Demon of Ice, Angel of Fire
Chapter One: The “Creature”
The sun carefully arranged itself on the horizon, sending violent bursts of colors, oranges, reds, pinks, purples, and blues, across the sky. The end result was a beautiful painting in a vibrant splash of color, the sunset. A beautiful view that all too few appreciated.
He was lucky, so very lucky, as he was the only Vampire that could even catch a glimpse of its glory… A sharp gust of wind blew the shaggy cobalt hair, revealing a pale but healthy face whose lips were stretched in an unusual and rarely seen smile. None of the others knew of the beautiful images he was blessed with.
He sat there, carefully and critically imprinting the colorful scene into his mind for a later painting. Maybe, just maybe he would show it to someone… Nezumi might appreciate the work. His smile faded. He’d forgotten. Judgment had been passed on the boy… No body would even want to come back after Judgment; Heaven was a far better place than Earth.
He absently wondered what Heaven would be like when, or even if, he ever got to go. He had no idea what he had done in his life to become a Demon but he was one, and unfortunately, that seemed to be what counts. It depressed him a little, not that it showed on his face. No Demon could remember their human lives, though that sometimes changed after Judgment was passed. He tucked a few strands of hair behind one pointed ear and shifted slightly on the rock on which he sat. The sun had just dipped below the horizon; it was going to officially be the time of the demons in a short while.
A sharp white momentary flash at the lower edges of his vision caught his attention for the 20th time that evening. Yes, he had been counting. Oddly enough, it came from a pendant that hung on a thick gold chain. He wasn’t sure why it had started flashing; it had only started earlier that day. He fought the urge to snort. Specifically, it had started flashing 20 hours previous. A slightly pensive look came to his ordinarily stoic face, as he examined his prize possession. A quiet, almost inaudible chuckle escaped his lips, it was strange, that such a little thing could protect him the way it did.
Satoshi Hikari wasn’t really much like all the other Vampires; he didn’t have the pitch black hair of his kind, the one-tone maroon eyes, the waxy skin, the excitable personality… He was considered very unusual, even for demons in general. He had sparkling ocean blue eyes, like ice and with hair to match. He was cold, distant, pretty much having the personality of a rock, most would say. He scowled slightly, his fangs peeking out from his lips slightly, a pearly white. In fact, if it weren’t for his fangs and ears, most would not realize what his race happened to be. His eyes were too full of life and lacking malice, no matter how anti-emotional he was.
Satoshi openly scowled for a second and pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard the familiar squeaking voice and fluttering wings of one of his father’s messengers a hour and half later. He was annoyed, that much was clear. He really didn’t like any of his father’s messengers. It wasn’t anything against the Demons themselves; it was just the fact that his father had sent them. Don Hikari wasn’t anywhere’s near his ‘accepted peoples’ list. He actually managed to be one of the few on his ‘insufferable people’ list.
“Satoshi-sama!” the creature squeaked, his minute bat-like wings battling furiously against gravity as he landed with a plop on his shoulder. His repellent yellowed eyes flicked around apprehensively while his whip-like tail snapped back and forth like the whip it resembled. His cerulean scaled, black clawed feet and hands dug into the Vampire’s shirt.
He really didn’t like them. “Yes?” he inquired shortly, tensing slightly and fighting the tempting urge to swat it away. He’d been having a grand time watching the stars, thank you very much! He had no need, nor want, of a distraction in this form.
The creature seemed to sense his barely aborted intentions and froze, shaking slightly in fear. He’d had Satoshi swat him away before. It was most definitely not one of his more pleasurable experiences. He hadn’t been able to move for a week! probing desperately for any semblance of courage in his self, the miniature Demon began to relay his message, “Master sent me out to bring to your attention an important matter!” his voice was squeaking somewhat comically as it desperately tried to stay balanced and still on his shoulder.
“Of course,” Satoshi spat, not at all pleased, “What else would you be there for?” he turned his head slightly in curiosity, unable to see the small Demon past his longish dark blue hair. Don Hikari never sent anyone to him for any other matter. He felt a fleeting flicker of amusement, well… there was the one time that they had a masquerade ball… The Demon who was sent had just barely lived to regret actually showing up to deliver the message.
“Yes sir!” he nodded violently, trying to be agreeable. “The mission is to destroy an unknown creature that threatens our society!” The little creature nearly lost his balance on the shoulder as he continued nodding vigorously. He couldn’t help but yelp as he was grabbed unceremoniously in Satoshi’s hands and deposited on said Vampires knee.
Satoshi’s neck hurt, a lot, trying to look over his shoulder for a prolonged period of time wasn’t easy on anyone’s neck, Demon, Angel, or Humans! He was irritated at the Demon’s slow pace and rattled off quick questions to be answered, “Name, age, and appearance?” He paused a moment and was rewarded with a stretch of silence, “Well? Hurry up! How will I know him?” A bored expression never left his face but his eyes broadcasted his irritation.
The little Demon huffed, managing to dig up courage at his lack of punishment and spoke angrily, “Name: Daisuke Niwa. Age: unknown. Estimated age is between three thousand to six thousand-”
Satoshi couldn’t help his startled exclamation as his head jerked upward and darted towards the creatures place. His exclamation came out in the most unbecoming squeak that had ever passed his soft red lips. He knew that Angels could easily hit that range, seeing as they could live forever, but he had never heard of any other creature that could manage to live that long! That is, of course, if he didn’t include the Demon King or a few of the higher Nobles. Satoshi himself was only hitting his eight-hundred and seventy-fifth year as a Demon that year!
“-years old, red eyes, red hair,” he ignored Satoshi’s uncharacteristic exclamation outwardly, whilst cackling madly inside. He was almost high on the fact that he got a reaction of this sort out of the normally unflappable Satoshi Hikari. He’d be the only one in the Castle! “He appears to be slightly younger than you. His estimated height is to be 5’4’’…”
“Short…” two shoulders dropped slightly in a minuscule motion. He seldom received missions anymore… So this anomaly was viewed as an atypical event by the Vampire in question. He had been trying to accumulate a mental image that he could base his target from, in order to find his objective with the least amount of hassle. The height measure had completely ruined what ideas he had taken from there.
“His looks are deceivingly innocent,” the mini-demon recited steadily. Yes, any illustration Satoshi had attempted to construct had been decimated beyond repair. He was beginning to get quite inquisitive as to why the creature was a threat and what he looked like… A slight furrowing of blue brows was hardly noticeable but it was there. He was getting a nagging feeling about this… He just couldn’t figure over what it must be.
The mini-devil finished doling out all the information it had quickly. He didn’t want to reside in the Vampire’s presence for much longer. It wore on his senses and was a hazard to his health. He took to flight, fleeing with slightly more violent wing-beatings than were really quite necessary.
“Innocent…” Satoshi smiled slightly in remembrance of a far off memory and watched the small messenger leave before standing up gracefully, removing his cloak in that motion. Bat-like wings soon twisted into existence on his shoulder blades, seemingly out of the shadows nearby. After carefully resettling his cloak between his wings and shifting his sword into a position for better access he lifted off the ground with strong beats.
A feral grin split his face and two feet left the ground with a fierce push and the sound of large heavy wings.
The hunt was on.
The young looking man strode forward quickly, his blue hair swaying in tune with each solid step, “He should be about here…” he muttered inarticulately in his low tone. Satoshi Hikari had been on his oh-so-irritating expedition for about a week-much longer than he usually took to find his prey. He found that his target was quite the slippery one, but, unfortunately for this ‘Daisuke Niwa’ he’d never failed a mission. All his leads had lead up to this point. So, he should have been able to spot the creature.
Satoshi was in a fairly paltry town. He felt like he had stepped back in time hundreds of years, despite how utterly impossible it was to do so. His expedition had him feeling like gone over the town with a fine-toothed comb many, many, times, and he was quite ready for a break. It didn’t take much for him to locate a series of signs directing him to a small, yet peaceful, park. Satoshi had pretty much memorized the town. He found he quite liked it.
He sighed irritably, sitting down on a bench made mutually of steel and wood. No matter how much he liked the town, he didn’t like the circumstances that brought him to its residence. Where was that little thing he was supposed to find? Satoshi was frustrated and he had found himself wishing for a picture of the being he was looking for time and time again. He didn’t even know if it had humanoid form! He could be looking for a demonic squirrel for all he knew!
He sat there, his irritation quickly fading, watching a few children play in the Eden like green grass while their parents spoke nearby, their loving and attentive eyes on their young. The calming zephyr fluffed his disobedient blue locks around his face as he watched his seventh sunset since he had begun his search. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he folded his arms behind his head and reclined in a lazy fashion. The time-of-demons was quickly approaching and he wasn’t anticipating it in the least. A ghostly memory of sparkling red eyes and feathers came and was pulled away on the winds. He missed them. The Angels, you see. His memories were so faded. He knew he’d known Angels, for you see, he had paintings of them. He didn’t remember who of or when he had done them but he knew he had. The paintings were so damaged…
He was taken by surprise, although he didn’t show it, by a harsh yell coming from nearby. It was nothing like the giddy and happy shrieks the children were letting out. Unhooking his ankle from his knee he turned his head towards the source of the sound in an uninterested fashion. A large explosion sounded soon and his jaw dropped slightly, feeling taken aback. He knew he’d find his target eventually, he even expected it to run away, but he never expected to see his target running his way!
With a plan promptly forming in his mind, Satoshi leisurely climbed to his feet with vaguely narrowed eyes as he watched the boy draw closer. He suspected that this scheme he was devising would be very easy to put into motion.
As it was, it only took the Vampire a few forward steps before the collision was unavoidable. Just as expected, the smaller boy hadn’t seen him until it was too late. A soft body violently collided with Satoshi’s form with audible noise. Immediately after the boy ran into Satoshi’s unyielding body the Vampire snared the boys left arm in his rigid, steel-like grip, his fingers tight enough to bruise. To any casual observer-though there were none-as the families had hurriedly left, he was just attempting to help the boy keep from falling flat on his cute little face.
Primary red eyes looked up at his capturer, showing a bit of confusion in their depths. “E-e-excuse me!” Daisuke stuttered, beginning to look quite flustered for some reason Satoshi could not comprehend. A blush was alighting on his almost cherubic face like a stop-light. This had to be Daisuke Niwa. Satoshi viciously batted away any straying thoughts, preferring to, and failing to, focus on thoughts on what he could be… He didn’t look very dangerous…
While Satoshi was seemingly staring half dumbly at Daisuke, Daisuke was trying in vain to pull away and dodge around his side. Unfortunately, for the smaller boy, he was brought to an abrupt and sharp stop as he felt his arm start to bend in a way it really shouldn’t. He looked back pleadingly into Satoshi’s blue eyes.
“What’s wrong?” the Vampire asked quietly, his grip taut on the now panicking boys arm. Crimson eyes locked with icy blue for a short period of time before tearing away quickly and looking over his shoulder. The struggling increased and a very surprised Satoshi was nearly thrown off balance by their intensity.
“D-Demons!” the boy answered, he was still stuttering ever so slightly, “It is coming!” The boy’s attention kept flicking between Satoshi and the unknown Demon rapidly. Satoshi began to feel vaguely confused at the behavior. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the boy was a through and through human… Satoshi was apprehensive for a moment suddenly wondering if he had the wrong person.
No, it wasn’t possible. He fit all too perfectly within the descriptions limitations.
Satoshi opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the abrupt arrival of a misshapen creature that brutally burst out of the undergrowth from the same route Daisuke had come. He a slight furrowing of Satoshi’s brows of his brows and more tugging from Daisuke was all the reaction that the thing received.
Satoshi wasn’t quite sure what kind of Demon the creature was but it repulsed him all the same. Suffice to say, it wasn’t anywhere near attractive. The creature seemed to have the mangled attributes of some type of reptile and a panther. The maw was significantly under bitten, the overly large canines hanging far past its lower jaw. Corded and bulky muscles created an over balanced form only kept on its four feet by low riding wings and a long thick tail, and the patchy black fur was of varying lengths smattered randomly with acidic green scales.
Satoshi breathed out quietly and let the pale arm go momentarily, taking a wicked katana out of the folds of his cloak, where it was discretely hidden. His cold eyes just dared it to come any closer, promising a swift death, whether painful or painless was undetermined. He had to admit it to himself, he was curious at why Daisuke could be such a threat to his populous. Especially if he could seem to feel so threatened by such a weak, little, and stupid demon! Okay, so it wasn’t little, but it would be no harder to kill than a normal animal, for him at least, and it wouldn’t have near the intelligence.
Yellow catlike eyes focused on the two and they rolled in a fashion quite reminiscent of a bull’s while in an arena. The creatures head tossed and it made a few ungraceful heavy steps before a roar of animalistic fury escaped the creature’s maw in a shrieking rush, as it threw itself towards Satoshi’s bare throat. The jagged claws tore into the ground viciously, tossing turf into the air.
Unexpectedly, there was quite the answering cry from Daisuke, though of a vastly different type as he shouted, “Watch out!” and shoved the Vampire out of the way with an unusually strong push. Satoshi soon found himself sprawled on the soft grass, his katana several feet away and the boy as equally sprawled as himself, though on him rather than the ground.
Daisuke tried to assess the damage while the creature tried to turn its body around for a duplicate attack. Unfortunately, for the attacking Demon, the only damage left behind from the assault was a nasty tear in the russet colored shirt the smaller boy was wearing. Satoshi frowned slightly at the sight of a glint of metal below the russet shirt but the boy was moving too much for him to get a solid look in. He had a feeling that it was important but he couldn’t, for his soul, remember why!
Daisuke only hesitated long enough ensure that Satoshi had no damage before he bolted, he was quickly leaving the fine, although sprawled form, on the ground in his wake. Red hair disappeared quickly from the Vampires line of sight, where he was still lying, for once feeling rather surprised.
He really didn’t understand what had happened. Nobody should have been strong enough to knock him over, he realized. He hadn’t thought of it in a while… Shaking his head quickly Satoshi unhurriedly climbed to his feet and ran after the unusual boy and the misshapen Demon.
The nagging feeling was back.
Satoshi was quite surprised to find the Demon but not the boy. Though, he mused silently, he should probably been more surprised by the fact that the rapidly decaying corpse was torn and mangled into bits and shreds, rather than having been focusing on the fact that he couldn’t see the boy anywhere near. A leather booted foot kicked the skull across the grass as he watched its brisk decaying until it was no more than a fine dust that was swiftly whisked away on the wind.
He idly wondered how it had come to its demise but dismissed the thought. A soft, yet irritated sigh escaped two red lips who twisted slightly in a frown. This was getting him no where! He felt his wings warp into existence on his shoulder blades and flipped his cape between them, preparing for takeoff. He could feel his sword against his spine amidst the heavy folds of his cloak.
“Oh…” came the so articulate word, causing Satoshi to spin around, startled, and mind you, he was rarely startled. Though he felt this might soon become a trend. “So you are a Demon?” the tone was light but there was something hidden underneath it that Satoshi couldn’t comprehend. “Strange, I thought I would have known…” it was Daisuke, a soft frown marring his features and a focused expression in his eyes. His soft eyelashes fell on his cheeks and he raised his hands to his face shaking his head slightly.
Daisuke was perched atop a brick wall, a puzzled expression appearing one his, by Satoshi’s point of view, cute face. His heels were bouncing off the wall absentmindedly and he was leaning forward slightly. It would have been a painful drop if not for what quickly stole Satoshi’s attention away.
They were wings. Beautiful garnet and ruby tinted wings nothing like Satoshi’s or any other Demons’. It was a known fact that all Demons were incapable of having wings of feather. Long sleek feathers gleamed in the dying light as Daisuke leaned forward a bit more, an inquisitive expression appearing on his cherubic face.
The boy opened his mouth to say something but paused a moment. This moment Satoshi put to use with a simple but very important question, “What are you?” the tone held a bare hint of emotion but that was so faint it was indecipherable. Satoshi had become quite the pro at hiding his emotions early in his Demon-hood and at the moment, his mind was working rapidly and efficiently, though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Really, it was almost laughable! His cloak rustled slightly as he strode forward a few steps, as if to get a better of the anomaly, though he hardly needed it. What was ‘it’, a shape-shifter?
The answer was almost shockingly simple and very nearly rocked the Vampires mind, “An Angel,” came the straightforward reply, whilst the thumping of the boy’s, no Angel’s, heels kicked up a more violent tempo, finally making some fashion of audible noise. “Who are you?”
His shoulders stiffened slightly, catching the Angel’s keen eye, and he replied stoically, “Hikari, Satoshi.” He was desperately trying to block out and ignore the stray thoughts that got through. “And before you ask, I am a Vampire.” His exterior didn’t show his emotions but in reality, he was reeling and screaming in his mind. No matter what effort he put into stopping it. It was unbelievable, an Angel? Here on earth?
Sure, a person would probably think, if there are Demons, why can’t there be Angels? But, unfortunately that wasn’t the problem. An Angel hadn’t been seen on earth in five-hundred years! As shoddy as a Demon’s memory is, Satoshi still vividly remembered seeing the Gates closing. The memory of the frantic Angels on the far side and the Gate and the Demons steadfastly pushing is shut had never left him. He could sharply remember the exhilarated cries of the Demons and the anguished screams from the Angels. He doubted it would ever leave him. It had been a sad day indeed.
The light voice caught wandering attentions, “Really? You are a Vampire? I thought all Vampires looked alike!” his thoughtless exclamation caused a tick in Satoshi’s eyebrow, the Angel, quickly realizing his error blushed brilliantly at what he had just openly implied. “Aah! Gomen nasai! I’m not trying to insult you! I just thought all Vampires were ugly!” Frantic hands clapped over his mouth as if to stifle what had already been said, though it proved to be fruitless.
“So that’s why…” Satoshi’s mind was still following a different track than Daisuke’s was. He was preoccupied and hadn’t yet processed what Angel had said. He gritted his teeth angrily and his lips lifted away in a silent snarl. He understood why his father had sent him out on this mission, claiming the Angel to be a ‘creature’. Had his father let him know that his assassination mission was to kill an Angel, he would never have even considered going! Seriously, they wanted and expected him to kill an Angel before realizing what it was! Satoshi hadn’t allied with the Demons in the war. By God, no, when the Gates were open he had preferred the company of Angels instead, “Deceivingly innocent my foot!” at the time of the war he had yet been too young, for a Demon, to really participate. By God, he wished he had.
He shook his head slightly and brushed a few strands of blue hair out of his eyes… It was due in for another cut, he was thinking. Shaking his head again, he asked, “What are you doing down here?” his inquiry was spoken quietly, as he proceeded in inspecting the Angel before him critically. He wore a loose red robe on a small lithe frame, little pieces of gold dangling off it here and there as clasps and decoration. A hooded cape that seemed to be part of the outfit its self was sitting around his shoulders and slipping off ruby red spikes. He couldn’t help but find it odd. Everything seemed to go along a warm color scheme… Yellow, orange, red…
“I’m finding the Keys!” The Angel’s voice was cheerful but his eyes were a bit weary, probably wondering if he would receive some retaliation from his earlier, non-processed, comment. “You know,” he winked, “the Keys to the Gates of Heaven!” He grin gained cheer at as the Vampire failed to go along the expected course of action for the situation. He was unperturbed by the fact that he was talking to someone who should have been an enemy. “I’ve already found the first one!” his expression suddenly dampened. “But I-” he sighed dramatically, though there was some real sadness and frustration behind it, “I can’t get it out of its place…”
He Angel shook his head violently before piping up again, “Were you looking for me? You were looking for me, right?” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wall tighter and his feet finally stilled and very intent expression entered his body language. Satoshi really didn’t see why his answer would be so important.
“Yes,” he spoke brusquely, “Father sent me out to kill you. I don’t think I will though.” He smiled slightly, just a small twitching of his lips. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he didn’t hesitate in speaking it out loud, “Where is the Key?” Satoshi had heard of the Keys, but he never really quite knew where they were hidden after being removed from the Gates. It was a mystery. So far as he knew, the King of that time had skillfully hidden them away never to be found.
A spark suddenly entered and brightened in the ruby eyes, confusing the Demon. Daisuke seemed almost... Giddy about something. “In a cross…” the small body dropped from the lofty height and the garnet wings flared above him, slowing his downfall like a parachute generally would. A feather light thump of rubber soled shoes, the jangle of gold, and the rustle of thin fabric were the only sounds admitted.
“Can you show me where?” he repeated, finally getting to look the several inches down instead of craning his neck up. Maybe he could help… He didn’t think it would hurt to try… He couldn’t help but miss the Angels he had known in his youth.
An eager nod was his reply, although, the hand that caught his came as quite the welcome surprise as a steady warm hand dragged him away and down the sidewalk.
It wouldn’t hurt to try…
The sun carefully arranged itself on the horizon, sending violent bursts of colors, oranges, reds, pinks, purples, and blues, across the sky. The end result was a beautiful painting in a vibrant splash of color, the sunset. A beautiful view that all too few appreciated.
He was lucky, so very lucky, as he was the only Vampire that could even catch a glimpse of its glory… A sharp gust of wind blew the shaggy cobalt hair, revealing a pale but healthy face whose lips were stretched in an unusual and rarely seen smile. None of the others knew of the beautiful images he was blessed with.
He sat there, carefully and critically imprinting the colorful scene into his mind for a later painting. Maybe, just maybe he would show it to someone… Nezumi might appreciate the work. His smile faded. He’d forgotten. Judgment had been passed on the boy… No body would even want to come back after Judgment; Heaven was a far better place than Earth.
He absently wondered what Heaven would be like when, or even if, he ever got to go. He had no idea what he had done in his life to become a Demon but he was one, and unfortunately, that seemed to be what counts. It depressed him a little, not that it showed on his face. No Demon could remember their human lives, though that sometimes changed after Judgment was passed. He tucked a few strands of hair behind one pointed ear and shifted slightly on the rock on which he sat. The sun had just dipped below the horizon; it was going to officially be the time of the demons in a short while.
A sharp white momentary flash at the lower edges of his vision caught his attention for the 20th time that evening. Yes, he had been counting. Oddly enough, it came from a pendant that hung on a thick gold chain. He wasn’t sure why it had started flashing; it had only started earlier that day. He fought the urge to snort. Specifically, it had started flashing 20 hours previous. A slightly pensive look came to his ordinarily stoic face, as he examined his prize possession. A quiet, almost inaudible chuckle escaped his lips, it was strange, that such a little thing could protect him the way it did.
Satoshi Hikari wasn’t really much like all the other Vampires; he didn’t have the pitch black hair of his kind, the one-tone maroon eyes, the waxy skin, the excitable personality… He was considered very unusual, even for demons in general. He had sparkling ocean blue eyes, like ice and with hair to match. He was cold, distant, pretty much having the personality of a rock, most would say. He scowled slightly, his fangs peeking out from his lips slightly, a pearly white. In fact, if it weren’t for his fangs and ears, most would not realize what his race happened to be. His eyes were too full of life and lacking malice, no matter how anti-emotional he was.
Satoshi openly scowled for a second and pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard the familiar squeaking voice and fluttering wings of one of his father’s messengers a hour and half later. He was annoyed, that much was clear. He really didn’t like any of his father’s messengers. It wasn’t anything against the Demons themselves; it was just the fact that his father had sent them. Don Hikari wasn’t anywhere’s near his ‘accepted peoples’ list. He actually managed to be one of the few on his ‘insufferable people’ list.
“Satoshi-sama!” the creature squeaked, his minute bat-like wings battling furiously against gravity as he landed with a plop on his shoulder. His repellent yellowed eyes flicked around apprehensively while his whip-like tail snapped back and forth like the whip it resembled. His cerulean scaled, black clawed feet and hands dug into the Vampire’s shirt.
He really didn’t like them. “Yes?” he inquired shortly, tensing slightly and fighting the tempting urge to swat it away. He’d been having a grand time watching the stars, thank you very much! He had no need, nor want, of a distraction in this form.
The creature seemed to sense his barely aborted intentions and froze, shaking slightly in fear. He’d had Satoshi swat him away before. It was most definitely not one of his more pleasurable experiences. He hadn’t been able to move for a week! probing desperately for any semblance of courage in his self, the miniature Demon began to relay his message, “Master sent me out to bring to your attention an important matter!” his voice was squeaking somewhat comically as it desperately tried to stay balanced and still on his shoulder.
“Of course,” Satoshi spat, not at all pleased, “What else would you be there for?” he turned his head slightly in curiosity, unable to see the small Demon past his longish dark blue hair. Don Hikari never sent anyone to him for any other matter. He felt a fleeting flicker of amusement, well… there was the one time that they had a masquerade ball… The Demon who was sent had just barely lived to regret actually showing up to deliver the message.
“Yes sir!” he nodded violently, trying to be agreeable. “The mission is to destroy an unknown creature that threatens our society!” The little creature nearly lost his balance on the shoulder as he continued nodding vigorously. He couldn’t help but yelp as he was grabbed unceremoniously in Satoshi’s hands and deposited on said Vampires knee.
Satoshi’s neck hurt, a lot, trying to look over his shoulder for a prolonged period of time wasn’t easy on anyone’s neck, Demon, Angel, or Humans! He was irritated at the Demon’s slow pace and rattled off quick questions to be answered, “Name, age, and appearance?” He paused a moment and was rewarded with a stretch of silence, “Well? Hurry up! How will I know him?” A bored expression never left his face but his eyes broadcasted his irritation.
The little Demon huffed, managing to dig up courage at his lack of punishment and spoke angrily, “Name: Daisuke Niwa. Age: unknown. Estimated age is between three thousand to six thousand-”
Satoshi couldn’t help his startled exclamation as his head jerked upward and darted towards the creatures place. His exclamation came out in the most unbecoming squeak that had ever passed his soft red lips. He knew that Angels could easily hit that range, seeing as they could live forever, but he had never heard of any other creature that could manage to live that long! That is, of course, if he didn’t include the Demon King or a few of the higher Nobles. Satoshi himself was only hitting his eight-hundred and seventy-fifth year as a Demon that year!
“-years old, red eyes, red hair,” he ignored Satoshi’s uncharacteristic exclamation outwardly, whilst cackling madly inside. He was almost high on the fact that he got a reaction of this sort out of the normally unflappable Satoshi Hikari. He’d be the only one in the Castle! “He appears to be slightly younger than you. His estimated height is to be 5’4’’…”
“Short…” two shoulders dropped slightly in a minuscule motion. He seldom received missions anymore… So this anomaly was viewed as an atypical event by the Vampire in question. He had been trying to accumulate a mental image that he could base his target from, in order to find his objective with the least amount of hassle. The height measure had completely ruined what ideas he had taken from there.
“His looks are deceivingly innocent,” the mini-demon recited steadily. Yes, any illustration Satoshi had attempted to construct had been decimated beyond repair. He was beginning to get quite inquisitive as to why the creature was a threat and what he looked like… A slight furrowing of blue brows was hardly noticeable but it was there. He was getting a nagging feeling about this… He just couldn’t figure over what it must be.
The mini-devil finished doling out all the information it had quickly. He didn’t want to reside in the Vampire’s presence for much longer. It wore on his senses and was a hazard to his health. He took to flight, fleeing with slightly more violent wing-beatings than were really quite necessary.
“Innocent…” Satoshi smiled slightly in remembrance of a far off memory and watched the small messenger leave before standing up gracefully, removing his cloak in that motion. Bat-like wings soon twisted into existence on his shoulder blades, seemingly out of the shadows nearby. After carefully resettling his cloak between his wings and shifting his sword into a position for better access he lifted off the ground with strong beats.
A feral grin split his face and two feet left the ground with a fierce push and the sound of large heavy wings.
The hunt was on.
The young looking man strode forward quickly, his blue hair swaying in tune with each solid step, “He should be about here…” he muttered inarticulately in his low tone. Satoshi Hikari had been on his oh-so-irritating expedition for about a week-much longer than he usually took to find his prey. He found that his target was quite the slippery one, but, unfortunately for this ‘Daisuke Niwa’ he’d never failed a mission. All his leads had lead up to this point. So, he should have been able to spot the creature.
Satoshi was in a fairly paltry town. He felt like he had stepped back in time hundreds of years, despite how utterly impossible it was to do so. His expedition had him feeling like gone over the town with a fine-toothed comb many, many, times, and he was quite ready for a break. It didn’t take much for him to locate a series of signs directing him to a small, yet peaceful, park. Satoshi had pretty much memorized the town. He found he quite liked it.
He sighed irritably, sitting down on a bench made mutually of steel and wood. No matter how much he liked the town, he didn’t like the circumstances that brought him to its residence. Where was that little thing he was supposed to find? Satoshi was frustrated and he had found himself wishing for a picture of the being he was looking for time and time again. He didn’t even know if it had humanoid form! He could be looking for a demonic squirrel for all he knew!
He sat there, his irritation quickly fading, watching a few children play in the Eden like green grass while their parents spoke nearby, their loving and attentive eyes on their young. The calming zephyr fluffed his disobedient blue locks around his face as he watched his seventh sunset since he had begun his search. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he folded his arms behind his head and reclined in a lazy fashion. The time-of-demons was quickly approaching and he wasn’t anticipating it in the least. A ghostly memory of sparkling red eyes and feathers came and was pulled away on the winds. He missed them. The Angels, you see. His memories were so faded. He knew he’d known Angels, for you see, he had paintings of them. He didn’t remember who of or when he had done them but he knew he had. The paintings were so damaged…
He was taken by surprise, although he didn’t show it, by a harsh yell coming from nearby. It was nothing like the giddy and happy shrieks the children were letting out. Unhooking his ankle from his knee he turned his head towards the source of the sound in an uninterested fashion. A large explosion sounded soon and his jaw dropped slightly, feeling taken aback. He knew he’d find his target eventually, he even expected it to run away, but he never expected to see his target running his way!
With a plan promptly forming in his mind, Satoshi leisurely climbed to his feet with vaguely narrowed eyes as he watched the boy draw closer. He suspected that this scheme he was devising would be very easy to put into motion.
As it was, it only took the Vampire a few forward steps before the collision was unavoidable. Just as expected, the smaller boy hadn’t seen him until it was too late. A soft body violently collided with Satoshi’s form with audible noise. Immediately after the boy ran into Satoshi’s unyielding body the Vampire snared the boys left arm in his rigid, steel-like grip, his fingers tight enough to bruise. To any casual observer-though there were none-as the families had hurriedly left, he was just attempting to help the boy keep from falling flat on his cute little face.
Primary red eyes looked up at his capturer, showing a bit of confusion in their depths. “E-e-excuse me!” Daisuke stuttered, beginning to look quite flustered for some reason Satoshi could not comprehend. A blush was alighting on his almost cherubic face like a stop-light. This had to be Daisuke Niwa. Satoshi viciously batted away any straying thoughts, preferring to, and failing to, focus on thoughts on what he could be… He didn’t look very dangerous…
While Satoshi was seemingly staring half dumbly at Daisuke, Daisuke was trying in vain to pull away and dodge around his side. Unfortunately, for the smaller boy, he was brought to an abrupt and sharp stop as he felt his arm start to bend in a way it really shouldn’t. He looked back pleadingly into Satoshi’s blue eyes.
“What’s wrong?” the Vampire asked quietly, his grip taut on the now panicking boys arm. Crimson eyes locked with icy blue for a short period of time before tearing away quickly and looking over his shoulder. The struggling increased and a very surprised Satoshi was nearly thrown off balance by their intensity.
“D-Demons!” the boy answered, he was still stuttering ever so slightly, “It is coming!” The boy’s attention kept flicking between Satoshi and the unknown Demon rapidly. Satoshi began to feel vaguely confused at the behavior. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the boy was a through and through human… Satoshi was apprehensive for a moment suddenly wondering if he had the wrong person.
No, it wasn’t possible. He fit all too perfectly within the descriptions limitations.
Satoshi opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the abrupt arrival of a misshapen creature that brutally burst out of the undergrowth from the same route Daisuke had come. He a slight furrowing of Satoshi’s brows of his brows and more tugging from Daisuke was all the reaction that the thing received.
Satoshi wasn’t quite sure what kind of Demon the creature was but it repulsed him all the same. Suffice to say, it wasn’t anywhere near attractive. The creature seemed to have the mangled attributes of some type of reptile and a panther. The maw was significantly under bitten, the overly large canines hanging far past its lower jaw. Corded and bulky muscles created an over balanced form only kept on its four feet by low riding wings and a long thick tail, and the patchy black fur was of varying lengths smattered randomly with acidic green scales.
Satoshi breathed out quietly and let the pale arm go momentarily, taking a wicked katana out of the folds of his cloak, where it was discretely hidden. His cold eyes just dared it to come any closer, promising a swift death, whether painful or painless was undetermined. He had to admit it to himself, he was curious at why Daisuke could be such a threat to his populous. Especially if he could seem to feel so threatened by such a weak, little, and stupid demon! Okay, so it wasn’t little, but it would be no harder to kill than a normal animal, for him at least, and it wouldn’t have near the intelligence.
Yellow catlike eyes focused on the two and they rolled in a fashion quite reminiscent of a bull’s while in an arena. The creatures head tossed and it made a few ungraceful heavy steps before a roar of animalistic fury escaped the creature’s maw in a shrieking rush, as it threw itself towards Satoshi’s bare throat. The jagged claws tore into the ground viciously, tossing turf into the air.
Unexpectedly, there was quite the answering cry from Daisuke, though of a vastly different type as he shouted, “Watch out!” and shoved the Vampire out of the way with an unusually strong push. Satoshi soon found himself sprawled on the soft grass, his katana several feet away and the boy as equally sprawled as himself, though on him rather than the ground.
Daisuke tried to assess the damage while the creature tried to turn its body around for a duplicate attack. Unfortunately, for the attacking Demon, the only damage left behind from the assault was a nasty tear in the russet colored shirt the smaller boy was wearing. Satoshi frowned slightly at the sight of a glint of metal below the russet shirt but the boy was moving too much for him to get a solid look in. He had a feeling that it was important but he couldn’t, for his soul, remember why!
Daisuke only hesitated long enough ensure that Satoshi had no damage before he bolted, he was quickly leaving the fine, although sprawled form, on the ground in his wake. Red hair disappeared quickly from the Vampires line of sight, where he was still lying, for once feeling rather surprised.
He really didn’t understand what had happened. Nobody should have been strong enough to knock him over, he realized. He hadn’t thought of it in a while… Shaking his head quickly Satoshi unhurriedly climbed to his feet and ran after the unusual boy and the misshapen Demon.
The nagging feeling was back.
Satoshi was quite surprised to find the Demon but not the boy. Though, he mused silently, he should probably been more surprised by the fact that the rapidly decaying corpse was torn and mangled into bits and shreds, rather than having been focusing on the fact that he couldn’t see the boy anywhere near. A leather booted foot kicked the skull across the grass as he watched its brisk decaying until it was no more than a fine dust that was swiftly whisked away on the wind.
He idly wondered how it had come to its demise but dismissed the thought. A soft, yet irritated sigh escaped two red lips who twisted slightly in a frown. This was getting him no where! He felt his wings warp into existence on his shoulder blades and flipped his cape between them, preparing for takeoff. He could feel his sword against his spine amidst the heavy folds of his cloak.
“Oh…” came the so articulate word, causing Satoshi to spin around, startled, and mind you, he was rarely startled. Though he felt this might soon become a trend. “So you are a Demon?” the tone was light but there was something hidden underneath it that Satoshi couldn’t comprehend. “Strange, I thought I would have known…” it was Daisuke, a soft frown marring his features and a focused expression in his eyes. His soft eyelashes fell on his cheeks and he raised his hands to his face shaking his head slightly.
Daisuke was perched atop a brick wall, a puzzled expression appearing one his, by Satoshi’s point of view, cute face. His heels were bouncing off the wall absentmindedly and he was leaning forward slightly. It would have been a painful drop if not for what quickly stole Satoshi’s attention away.
They were wings. Beautiful garnet and ruby tinted wings nothing like Satoshi’s or any other Demons’. It was a known fact that all Demons were incapable of having wings of feather. Long sleek feathers gleamed in the dying light as Daisuke leaned forward a bit more, an inquisitive expression appearing on his cherubic face.
The boy opened his mouth to say something but paused a moment. This moment Satoshi put to use with a simple but very important question, “What are you?” the tone held a bare hint of emotion but that was so faint it was indecipherable. Satoshi had become quite the pro at hiding his emotions early in his Demon-hood and at the moment, his mind was working rapidly and efficiently, though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Really, it was almost laughable! His cloak rustled slightly as he strode forward a few steps, as if to get a better of the anomaly, though he hardly needed it. What was ‘it’, a shape-shifter?
The answer was almost shockingly simple and very nearly rocked the Vampires mind, “An Angel,” came the straightforward reply, whilst the thumping of the boy’s, no Angel’s, heels kicked up a more violent tempo, finally making some fashion of audible noise. “Who are you?”
His shoulders stiffened slightly, catching the Angel’s keen eye, and he replied stoically, “Hikari, Satoshi.” He was desperately trying to block out and ignore the stray thoughts that got through. “And before you ask, I am a Vampire.” His exterior didn’t show his emotions but in reality, he was reeling and screaming in his mind. No matter what effort he put into stopping it. It was unbelievable, an Angel? Here on earth?
Sure, a person would probably think, if there are Demons, why can’t there be Angels? But, unfortunately that wasn’t the problem. An Angel hadn’t been seen on earth in five-hundred years! As shoddy as a Demon’s memory is, Satoshi still vividly remembered seeing the Gates closing. The memory of the frantic Angels on the far side and the Gate and the Demons steadfastly pushing is shut had never left him. He could sharply remember the exhilarated cries of the Demons and the anguished screams from the Angels. He doubted it would ever leave him. It had been a sad day indeed.
The light voice caught wandering attentions, “Really? You are a Vampire? I thought all Vampires looked alike!” his thoughtless exclamation caused a tick in Satoshi’s eyebrow, the Angel, quickly realizing his error blushed brilliantly at what he had just openly implied. “Aah! Gomen nasai! I’m not trying to insult you! I just thought all Vampires were ugly!” Frantic hands clapped over his mouth as if to stifle what had already been said, though it proved to be fruitless.
“So that’s why…” Satoshi’s mind was still following a different track than Daisuke’s was. He was preoccupied and hadn’t yet processed what Angel had said. He gritted his teeth angrily and his lips lifted away in a silent snarl. He understood why his father had sent him out on this mission, claiming the Angel to be a ‘creature’. Had his father let him know that his assassination mission was to kill an Angel, he would never have even considered going! Seriously, they wanted and expected him to kill an Angel before realizing what it was! Satoshi hadn’t allied with the Demons in the war. By God, no, when the Gates were open he had preferred the company of Angels instead, “Deceivingly innocent my foot!” at the time of the war he had yet been too young, for a Demon, to really participate. By God, he wished he had.
He shook his head slightly and brushed a few strands of blue hair out of his eyes… It was due in for another cut, he was thinking. Shaking his head again, he asked, “What are you doing down here?” his inquiry was spoken quietly, as he proceeded in inspecting the Angel before him critically. He wore a loose red robe on a small lithe frame, little pieces of gold dangling off it here and there as clasps and decoration. A hooded cape that seemed to be part of the outfit its self was sitting around his shoulders and slipping off ruby red spikes. He couldn’t help but find it odd. Everything seemed to go along a warm color scheme… Yellow, orange, red…
“I’m finding the Keys!” The Angel’s voice was cheerful but his eyes were a bit weary, probably wondering if he would receive some retaliation from his earlier, non-processed, comment. “You know,” he winked, “the Keys to the Gates of Heaven!” He grin gained cheer at as the Vampire failed to go along the expected course of action for the situation. He was unperturbed by the fact that he was talking to someone who should have been an enemy. “I’ve already found the first one!” his expression suddenly dampened. “But I-” he sighed dramatically, though there was some real sadness and frustration behind it, “I can’t get it out of its place…”
He Angel shook his head violently before piping up again, “Were you looking for me? You were looking for me, right?” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wall tighter and his feet finally stilled and very intent expression entered his body language. Satoshi really didn’t see why his answer would be so important.
“Yes,” he spoke brusquely, “Father sent me out to kill you. I don’t think I will though.” He smiled slightly, just a small twitching of his lips. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he didn’t hesitate in speaking it out loud, “Where is the Key?” Satoshi had heard of the Keys, but he never really quite knew where they were hidden after being removed from the Gates. It was a mystery. So far as he knew, the King of that time had skillfully hidden them away never to be found.
A spark suddenly entered and brightened in the ruby eyes, confusing the Demon. Daisuke seemed almost... Giddy about something. “In a cross…” the small body dropped from the lofty height and the garnet wings flared above him, slowing his downfall like a parachute generally would. A feather light thump of rubber soled shoes, the jangle of gold, and the rustle of thin fabric were the only sounds admitted.
“Can you show me where?” he repeated, finally getting to look the several inches down instead of craning his neck up. Maybe he could help… He didn’t think it would hurt to try… He couldn’t help but miss the Angels he had known in his youth.
An eager nod was his reply, although, the hand that caught his came as quite the welcome surprise as a steady warm hand dragged him away and down the sidewalk.
It wouldn’t hurt to try…