twilight - chapter 3
Title: Twilight
Authors: soukoji & jibunnohana
Rating: R
Summary: Halfling, tainted, unworthy - words the angel Sakito ignored living among the heavenly creatures he so adored and aspired to be. But naivite has its limits, and Sakito's fateful meeting with an ancient incubus proved to him that that there's more to goodness than pure white wings.
Notes: Incubus description. Sorry this took so long to update (yet again). XD;;
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
"Library?" Grateful for the change of subject, Sakito followed more eagerly than he would have liked to admit. Books of all kinds were one thing he loved dearly, and had a small collection of his own. A demon as old as Niya must have hundreds...no, thousands stashed away by now.
“Yes, I’ve got all sorts of literature from every realm. I thought you might enjoying reading some of it.” The dark hallway he led the angel through lit mysteriously as they passed, illuminating the pitch black normally enshrouding the demon’s home at night. Eventually, Niya turned and entered a large room, which also became bright lit as they entered. The room was impossible by mortal standards, well beyond what the moderately sized house could hold on its own. Sakito wasn’t exactly surprised at the dimensions, but awed nonetheless by the vast selection lining the walls. Musty scents of yellowed pages and moldy binding wafted emanated throughout the room, wall to wall filled with ages of texts.
“Here. Sorry if it’s not the cleanest room in the house, it’s too much trouble to dust them all.”
Niya’s library was a dream come true, written plainly on the angel’s delicate face as he peered at the closest shelf. “Libraries are better when they’re dusty and old,” he commented absently, for the moment forgetting who he was talking to.
The demon chuckled, seeing quite clearly how pleased the other was. “I’m glad you like it, then. Make yourself at home, feel free to read whatever you with. Nothing is off limits.”
Smiling to himself, Sakito ran his hand over the spines of the books, pausing here and there to look at the titles. Many of them he had never seen before, and a few were old favorites. Strange that a demon would like some of the same stories he did, but yet there they were. After browsing a bit more, Sakito stopped to pull one down, casting a questioning glace over his shoulder at Niya, looking askance though the demon has already said it was alright. The demon simply crossed his arms with a shrug and leaned back against the far wall, observing the angel.
“There are a lot of ancient history books on the top left side. Things you would never read about in heaven. It’s a great read if you’re interested,” Niya suggested as he watched.
The history volumes mentioned sounded intriguing to Sakito, but he was already occupied with other options. “How long did a collection like this take to build?”
“At least a millennia.” Pushing away from the wall, Niya summoned a chair with a flick of his hand, hovering it in the air until it rested next to his guest, followed by a second, which he took as his seat. “Sit,” he offered, and Sakito did so without taking his gaze from the pages of the book.
In fact, he nearly missed the chair, an ungraceful movement for an angel, but he was too absorbed to care. The demon smirked beside him, but refrained from laughing. It was almost as if Sakito’s soul was being sucked into the very words he was reading. Creaking binding was spread open in his lap, with one hand turning the pages and the other playing with a few strands of silky hair near his neck. Much calmer, the angel seemed to have forgotten his real purpose in Niya’s house.
“I’ll leave you here to read, then. If you need anything, call for me. I can hear you no matter where you are in the house.” The demon rose from his seat and walked to the doorway, where he paused. “Oh, you can also ask the house spirits. They can guide you to anything you might need. And no escaping.”
Niya’s instructions were a chilling reminder to Sakito that he wasn’t as safe as he felt. The demon could still easily change his mind about letting him go or leaving him unscathed. Though he refused to look up from the book, Sakito’s face paled under the thick obstruction of his auburn fringe. “Uhm…yes…thank you…” he said quietly, tension returning to his wiry body.
Returning to his bedroom, Niya stopped at the end table Sakito had been shuffling through when he’d first found him. Nothing was missing, but there was nothing worthwhile in the drawer. Old numbers of mortals long since sent to their graves, most by his own hands. Closing it again, he sighed and fell backwards onto his bed, immediately struck by the scent of the angel’s heavenly aura. Niya took a deep breath of it, cursing the notion that he couldn’t feed on the other, an act that would likely kill the halfing and give reason for his capture and execution. A shame, though… Sakito was such a beautiful being, the epitome of two worlds combined. Niya closed his eyes, crawling under the sheets and burying himself in the comfortable layers. Sleep would grant him some peace of mind and perhaps ease his craving.
Hours and hours passed while Sakito perused the library, eventually falling asleep as well in the dusty armchair, a large book open in his lap. Troubling dreams disturbed his nap, and the angel woke disoriented, with a stiff neck from his upright position. For a moment he panicked, not sure where he was or how he got there. Shaking out the cobwebs from his brain, the angel wondered how long he’d been asleep, and where Niya disappeared to. A pang in the pit of his stomach told him a bit of food was necessary, and got up to search for the kitchen. He felt the need to tiptoe for a reason he couldn’t place, though Sakito was sure the demon was well aware of his activities. The silence pervading the house was thick, if not menacing. In his bedroom, Niya grumbled at being roused by the house spirits tracking Sakito. Muttering his displeasure, the demon flipped over, trying to drift back to sleep, but the spirits wouldn’t allow it.
Moving in the blink of an eye, Niya was in the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator. “Hello,” he greeted Sakito causing the angel to drop the plum he was eating just as he was bringing it to his mouth for a bite.
Hoping as he was the demon was out of the building or still asleep, Sakito couldn’t help being surprised at the sudden appearance, quashing his chances of a sneaky escape. “Er…good morning…”
“Hnn. Yes, morning…unfortunately.” The demon took a seat at the table, staring blankly at Sakito. “You dropped your peach…or whatever.”
The angel looked down at the plum, which had splattered a bit on the floor. “Oh, I’m sorry… I’ll clean it up.” Automatically, he reached for the paper towels on the counter.
Niya raised a brow at the action. “Don’t bother.” Clicking a nail against the table, one of the wispy spirits melted out of the wall and slithered its amorphous body to the spot, covering it with its transparent form, devouring the plum whole. Waving his hand at the fridge, two pieces of fruit hovered out of the drawer and stopped in front of the angel, waiting patiently for him to take them. “They’re the cleanup crew, too.”
“What are…they?” Sakito asked slowly, taking the fruit. The idea of spirits living in the walls of Niya’s house was unnerving, especially when he knew they were definitely watching.
“They’re the spirits of the house. All things have a spirits, especially when you pour all sorts of magic into it. I think they’re rather cute. A tad annoying at times, but they’re helpful and generally harmless.” Niya watched the ghostly figure drift back into the wall, blinking its round black eyes from the paint before they, too, disappeared completely. The explanation didn’t so much to lessen the feeling of being watched, and Sakito gingerly took a bite from one of the fruits. Harmless wasn’t quite right - they could do enough psychological damage by merely being there.
“Stop being so paranoid, it’s grating on my nerves.” Sakito mumbled an apology, afraid to be rude under the circumstances. The uncertainty and perturbed discomfort flittering across the angel’s face spurred Niya to add, “No one is going to eat you, kill you, rape you, torture you, or anything other terrible thing you might be thinking. Really.”
Perhaps it was the human blood in him, but Sakito had a difficult time trusting angel and demon alike, though he stubbornly held on to rose-colored glasses when it came to the former. “Than what are you going to do with me?” he asked, unclear on the purpose of keeping him captive if what Niya said was true.
“Nothing. I won’t keep you here long, just…spend some time with me.” The demon rubbed his scrunched forehead, the beginnings of a headache catching him in a vice-like grip. “Shut up about it, you’re giving me a headache.”
Pursing his lips together, the angel took a few hesitant steps forward. “Uhm…I could get rid of it for you, if you want….” At the very least Sakito wanted his demon host to be in a decent mood.
“I’m sure I have a spell somewhere…” Niya grumbled something about never bothering to study healing magics. “But you’re welcome to try if you want. I don’t think it’ll be strong enough to work on me, though.”
“I’m not completely useless, you know.” Stopping in front of the demon, Sakito reached up and placed his palm on the demon’s forehead. A soft light radiated where he touched, an almost effortless spell the angel had mastered when he was a child. “It’s the only kind of magic I’m good at.”
“I never said that,” Niya mumbled gruffly, sighing as the pressure released from his skull. Indeed, the other was quite gifted. He smiled in thanks. “My specialty is shadow magic. Good against creature like you, but it uses a scrap of the wielder’s soul for an energy source. Kills the user eventually, unless you figure out a loophole, like I did. But I’m sure you’ve read about it.”
“Yes, but I’ve never seen it used before you…caught me…” Sakito replied with some remorse, obviously regretting his decision to break into the demon’s house. Sitting down, the angel reached for his half-eaten fruit. “Healing arts don’t usually expend very much energy, except in extreme cases.”
“Want to learn a few spells?” the demon asked with a mischievous grin, positive the offer would be refused. It was downright dangerous, especially for a half-breed, to even attempt the simplest shadow spells, not that Niya ever paid attention to the natural rules.
“No, thanks,” Sakito replied, pulling a sour face.
The demon laughed as he got up from the table to stretch. “Is there anything that you ever wanted to do, but can’t?”
“Fly…” Sakito’s voice was dreamy as he answered, but the thought quickly reminded him that his wings and shoulders were still sore and he flinched at the memory.
“You can’t fly?” Surprised registered in Niya’s expression.
“No… I can kind of glide a little bit, but that’s it,” the angel said, appearing embarrassed at his relatively useless wings. In a fit of unwanted imagination, he considered the Niya must be a powerful flyer, with his age and expansive wingspan.
Deep down, the demon’s heart hurt on behalf of the angel sitting in his kitchen, and disdain for the situation. “Your wings never grew then…?” Frowning, Niya circled the table so that he was behind Sakito, placing strong hands flat on the other’s shoulders to feel out the tiny wings. Eyes widening, Sakito skittered away from his touch to stand a few feet out of reach, though the angel was more frightened of the fact that he liked the heat of the demon’s hands on his back than the idea of Niya touching him.
“Your wings are very fitting for you. They’re prettier small, the full sized ones are so gaudy.”
“Gaudy? Angel wings aren’t gaudy.” The demon’s reasoning was lost on Sakito. Not that he particularly hated his wings, but he couldn’t see why a demon, let alone anyone else, would find the useless things attractive. Trying time and time again, he strove to fly, but his wings wouldn’t support his weight no matter what he did. Moreover, he’d always wished for splendid, full wings and pure white feathers instead of the downy things that barely stretched to his wrists. He noticed Niya advancing toward him and backed away further, but not fast enough. Behind him, the demon placed both hands at the same spot on his back, concentrating his energy briefly to expose the angel’s wings, though in a much gentler fashion than before.
Both hands combed lightly through the silky feathers as Niya spoke. “You should be happy with the way you are. I really do think you are more attractive this way. Big wings would hide your figure,” he murmured, stroking the soft stuff in a way he hoped was comforting.
“Easy for you to say,” Sakito replied quietly, “you don’t have to live with it.” Allowing the demon to stroke his feathers, he admitted only to himself that it helped ease the soreness of his muscles. To him and others of his kind, the wings only served as a reminder of his botched heritage.
“That maybe he true, but my kind don’t shun half breeds just because they’re different. Only angels do that. They hate to see anything taint their precious bloodlines.” Removing his hands from Sakito’s wings, he stepped away from the angel. “You should be glad you’re something new.”
With a soft sigh, Sakito retracted his wings. “We live in two different worlds, I don’t expect you to understand how I feel,” he said evenly, though his eyes betrayed the confused emotions roiling beneath the surface.
The incubus frowned, tracing a nail lightly over the other’s back where the wings had just been. “I’m sorry then.” He stepped away to give Sakito his space. The angel gave a rueful little smile, already deciding to be request to be removed from the assignment once Niya let him go. Too many questions and bad memories - his parents, what he represented, the true purpose of his task - were being stirred up by the demon’s comments. He had answers to none, and thought it best to forget instead of pursing dangerous matters.
“I shouldn’t be keeping you here…” Perhaps their kind weren’t meant to interact after all. “I’m going to let you go now. But…all I want in return in for you to tell me your name at least.”
A name was only fair after eating the demon’s food and reading his books and sleeping in his chair, Sakito thought to himself. Besides, there was no harm in it - likely they would never see each other again. “Sakito,” the angel told calmly, more than ready to leave.
Niya nodded, the name burning into his memory. “I’ll see you again, I’m sure. The doors are unlocked now, you’re free to go.”
Authors: soukoji & jibunnohana
Rating: R
Summary: Halfling, tainted, unworthy - words the angel Sakito ignored living among the heavenly creatures he so adored and aspired to be. But naivite has its limits, and Sakito's fateful meeting with an ancient incubus proved to him that that there's more to goodness than pure white wings.
Notes: Incubus description. Sorry this took so long to update (yet again). XD;;
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
"Library?" Grateful for the change of subject, Sakito followed more eagerly than he would have liked to admit. Books of all kinds were one thing he loved dearly, and had a small collection of his own. A demon as old as Niya must have hundreds...no, thousands stashed away by now.
“Yes, I’ve got all sorts of literature from every realm. I thought you might enjoying reading some of it.” The dark hallway he led the angel through lit mysteriously as they passed, illuminating the pitch black normally enshrouding the demon’s home at night. Eventually, Niya turned and entered a large room, which also became bright lit as they entered. The room was impossible by mortal standards, well beyond what the moderately sized house could hold on its own. Sakito wasn’t exactly surprised at the dimensions, but awed nonetheless by the vast selection lining the walls. Musty scents of yellowed pages and moldy binding wafted emanated throughout the room, wall to wall filled with ages of texts.
“Here. Sorry if it’s not the cleanest room in the house, it’s too much trouble to dust them all.”
Niya’s library was a dream come true, written plainly on the angel’s delicate face as he peered at the closest shelf. “Libraries are better when they’re dusty and old,” he commented absently, for the moment forgetting who he was talking to.
The demon chuckled, seeing quite clearly how pleased the other was. “I’m glad you like it, then. Make yourself at home, feel free to read whatever you with. Nothing is off limits.”
Smiling to himself, Sakito ran his hand over the spines of the books, pausing here and there to look at the titles. Many of them he had never seen before, and a few were old favorites. Strange that a demon would like some of the same stories he did, but yet there they were. After browsing a bit more, Sakito stopped to pull one down, casting a questioning glace over his shoulder at Niya, looking askance though the demon has already said it was alright. The demon simply crossed his arms with a shrug and leaned back against the far wall, observing the angel.
“There are a lot of ancient history books on the top left side. Things you would never read about in heaven. It’s a great read if you’re interested,” Niya suggested as he watched.
The history volumes mentioned sounded intriguing to Sakito, but he was already occupied with other options. “How long did a collection like this take to build?”
“At least a millennia.” Pushing away from the wall, Niya summoned a chair with a flick of his hand, hovering it in the air until it rested next to his guest, followed by a second, which he took as his seat. “Sit,” he offered, and Sakito did so without taking his gaze from the pages of the book.
In fact, he nearly missed the chair, an ungraceful movement for an angel, but he was too absorbed to care. The demon smirked beside him, but refrained from laughing. It was almost as if Sakito’s soul was being sucked into the very words he was reading. Creaking binding was spread open in his lap, with one hand turning the pages and the other playing with a few strands of silky hair near his neck. Much calmer, the angel seemed to have forgotten his real purpose in Niya’s house.
“I’ll leave you here to read, then. If you need anything, call for me. I can hear you no matter where you are in the house.” The demon rose from his seat and walked to the doorway, where he paused. “Oh, you can also ask the house spirits. They can guide you to anything you might need. And no escaping.”
Niya’s instructions were a chilling reminder to Sakito that he wasn’t as safe as he felt. The demon could still easily change his mind about letting him go or leaving him unscathed. Though he refused to look up from the book, Sakito’s face paled under the thick obstruction of his auburn fringe. “Uhm…yes…thank you…” he said quietly, tension returning to his wiry body.
Returning to his bedroom, Niya stopped at the end table Sakito had been shuffling through when he’d first found him. Nothing was missing, but there was nothing worthwhile in the drawer. Old numbers of mortals long since sent to their graves, most by his own hands. Closing it again, he sighed and fell backwards onto his bed, immediately struck by the scent of the angel’s heavenly aura. Niya took a deep breath of it, cursing the notion that he couldn’t feed on the other, an act that would likely kill the halfing and give reason for his capture and execution. A shame, though… Sakito was such a beautiful being, the epitome of two worlds combined. Niya closed his eyes, crawling under the sheets and burying himself in the comfortable layers. Sleep would grant him some peace of mind and perhaps ease his craving.
Hours and hours passed while Sakito perused the library, eventually falling asleep as well in the dusty armchair, a large book open in his lap. Troubling dreams disturbed his nap, and the angel woke disoriented, with a stiff neck from his upright position. For a moment he panicked, not sure where he was or how he got there. Shaking out the cobwebs from his brain, the angel wondered how long he’d been asleep, and where Niya disappeared to. A pang in the pit of his stomach told him a bit of food was necessary, and got up to search for the kitchen. He felt the need to tiptoe for a reason he couldn’t place, though Sakito was sure the demon was well aware of his activities. The silence pervading the house was thick, if not menacing. In his bedroom, Niya grumbled at being roused by the house spirits tracking Sakito. Muttering his displeasure, the demon flipped over, trying to drift back to sleep, but the spirits wouldn’t allow it.
Moving in the blink of an eye, Niya was in the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator. “Hello,” he greeted Sakito causing the angel to drop the plum he was eating just as he was bringing it to his mouth for a bite.
Hoping as he was the demon was out of the building or still asleep, Sakito couldn’t help being surprised at the sudden appearance, quashing his chances of a sneaky escape. “Er…good morning…”
“Hnn. Yes, morning…unfortunately.” The demon took a seat at the table, staring blankly at Sakito. “You dropped your peach…or whatever.”
The angel looked down at the plum, which had splattered a bit on the floor. “Oh, I’m sorry… I’ll clean it up.” Automatically, he reached for the paper towels on the counter.
Niya raised a brow at the action. “Don’t bother.” Clicking a nail against the table, one of the wispy spirits melted out of the wall and slithered its amorphous body to the spot, covering it with its transparent form, devouring the plum whole. Waving his hand at the fridge, two pieces of fruit hovered out of the drawer and stopped in front of the angel, waiting patiently for him to take them. “They’re the cleanup crew, too.”
“What are…they?” Sakito asked slowly, taking the fruit. The idea of spirits living in the walls of Niya’s house was unnerving, especially when he knew they were definitely watching.
“They’re the spirits of the house. All things have a spirits, especially when you pour all sorts of magic into it. I think they’re rather cute. A tad annoying at times, but they’re helpful and generally harmless.” Niya watched the ghostly figure drift back into the wall, blinking its round black eyes from the paint before they, too, disappeared completely. The explanation didn’t so much to lessen the feeling of being watched, and Sakito gingerly took a bite from one of the fruits. Harmless wasn’t quite right - they could do enough psychological damage by merely being there.
“Stop being so paranoid, it’s grating on my nerves.” Sakito mumbled an apology, afraid to be rude under the circumstances. The uncertainty and perturbed discomfort flittering across the angel’s face spurred Niya to add, “No one is going to eat you, kill you, rape you, torture you, or anything other terrible thing you might be thinking. Really.”
Perhaps it was the human blood in him, but Sakito had a difficult time trusting angel and demon alike, though he stubbornly held on to rose-colored glasses when it came to the former. “Than what are you going to do with me?” he asked, unclear on the purpose of keeping him captive if what Niya said was true.
“Nothing. I won’t keep you here long, just…spend some time with me.” The demon rubbed his scrunched forehead, the beginnings of a headache catching him in a vice-like grip. “Shut up about it, you’re giving me a headache.”
Pursing his lips together, the angel took a few hesitant steps forward. “Uhm…I could get rid of it for you, if you want….” At the very least Sakito wanted his demon host to be in a decent mood.
“I’m sure I have a spell somewhere…” Niya grumbled something about never bothering to study healing magics. “But you’re welcome to try if you want. I don’t think it’ll be strong enough to work on me, though.”
“I’m not completely useless, you know.” Stopping in front of the demon, Sakito reached up and placed his palm on the demon’s forehead. A soft light radiated where he touched, an almost effortless spell the angel had mastered when he was a child. “It’s the only kind of magic I’m good at.”
“I never said that,” Niya mumbled gruffly, sighing as the pressure released from his skull. Indeed, the other was quite gifted. He smiled in thanks. “My specialty is shadow magic. Good against creature like you, but it uses a scrap of the wielder’s soul for an energy source. Kills the user eventually, unless you figure out a loophole, like I did. But I’m sure you’ve read about it.”
“Yes, but I’ve never seen it used before you…caught me…” Sakito replied with some remorse, obviously regretting his decision to break into the demon’s house. Sitting down, the angel reached for his half-eaten fruit. “Healing arts don’t usually expend very much energy, except in extreme cases.”
“Want to learn a few spells?” the demon asked with a mischievous grin, positive the offer would be refused. It was downright dangerous, especially for a half-breed, to even attempt the simplest shadow spells, not that Niya ever paid attention to the natural rules.
“No, thanks,” Sakito replied, pulling a sour face.
The demon laughed as he got up from the table to stretch. “Is there anything that you ever wanted to do, but can’t?”
“Fly…” Sakito’s voice was dreamy as he answered, but the thought quickly reminded him that his wings and shoulders were still sore and he flinched at the memory.
“You can’t fly?” Surprised registered in Niya’s expression.
“No… I can kind of glide a little bit, but that’s it,” the angel said, appearing embarrassed at his relatively useless wings. In a fit of unwanted imagination, he considered the Niya must be a powerful flyer, with his age and expansive wingspan.
Deep down, the demon’s heart hurt on behalf of the angel sitting in his kitchen, and disdain for the situation. “Your wings never grew then…?” Frowning, Niya circled the table so that he was behind Sakito, placing strong hands flat on the other’s shoulders to feel out the tiny wings. Eyes widening, Sakito skittered away from his touch to stand a few feet out of reach, though the angel was more frightened of the fact that he liked the heat of the demon’s hands on his back than the idea of Niya touching him.
“Your wings are very fitting for you. They’re prettier small, the full sized ones are so gaudy.”
“Gaudy? Angel wings aren’t gaudy.” The demon’s reasoning was lost on Sakito. Not that he particularly hated his wings, but he couldn’t see why a demon, let alone anyone else, would find the useless things attractive. Trying time and time again, he strove to fly, but his wings wouldn’t support his weight no matter what he did. Moreover, he’d always wished for splendid, full wings and pure white feathers instead of the downy things that barely stretched to his wrists. He noticed Niya advancing toward him and backed away further, but not fast enough. Behind him, the demon placed both hands at the same spot on his back, concentrating his energy briefly to expose the angel’s wings, though in a much gentler fashion than before.
Both hands combed lightly through the silky feathers as Niya spoke. “You should be happy with the way you are. I really do think you are more attractive this way. Big wings would hide your figure,” he murmured, stroking the soft stuff in a way he hoped was comforting.
“Easy for you to say,” Sakito replied quietly, “you don’t have to live with it.” Allowing the demon to stroke his feathers, he admitted only to himself that it helped ease the soreness of his muscles. To him and others of his kind, the wings only served as a reminder of his botched heritage.
“That maybe he true, but my kind don’t shun half breeds just because they’re different. Only angels do that. They hate to see anything taint their precious bloodlines.” Removing his hands from Sakito’s wings, he stepped away from the angel. “You should be glad you’re something new.”
With a soft sigh, Sakito retracted his wings. “We live in two different worlds, I don’t expect you to understand how I feel,” he said evenly, though his eyes betrayed the confused emotions roiling beneath the surface.
The incubus frowned, tracing a nail lightly over the other’s back where the wings had just been. “I’m sorry then.” He stepped away to give Sakito his space. The angel gave a rueful little smile, already deciding to be request to be removed from the assignment once Niya let him go. Too many questions and bad memories - his parents, what he represented, the true purpose of his task - were being stirred up by the demon’s comments. He had answers to none, and thought it best to forget instead of pursing dangerous matters.
“I shouldn’t be keeping you here…” Perhaps their kind weren’t meant to interact after all. “I’m going to let you go now. But…all I want in return in for you to tell me your name at least.”
A name was only fair after eating the demon’s food and reading his books and sleeping in his chair, Sakito thought to himself. Besides, there was no harm in it - likely they would never see each other again. “Sakito,” the angel told calmly, more than ready to leave.
Niya nodded, the name burning into his memory. “I’ll see you again, I’m sure. The doors are unlocked now, you’re free to go.”