"Go for it, Mal!" a voice hollered somewhere behind him. His world narrowed down to the person in front of him and the two metal poles that represented the goal post. His timing was impeccable as usual. With a powerful left-legged kick, he sent the ball flying square on towards the goalkeeper, who squeaked and dove hastily out of the way.
"Way to go Mal!" his team mates cheered, whooping as the goal difference edged up by one more point.
"Hey! You're supposed to catch the ball, not dive out of the way," one astonished teammate hollered at the goalkeeper, who glared at him.
"Are you kidding? I thought I was going to die!" the goalkeeper exclaimed, thumping his chest in an attempt to calm down. That drew their attention to the goal. The sheer force and momentum of the ball had left a hole in the net.
"Very good, Malachite," the Coach praised. His expression revealed nothing as the tall, lanky teenager loped past him to retrieve the ball.
At eighteen, Malachite was every girl's pin-up image. Tall, athletic, tanned, muscled in a nice way, and intelligent, the head student counsellor had girls swooning at his feet every day, and most of the teachers liked him very much. But if there was a fault, it had to be his straight poker-face and the don't-say-anything-if-not-necessary attitude he bore.
"What I'd give to be Malachite for one day. I heard that Tara's crazy over him, and I'm crazy over her!" one of the boys whispered confidentially to his friend.
"So am I! And I'm in line right after Malachite," his friend whispered back.
"No way! I'm after him..."
The exceedingly slender figure cut a lonely portrait amidst the grace of nature. Tiny cherry blossoms spiraled around him, framing him in the gentle breeze, and he reached a hand out for one to drift into his palm.
"Zoisite."
The figure turned around, his pretty androgynous features arranged in surprise.
"Nephrite-sama. What are you doing here in this place?"
Nephrite laughed. "And what are you doing here, Zoisite? Shouldn't you be with the other Angels?"
Zoisite flushed a little and bowed his head.
"Don't tell me they kicked you out again?" Nephrite's tone was stern.
"N-no!" Zoisite replied hastily. "I-I just wanted to be by myself for a little while. It's really nothing. Please, believe me."
"Am I to believe that the Angel with the purest heart in heaven wants to be by himself and not with the other Angels?" Nephrite asked wryly, arching one eyebrow. Zoisite blushed even more.
"Zoisite, you can tell me if you've any problems with the other Angels. I'm your friend more than your mentor," Nephrite reminded him gently.
"It's just that I'm so stupid and clumsy and everything," Zoisite mumbled, tears gathering in his eyes as he thought of all the nicknames and unkind remarks made about him by the other Angels. Neither Angels, or for that matter, heaven were exactly what mortals envisioned them to be.
Nephrite's warm blue eyes narrowed slightly in anger. "You're not stupid, neither are you clumsy. You're just naïve and inexperienced and, well, that can be remedied. Tell you what, why don't I send you down to earth? I think you could do with a break for some time." He brushed the tears from Zoisite's cheeks and smiled at him. The younger Angel smiled back hesitantly, and the beautiful emerald eyes had regained their usual sparkle and shine.
"Really Nephrite-sama? I can go down to earth?" Zoisite asked excitedly.
"Yes," Nephrite laughed. Come, why don't I take you down myself?" He took hold of Zoisite's hand and closed his eyes in concentration. A tiny symbol appeared on his forehead as color swirled around them in streaks and they vanished.
A moment later, they appeared in a deserted park. Nephrite raised an eyebrow at his companion's light, flowing robes that Angels wore in heaven. He himself was dressed stylishly in a collared shirt and pants.
"Oh, sorry." Zoisite concentrated and was dressed casually in jeans and shirt the next moment.
"The wings, Zoi-chan," Nephrite reminded. The huge shimmering wings on the younger Angel's back disappeared as well.
"Alright. I'll take you to the apartment that we own in Tokyo, and the school that you'll be attending. Your age is close to sixteen here on earth. But be careful, understand? There's no knowing what could happen. Also, I won't know if there are any Devils around."
"Oh, I'll be fine, Nephrite-sama. Thank you for taking the trouble to bring me here, I'll be fine, really," Zoisite replied merrily, only half listening to the Head Angel as he looked around him with wide eyes filled with wonder and excitement.
"Go on then. The apartment is just around the corner, unit 14-07. If you need me in the next hour or so, I'll be at the café nearby. And if you run into any trouble after that, Call me, and I will Hear you."
As Zoisite nodded enthusiastically and walked off, Nephrite looked at him with pride and worry. Zoisite was a very sweet Angel, possibly the sweetest one in heaven, and more than a little naïve. He wondered if it was a good idea bringing him down here, but... he shrugged. Nephrite said a silent prayer for him to the Presence whom all Angels were answerable to. That done, he went off in search of the café to have his favourite chocolate parfait.
The King of Devils sank his head into his hand, massaged his temples and muttered unintelligibly under his breath. What in the seven hells was he to do with his only son? He thought of the playful, rebellious youth and grimaced. Perhaps it would be best if he sent his son away for a while so that his kingdom could recuperate from all the damage caused by the fiery, impulsive youngster.
"Jadeite!" he bellowed, and was at least gratified to see that his son appeared before him with minimal time, the sleek blond features arranged in an expression of boredom and the you-can-care-but-I-don't-care look.
"I am sending you to the earth realm for a while," the King informed his son gruffly. "Now get out of my sight!"
Jadeite bowed elegantly, with a gleam in his icy blue eyes. "With pleasure, my King." He turned around, cloak whipping, and vanished from sight. If there was one thing good that could be said about that troublesome kid, it was his power and the skill that he applied while using it.
Zoisite dressed himself in the Mugen Gakuen High School uniform and exited his apartment unit. It felt so good, being able to live by himself without having to listen to the other Angels' snide remarks. It was his first day at school, and he was determined not to be late. It was rather early in the morning, and the sky hadn't fully lightened yet, but Zoisite loved the still and quietness of it. Already, there were cars zipping down the roads. As he walked along, he closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the air, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting on the pavement with a very painful behind. He could feel tears gathering in his eyes when he thought of how clumsy he truly was.
"Sorry, are you alright?" a soft, deep voice asked. Zoisite looked up into luminous platinum eyes and forgot about his pain for a moment. Those were the most beautiful eyes he had seen out of heaven.
"Y-yes. Thank you," he said softly, picking himself off the ground and dusting his uniform. The deep green elastic had come loose from his long sunshine-golden and bronze hair and he hastily tied it again.
"Are you a new student?" the stranger asked. Zoisite judged him to be around nineteen in human age.
"Uh, yes."
"Then I'll see you again in school. Hope you have a good first day." With that, the student walked off. Zoisite stood quietly for a moment. He felt something about that student, but he couldn't identify it. Perhaps... Zoisite shrugged and continued his leisurely walk to the school.
Malachite walked through the open gates of the school , smiling at friends and those who greeted him.
"Morning, Malachite!" one of his classmates hollered out, and the silver-haired counsellor smiled a little wider. A group of girls giggled as he walked past, one of them blushing as her friends teased her about her crush on the tall, handsome eighteen year old.
Zoisite wondered if he should have followed that student instead of detouring to the park. But he couldn't help it. The lovely trees and birds had drawn him there like a magnet. He had to admit that he was slightly lost now. Biting his lip, he considered his next action and decided to ask for help. Cupping one palm before him, Zoisite concentrated and sang a little melody to the air spirit that appeared in his palm. The little being smiled up at him and sang back a phrase of notes which summarised the directions to the school.
"Thank you," Zoisite sang, letting the air spirit dissolve away. Feeling much happier now, Zoisite walked a little faster. It wasn't too good to be late on the first day of school.
Jadeite basked in the whispers and exclamations all around him. He knew he was good-looking, and he used that fact to his advantage as often as possible. The girls fell for him as usual. But strangely, Jadeite wasn't in the mood to strike up any conversations with them. He looked at one girl coolly when she came too close to him, and his icy stare made the girl stumble back, stuttering out an apology. Better. With a barely concealed yawn, he made his way to his supposed classroom. His name, particulars and address would have appeared in the registers of the school by now.
"Class, we have two new students here with us today. I see the first one is here already. Jadeite Kirei. Please sit over there with Ting. The second student isn't here yet. Never mind. We have a few minutes before the lessons start." The sensei took off his glasses and started polishing them in an attempt to past the time.
Jadeite, who was affecting an air of indifference and boredom snapped to alertness when he felt the aura of an Angel. An Angel? What was an Angel doing here? He looked up curiously to see which Angel it was, and was even more surprised when he saw Zoisite. ~Isn't that the Angel who gets bullied by all the other Angels?~ Surprisingly, he didn't even feel an urge to tease the Angel as he was wont to do if he saw any of the others. Maybe it came from Zoisite's outward fragility and vulnerability. But he knew better. Although Zoisite had a sweet and innocent and incredibly naïve reputation up in heaven and in hell, he had an inbuilt toughness and determination in his bones that hadn't fully been tested yet. Looking at Zoisite's androgynous features and long hair, he had to suppress a snicker. That Angel sure looked weird in a boy's uniform.
"Zoisite Nekoi? Welcome!" the sensei greeted warmly. Zoisite made a little bow, smiling all the way.
"Is there an empty seat beside Kakyou? Zoisite, please sit there. And now, we can start our lessons."
Zoisite slid into the empty space indicated by the sensei and looked around curiously. The slightly slanted emerald eyes touched everybody in class until he came to Jadeite. Then, he made a little choking sound and hastily averted his eyes back to his books. Jadeite didn't know whether to smirk or to grimace, he didn't even know if he liked or disliked Zoisite, and that made him uncomfortable, for he was used to knowing exactly how he felt. After the class, all the girls and some of the boys crowded Zoisite, Jadeite left on the sidelines for a moment.
"Are you really a guy? Not a girl in a guy's uniform?" one girl asked curiously.
"Where did you come from?"
"Did you just move here?"
"What do you like to eat?"
"You're really a guy?"
"What do you do?"
Zoisite felt positively overwhelmed by the continuous barrage of questions, and what was the very first question? Not a guy but a girl? He knew that he was...well...pretty and slight, but that was too much. It felt a lot like what the other Angels said to him, different faces but the same script, and he started trembling a little. Jadeite finally felt sorry for him and decided to 'rescue' him. Calmly walking to Zoisite, he stopped in front of the Angel and banged down hard on the table, causing everybody to jump and to shut up. The Angel himself was considerably startled and on the verge of tears.
"~Let's go for a walk, shall we?~" Jadeite asked into Zoisite's mind directly. Without another word, he grabbed Zoisite by the hand, hauled him out of his seat and out of the class, giving anybody and everybody who was in his way an icy glare.
"What a nut!" one of the boys muttered angrily.
"What a kawaii guy," the girls sighed in chorus.
"Oh, you make me sick!" the class feminist growled at them, but nobody paid attention to her.
"Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?" Zoisite asked once they had gotten out of earshot. Jadeite shook his head, caught in a strange mix of impatience and tenderness towards this little Angel.
"No. and I'm not even going to ask why you're here. Oh, come now, don't cry. I can't stand people crying," the Devil snapped irritably. Zoisite stared up at him with wide, fearful eyes. What was an Angel like him who didn't even know a single attack phrase to do with a Devil? And not just any Devil, but the only son of the Devil King himself, and one of the most powerful around.
"Look Zoisite. I'm not going to hurt even a strand of your hair. Tell you what. I'll be your protector here, okay?" Even Jadeite didn't know he was going to say that, it just came out of his mouth.
~Did he just say that he was going to be my protector?~ Zoisite thought in wonder. "I-I-why?"
Jadeite shook his head, light blond bangs falling into his face. "I don't know myself. It just seems the right thing to do. Come on, Zoisite. Let's go meet the rest of the school, shall we?" The devil extended a hand to Zoisite, who took it rather gingerly as if he wasn't too sure to believe what Jadeite said. With a purely mental sigh, Jadeite dragged Zoisite off for a tour of the school.
Malachite walked along the corridors, a strange feeling in his guts whenever he thought of the slight, and pretty student he collided with this morning. So lost was he in his thoughts that he only noticed the pair in front of him when he was within five feet of them. This time, there was another guy with him. Taller, more masculine looking, short pale blond hair and icy blue eyes. But Malachite was more interested in the smaller student. The emerald eyes were as beautiful as when he first saw them. The head student counsellor was more than a little interested by now, but of course one couldn't tell it from his face. Nodding a greeting, he continued on his way. Jadeite, noticing the preoccupied expression on Zoisite's face, guessed it had something to do with the student that just passed them.
"What?" he asked a little sharper than he wanted to, but the Angel didn't seem to notice.
"That student. I feel something when I'm around him. Something strange..." Zoisite trailed off and looked up at Jadeite, who now that Zoisite had mentioned it, felt something familiar about him as well.
"I don't know. Perhaps-" the bell rang then, cutting Jadeite off, and by the time the annoying ringing sound had ended, Jadeite had changed his mind about what he was going to say.
"Lessons are starting," he said by way of explanation. Zoisite looked a little disappointed, but followed Jadeite back to the classroom anyway.
Another boy elbowed him playfully. "You lecher. No wonder all the girls are scared of you!"
"Hey! It's not everyday you find someone so delicate and pretty. He's an endangered, if not extinct species," the first boy snapped back.
"Enough!" the coach bellowed out. "It's training time now. The last one who doesn't get his butt on the field now is going to make the entire team run ten more rounds for me!" That got all the boys going.
"So, what did you come here for?" Jadeite asked, comfortably reclining on branch in a huge tree that was the centre of attraction in the area outside the canteen. Zoisite was perched a little uncomfortably on an adjourning branch.
"Um, my mentor told me to take a little vacation from heaven,' Zoisite said a little shyly.
"Oh, is it? That's the exact same reason why I came here too. Looks like we've got something in common," Jadeite said thoughtfully. He looked at the younger Angel and thought of the student they met in the hall earlier on, the one which Zoisite said felt different, and grinned mischievously. "Let's go out to the field, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, Jadeite jumped off and walked away, whistling with his hands in his pocket. Zoisite followed after, a little glad that he had someone to follow here in this strange place.
Malachite fielded the cross perfectly, dribbled it past one defender, tricked another, and spotted a team mate who was in a better position to shoot than him. He passed the ball to the boy, and ran up with the rest to give support if needed. Just then, someone wolf whistled, and the player with the ball looked up and lost concentration for a moment, letting the goal keeper get the ball easily.
"Kasumi! Are you mad?" his fellow team mate scolded angrily.
"It's that boy! That pretty one!"
"That one? Are you sure he's not a girl?" someone derided.
The coach frowned. He couldn't tolerate this kind of disturbances. With an angry look on his face, he yelled out at the boy who had disrupted a match. "Hey! You there! Can't you see we've a match going on?"
Zoisite jumped at the sound and hastily stammered out at apology, a petrified expression on his face. Malachite went up to the coach. "He's new here, let it pass, coach." With a disgruntled snort, the coach turned his attention back to his players.
"What are you waiting for? Continue the game!"
Jadeite was bent over laughing too much to care about Zoisite, until the Angel confronted him.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Zoisite demanded. "To make me look like a fool out there? I knew it, devils can't be trusted." He knew it sounded childish, but he couldn't be bothered, and ran away then, ignoring everybody else who was startled to see him hurtling past and out of the school gates onto the street and to the park nearby.
Jadeite stared after Zoisite with a stunned expression on his face. He felt like a sheep. He hadn't expected the Angel to be that sensitive. "Hey Zoisite! Wait!" With a curse, he raced after him.
Malachite watched the new student dash past him with concern. Had the coach been to harsh with him? It was half time now, and Malachite decided to go check on the boy. His long legs took him to the boy's destination in a matter of minutes. Well, a short cut helped too, and there in the park, he found the boy huddled beneath a sakura tree.
"Are you alright? Sorry about that just now; Coach was in a foul mood."
Zoisite jerked his head up at the voice, and was startled to see the silver haired student instead of Jadeite. He wiped his tears away, and managed a tremulous nod. "I-I'm alright, thank you." Emerald met platinum with a tangible clash, and it was Zoisite who broke off the gaze first.
"I've got to go," Zoisite said hurriedly, looking at anywhere and everywhere except the teenager.
"What's your name?" Malachite asked.
"Um, Zoisite. Zoisite Nekoi."
"I'm Malachite Aoki. If you've got any problems settling in, look for me, alright?" He loped off towards the school. Jadeite, who was behind a tree smiled knowingly. Things were going to get interesting around here. He was almost positive that the two were life-bonded, that's why Zoisite felt something familiar about Malachite.
"Hey Zoi-chan, want to go for an ice-cream?" he asked casually, acting as if nothing had happened. Zoisite was still absorbed by Malachite, and he nodded absently.
"Okay, Hagen Daaz then. The treat's on me."
The Devil king frowned. Now that his son was away, he wasn't so sure if it was such a good idea banishing him to the mortal realm for some time. It had been half a year already, and there was no news from that impulsive boy. Perhaps he should send someone to keep an eye on Jadeite. And who better than Jadeite's childhood friend, Beryl? He summoned the Devil and commanded her to search out Jadeite and keep an eye on him.
"Yes, my King," Beryl hissed pleasantly, disappearing immediately. She was dying to see how Jadeite was.
She'd been to the mortal realm only once before, and that was centuries ago in mortal terms. From her vantage point atop one shopping center with flashing neon lights, she scanned around for Jadeite's aura. Suddenly, she spotted a very handsome young man. He seemed positively delicious! Perhaps she ought to check him out and see if he was worth eating. The search for Jadeite could wait a while.
Nephrite paced around aimlessly thinking of his young charge back on earth. The last time he had seen Zoisite was three months ago, and the young Angel seemed much more confident. In fact, he had been very happy, and had implored Nephrite to let him stay down on earth a little longer. Nephrite hadn't asked him the reason why, and now, he wished he did. He couldn't go down to earth now, not when the Tree of Life was still liberating Angel souls. After he finished his duty then he would go down. And perhaps that would be in a few days.
Malachite waited patiently for Zoisite to appear. He hadn't known when and how it happened, but it had. So gentle and caring... intelligent, not to mention just developing the hint of a temper, which made it all the more interesting and fun. He'd learnt how to answer back to people now instead of just absorbing everything. Just thinking of Zoisite seemed to bring him, and the exuberant young man hurtled into his arms. Jadeite followed a little behind, the smug, satisfied match maker.
Zoisite hadn't changed much physically from when he first came down to earth; he was still slight and pretty, but he'd improved leaps and bounds on his self-confidence. He gave Malachite a tiny peck on the cheek before stepping back and smoothing out the wrinkles on his shirt.
"How was your debate?" Malachite asked, wrapping one arm around Zoisite's slender waist.
"Oh, we won," Zoisite replied nonchantly, but the pride in his eyes was clear for all to read. Jadeite butted in. "All thanks to Zoi-chan here. He's our class's star debater. Guess he's not stupid after all." Zoisite blushed at the praise.
Beryl couldn't believe her eyes. Was that Jadeite over there? With an Angel? She hissed angrily. Angels were despicable creatures who always caused trouble for her, and considering how his aura overtones were entwined with the man that she spotted just now, he had stolen away her object of desire. The instinct to rend him into pieces nearly overcame her, but she controlled it. She watched the trio walk away, laughing at some jest that Jadeite had cracked, and considered her options. The Devil King hadn't said that she couldn't do anything on earth, and he shared her view of Angels. If she could arrange to bump off that pest, who knows, the Devil King might even reward her. Oh, this was fun.
Jadeite's eyes widened slightly when he caught the Feel of a familiar aura. Excusing himself from the two lovebirds, he dropped behind and walked around the corner to find the tall, strangely attractive woman waiting for him. Her long wavy red hair was unbound, and she wore a flaming red dress that hugged her curves just short of pornographically tight.
"Beryl," he greeted.
The devil smiled at him. "Hello, I decided to drop by to see how you were doing," she purred. "I didn't expect you, however, to be consorting with Angels and mortals." Her tone was fairly dripping with acid sarcasm. Jadeite smiled, used to their childhood banter. "You know me, I always was controversial." He lauged lightly.
Beryl frowned. "I'm serious here, Jadeite. That Angel has to go. As for that mortal..." she trailed off suggestively.
"You will not do anything to Zoisite and to that mortal. They are under my protection. I outrank you, and you know that." Jadeite warned, glaring at her, the icy eyes going even paler with intense anger.
Beryl took one step back. "Your father will have something to say about this. Jadeite, you've changed." With a bow, she vanished before Jadeite could do anything. Staring at the empty spot, he slammed his fist into his other hand. "Chikuso!" he cursed, and he meant it.
Zoisite looked curiously at Jadeite when he appeared. The devil looked a little disturbed. "Anything wrong, Jadeite?"
"No, nothing, Zoi-chan," Jadeite replied, but he was thinking, ~what the hell am I going to do when my father finds out?~ He cursed Beryl, again, mentally.
Predictably, the Devil King exploded. "My son is protecting an Angel and a mortal?" he bellowed at nobody in particular. "I send him to earth and this is what he gives me? Trouble! That boy has gone too far!" Beryl wasn't one bit phased by his outburst. "Go back, bring my son back to me, and destroy the Angel. Do whatever you want with that mortal," he ordered. "And I will reward you handsomely." Beryl bowed.
"As you wish, my King."
Zoisite sat quietly on the sidelines of the field, elfin chin propped in hands, watching the footballers kick the ball around. The members of the team knew that Zoisite was solely Malachite's, and while a few sighed, no one dared so much as to flirt with him. The Coach had taken to the seemingly fragile Zoisite after he'd gotten to know the boy, and he mothered Zoisite shamelessly, to the amusement of everybody else.
Beryl nodded to herself in satisfaction. Jadeite was nowhere in sight today, occupied as he was with a science project. He seemed especially smitten with all these mortal laws of physics or something to that effect. Waiting until the match had ended, she walked up to Malachite and Zoisite, veiling herself in an illusion on one of Zoisite's classmates, and affecting an aura of distress.
"I need your help, Jadeite's in danger!" she cried, wringing her hands in mock terror, her voice an octave above normal. There're strange creatures attacking him!" She sounded suitably hysterical.
Zoisite immediately asked. "Where Ting? I'll go at once!" Malachite caught hold of his hand. "I'll go with you." Inwardly, Beryl smiled. Everything was going according to her plan. She ran off towards the school building, creating a barrier as she did. Being an Angel, Zoisite wouldn't detect the barrier until it was too late.
Zoisite slowed down a little, feeling something strange, but unable to pinpoint the exact source of his discomfort.
"Are you sure-"
Beryl turned to face him, dissolving the illusion and grinning hugely as she did.
"Fool," she hissed. "As stupid and naïve as I imagined you to be." But she was cursing inside. ~He wasn't supposed to realise this so fast. My plans could be ruined by this.~ She reached out to grab Zoisite, but the Angel danced out of the way nimbly, and in a flash Malachite was standing in front of him protectively.
"Who in hell are you? Jadeite!" Zoisite screamed, aloud and mentally, not sure if the devil was able to hear him, but willing to try anything. He was nowhere close in power to this devil, and only Jadeite could save them both now. A second call was sent out to his mentor, Nephrite-sama.
"You idiot! Your call can't pierce my barrier," Beryl laughed. Waving her hand, the entire place around them exploded, while Zoisite tried desperately to create a second barrier to protect the enviroment and the mortals. He was partly successful, for only the inanimate objects suffered damage. Outside the barrier, students and teachers alike shrieked in terror, their mortal minds unable to process and reason the sudden destruction around them. They scurried for safety. Malachite was likewise afraid, but he didn't want to leave his love alone with this lunatic of a woman.
In the science lab, Jadeite felt the surge of power and swore explosively. Beryl! What had she done? Ripping off his goggles, he slammed out of the lab and sprinted to the source.
Nephrite paused in his singing as the Call reached him. The tiny Angel was just emerging from the cocoon of light, and Nephrite coaxed it out gently. With a final lilting phrase, the Angel broke free and flew to him on tiny wings. Nephrite laughed at the cherubic being and handed it over to one of the other Angels who was hovering nearby. Within a few days, the Angel would fully develop into a being like the rest. But now, he had to go down to earth, for Zoisite's Call read 'Urgent', with overtones of fear and desperation. And this was doubly worrying, of he knew that Zoisite would never bother him unless it was truly an emergency.
"Coral, you're in charge until I return."
Beryl backed the Angel all the way to a wall, backhanding Malachite casually with one hand when he tried to help, and the silver-haired student flew backwards, banging his head on the floor.
"Malachite!" Zoisite called out in horror, but he was unable to get past Beryl physically or magically. She was taller than him by about half a head. "I'll kill you, you little pest," she snarled. "Always causing trouble for us Devils, you disgustingly saccharine Angels." She had a round orb in her hand that was a hideous shade of black. Zoisite saw it, didn't know what it was, didn't think he wanted to know what it was (though he was certain it wasn't very nice) and managed to duck out of the way of a lightning bolt that snaked from the orb. Beryl cursed furiously, her face scarlet to match her hair and dress.
"You Little PEST!" she screamed, and sent another three bolts in quick succession. Zoisite, the unlucky receiver of two out of the three bolts was flung painfully hard against the conveniently near wall. Beryl shot out her nails, elongating them into five meter horrors, and pinned Zoisite to the wall. The nails broke themselves off at the tip of the fingers of Beryl's hands, leaving her free to do what she wanted to the mortal. Zoisite screamed in pain, trying to move, but the nails had gone right through his arms and one leg. Beryl paused for a moment and drank in the pain. It was so sweet, so delicious: an Angel's pain. Better savor it now while she had the chance.
The Devil stalked over to an unconscious Malachite. "I'll have great pleasure killing him," she hissed cruelly, conjuring up a sword. "It's just a pity I don't have the luxury to torture him slowly now.
Jadeite knew instinctively what to do when he saw the trio, and doing it would take all his power. He only hoped that Zoisite would be able to survive the initial shock.
Nephrite raced to the school, mapping Zoisite's aura to track him. He was in the midst of taking the school steps three at a time, when he saw the Devil-cast barrier and the fainter Angel one. Zoisite must have set that up to protect any passersby, Nephrite thought. A young blond teenager dressed in school uniform was opposite him, and Nephrite noted with a shock that the supposed teenager was the only offspring of the Devil King.
"Are you Nephrite-sama? Zoisite's mentor?" Jadeite asked bluntly. The Angel nodded.
"Good. I need your help if we're to get the two out of there. Can you feed your power to me?"
Nephrite didn't bother to question even once. The boy was sincere, he could feel it. Without hesitation, he channeled all his power to the devil.
Beryl was laughing insanely by now, and Zoisite could barely think above the pain. He was close to nausea as he'd never seen so much blood before, and worst of all, his mind was drifting in and out of the 'now', moving into the ethereal realm where Heaven was supposed to be. He saw her bring down the sword too late, and by the time his pain-dulled mind could react, the sword was embedded in his lover's chest.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Zoisite couldn't care if it hurt anymore; he jerked forward enough to free one hand and tried to yank out the mutated nail. It didn't work. He threw back his head and screamed out a single note, which somehow managed to still sound musical, and everything holding him down shattered. He, the one Angel who couldn't even master a single attack phrase, charged at Beryl, a crystalline blade forming in his hand, and unhesitatingly met her with her sword. The shock went through both of them unpleasantly, and they sprang back to gauge the other party warily. Though Beryl had a better reach and height, Zoisite had tenacity, agility, plus strength from his half-maddened state.
Angel and Devil were deadlocked, and Zoisite locked eyes with her, agonized green clashing with mocking red. Then deliberately, he disengaged, stepped back and sang out a phrase of notes, Calling down lightning from the sky in the form of wild spirals of cherry blossoms. The razor edged petals sliced and buried themselves in the surprised devil. The pure white petals were turning a pale pink with heart's blood and heart's pain. Beryl shrieked in pain and fury, but crumpled to the ground nonetheless, forgotten debris as Zoisite thumped down beside Malachite, cradling the mortal against his blood splattered self, uncaring of anything else around him.
"Malachite! No! WHY?" he screamed. "WHY?"
Jadeite paced around the bed, looking impatiently to see if Malachite had woken up yet. In the next room, he could hear Nephrite's gentle voice Calling Zoisite. He grimaced when he thought of the Angel...
Nephrite let his head sink into his hands. No matter how much he Called, there was no reaction from the pretty young Angel, not even the slightest flicker. Zoisite's wide emerald eyes stared forward into nothingness, unseeing, unfeeling; it was as if the Angel had died, in the mortal sense of the word. The bandaged arms lay limply on the bed, and it seemed as if Zoisite wasn't even breathing. An Angel without a soul; Nephrite shuddered at the thought. But then again, now that Zoisite could bleed, he wasn't exactly considered an Angel anymore. They were, after all, different from mortals. Nephrite didn't want to begin thinking of the various implications of Zoisite becoming mortal. Slipping off the bed, he closed the door softly and padded to the adjourning room to look for Jadeite.
He was just in time to see the mortal, what was his name? -Oh yes Malachite- Malachite's silver eyes open groggily. Jadeite was at the man's side within the instant.
"Malachite?"
"Jadeite?" he asked. Then, his memory hit him full force. "Zoisite! That woman!" he struggled into a sitting position and winced a little when the pain in his chest struck him. At least Jadeite's spell had worked. He'd weaved an illusion so that Beryl didn't drive the sword all the way through the mortal, magically holding Malachite together until the sword was out, and then Healing that area. No wonder he'd needed Nephrite's help, not just for the power, but for the Healing as well. Devils weren't used to Healing. And Malachite was a first attempt guinea pig. But the youngster was good, since the 'guinea pig' had survived none the worse for the wear.
"He's alright, just that he's in hyperspace now. He thought you died," Jadeite explained, super-condensing everything.
"Where is he?" the silver-haired man demanded, finally managing to sit up straight at last. "And who's he?" he asked, pointing to Nephrite who was trying his best to be unobtrusive. It was a little difficult, what with his unusually long wavy auburn hair and elegant presence.
"Zoisite's in the next room. I'll take you to him. And forget about him. Hurry!" Jadeite nearly dragged Malachite out of the bed in his impatience, shoving him into the room with Zoisite. After that, the mortal didn't need any more encouragement. The Angel looked like some battered, broken doll, bandaged up as he was, and looking lost in the vast expanse of the canopied bed. Malachite gasped, and tried to keep his heart pounding in his chest. He ran the short distance to the bed and sank down next to his love.
The silver-haired student took one thin, bandaged hand in his and closed his eyes, following the life-bond between them to find Zoisite, reassure him that he was still alive and well, and pull him out of whatever abyss he had sunk into back to reality.
"Will he be alright? Zoi-chan's always felt everything so intensely, and he's so vulnerable and sensitive."
Nephrite shook his head. "You mean you didn't notice that Zoisite's can't really be considered an Angel anymore?"
Jadeite looked shocked, and a little chagrined at himself. "I guess that made sense, the bleeding and everything."
Nephrite nodded and sighed. "It's up to him. I'll intercede on his behalf for the Presence, but ultimately, the choice is still his." Jadeite looked thoughtful and nodded.
"Morning Jadeite!" Zoisite called cheerfully as the pale blond-haired man zoomed past on his roller blades. He skidded to a halt at the sight of the dou, no- trio.
"Nephrite?"
The ex-head of the Angels smiled broadly at him. "Hello Jadeite."
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, I decided to retire and throw my lot in here with Zoi-chan. We're not Angels anymore."
Jadeite grinned. "What a coincidence. I'm not a devil any more as well."
Malachite looked a little lost, the expression out of place on his face. Somehow, Malachite's features weren't suited to him looking puzzled. "Devil? Angel?"
The three laughed. "Yep. I got my father to disown me," Jadeite crowed, "and now," he announced, "I'm off to class. Come on Zoi-chan! See you later, alligators," he called out to the three as he resumed zooming down the road, and preening shamelessly in the attention he attracted from the girls.
"You've got to explain all this to me one day," Malachite said, shaking his silver head. "See you as usual, Zoi-chan." He walked off to join his classmates.
Nephrite and Zoisite walked on together for a while. "I'm glad you decided to come down as well, Nephrite-sama."
"Well Zoisite, so am I. You guys are way too cute to watch."
Enjoyed it? I may be revising the story in future, so comments, constructive criticism etc. are welcome. You can mail me at herald_elanor@hotmail.com
Flames will be returned, cos' I read my e-mails after school, and if you're unfortunate, I'll be in a lousy mood then. =P