Heavenly Breath

part three ~ Hoshi ni Natta Hanabi

If one didn’t know any better, they would think the five boys were the best of friends. They were always together, seeming to have a lot of fun. One was never found alone, there was always at least two of them together, though usually more. Especially in Shimon’s case.

At first the blond was annoyed by the constant presence; always having someone watching him. They usually stayed out of sight while he was working at his modeling job, but if he looked around enough he could usually spot Tougo or Yuusuke in some high corner, watching over him, and sometimes even Mikimaro, looking for a chance to strike. But eventually he got used to them, accepting that they were pretty much there to stay until this was over with.

And somehow...he began to think of them as his friends. He hadn’t really gotten around to meeting anyone since moving to Japan, and even at his home in England he didn’t have very many people he considered friends. There was never anyone he felt really close to. But these...things...were different. Their conflicting personalities constantly amused him; they never failed to make him laugh with their antics, and he genuinely enjoyed his time with them...even though two of them were trying to steal his soul.

As it was, the two demons were having a hard time completing their mission. Syo insisted that Mikimaro be the one to take it, as part of his training, but the youth was never able to get the chance. Every time he tried, Tougo and Yuusuke were there to stop him. The violet-eyed one, most of all, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, even if the short demon was trying some kind of sneak attack. It was as though the angel always knew what he was up to; always knew where he was and what he was doing.

The two bickered often. The little demon loved getting under the angel’s skin, hassling and getting a rise out of him. Loved seeing the reactions he could get out of the other. And Tougo seemed happy to oblige, letting the imp get to him until they were shouting insults, teasing each other.

Syo and Yuusuke, on the other hand, developed a rather quite relationship. Neither was sure how they felt seeing the other again, after so long. Neither was sure where their hearts were. Occasionally they could be caught sneaking glances at each other out of the corner of their eyes, and of course they spoke to one another, but they never dared breach the subject of their potential feelings for the other.

But as a whole, with the mission taking as long as it was, the group became rather close. Mikimaro had even erased the line in his and Yuusuke’s room, and could occasionally be found sitting on the other’s bed, watching the angel do push-ups or sit-ups or lifting weights. The thought of an ethereal creature actually exercising struck him as funny, but he never denied that the silver-eyed youth did have a lot of physical strength.

It also became common to find them all sometimes sitting around in Syo and Tougo’s room. They hung out, talked, joked, studied...acted like regular teenagers. To the three first-class beings it was amazing; they’d never felt so normal before, like the limits of their usual life weren’t there. Like they’d gained some small freedom. It was wondrous.

***************

Humming as he made his way down the hall, the short demon headed towards his partner’s room. He knew at least Yuusuke was with Shimon, and he didn’t feel like a fight today, so he didn’t bother with his target right now. He was hoping to maybe be able to con the other demon into buying him some ice cream, or at least a candy bar. Earth had some of the best treats!

He knocked briskly when reaching the door, calling out "Nakamoto-kun!" in case the other didn’t hear his pounding. When the door finally did open, he was about to give his super cheerful greeting, but stopped short when he found himself caught up in a piercing violet gaze. Those eyes were one of the few things that could calm a hyper child-demon. "Ah...is Nakamoto-kun in?"

The angel studied the boy for a moment before responding "not right now" as he turned away. He went back to his desk and continued what he was doing, studying pictures he’d taken for his photography class, leaving the door open. Mikimaro took advantage of the gaping entrance, following the other into the room. "He’s probably off killing cats or something."

The short youth scowled, miffed at the comment. "Why do you have to say such a thing!?"

Tougo stopped what he was doing, staring down at the photos as his mind went elsewhere. Why did he? Because it was his nature to hate demons. But did he really think that? Slowly he looked up, turning to the guest. "I’d always thought you demons were evil. All I’d ever met were bloodthirsty bastards, all about valor and war. ...But not Nakamoto. He was always the exception." He paused, then added as an afterthought "I’ve always liked him."

"But you told him to never see Kato again," the little imp said knowingly. "You knew they cared about each other, and you separated them."

"I had to." Tougo’s eyes narrowed a bit. "Demons and angels can’t have romantic feelings," he looked pointedly at the boy, "especially for each other. I had to drive him off in order to save both of them. If I hadn’t, our commander and his would have dealt with them, and that kind of punishment would have ended both of their existence."

The demon’s eyes grew large in shock. He could hardly believe what he just heard. There was absolutely more to this angel than he let on. "You...you saved him? You saved Nakamoto-kun!"

"I saved my partner," he said decisively. "In more ways than one."

There was a moment of silence that Mikimaro used to consider that the angel wasn’t as cold-hearted as he’d first thought. Deep down inside, he was actually a nice guy; he just had an odd way of showing it. The boy smiled to himself, happy that he’d been able to see it. And when said violet-eyed being turned back to his work, saying he’d inform his roommate that the other had stopped by, the brunet took a hint and moved to leave.

"You’re not bad either."

He turned and saw the angel looking at him, watching him. "Huh?" his oh-so-intelligent response.

"You may be a demon," he clarified, "but you’re not evil."

Golden eyes fell, darkened. "But I am. By nature, I am an evil thing."

"I hate evil beings...but I don’t hate you. So you must not be evil."

A faint blush crossed the shorter youth’s cheeks, warming his pale skin. "I...I don’t hate you either," he stammered. "I...I..." he felt he wanted to return the kindness he saw just now, but didn’t really know how. Nobody had ever told him before that he wasn’t evil, that he wasn’t a bane to humanity’s existence. Even Syo’s explanation said that they were, in fact, malign...just that it couldn’t be helped. But now someone was saying that he wasn’t bad at all. It filled him with a new sense of worth. "I...know I bug you a lot... I’ll stop, if you want." It was the only thing he could think of to offer.

A laugh was the response. A big, open laugh; head thrown back, eyes closed, musical sounds emanating from the seraph’s mouth. "No no no," he continued to chuckle. "You can bug me all you want. It’s part of your charm."

"Fine!" Mikimaro shouted happily. "You big dumb angel!" He stuck his tongue out at the other playfully, then turned and ran out the door.

Watching him go, Tougo smiled after the boy, shaking his head.

The footsteps pounding down the hall where nowhere near as loud or as fast as the boy’s heartbeats. He let himself believe it was because of all the running, and stopped, leaning against a wall and panting to catch his breath. "He...he doesn’t hate me!" he yelled to no one in particular. He didn’t see him as evil! His mind flooded with amazement and excitement and his heart soared. "He’s...such a nice guy."

***************

Most people would feel uneasy about walking down an empty street at night. Who knew what lurked in the shadows or in some dark alley? But the long-haired youth didn’t seem to mind. Didn’t seem too worried about someone attacking him; he knew who was after him, and he’d long since given up considering him a threat.

That didn’t stop the child-demon from trying, however. Though his attacks seemed to become less then full-hearted; they were more playful than anything, and usually resulted in some play arguing between him and the violet-haired angel.

So when he heard the faint sound of leather wings quickly flying up to strike from behind, he didn’t even bat an eye. And when he heard the demon yelp as he was tackled to the ground, he barely considered stopping his stroll. He turned to see a grinning cherub on top of a struggling imp.

"Not this time!" Tougo smirked as he held the other down.

"Aww.." the boy fought to get up, but his captor was far too strong. "I almost had him!"

"Yeah, right," the other laughed. "You’re way too slow to get by me."

"I’m faster than you!"

The angel stood, allowing the demon to sit up. His smirk turned devious. "You wanna test that theory?"

A more childish version of the smirk alighted the boy’s face. "You’re on!"

"On your mark!" The blond raised his hand and the two ethereal beings got into a track-style racing position; one knee bent, hands touching the dark pavement. "Get set!" Their wings spread out in unison, one pair white feather, one pair black leather. At the same time, they lifted their faces, staring resolutely to the distant sky.

"GO!"

Before he could even drop his hand, the two were gone. Neck-and-neck, they flew through the night sky, higher and higher, until they were far above the Earth, then in a straight line alongside the globe.

It was Mikimaro who took the lead first. Full of youth and excitable energy, the boy took advantage of his adrenaline and pushed his wings to the limit. His desire to show off pushed his mind even further.

But he couldn’t keep it up for long.

More strength, endurance, and a larger wingspan gave Tougo an edge in the long run. While the smaller of the two burned up all his energy right away, the angel paced himself, and soon overcame the other. He grinned as he passed the boy, and kept on going until he was far, far ahead of him. Far enough to make it obvious he’d won the race. Then he stopped, waiting for his opponent to catch up. "There, you see?" he said when the brunet finally flew up to him. "You can’t beat me."

"That’s not fair," the little demon said between panting breaths. "You’re bigger than me."

He busted out laughing. "You’ve got a lot to learn."

They fell silent as both their gazes turned down, to the Earth below them. Above them the stars shone brightly, too high to be dimmed by ozone interference. Around them the night air swirled; it would be considered cold to normal people, but they didn’t notice. Their thoughts were focused on the sight below them.

"It’s beautiful," said softly, almost a whisper.

"Aah," the other agreed. "I’ve always loved coming down here, visiting the planet. It has such a variety of environments, always changing, always new." His eyes twinkled as he looked at the youth next to him. "From where I’m from, you can see it. Sometimes the atmosphere gets in the way, but when it’s clear, the view is awesome."

A small pout found it’s way to the boy’s lips, "can’t see it at all where I’m from."

Another quiet moment began before Tougo smiled over at the demon. "Wanna fly?"

Golden eyes slowly went from confusion to understanding and joy. He smiled happily and nodded affirmatively.

They flew together, this time side-by-side, staying at the same pace for a while. The wind rushing around them, arms outstretched, fingers occasionally brushing. Before too long they were laughing, doing flips and barrel-rolls through the sky. Showing off their flying skill and tricks and all-in-all having a lot of fun. More fun than the angel ever thought he could have, especially with a demon child.

It came as a shock to the small youth when the other tackled him in the air, sending them both spinning towards the Earth. They were hurtling fast to the planet, Mikimaro held tightly in Tougo’s arms. It scared the little imp.

"Arai-kun!" He looked up at the violet-eyed being, who only smirked in response.

Faster and faster they fell, head-first to an open field rushing up to meet them. Just as the demon convinced himself it was a suicide bombing attempt, white feather wings flared out, catching the wind just right and thrusting them back into the air, where they then landed softly on their feet.

They stood still a moment, Mikimaro shocked that he was still alive. His heart pounded in his chest, from the fear and thrill of it all. The fright of being a mere few feet away from having his head pummeled into the ground, and the elation of having the other’s arms around him. It was quite a ride.

Several moments passed before Tougo remembered to let the smaller boy go, and he backed up slowly until they were looking at each other’s face; into each other’s eyes.

"Arai-kun?"

The angel lifted a hand in the demon’s direction, but stopped before it got anywhere. A look that the other couldn’t tell whether was fear or anger crossed his face. He muttered "shit," and without warning flew up into the air, and vanished.

"Arai-kun!" The boy called after his friend, reaching out to where the other had disappeared, but felt nothing. Could hold on to nothing. He was gone, leaving the youth to hang his head and slowly walk home alone.

***************

"Shit!" Violet eyes were fierce as he appeared suddenly in his room. One could tell he was pissed just from those eyes, if by some chance the bag-kicking and wall-punching didn’t give it away. "How could I let this happen!? What the Hell am I doing!?" He threw a book across the room for good measure.

"Oy, Tougo!" Yuusuke yelled out to get the other’s attention. "What's wrong with you?"

Should he tell his partner? He, of all people, would understand. "...Nothing." Of course, not saying it out loud seemed like a much better solution. He flopped onto his bed, fuming to himself for a minute. Then he realized who had spoken to him, and turned to his roommate’s bed, where the other angel was reading some sports magazine. "Why are you here?"

"Aah...Nakamoto and Shimura kind of...got a little visitor...."

He was silent a moment, then gasped when it occurred to him whom the guest might be.

to be continued....

notes:

o.o  I don't know if I like this chapter.  ^^**  I like the scenes and all...but I don't know if the characterization works....  Title is Arai's song from the Ore-tachi no Sotsugyo album (if you don't get the trend by now, I give up).  Translates to "stars that turned to fireworks."  Is a wonderful song, very deep and meaningful and all that.  And Midorikawa has one of the coolest voices. ^^