(I own nothing and I hope you enjoy. Thank you for all the lovely souls who followed, favorited or commented on this fic, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Originally, this was supposed to be a relatable fic about moving on from grief with a happy ending but I didn't portray that all that well. Sorry. Once again, thank you so so much and I hope you enjoy. Please stick with me for future works. God bless every single one of you and I hope you have an amazing new year! God bless!)
Take the moon,
Take the stars,
Take the real,
Take the farce,
Take my mind,
Take my heart,
Take my beginning,
Take my start,
Take those truths,
Take those lies,
Take my lips,
Take my eyes,
Take my near,
Take my far,
But in return,
Please,
Give me all that you are.
"...A-Are you an angel…?"
Mana did not really know why he said it, or what had possibly caused him to formulate those words but they fell from his lips with the ease of a song lyric.
The young prodigy, Mana Campbell, a normally cool headed youth, stood upon this moonlight soaked hill in somewhat of a state of dreamless dreaming, caught in an in between mock reality, swept away by the listlessness of sleep.
In all his days he never found himself pulled so relentlessly from bed in the middle of night. There was no way of telling what invisible voice, what unseen force took a little lamb like him by the hand to this place so far from his temple but somehow, he felt no fear, only the warm hand of comfort upon his beating heart.
"... P-Please say something…."
But it hurt.
It hurt so bad.
The ethereal vision of pure white that stood before him, luminescent like the moon itself but fragile like its image upon the waters surface, easily shaken like a leaf in the wind.
A youth, just a little younger than him, clad in a cloak of the most pure white feathers, so bright the image was signed into his eyes. It hurt to look so the tears fell but the kind vision was more than a perfect illusion.
Illusion, yes. It was not a dream because his senses were clear, telling him that this creature, this unearthly presence radiating nothing but the purest of love and kindness did not live on the same plain of existence as him.
He was not of this world, or at least not of this reality. That much, he knew to be true.
Perhaps that was why his feathered body seemed to be enveloped in light under the veil of night.
"Please…." Mana begged.
It was an alien emotion that fell over him without warning, taking hold of His mind and seizing control of his body. It was alien, but it was his own love that fell upon his heart and crushed it. He didn't know how it was possible, but it didn't make it any less real.
So he wept openly into the palm of his hand.
"I-I-..." He gasped as he buckled over, his knees hitting the grassy plain, "I-I don't know what's going on-..."
The pressure built up behind his ribs, throat and eyes. It made it so hard to breath and yet he had no idea how to stop this feeling that consumed his being like a fire.
Mana had seen many things, made the acquaintance of so many Yokai and unusual creatures but nothing ever prepared him for this encounter, nothing had dulled his senses or damaged his mind enough to give him the bravery to endure this.
He couldn't breath, he couldn't stand, he could hardly even think, but he wasn't scared.
When the creature of white reached its slender claws forward and cupped His face on either sides, he felt nothing but love.
Love for this strange creature he surely never met before.
What could it mean?
But at long last, the angel opened his lips and he spoke, voice as sharp and clear as crystal shards.
"Do not mourn." It said, "It's because of the wish that my existence has become an anomaly, a contradiction."
A moment of the most pure silence passed by.
Mana did not understand so he did not answer. His heart understood every syllable so it replied in his place.
"This is all my doing…." He muttered miserably, "This…. This shouldn't have happened…."
Blood red eyes peered into his soul, "Do not feel at fault. It was my wish. It was my doing."
"But I forced your hand…." His voice a mere gasp for air, a faint whisper.
But then the angel smiled a smile that broke his heart, "And I don't regret what I have done. I would have given you the moon and stars if I could. This was the very least."
A voice so sweet and warm, cold and clear, soft and stern one might think it were the magic behind a melody.
In the trees, the hitodama danced in gaiety, the mighty byakko bowed their mighty heads.
In the rivers, the Aosaginohi sang songs and the Amabie clapped their hands in joy.
In the skies, the fenghuang and the mighty dragon danced side by side under the light of a great fire.
They celebrate for one reason and one reason alone.
A new Daitengu had been born. The name and title of Daranibo was inherited in the most least likely of places, by a common red tengu of all things. Mount Fuji would be protected at last, the blood of the innocent, both human and yokai, would no longer spilled upon this soil.
They rejoiced with all their hearts because love had made the least of them great.
They rejoiced because this was a joyous day.
But Mana did not see this. All he saw were the eyes staring back into his, his world so small, as small as a sparrow, but bigger than anything he had ever known.
What he felt was love, a pure and good love, only felt by the best of hearts, and it was this love that gave him power.
He knew this when the angel pulled him into a familiar and all too painful embrace one last time.
"I love you, God loves you, and he loves you."
"Let all grudges fall away like the invisible bonds they were."
"When you cry, I cry and I will go to you."
"Don't ever forget me."
"Goodbye, Mana."
"Goodbye, dear father."
"Goodbye."
All returned to silence and darkness, something on his breath half spoken, half breathed, half wished, half prayed.
Words built up somewhere between Mana's heart and lips were cruelly aborted when his mind was suddenly and violently forced into consciousness.
He tried his best to resist the pull but it was already too late.
"No!" He screamed, sitting straight up.
His shrill voice had to echo back at him before he suddenly came to the realization that he was sitting down to begin with.
Sudden grip on reality crushed his dreams but relieved his fears.
The sadness that crushed his heart and soul vanished seemingly into thin air, leaving a gaping pit inside him.
He suddenly felt quite empty, quite numb and he still had absolutely no idea why.
Mana became aware of the faint sunlight shining through his window, appearing so dull and ugly compared to what he saw in that unusual dream he vaguely recalled.
It appeared to be quite early in the morning but he could never be sure. Everything seemed so distastefully dark now.
He woke in his bed, his covers wrapped tightly around his sweaty body.
Everything was as it usually was. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
"A… dream?" He pondered quietly.
A faint breeze ran from his open window, past the drapes and stroked his face as though it were trying to wake him up, but an odd sensation shocked him.
Wet. His face was wet.
His hand shot up to touch his cheek.
When he did this, he indeed realized that his face was wet but a second sensation shocked his system.
A light tickle. Something light and ticklish dropped onto his face when he opened his fist. Upon reaching upon, grabbing it and holding it a small distance away from his face for viewing, he got a good look at the object.
He nearly stopped breathing at the sight.
A feather.
A single large bird feather.
Now, Mana was an Onmiyoji so he would do some odd things before bed. Perhaps he just picked one up and forgot to put it away, he thought but one thing was undeniable.
The feather in his hand was a crisp white like freshly fallen snow.
His heart raced in his chest as a newfound emotion filled the void. Hope, a strong and powerful hope.
Could it be?
Was it possible?
Was the angel from his dream real?
But before he could finish that thought, a sound caught his attention. Suddenly feeling quite jumpy and skittish in the recent turn of events, Mana's head jerked to the side so fast he thought he might hurt his neck.
He didn't think his heart could take anymore shock.
His door was open and piering inside his room was a painfully familiar face he thought he would never see this way ever again.
Mana's eyes went as wide as dinner plates when they came into contact with that familiar pair and the blood in his veins turn cold and hot at the same time.
Time seemed to slow down to a comfortable pace.
There stood Nea Campbell, alive and well in his doorway, rubbing his eyes, exhausted but alive and well and in the end that single fact was all that mattered.
"Did you…." He grumbled sleepily, "Did you scream or something….?"
His voice.
His voice was exactly as he remembered and all too sweet to his ears.
The pain vanished instantaneously.
His heart nearly exploded as a new kind of tears wet his eyes.
At the sound of the voice of the one he thought for sure he had lost forever, Mana sprung from his bed, rushed to his twin, his brother, his other half, and dang near tackled him to the ground in embrace.
(What the heck man, why did I set this up for a sequel? Happy new year everybody. Thank you so much JY24 and I hope you have an amazing year. God bless all of you. I love you all. See you later!)