Chapter Thirty-Six - Does He Cry?
*Brrrrring~* *Brrrrring~* *Brrrrrrring~*
[Hi, you've reached Vanessa. I have no clue why I can't come to the phone right now, but I can't, so please leave me a message, and I'll get back to you when I can~!]
*Beeeep*
"H-Hey Vanessa, it's me. Look, I know I've been sending voicemails to you like this for a while now, and I don't know if you have my number blocked, or if you even have this phone anymore…" Jafar sighed, forcing himself to cut his ranting short.
"But, if you are listening, I just want to let you know that I miss you… I miss you a lot. I know why you're doing all this, but please, can't we talk? I just want to make sure you're alright. It's a dangerous world out here, and I know I should've known how you'd be struggling with everything, but this isn't the way to do it, okay? We can work through this together. So please, please Vanessa-"
*Beep*
[The voicemail you've recorded has exceeded the allowed time. To send the current voicemail, press 1. To record a new voicemail, press 2.]
Jafar looked down at the phone clutched in his trembling hands, his thumb slowly hovering over the keypad, before he closed his eyes, and slammed his finger down onto the 1 key.
With nothing around him but the sounds of nature and the crackling campfire, all the tension drained out of his frame all at once, deflating Jafar like a leaking balloon. How long was he going to keep trying this? It's not like this was the first time he thought to reach out to Vanessa. He'd done so every day, hell, sometimes multiple times a day. After all the texts, voicemails and emails sent to her, it was obvious that if she still had the capacity to reach out to him, she certainly was not interested in pursuing it.
Yet here he was, every single night, trying in vain to call her, each time that phone rang out, a little glimmer of hope would well up inside him, hope that perhaps this time, she would truly realize how dedicated he was to ensuring she was alright, maybe that time, she'd finally pick up, and he'd be able to hear her voice one more time…
But just like every other night, all that met him was failure.
The wisps of the campfire's embers reached up into the sky, ever reaching for the stars and the moon above. Despite its reputation as a force of destruction, Jafar couldn't help but find some sort of comfort in the billowing flames of heat. Like a blanket, the soft glow bathed his features, reflecting off his eyes which remained locked to the device in his hand. His strength finally leaving him, Jafar let the cell phone slip out of his fingers, dropping to the grassy soil below with an inaudible thud.
Hunching over himself, arms resting on his knees, the young adult buried his face into his hands. Every day that he spent on this entire quest to find Vanessa again, it only seemed like she was growing further and further away. He just hoped that one day, he could find her before she fell into something inescapable.
That was, if she hadn't already. A darker, more cynical part of Jafar's brain countered.
Jafar continued to sit there, content to soak up the relative isolation and the quiet around him in order to stew in his despair, however, the sound of two approaching sets of feet spurred Jafar to force himself upright. Eyes already adjusted to the dark, Jafar peered over the campfire as his two current travelling companions emerged from the tree-line.
"We're ba-ck~!" Bikou hummed, "Are you really this tired already?"
"No, why?"
"Nah, it's just that you looked like you passed out just now," The monkey boy padded across the camp, plopping down against an overturned log right of the fire, "It'd be a shame for you to go to bed before you got to eat dinner after all!"
"Yeah, sorry about that. The fire just made me a little sleepy, that's all," Jafar smiled as he lied through his teeth.
"How's your new body feeling then~?" Kuroka walked up behind Jafar, who barely had the energy to react as she ran a salacious hand up his chest, "After all, it's not everyday when someone gets a full-body makeover, nya~"
"About as fine as I can be," Jafar shrugged.
Kuroka purred, "You're just taking it tonight, huh? It's not as fun when you don't react or banter. And here I thought we had a dynamic… Are you sure everything's fine?"
"Sorry, sorry, I just…" Jafar pinched the corners of his eyes, "I'm just a little tired tonight."
Kuroka eyed Jafar worryingly for a moment. She really wouldn't let it go if he didn't make it clear he was fine, huh?
With no option left, Jafar gave her a weak, but nonetheless genuine smile, "Kuroka, I'm fine, seriously."
He made it a point to reach down and scoop up his phone before his companions managed to connect the dots even more. After all, they were here for Kuroka's sake, there was no reason to start making this all about him.
"If you say so, nya…" Kuroka slipped away from him, "So, are we going to eat now? I'm hungry!"
The rumbling of his own stomach snapped Jafar out of his reverie, "Yeah, we should get some food going. Here, Bikou, pass me the pot, I'll go and fill it up."
"Here, catch." Bikou tossed the small camping pot across the clearing. Easily, Jafar caught it in the palm of his one hand and brought it down to his lap. Flexing his fingers, Jafar raised his palm to the pot.
"By the way, make sure you don't accidentally make it holy water again, okay? You're lucky that Arthur was the first to try it, or else we would've really had some problems." Bikou shot back.
Jafar quietly chuckled, "Don't worry, it won't happen again."
June 7th, 2013
Day Nine of Training
11 Days Remain
"Hyah!" Vin shouted out in exertion, swinging his light spear around in a sweeping arc towards his mentor's side.
As effortless as ever, Baraqiel raised his meaty forearm to block the light weapon's advance. The two clashed together in a show of sparks, yet the Cadre seemed undeterred, instead opting to swing his other fist directly at Vin's head.
Immediately, Vin broke off the engagement, taking a leap backward as Baraqiel's fist met naught but air. Twirling the spear in his hands, Vin assumed his stance.
"You're getting better at this already," Baraqiel called back, right as he pivoted to block an oncoming knee strike from Akeno, "It looks like your idea to distribute your magical energy throughout your body works. However, you'll have to make sure distributing that energy doesn't take too long, or more importantly, distract you in a fight."
Baraqiel turned around, and with a mighty shove, forced Akeno off of his body, "You, Akeno, need to refine your blows. A few too many of them have wide swings, and you tend to telegraph your attacks a bit too easily."
Skidding to a halt, Akeno scowled, "Then how about this!"
Raising her hand, the entirety of the sky above the arena filled with the glow of countless magical circles. Vin took a moment to pause and gawk at the impressive sight, if it hadn't been proven to him before, it was certain now, Akeno was definitely Rias' Queen, and had all the power to show for it.
"Valiant, but you should be more careful. A skilled opponent would know to attack you as soon as you leave yourself open like that."
Baraqiel didn't even spare a glance at the legion of crackling magical circles overhead, instead summoning a short light spear in his hand, and hucking it right at his daughter like a javelin.
Glancing at the weapon hurtling towards her at rapid speed, Akeno grit her teeth. She was in no position to move, lest her efforts all end in vain. So instead, the raven-haired beauty simply braced herself for impact.
It wouldn't kill her, she was certain of that. That man, that thing she would only begrudgingly call her father would make sure that she was safe. Still, she had no doubt that the impact would hurt like all hell. So she braced, her brain already imagining what the searing pain would feel like all over her skin.
Thankfully, that pain never came, as a massive crystal wall swept out of the earth in front of her at the eleventh hour.
Baraqiel hummed in interest as he watched the light spear hit the crystal wall, only to bounce off the wall in a completely different direction. Odd… Quite odd indeed… That was something he'd have to make note of for later.
"Excellent assist," Baraqiel commended, as he finally looked up at the sky, the magical circles charged to completion. Glancing around the field, Baraqiel grimaced.
Was… Was her plan to carpet bomb then entire arena in lightning!? Did she have no control over an attack of that power? Was she just planning to blow her enemies and allies away at the same time?
Baraqiel had no more time to think, as an ear-splitting shriek filled the air, before an utter bombardment of lightning began to descend upon the field. Throwing his hand out and flexing his power, Baraqiel winced slightly as every bolt of the magically-infused lightning arced unnaturally towards himself like a lightning rod.
Idly, as he grit his teeth, he wondered if he should have been proud that Akeno could strike with lightning this strong, or if he should admonish her for even thinking of using such a blatantly uncontrolled attack.
"What the…" Vin starred in rapt wonder as Baraqiel's arm stood awash in the crackling, booming, vibrant glow of a hundred thunderbolts.
As the last of the lightning finally left the magical circles, Baraqiel gave a deep grunt of effort, raising his arm to the sky, and releasing all the electricity that had concentrated in his hand. A bright, nearly blinding beam of pure, unbridled power shot into the sky, where it dissipated slowly into a spattering of zaps several hundred feet above them.
"So, what exactly was your plan there?" Baraqiel stared down his daughter, "Look, you simply cannot use an attack like that. Not only does it leave you completely open to attack, but it also would've hurt your own if you were in a real fight? You could've hurt Rias, or the Sekiryuutei."
Akeno at least had the dignity to look slightly ashamed.
Baraqiel sighed, "Come now, let's continue, alright?"
Vin trudged over to Akeno's side as his crystal wall shattered apart to nothing, "So, do you have any idea for a plan?"
"Don't-" Akeno turned around, her eyes blazing holes into the teenage boy, "Don't talk to me."
Vin backed up, hands out in front of him in surrender, "Hey, hey, easy there. We need to work together, that's all."
Akeno began walking towards her father, barely sparing another glance at her training 'partner', "You go left, I go right."
"Oh, great plan," Vin snarked, rolling his eyes, "Very thorough."
"Do you want me to zap you?" Akeno bit back.
"Fine, I'll go left." Vin conceded, taking off into a run towards Baraqiel.
As he bolted towards the Cadre's left flank, Vin swiped his right hand upward over and over, sending a spiral of crystals sprouting out of the ground towards Baraqiel in an inward spiral.
Parrying and punching crystals to harmless shards, Baraqiel was all to open. Racing forward with all of his speed, Vin produced a light spear in his hand, running ahead, spear poised to make an attack that Baraqiel would have to dodge out of his little area for.
Even better when Akeno suddenly swooped in, forcing Baraqiel to take his attention off him even further to deal with his daughter. Vin smiled, this was actually going to work? Damn, he honestly didn't expect it was going to succeed like this.
Akeno swung her thunder-coated fists at Baraqiel repeatedly, each attempt to punch him resulting in a simple parry. Finally, Akeno got an idea, and using her long, slender leg, she swung a wide kick at her father's side.
While the kick was easily blocked, actually hitting him successfully was never the intention; because as Akeno's leg smacked against her father's forearm, she used her leg's momentum to cast a collection of magical circles behind her father.
Her grin turned feral for a moment, she got him. She snapped her fingers, and lightning surged forth from her magical circles.
"Gyyyayayyayayayayayhahahhahahahahahaaaa!"
That… Was not Baraqiel's scream.
Both Akeno and Baraqiel turned around to see Vin collapse to the ground in utter agony. The back of his shirt was gone, blasted to smithereens, and in its absence was Vin's charred, smoking back.
"Vin, are you alright?" Baraqiel turned around, crouching down to inspect the boy's wound.
"I'm… I'm okay…" Vin groaned out, before hissing as he writhed on the rocks, "FUCK! oh man, that hurts like a motherfucker!"
"Wait here for a moment you two, I'll run back to the lodge to grab some medical supplies," Baraqiel stood up, flexing his numerous sets of wings, and with a mighty flap dove off into the sea of clouds below, leaving only Vin, Akeno, and the sounds of the howling mountaintop breeze.
"Ow… Where the hell were you aiming, Akeno?" Vin joked bitterly through his teeth.
"You wouldn't have gotten hit if you just stuck to the plan." Akeno gazed down at him like one would to a dog who had just peed on the rug, "You were supposed to go for his left, not go behind him."
"I was going for his left side! He turned around to face you, that's why I was behind him." Vin countered, his anger and frustration at his partner rising to the surface once more.
"You should have dodged." Akeno pointed out, "You have exorcist training, right? Make use of it next time."
"I shouldn't have to dodge my own allies' attacks."
Akeno merely scoffed, "This is what I get for expecting that teamwork would actually work."
Soon enough, Baraqiel emerged from the clouds once more, this time with a bottle of Phenex Tears and a roll of bandage in his hands, yet through all of the treatment and the silent walk back down to the lodge for the night, Vin couldn't get one question out of his head.
"Akeno, why exactly do you hate me?"
For the first time since the two had sat down for dinner, Akeno looked up from her meal to meet Vin's gaze. For a moment, it almost looked like she was surprised he was even asking the question.
"I don't hate you." Akeno replied simply, her eyes going back to her food.
"No, I really think you do, and I've been thinking this entire time about it, and honestly, I have no clue." Vin brought a spoonful of his soup to his lips, savoring the warm liquid as it dribbled down his throat. "I mean, I thought we got along really well the first time we met, didn't you?"
"It's not about you, so don't worry about it."
"It obviously does, Akeno." Vin stressed, "It's impossible to communicate with you, and I just want to know why, alright? I don't want to be told to not worry about it, or that it's not actually true, I want a reason."
Akeno glanced up at his unflinching expression, before sighing and setting her food to the side. "It's not a matter of me hating you as a person, it's more what you are."
"A Fallen Angel." Vin put the pieces together, "Is this the same reason why Baraqiel hasn't ever joined us for dinner here?"
It was true. Vin picked up on it on the very first night, but every single day when it came time for dinner, Baraqiel would come, take a portion, and then leave out the door to eat his food far away from them. That unwillingness to sit down with the rest of them, compounded with the tension whenever he saw the father and daughter alone together, were more than enough to tip Vin off to the fact that the two had more than just a rocky relationship.
"Vin, I'll get straight to the point: why did you choose to become a Fallen Angel?" Akeno hissed.
Vin leaned back in his seat, "Is that the reason? Really?"
"Of course." Akeno doubled-down, "The choice to be a Fallen Angel wasn't out of your control…"
Voice dropping to a bitter quiet, Akeno looked down at her lap, "...You weren't born one. No, you had complete control, and yet, you chose to become one of those wretched things!"
"Alright… Well, what can I say?" Vin mulled over his words, "I was sent on a mission by higher-ups from the Church that could have possibly killed me and my teammates, and they opted to provide no additional support. However, throughout the entire mission, it was Azazel who chose to reach out to us, and provide as much assistance as he could, despite the fact that his situation potentially meant he had more to lose. Yet, he still helped us. He was the one who sent reinforcements at the end of our battle."
"You were there, Akeno." Vin leaned over the table, locking eyes with the girl, "If Vali and your father hadn't shown up when they did… We would've all died that night."
Shifting awkwardly in her seat, Akeno folded her arms. Yet, she made no attempt to rebuke, so Vin continued.
"Then, by the end of the mission, me and Xenovia reported back to the Church to give our mission update, and what happened? We got excommunicated on the spot, just like that. So, we were left to pick up the pieces ourselves."
"Of course, you know the story from there, Xenovia wanted to be with a group of people, so she decided to join up with you and the other's in Rias' peerage. Meanwhile, I received a message from Azazel to meet up. When we did, he offered me a position as a Fallen Angel. Of course, I took it. The man earned my complete and utter respect. So… Yeah, that's the story."
The room was engulfed by silence for a moment as Akeno digested the words. Finally, after a beat, she opened her mouth once more.
"You were a fool."
"How so?" Vin quirked his brow.
"Fallen Angels are tricky and manipulative to the core. They're going to use you for everything they want. They'll demand your utmost loyalty… But as soon as it comes time for you to need their help, they'll be nowhere to be found."
"Explain…" Vin narrowed his eyes.
Akeno held his gaze for a moment before letting out a withering sigh, "My mother died because of my father. He killed her because he didn't care about us."
"That's… a bold claim," Vin admitted carefully, trying to avoid setting his companion off, "Mind elaborating for me?"
"My father married a human woman, a shrine maiden, a long time ago. Then, they had me. Father left to attend to his business as a Cadre, and in his absence, mother's family came to our home, fearful and furious about mother having not only a relationship with a Fallen Angel, but a child. In retaliation, they massacred her…" A dozen emotions flashed through Akeno's eyes, before heartbreak set in, "Her last moments were spent giving me time to run. Imagine that, an eleven year old girl, running for her life, her mother having just died before her eyes. All because her father didn't love them enough to stay and protect them."
"He knew. He knew that the Himejima clan wanted us dead. But he chose to perform his work at the Grigori instead of being there for us." Akeno grit her teeth, rising to her feet, "He may not have technically been the one who attacked us, but without a doubt, he's the one who killed my mother."
Vin digested her story in silence. It was a cruel, horrifying story no doubt, but there was only one thing that the Crystal Weaver could truly take away from Akeno's tale.
"Who's to say he didn't make a mistake?" Vin challenged, remaining firm even as Akeno's hate-filled gaze snapped to him, "He seems regretful. It's obvious to everyone that he's trying to reach out to you. What if he made a mistake, what if he's trying to make amends, and do better? As a person, as a father?"
"I don't want him in my life. T-That thing is not my father."
"You're seriously going to sit there and push away the only family you have left?" Vin could feel his blood begin to boil. Images and memories of his own family flashing through his head.
"He's not my family." Akeno warned, her tone like ice.
"No, he is. No matter how much you don't like it, that man is your father." Vin stood up from his seat, and walked around the table to face Akeno directly, "You have a choice here, Akeno. You can repair your family, you lost your mother, but you haven't lost your dad. Not unless you choose to. Again, it's obvious he holds regret about things, and wants to be with you, so why not give him a chance? Just a chance!"
"Please, stop acting like you know what it's like to be me." Akeno scoffed.
"I wish I was you!"
Akeno paused, stunned, "Wha-"
"I'm jealous, alright? If I were in your shoes, then I would be trying my hardest to reconnect with my father, because you're lucky Akeno."
"I'm... lucky?" Akeno fumed, before finally, she snapped, "WHAT PART OF MY LIFE IS LUCKY, VIN?!"
"AT LEAST YOU STILL HAVE A FAMILY TO GO BACK TO!" Vin yelled back.
"That man is NOT my family!"
"YES HE IS! HE'S YOUR FAMILY! YOU'RE SO INSISTENT ON CRYING ABOUT LOSING YOUR FAMILY, YET YOUR PUSHING AWAY THE FAMILY YOU HAVE LEFT!"
"SHUT UP! I KEEP TELLING YOU, I DON'T WANT HIM IN MY LIFE!"
"FUCKING HELL, YOU KEEP SAYING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAN! WHAT, DO YOU THINK YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU FOR THIS?!"
Akeno's eyes went wide, as all the wind left her sails immediately, "W-What..?"
"YEAH, YOUR MOTHER GAVE BIRTH TO YOU BECAUSE SHE LOVED YOUR DAD!" Vin yelled, before finally having to catch a breath, "Ha~ Listen, if you think you're doing anything other than spitting on your mother's grave by doing this then you're even more stupid than I thought. I mean, seriously. If your mother was watching you now, I bet she'd be ashamed of the spoiled little bitch you've bec-!"
*CRACK!*
Vin recoiled back, as his face was suddenly shot to the side. Quickly, he began to feel a stinging sensation spread all over his cheek, while the taste of metal began to creep into his mouth. The veil of red-hot anger slowly beginning to take over his common sense.
Ever so carefully, Vin lifted his head up to look at Akeno. Huffing with deep breaths, her hand still poised in the air from the slap she had just delivered. Hot, messy tears began to well up and spread down her cheeks, as she glared at Vin with a level of pure vitriol that wasn't even reserved for her father.
"Fuck. You." Akeno spat.
Not wasting a second, the Queen turned around and walked off, stomping up the stairs, and leaving Vin's sight. Only when the slam of her door rang out like a shot throughout the lodge, did Vin know the conversation was finally over.
Moving in eerie silence, Vin made his way to the door and pulled on his shoes in a rush, barely noticing that Crystal Weaver had been summoned involuntarily.
How. Dare. She…
He could feel it, his rage rapidly approaching its peak, threatening to eclipse any shred of dignity and reason in his mind. Forgoing any form of coat, Vin threw open the front door of the lodge, and just as quickly slammed it behind him.
He needed to just… Get out. At least, before he couldn't hold it in anymore.
He felt like he needed to break something, just smash it into oblivion. So he needed out, now, before he made the mistake of breaking something he didn't own.
Vin had managed to take only three steps out into the harsh rain before he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"GRRRAAAAHHH! FUCK!"
Yelling his lungs out, Vin charged forward, right towards the sheer cliff face that led down to the forest at the base of the mountain. Despite its danger, the teen didn't falter in leaping off the cliff, letting gravity take control as it sent him plummeting down towards the forest below.
As the countless rows of trees began to fade into view, Vin's pitch-black wings shot out from his back, and with a powerful flap, the teen went from plummeting to swooping into the clearing where he'd been performing his training over the past few days.
Shoes digging up dirt, soil and mud in deep grooves, Vin's momentum eventually halted. Teeth gnashing against each other, he yanked his feet out of the ground, and began to march into the center of the clearing. With each step he took, Vin's brain overflowed with his anger.
How the hell could she just so casually throw away family like that? It baffled him to no end. In what realm could someone look at someone, who, by all accounts didn't do anything to harm his family directly.
Vin absentmindedly swung his arm in a wide arc; a tidal wave of crystals crashing out of the ground, snapping the trunks of trees that had unfortunately been in its path.
Meanwhile, while she turned away an honestly innocent family, here he was. Did he want to leave his family behind? No, of course not! Even after all this time, the wounds still hurt. The knowledge that nothing he could do would ever let him be a part of that family the same way he once had threatened to tear him apart. Sure, he'd been able to cope and find new happiness in his friends, his found family, so to speak, but that didn't mean he was over what had happened; not at all…
The teen spun to his left, his rain-soaked hair whipping against his skin like a leather whip, yet that dull pain never registered over the pure vibrato of his fuming anger. A light spear quickly manifested into his hand.
"GGGGGYYYYAAAAAH-!" Vin screamed at the top of his lungs, as he hurled the construct into the trees nearby, easily leaving a deep smoking gash in the poor tree across the grove.
Vin continued to roar, immediately throwing yet another spear at the same tree, the blow ending up snapping the dense oak apart, causing it to crash down with a mighty boom.
But that grand noise might as well have been a pin drop to Vin, as his ears only took in white noise, all while he kept throwing spear after spear into the woods.
How could she possibly wish for what he had? To leave her family behind with not another word? Did she know what it was like? That conversation had been a giant slap in the face to him, both figuratively, as well as literally.
Soon enough, even his thoughts began to blur together, a murky soup of white noise that permeated his head. How long did he spend in that state? Blind, incensed, lashing out at the environment around him? He honestly didn't know. It could have been a matter of a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours.
He only came to once a firm, yet gentle grip clamped onto his wrist, preventing him from tossing another light spear with his left hand.
"Vin, snap out of it. Close your eyes and take a deep breath."
The teen's vision slowly began to return to focus, his mentor standing before him, looking just as waterlogged as he was. A stern expression set deeply into his features. Vin followed the command, taking a deep breath that sagged his shoulders, before finally opening his eyes once more, the fire within him now smothered.
"There, are you calmer now?" Vincent Corsetti asked patiently, not a hint of judgement in his voice.
Vin's breath caught in his throat. He blinked, and as soon as he opened his eyes, the image of his father was replaced with his current mentor.
Perhaps it was the rain, or his mind just playing tricks on him… The sentimental side of him latching onto any reminder of his old family…
Some scars never healed, perhaps.
"I-I'm alright…" Vin brought his hand to his face as soon as Baraqiel finally relinquished his hold, rubbing his eyes, "Um… How long was I out here?"
"Long enough to do this," Baraqiel waved his hand out to the grove, the ring of thick foliage leveled in a 20 foot radius. Spires of crystal strewn around the field without any control.
"Sorry…" Vin cringed, embarrassment over his lack of self-control finally setting in.
Before he could stew in his self-deprecation and regret, Vin was grounded by the heavy hand of the Cadre falling onto his shoulder.
"Come, let's find a place out of the rain, and then we can talk."
The two fallen angels walked towards the ring of destruction that surrounded the open grove, soon finding themselves underneath a small alcove created by intersecting pillars of crystal. The rain poured down the opening like a waterfall, creating a curtain from the front.
Baraqiel ruffled a hand through his short hair, "Now, is it alright if I ask you why you were out in the rain like this?"
"Me and Akeno had an argument." Vin wrapped his hands around his bare arms, suddenly very aware of the fact that he forgot his jacket when he burst out the lodge. "I asked her why she was treating me so badly, and then it went to me being a fallen angel, and then… It kinda spiralled out of control from there."
"How so?" Baraqiel asked, his tone devoid of any emotion.
"Well, she said that she was disgusted that I became a fallen angel, and when I asked her why she hated that… She… She brought up you and her mother." Vin tried to say as courteously as possible, afraid that he might set off another person today, "She kept saying that… Well, that…"
"That I was the reason her mother is dead, no?" Baraqiel filled in the blanks.
A sigh slipped from Baraqiel's lips, the once indomitable cadre looking just a little more weary, a little more ragged.
"She's not entirely wrong. There were seals and protective barriers in place for their safety, but I shouldn't have been foolish enough to assume that they were enough that I could simply leave for work at the time."
"Still, that's a mistake." Vin reiterated, "What you did wasn't ideal, sure, but you're owning up to that, and you're trying to be more present in her life now, right? She's just turning you away for no reason, and it's just-Grah!"
Vin slammed his fist into the crystal at his back, putting a deep crack into the mineral.
"You feel rather strongly about this." Baraqiel observed.
"I… Well… Uh…" Vin choked on his words, before sighing and slumping to the ground, leaning up against the crystal with his back, and burying his face in his arms. "I made a mistake. God, I'm an asshole…"
"You're not," Baraqiel denied, "What's the issue?"
"I said some things in the moment that I'm not too proud of." Vin admitted with a groan, "I… I think that she's a hypocrite for crying over losing her family, yet turning away the family she has left."
"Mhm…" Baraqiel hummed, spurring Vin on to continue.
"And, well, I… I overreacted to her saying that you weren't her family." Vin curled up, "I told her that her mother would be ashamed to see her acting that way… Only, I said it a lot less politely."
"I see." Baraqiel replied, looking into the curtain of cascading water pouring off the roof of the crystals, "Vin, I truly appreciate you trying to stand up for me, but you have to understand the same lesson I did years ago…"
"And that is?"
"You can't force forgiveness." Baraqiel stated.
"But Akeno is clearly in the wrong, she's racist towards an entire group because her father made one mistake!"
"That may be, but forcing her to forgive me won't solve anything." Baraqiel shook his head slowly, "It won't stop her from acting the way she does towards fallen angels, it won't stop her holding me accountable for her mother's death, and it won't stop her from turning me away. It's disingenuous that way. The only way we can possibly escape that is if she realizes it herself, and actively strives to improve her situation."
"She's never going to at this rate, though." Vin pointed out, "She's in this mindset way too deep."
"Perhaps that's true…" Baraqiel cracked a small, vulnerable smile, "But then again, maybe I'm just a father who wants to foolishly believe in the goodness of his daughter. That's why, no matter how many times she may turn me away, I'm still going to keep that door open for her if she ever decides she wants to take it."
"..." Vin remained silent, looking out at the water falling outside.
"I think it's better that you two spend a little bit of time apart for now," Baraqiel admitted, "It just so happens that it works out. Azazel was asking if he could borrow you for a day, so I'm sure that we can make that day tomorrow."
"Do you want to head back to the lodge now? Get you out of the rain?" Baraqiel offered, unphased when Vin timidly shook his head.
"Um… Thanks for the offer, but I don't really want to be there right now."
Baraqiel marched over to Vin, helping the boy up with a hand, "That's perfectly fine. Is there anything you want me to grab at the lodge for you? I'll call for a ride to the Gremory Estate right away."
Vin shook his head, "Just my phone, maybe my earbuds. They should both be on the bedside table in my room."
"Just wait here then. Baraqiel nodded with a small smile, before stepping into the rain, flexing his wings, and taking off, leaving Vin alone once more in the rain.
The boy's eyes itched, his nose felt clogged and runny, a traitorous lump growing in his throat. No, he needed to stay strong…
But then again, here in the woods, all alone, who was there to be strong for?
"... I miss you guys… Mom, Dad, Lisa… I miss you all so much…"
People often pose the question, if a tree falls, and no one's around to see it, does it really fall at all?
Better yet, if a boy cries in the rain, and no one's around to witness it, then does he truly cry at all..?
Oh boy… I was gone for a while, huh?
So, full transparency here, I have no idea why it took me this long to come out with a new chapter. I think it was a combination of fatigue, and a break in my writing schedule caused by my vacation. DxD is a great series, but sometimes too much of one thing burns you out a little.
Still, I hold true to my promise, I'll announce publicly if and when I go on a hiatus. This was more or less just me taking a long-ass time to write a chapter. Still, I was twiddling with this chapter off and on the entire time I was gone, so that's why I never announced I was taking a break.
I'm trying my hardest to get back into the saddle, so to speak. It's always a bit of a struggle to get back into it after such a long period of time, but frankly, I think it also helps to come in with a fresh perspective. With any luck, the next chapter does not come out in two months.
Anyway, this chapter was originally going to be much longer, but I decided to cap it here because it fits better as a cohesive narrative this way. It's a depressing chapter, but it fits well, I think. Especially that ending, I really like what I came up with there. The opening scene was also a joy to write. Jafar is finally back! I love showing these little moments of the Vali Team genuinely showing care and appreciation to one another, since they're like a little family of misfits and rejects. Also, if you couldn't already pick up on the subtext in that opening, between who was there, and what Jafar said about 'not making it about him', it's obvious that Jafar is going to be tying into the little Vali Team attack at the Young Devil's gala.
Other than that, I don't have too much more to say. I want to thank you all for holding on for so long to get to the next part of this story, and for continuing to read, follow, favorite and especially leave reviews. It's just such a wonderful experience getting to read everyone's opinions and excitement about this fic. Even getting to talk to some of you on the DxD: Fanon Public Discord Server.
So, as always, if you enjoyed what you read, and want to be notified by email when this story updates, please do leave a follow and a favorite; and please don't forget to leave a review, those are always such a treat for me.
With that said, I hope we'll see each other again sooner than before, and don't forget to rock on!