19KD's Notes: Well look what I did, I wrote another story, yippee..anyway, it's an AU story to Corruption of an angel that I wrote for a contest that my good friend Sphinx is having. So, I hope you will like it, it's a little odd, but hey, who isn't?
Chapter 1 Appearance vs. Reality
The sky erupted in a haze of bright white light; the onlookers from the ground had to shield their eyes as the blazing light blinded them. It had happened, the strange entity that had possessed Tomoe had left him in a heap on the singed ground of Yoake. Everyone watched as Tenshi Hikari spread two chaste white wings and took to the sky to stop the spirit from destroying anymore of the world of Kirei. Kaia Ishu watched in fear as the devil Akuryou grabbed Tenshi from the sky and held him tightly in his vice like grip, crushing the brittle bones of the Chouwan. Li Yamasaki cringed at the loud scream from his friend, and prayed that he be all right. The creature smiled at the pain he caused the youth and only tightened his grip more; Tenshi struggled against the grip, but his attempts were futile.
The spirit laughed deeply, shaking the ground below him and causing the all the races that watched to stagger. People of all walks of life had gathered, the humans, the Cypherians, the Neko's, the elves, the Shoujin's and the Chouwans had come to witness what the oracles had foretold. The god like creature had changed completely, he no longer was the form of a man, but a large black creature, with horns and large black wings whose span was so large, it covered the sun, causing all light to fade. Tenshi felt his consciousness slipping away, his wings were now crushed in the palm of this monster, like a fly in the hand of a man. "I'm sorry everyone, I failed" he whispered, tears of failure falling from his eyes, "please, anyone, protect the people, spare them, they do not deserve to die". The Chouwan's eyelids closed and he welcomed the everlasting sleep...
Please don't let them die..
Mihara terou okatou misara...please, save them...
***************************
The sun was brightly shining on the buildings of Kirei; it was early afternoon and many of the students of Mikomi High where given free periods for the Sakura festival that was held every year. Each festival was always so different in its own way, there was always delicious foods and games to play, but the highlight, was the fireworks that would light up the night sky with colours of the rainbow. A young man, seventeen years of age, lay sleeping on the grass of the field that grew near the school that he attended. His uniform was a dark red blazer, white shirt and tie, with gray pants. Of all he wore, it didn't stop his silver hair from standing out to ever the finest of precious metals, and the strange teal that laced throughout it made it even more incredible. He slowly opened his eyes, another site to be in awe about. His eyes were the most unusual colour that one has ever seen, green like the colour of mint in ice cream, as it had been put before. The youth rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, squinting at the harsh light that blinded his senses, "was it all a dream?" he asked, tilting his head to the side to look over at the large school, the building that he was imprisoned in all day. He had wandered from his friends to take a brief rest and collect his thoughts; his dreams were full of wondrous things, many strange creatures, and luxurious landscaping.
"What a strange dream, what does it mean? And why do I feel so empty now?" he asked himself, closing his eyes again. When he did this he saw flashes of bloodshed and the burning of cities. His eyes snapped open and he looked around; no smoke billowing and no screams for help where seen or heard. He sighed and flopped back onto the ground and stared at the glorious sky, "what does it all mean?" he asked.
"What does all of what mean Tenshi?" the youth didn't move when he felt the person sit next to him and tap his forehead lightly, "hey I asked you something". The silver haired youth, Tenshi Hikari, sat up and looked over at his friend. The black haired youth smiled at him, his emerald green eyes glittered mischievously, like they always did, "well, well, Tenshi, sneaking away from the group to catch a nap, that's not like you" he chided playfully. Tenshi drew his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees, keeping his head tilted in order to look at the other teen.
"Gomen, Yamasaki-san" the silver headed youth said; he stared strangely at the green eyed youth to see that he looked confused, "what's wrong?"
"Um, well Tenshi, for one thing you just called me Yamasaki-san, why I don't know, hehe don't you remember my name?" he asked, punching the smaller teen playfully. Tenshi remained silent, he was sure that his friends name was in fact Li Yamasaki, but judging on the reaction of the other man, he was wrong, but how could that be? He had known him since they were in middle school.
"I-I can't remember it though" the shorter man whispered, making the other teen gasp lightly, then smile, "well maybe that fall really knocked it out of you, so to enlighten you, it's Satoru Ganmou, remember now?" Satoru asked, searching the boy's face for an answer to his question, but instead he was met with a blank expression. Tenshi stared at Satoru, wondering why that name didn't fit him well; his eyes widened slightly when an image flashed to his eyes. It was of Satoru, but different, harsher, and wearing odd clothes, "who are you?" Tenshi whispered, his voice taking on a misty sound that Satoru noticed immediately, and placed his hand on the other teens face, "Tenshi?" he asked, seeing the dazed, far off stare the boy had in his luminous eyes.
Tenshi blinked and raised his head from his knees, noticing the startled look on Satoru's face, "what's wrong?" he asked, sitting on his knees and facing Satoru, "did I do something?" Satoru nodded slowly, leaning toward Tenshi, trying to see what the boy was thinking, "what's wrong with you Chouwan?" he asked, pressing his lips to Tenshi's in a gentle kiss.
/Chouwan? What is he talking about? \\ Tenshi thought as Satoru broke away from the innocent kiss, /what's going on? \\. Tenshi swallowed, raising his eyes to look at Satoru; he gasped at what he saw. Satoru's skin had gone gray, the bones in his face where visible and his eyes were sunken in. Tenshi remained still, afraid that if he moved the creature would attack him; Satoru grinned and reached his hands out to grasp Tenshi and pinned him to the ground. The demon that now lay on top of him laughed, his eyes moving around in the sockets. "Are you afraid of me yet Chouwan?" it said, its voice low and scratchy, but it also possessed a females voice within it, causing it to screech at times when it spoke, "does your flesh crawl from my touch?"
Tenshi cringed as the demon's breath reached his nostrils, causing him to gag and push the thing away. However the creature held on tightly and raised a bony claw like hand up to caress Tenshi's flawless face. "Ah, soft as silk" it said, cutting a long line down the youth's face, then licking the blood off it's hand, "hmmm, and tastes like sugar, quite a treat if I say so myself". Tenshi's stomach lurched at the site of his friend turned demon, why of all days did this begin to happen, he did not know, but he was not about to let this thing tamper with his thoughts and emotions. He grabbed behind his back expecting to seize hold of a dagger that wasn't even there; he gasped when he felt nothing but his shirt. "IIE, LET GO OF ME!" Tenshi yelled, his eyes closed; he felt something in his body and gasped when light began to envelop him and the creature, "what's going on!"
The creature let go and shield it's eyes from the blinding light; Tenshi felt himself fall into darkness and take him. He fell and the whole time felt his body being shaken violently and faint words could be heard. "Tenshi!" the voice was soft at first, but soon it became loud, piercing Tenshi's eardrums, "TENSHI!" The youth gasped for air and stared wide- eyed at the person that was holding him. He looked into the concerned, fear filled eyes of Satoru; he noticed that the dark haired teen had tears forming in the emerald pools.
"Tenshi, are you all right?" he asked softly, trying not to scare the gentle youth. Tenshi embraced Satoru and buried his face into the older teen's shirt, trying to block out the horrible vision or dream, from his mind. Satoru looked down at the youth and softly petted the silky silver hair and down the boy's face; he stopped when he felt something wet and sticky on the youth's face. He lifted his hand up and saw that it was covered with Tenshi's blood, "what is this?" he whispered, lifting up Tenshi's face and seeing a long claw mark from his cheek to his chin, "Tenshi?"
The youth looked down, tears still in his eyes, "I think there is something seriously wrong with me, Li".
******************************************** Satoru, or Li as he was being called, dabbed Tenshi's lacerated face with a damp cloth; the two teens were now by the lake not far from where the strange incident had taken place only a few moments ago. He worked in silence as he bandaged the wound carefully; he couldn't quite explain what happened, it was like nothing he had ever seen. Was it just some mental thing like split personality? Or was it more along the lines of demonic possession? What ever is was it had scared him and he never wanted to see it again, especially on Tenshi.
"Tenshi, what happened?" he asked, putting the cloth in his satchel and turning to the, now quiet, youth. "Tenshi I'm worried about you, you haven't been the same since your accident" he claimed, reaching out and touching Tenshi's face where the cut had been. The smaller youth only flinched away from his hand and turned away to look out at the water, "don't touch me" the boy whispered, keeping himself a safe distances away. He couldn't look at Satoru right now, he was still unnerved from what had happened earlier. One thing kept confusing Tenshi though, it was the second time that Satoru had mentioned him getting hurt or having an accident. "Satoru, what did you mean you said "my accident"?" he asked, plucking a few blades of grass from the ground, "I don't know what you are talking about".
"You don't remember? Tenshi you were in the hospital for six months and in a coma, we told you already" Satoru said quickly, not believing that Tenshi could forget when just yesterday they had spoken about it. The silver haired boy sighed in annoyance, everything lately was getting to him, and he could barely remember anything from yesterday or days before, why he had no idea. "Tell me what happened then" Tenshi asked.
"Well you had been acting strange all day, saying something about some strange man turning into a large demon thing. During Japanese you started to turn really pale and fell asleep; I woke you up when the bell rang and we went to the roof for lunch with the others" he explained, watching the youth to see if he was paying attention. "Well, you were eating but not saying anything, the others never noticed anything. You started mumbling something in a strange language". Tenshi looked up at the older teen, "what did I say?" he asked, placing the grass down and dusting off his hands. Satoru moved closer to Tenshi and stared out at the water, "it sounded like mihara terou something, I can't remember" he replied.
Tenshi stared at the water for many moments; the water's surface began to take on a red tinge and soon it was as red as blood, "Mihara terou okatou misara" he whispered unknowingly, standing up and approaching the water. Satoru looked up at the retreating form; he bolted up and grabbed Tenshi by the arm, trying to keep him from going further into the water. He pulled the youth to him and stared into his eyes, they were void of emotion and pale blue "Tenshi?" he asked, snapping his fingers in front of the boy's face, but receiving no answer, "snap out of it Tenshi". Satoru shook Tenshi roughly to get him to regain his original composure; the teen blinked and looked at the person that held him.
"What's wrong with me? What happened to me that day? Tell me now so I can know!" Tenshi yelled pulling at Satoru's arm and shirt. Satoru kneeled down, taking Tenshi with him and calmed the erratic youth, "okay, after you said those words you walked to the balcony and climbed on the railing. We tried to tell you to get down, but before we could stop you, you fell to the ground" he explained, touching the youth's face gently, in a soothing matter. "The doctors said that you should have died, but you were fine except for falling into that coma" Tenshi remained silent, he had no idea that he had done that, and surely if he could, he would have never done anything so stupid. He felt Satoru hold him tighter and rest his chin on his head, "Satoru?" he asked looking up at the black haired youth, "what do you think is happening to me?"
Satoru sighed and pushed Tenshi back a little to look him in the eyes. "I don't know, you were fine up until a few days ago, but it's only now that you seem to be losing it" Satoru said, stroking the young man's face, "but I don't know how you got this". Satoru traced a line down Tenshi's face where the cut had been, causing the youth to shudder under the ministration, "maybe I'm losing my mind or my brain is damaged or something" the fair-haired teen mused, moving away from Satoru. The two men looked at each other for a moment before Satoru leaned forward and began to caress the youth's unharmed cheek, "you're really beautiful, you know that?" Satoru asked, causing Tenshi to blush deeply; Satoru gasped inwardly when he saw his friend's eyes changed to violet, something that he had never seen happen before. He shook it of and claimed Tenshi's lips in a heated kiss; as Satoru did this the vision of Kaia flashed through his mind and he broke away from Satoru.
"This isn't right, it feels wrong" Tenshi looked away from his friend's saddened and hurt look, "I'm sorry Satoru, but I feel out of place here, like I don't belong, like this isn't where I should be". Satoru thought for a moment, deciding that Tenshi was defiantly losing it now, "what are you talking about, you belong here, you always have" the taller youth exclaimed flipping Tenshi onto his back, "now why would you say that?"
"Um, well I would say that because of the strange visions and dreams I've been having that keep telling me there is something wrong!" Tenshi yelled sitting up, knocking Satoru off of him. "Something is not right, and I can feel it, something strange is happening". Satoru sat up and rubbed his head and stood up, offering his hand to Tenshi, "well, I'm willing to help if I can, so let's first get back to school, before we get in shit, okay?" he asked. Tenshi nodded and took the youth's offered hand; Satoru hoisted the silver haired man to his feet and they both walked back to the school.
The two were just nearing the school when the bell rang, "iie, we'll be late god damn it!" Tenshi yelled, sprinting towards the building, closely followed behind by Satoru, "I know one thing, if I'm late again Himeko-san will have my ass on a platter".
"See Tenshi, you remembered something" Satoru laughed, running up to the other teen, trying to out run him the best he could, "come on, I thought you were fast!?" Tenshi smirked and bolted past the ebony haired man.
********************************************
The two teens ran into the school, out of breath and sweating from the sun, "let's hurry up and get to class before Himeko-san finds us" Tenshi chided, turning around from the other teen and bumping into someone, "oh gomen, I didn't see-uh oh". Tenshi looked up into the angry face of the principal Himeko-san; the youth smiled nervously at the intimidating man. Himeko was in fact a very large man and he towered over Tenshi even though the teen was 5"11 the man was huge.
"What are you two doing out here? There are classes you know?" the man demanded in a soft baritone, "both of you get to class NOW!" Both adolescents jumped and hurried to class as fast as they could, not even looking back at the stern man. "Man, what an asshole" Satoru fumed, crossing his arms as he walked down the hall to their chemistry class, "I mean, who the hell does he think he is anyway?" Tenshi laughed lightly at the pouting look on his face, "well Satoru, I believe that he is the principal, to answer your question".
Both young men walked to their class and looked in through the window, only the students were sitting there and the teacher was no where to be found, "kakkoii, we won't get in shit, come on" Tenshi said, opening the door and looking around first before the two boy's entered. They both took their respected seats next to the window, which they shared with Kaia Ishu and Erinu Mukugouenu, "Ah, good afternoon Busu-chan" Satoru greeted the blue haired girl known as Kaia, "and how are you?"
"I said to stop calling me that vagabond" she seethed, throwing a small book at him, but it only increased his laughter. Tenshi sat and stared at the two bickering teens /vagabond...Li... \\ he thought, shaking his head to get rid of the thought, /Kaia, there's something about her, and I \\. Kaia finished scowling at the annoying youth and turned to Tenshi, "hey, you all right Tenshi?" she asked, blushing slightly when she noticed that he was staring at her. "Hmm, oh, hai Kaia-chan" he smiled at her and turned to his text book; he was completely confused about what he felt for Kaia, he felt strange when he saw her, but he wasn't sure if he liked her from what he remembered. Kaia watched him in slight shock; he had called her "Kaia-chan" something that she had never heard him say before, and it gave her hope that he may like her as much as she liked him. Tenshi turned to the window and only stared out at the trees, and didn't notice when the teacher came in. The youth scanned the terrain, his eyes as though searching for something stopped when he saw someone in the distance. He was judging that the person he saw looking at was male, except he had a feminine air about him; the man had bright pink hair and turquoise eyes and he was dressed in a black cloak.
"This world is not yours" the man said, his vice traveling in the sky to reach Tenshi's ears, "you don't belong here, you must return". Tenshi looked away from the window and to his class; not one person heard the stranger, they didn't even look out the window. When Tenshi looked back the man was gone /where did he go? \\ the youth thought, looking around the field again to find him. He suddenly felt eyes watching him and turned his attention to a tree; the strange man was standing on the largest branch, gazing at Tenshi with cold eyes. The youth looked away again, his breath erratic, for some reason he felt as though he had met the strange man before, but from where he couldn't remember. Tenshi looked back to see the stranger standing on the window ledge looking down at Tenshi; the silver haired man looked to his class, no one had even noticed the man even though he was casting a shadow on some of the students.
"This is not your place Tenshi," the man said again, pressing his hand to the window's surface and slowly stepping through the pane. Tenshi rose from his feet and backed away from the man; none of the other students moved or said anything. Tenshi shook many of them, trying to get their attention but to no avail; he watched as all the students fell to dust in their chairs and a long shadow swallowed the room into complete darkness. Tenshi stood perfectly still in the endless abyss, trying to figure a way out of all this; he sniffed and could smell blood and smoke from somewhere. "This is not your world, it belongs to no one" the man spoke again; Tenshi could feel the stranger's breath on his neck and felt a hand touch his shoulder, "it is all an illusion".
"Who are you!?" Tenshi yelled, trying to hide his fear, but was unable to stop his voice from cracking, "what do you want!?"
"My name is Kodoku Ukai, I've been your friend as well as your enemy for sometime" the strange man said, "and I've come here to tell you to return, come back to Kirei".
"Kirei? This is Kirei, what are you talking about go back if I am already here?" Tenshi asked, gathering up courage from an unknown place in his heart, "you're just an illusion to me, I must be having another episode from falling". The stranger laughed lightly, his voice traveling all around the empty room, "there is the determination and heart that I remember from you Tenshi" Ukai said, sighing in memory, "the truth remains however that you are in the wrong place, everyone here is under the same thought as you".
"What are you talking about?" Tenshi asked again; the youth covered his eyes when a pillar of light flashed into the darkness. Tenshi saw the man, Kodoku Ukai, standing in the light, holding something in his hand. "Tenshi, do you know what this is?" he asked, holding up the object; Tenshi stepped forward to get a better look and saw that it was a white feather, "It's a feather" he replied. Ukai nodded and turned to the youth; he stared hard at the boy before approaching cautiously. Tenshi stared into Ukai's sea-green eyes and felt calm and tired, "I know you" Tenshi whispered, his gaze never wavering from the other man's eyes, "you, you're a half ling, human and elf, and I, I'm a..".
"A Chouwan" Ukai finished for him, handing the feather to the younger man, "and this is from you". Tenshi took the feather and looked down at it in a trace like state; "is this all real? Or have I died?" he asked, still staring at the feather. The youth felt a slight pain throughout him and it started to grow as he stared at the feather; the youth's eyes widened when he felt immense pain coming from his back. The Chouwan fell to the floor, sweat pouring from his face as the pain kept coming in sharp jabs, as though his entire body was being ripped in half. Tenshi screamed as he felt his back rip open and felt blood trail down from the wound as well as some that had hit his face. He looked up at Ukai for help, but the man stood still and only watched the youth in fascination. Tenshi felt tears in his eyes as he saw a pool of blood around him, "w-what's happening to me?" he cried at Ukai, hoping the man would help him. The Chouwan's eyes went blank when he felt the stab of something in his back and soon followed by piercing through his skin. Tenshi arched his back and for the first time felt something objecting him from lying down all the way; he saw a white feather float in front of him. He picked it up and saw that it glowed lightly and sparkled even though there was no light shining on it, "why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this?" Tenshi asked, looking up from the feather and to Ukai, "what is the purpose of all of this?"
"I can only tell you so much, for I have no say in your actions, I can only tell you what you should do to save those you care about" Ukai explained "you will make the decision for those people to live".
"Where will you be then? How will I know if I want to help these people you speak of?" Tenshi asked frantically, "where will I go?"
"When the time comes that you wish to return, it will be during the night that the moon will cast light on the center of the city, making the ground take on the Kirei symbol, that is when I shall be back" Ukai claimed. Tenshi gasped as the man disappeared into the black haze that surrounded them leaving Tenshi alone.
"Ukai, where are you?" he yelled looking around as the black mist began to choke him, and then his whole world turned to darkness.
End chapter 1
...what was I on when I wrote this..OH YEA I watched the Escaflowne movie with my friends, silly me *smacks self* Well that was interesting wasn't it? Now, I'm off to do more! ^_^