might as well eat as I read…The angel thought, picking up the book he had been reading. He then picked the chopsticks and started eating, waiting for the time to pass by.

It was already five thirty pm, and the shrimp wasn't home yet. The angel was becoming restless. Was buying pork buns that long? No. If he remembered it correctly, the shrimp was pretty much home by 5:15 yesterday. Unless he was walking like he's on the moon…or he had cleaning duties. Or maybe some club activities? But the shrimp wasn't really a member of any club, and volleyball was the only thing that concerned him. Or did he by any chance forgot about the time and practiced like there's no tomorrow again?

"Calm down Kageyama. Why the hell are you even freaking about it? There's nothing to worry about…" He whispered aloud to himself. He then tried to read the third last chapter of the book.

And found that no word was getting to his head.

The angel slammed the book against the bed. This was useless.

Without even thinking twice, Kageyama left Hinata's room.

The angel was about to fly out of the window when something caught his ear.

The voice of Hinata's mom.

They seem to be watching the evening news.

"Eh? But isn't that store near to Hinata's school?"

"Indeed," Hinata's father replied.

"Maa, maa…I hope the kid knows about this! I should call him."

What? What was happening?

The angel jumped from the window of Hinata's floor. He then ran to the one beside the sofa. True enough, Hinata's parents were watching TV.

"As of the moment, the police had detected the criminal's route. It is said that the car he was driving was heading towards the Ukai Convenience Store. Authorities near the said establishment are now warning the people to take caution."

Will bring home pork buns.

Hinata's voice echoed in his head.

The angel wasted no time. At the speed of light, the angel spread out its wings and made his way to the said store.

"Don't come close, or I'll kill this kid!"

The people muttered words of panic and worry over the kid. The situation had gone worse. The criminal was now holding a hostage in his hand, a knife under the poor lad's chin, ready to slice his throat the moment he does anything funny.

But there was no trace of fear in his eyes. They were just as fierce as the man who had just grabbed him out of the blue. Honestly, he only went on his way to buy some pork buns for the grumpy angel, and now, a minute after, he transforms from a customer to a hostage?

He sure was on his way to another death.

But strangely, he could not feel a glint of worry for himself. It was as if he did not care anymore.

Because he had gone through a far worse pain and fear than death.

The pain and fear of being alive and yet unable to do anything at the same time. The sensation of not being able to say and do what you want to your loved ones, and protect them.

"Let go of me, stinking old man!" Hinata struggled to break free, only to get gripped tighter by the man.

"Shut up kid! You do realize what position you're in? I'm a criminal and I can kill you!"

Hinata snorted.

"You're going to kill me and yet you looked so afraid? Let me bet, you're just as afraid as me—you don't wanna get hit by the bullets, don't you!?"

The criminal was now pointing the tip of the knife at the very center of Hinata's throat. A little more and it would cause a slice of blood to the skin.

Hinata grinned. "I'm right, ain't I?"

"I said shut up!"

The people shrieked. The police aimed their guns, ready to kill the criminal. The man raised his arm, ready to strike the blow at Hinata.

"Hinata!"

Hinata had a split second to feel his heart race. He knew that voice.

Hinata felt himself being thrown towards the ground, being wielded a couple of meters from the man.

"You bastard!"

Kageyama clenched his teeth.

"As if a mortal like you could hurt me!" Kageyama screamed, sending a direct hit to the man's cheekbones. The man staggered.

"Brat…"

"Kageyama!" Hinata screamed. The man was now holding a gun, and it was aimed right at Kageyama's head.

The angel smirked. "You're gonna shoot me?"

The man could feel himself from shaking. His eyes. Pitch black. Dark as the night.

And at the very center, was a spiral of light—a spinning galaxy amidst the infinite black.

"Your eyes…"

"What about my eyes?" Kageyama whispered, walking towards the man.

"I'm really gonna shoot you!"

"Shoot me?"

The man's eyes widened, as if he was seeing the worst scene ever to unfold before his eyes.

Hinata saw it too.

The black wings spreading proudly, a couple of feathers even falling to the ground as Kageyama revealed his true form to the man.

He then looked at the people around the area.

They were not moving at all.

As if they were frozen.

"Kageyama, let's just g—"

"GO AWAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!" The man shrieked, pulling the trigger.

The angel avoided it with ease. In a blink, he directed his kick at the man's wrist, causing the latter to lose hold of the gun.

"How's that, huma—"

Bang.

The air from Hinata's lungs seemed to have vanished. Even Kageyama felt himself freeze as he felt something hot and burning in his leg.

It was rather familiar.

Years and years ago, it was the spot that got broken when he got tangled from a branch in his avian form. Except now, the spot was hurting—not from a broken bone—but from the shot of a gun.

"You thought I was alone?" The man grinned in triumph as Kageyama fell to his knees.

The accomplice was about to shoot another bullet at Kageyama, until Hinata had enough time to toss the ball from his slingbag, aiming it at the man's face.

Kageyama could not believe his eyes. It was the same move that Hinata had used against him, and it proved to be just as effective as a deadly weapon when the man who shot him fell to the ground from the impact.

The man hissed and crawled his way to the pick up the weapon.

"Hinata! Take my hand! NOW!'

The orange head knew better than to ask. Without any second thoughts, he grabbed Kageyama's hand.

The angel looked back at the two, the two pairs of eye meeting his celestial ones.

"Forget that you ever saw this."

The two men's eyes widened, as if they had been hit by something. In a matter of seconds, they both stood up, their expressions in a daze.

Hinata gulped at the sight, but before he knew it, Kageyama had him hoisted on his arms, carrying the bewildered lad as the angel took its flight to the lad's home.

Kageyama was tempted to crash himself against the floor because of the burning pain in his leg, but the fact that Hinata was in his arms kept his reason in control. The angel settled the lad gently as he could on the bed.

"WHY ARE YOU SO RECKLESS!" The two screamed at the same time.

"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" The two both yelled, glaring at each other. Kageyama was ready to burst another reprimand, but the orange head had rushed to him.

"Your leg…we must treat it!" Hinata's voice shook as he placed his fingers on the spot just around the wound. The small lad was about to stand up and rush downstairs for a med kit, but Kageyama stopped him with a grip on his wrist.

"Calm down! I'm gonna be fine!"

"Be fine?! Kageyama, you have just been sho—"

The angel tugged the orange head towards him, not breaking the grip around his wrist.

"Watch me."

The angel spread his wings. He then reached his free hand beyond and plucked a feather.

"What are you doing?" The panic had not left Hinata's voice for a bit, let alone his body.

"It's gonna be fine."

Kageyama let go of Hinata's wrist. He then bent down to reach for the wounded leg.

And plunged the feather right at the wound.

The black head's face contorted with pain for a bit, but soon enough, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Light came from the feather as it buried deeper to the wound. Slowly, the red began to disappear, leaving the skin devoid of any sign of injury. It was as if nothing had happened in the first place. Only the torn clothing served as an evidence that yes, the angel had been shot.

"We can heal ourselves with our feathers. So there's really nothing to worry abou—o-oi!" Kageyama had stopped speaking as soon as he heard sobs and sniffs.

Hinata was clutching his shirt, drops of tears falling to the floor.

"Idiot! What if you really died?!"

"B-But angels cannot die…"

"DERP! IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT DYING! I DON'T WANNA SEE YOU GET HURT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW AFRAID I WAS WHEN I SAW YOU RUSH AT THE SCENE?! I WAS DEAD SCARED!" Hinata yelled at the top of his lungs.

Kageyama bit his lips.

"THEN WHAT ABOUT ME! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW I FELT?! WHEN I SAW YOUR NECK BEING THREATENED WITH A KNIFE—YOU THINK IT WAS EASY?! I'M AN ANGEL, AND YOU'RE A HUMAN! YOU CAN DIE!" Kageyama screamed in a volume that rivaled Hinata's.

"I DON'T CARE! I'VE DIED ONCE, AND I WAS MEANT TO! IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I GET TO LIVE LIKE THIS!"

"WELL I CARE, HINATA, I CARE! I WANT TO PROTECT YOU JUST LIKE THE WAY YOU PROTECTED ME YEARS AGO!"

Hinata's eyes widened.

"Years…ago?" He spoke in a small voice. He was still shaking.

Kageyama reached out for Hinata's hand, and held it, lacing his fingers around Hinata's own.

"Seven years ago, I went down to this world. I was just a crow then, and I took that form as a disguise. I was bored, and with that form, I observed these humans. To me, they have always been the same. They were amusing, so different from the way they present themselves and yet so similar in the way they wished for things. Money, love, happiness—these were the things us angels always hear from them. And yet, all of them, all of them had been selfish—even just once in their life—they have committed their own sins. And all humans that I've met—had acted that way. But Hinata…" Kageyama spoke the name with such a gentle voice that it made Hinata's heart flutter.

"You're different."

Hinata gulped.

"Even if I was just an animal—a crow—a bird that was seen as a bad omen—you chose to take care of me and my broken leg. You gave me those pork buns and talked to me like I was another human. You had no glint of sin in you. You were just too pure and glowing—"

Kageyama pulled Hinata closer to him.

And wrapped his arms around the lad.

"Like the sun."

Hinata buried his face on the angel's chest.

"So you were that crow…"

"But I am here now. I returned. To grant your wish. So that you could live again and be happy."

Hinata sniffed. "But you're going to leave me again. When that day comes, you'll take flight. And leave me."

Kageyama gave a smile. A sad one.

"Because angels, like crows, are creatures that are meant to fly and never stay in one place."

The angel felt Hinata clench on the fabric of his cloth.

"And I haven't even bought you your favorite pork buns!" Hinata cried.

Kageyama sighed. "It can't be helped. Those idiots caused a ruckus. I'm betting they're headed to jail now."

Hinata let out another sniff.

"Plus you're safe. I'm safe. That's the most important thing, right?" Kageyama leaned so as to stare right at the orange head's eyes, which were now all red from sobbing.

"H-Hai…"

"So now, stop crying…" He said, patting the mass of orange hair.

Hinata nodded.

Kageyama smiled.

"Now go change your clothes. I can hear your mom running upstairs. Better make a proper excuse how you were able to go straight here without even using the door downstairs," Kageyama spoke in aplayful tone, finally grinning at the smaller lad who was now rubbing his eyes and blowing his nose with a handkerchief.

"Kageyama."

"What is it—"

At that moment, the angel swore that he finally knew how it felt to just get frozen, just like what he did for those two scums.

Except that this shock wasn't out of fear.

It was from a mad, mad beating of that organ in his chest.

All caused by a single kiss on his left cheek.

The last thing that he saw was Hinata's red face, with the shrimp muttering something like 'thanks' before he rushed downstairs to explain things to his family.

The angel just stared at the door, looking like an idiot with his hand placed on that spot.