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Story
+ Angel Hunt ~ Streifen +
Future Effects
Twenty Years into the future a new game begins...
A story collaboration between Angel Hunt and Streifen
Chapter Two : Part One
[ Unexpected Arrival ]
Jenova’s eyes remain closed, glass like claws gently stroking long strands of ginger, listening quietly to the steady rhythm of Aki’s heartbeat and accompanying breathing into his chest. Silver wings lay outstretched across the down mattress, the smaller man’s arms locked around the Demon’s frame, his leg half out of the blue linen kimono and resting solidly across Jenova’s. Aki had been sleeping for hours and he had been holding him as he always did at times like these.
The Demon had called out for Saiyuri soon after Aki and trudged back into the room, wings exposed and a mixture of annoyance, hunger and nausea painted on his features all at once. The Selestarri did not need to say anything; Jenova’s crimson eyes did not even need to see the space that once housed a feather, nor smell the trace of blood left from it being ripped from its root to know who the responsible one was. He could smell Saiyuri on Aki immediately and that told him what he needed to know.
Over the years he’d allowed her access to the mansion because Aki had asked him to allow Megumi and her sister time. Saiyuri herself had promised to keep her person under control, knowing very well that it would not take much for his tolerance of that arrangement to become intolerance and forgo it altogether. And she had, over these years, behaved herself in the only manner she can.
So it was … an annoyance to have one he loves return to him in such a state to say the least. And the fact that the only explanation the boy could give him was that she had desired a feather did not make the annoyance any less. He wanted to know why.
She had not, as of yet, answered his call though. And while he would have an explanation, searching her out immediately was not much of an importance as Aki needed his attentions first and foremost. After ensuring that the boy did indeed eat despite his reluctance, exhaustion had overtaken him and he’d fallen asleep soon after. They had been this way since.
A strange mix of familiar scents reach his nose, suddenly pulling him from his thoughts. The Demon’s fingers still and his eyes snap open a split second later. Clear crimson meet clear crimson, pulling a hard frown to pale lips. Without a word as the creature stares at him, Jenova carefully lifts Aki’s free of his body and sets him down onto red silk covered down before turning back to meet the innocent gaze of the small child before him. Two unyielding gazes regard each other in silence for a few moments before the widest pleased smile sweeps across the child’s mouth.
The Demon narrows his eyes, the fabric of the semi sheer black kimono draped over his muscular form swishing as he slides his body forward, freeing himself from the bed. The tiny figure falls back with a small cry, milky brown hair tossed across his eyes as Jenova moves swiftly towards the open French patio doors. The Demon’s booming voice jolts the Eclipsed from his sleep and echoes across the mansion’s grounds.
“FATHER!”
Sleep tainted cerulean blue eyes open to meet the bright crimson of the youth and Aki blinks in confusion, pulling another wide smile from the boy. Jenova’s voice rings out again, the demand to his maker repeated into the grounds while Aki slowly rises up on his arms. His eyes move sleepily from the child in front of him to the Demon standing out on the patio beyond them.
“Jenova…?” Aki starts weakly, his attention pulled back by a soft gleeful laugh.
The child reaches up, holding tiny claw tipped fingers out to the Eclipsed and grins, “Daddy!”
“Wha… how did a child get in here? Who…?” The Selestarri moves his tired form to the edge of the oversized bed and takes a closer look. Roughly a five-year-old human looking creature. Clear crimson eyes. Claw-tipped fingers. Milky brown hair. Why does he feel like a Selestarri?
No… not just Selestarri… Demon as well. And not just any Demon, his Demon.
The confusion of sleep leaves Aki quickly and he wraps his robe tightly around himself as he stares wide-eyed at the small hybrid creature smiling up at him.
“J-Jenova…. What the hell is this?” The Demon doesn’t answer him but the Eclipsed can feel that he is far from pleased. He is filled with a sense of dread as bits and pieces start to come together, but he doesn’t want to believe it. It’s not possible. Jenova isn’t even capable of reproducing and Aki knows he himself wasn’t involved.
So why in the world was there a creature that both looked and felt like the two of them standing in front of him?
“It’s yours A-ki-O, isn’t it cute?” Hesue’s voice startles the Eclipsed, his attention pulled away from the tiny form to the black haired Demi God as he solidifies behind him on the bed, meeting confused cerulean with pleased solid cobalt. Before Aki can even register any movement, a flash of white and silver streams past him. The sickening sound of metal sliding into skin and bone echoes throughout the large empty area a split second after.
Metal like substance sprays out across the room as clawed fingers rip Hesue’s head free of his small body, the elongated katana snaking from view just as the Demon’s foot is brought up to kick the child God’s body away. With a loud thump, Hesue’s form crumples on the floor just as Jenova’s leg is brought back down onto silk covered down beneath him. The head he’s holding fading from view in his very hands only a moment later.
[HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT!?] Hesue’s angry voice explodes around them.
Dropping his hands to his sides, Jenova stares down with cold eyes as the body that was once attached to the head he just took fades as well, the pool of silvery liquid around it and drops splattered across the far wall growing fainter with every second.
Icy liquid notes leave pale lips without pause, the Demon’s tone clearly annoyed, “What game do you play… Father?”
[Game?] Hesue giggles [I don’t know what you are talking about. I made it for you both as a gift for keeping our daughter’s safe all these years. You can do whatever you want with it. So if you don’t like it, simply kill it.]
With that the child God’s voice fades completely out, leaving only echoing laughter in its wake. Jenova stares at the space that held the body of his Maker for a few minutes in silence before his head tilts down and his eyes shift back.
He meets Aki’s bewildered gaze only briefly before clear crimson eyes narrow and flick to the child staring wide eyed behind them. The boy reaches out and curls his little fingers around red silk, a look of mixed awe and fear painted on his tiny features as he scoots his little body behind the silver wings of the Eclipsed.
“He’s kidding, right? Please tell me this is a joke… that this thing isn’t real…” Jenova’s silence answers his question immediately and Aki groans. “The hell are we supposed to do with it?” Cerulean blue eyes move back to small clear crimson that continue to stare up at Jenova. Aki sighs loudly and inches himself out of the bed, leaving the small child and walking over to the wardrobe. The Eclipsed is halfway finished pulling one of his t-shirts out when he hears the sound of Jenova’s blade forming. His eyes go wide and he spins immediately to see the Demon facing the tiny figure still looking up at him. The boy reaches up with a smile and makes a grabbing motion at Jenova’s sword. Aki doesn’t even need to ask, he already knows what the Demon plans to do next.
“NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” The Eclipsed races to the creature and blocks the path of Jenova’s sword. An annoyed growl leaves the Demon’s lips. “Jenova, it’s a CHILD, you can’t just kill it!”
“Move.” The Demon demands, sword mere inches from his target. Unyielding, the Eclipsed only shakes his head.
Aki doesn’t budge and he doesn’t raise his head, he knows the look he’ll meet and he knows he can’t withstand it. But no matter the anger it might cause, it’s an innocent life. They may not want it, but that doesn’t mean it deserves to die. He really needs to get it away from Jenova before he can even begin to figure this all out.
“Come with me…” Carefully keeping blue eyes from the Demon’s gaze, Aki draws the small crimson eyes away from it as well. The child giggles as he’s pushed over to the wardrobe and the discarded t-shirt. The Eclipsed stuffs him into the oversized garment and grabs his tiny-clawed hand, quickly leading him away from the highly annoyed Demon and out of the room.
Bright red eyes go wide as they step into the fourth floor hallway, excitedly glancing around as the ornately carved door clicks shut behind them. Aki looks down at the awe-struck face and sighs. “What am I going to do with you until Jenova calms down?” He thinks on it for a moment before kneeling down with a tired sigh and taking both of the child’s hands in his.
“Ikkairius is going to hate me….”
A small bought of gleeful giggling spills from the child’s lips and he begins shaking the Eclipse’s hands, bouncing slightly as he does so, “Ikkairius” he repeats, “Ikkairius. Ikkairius Ikkairius.” More laughter echoes in the hallway before the boy’s expression straightens. A pouty determined scowl moves quickly across his small face, “No. Won’t let Ikkairius hate my Aki papa.”
He grins wide and pulls his little fingers free of Aki’s grip, turning around suddenly to run down the hall. The boy makes it only a few paces before his little feet catch on the trailing tee shirt and he falls forward, landing flat on his face. Aki remains still in stunned silence as the child lays motionless with his face glued to the marble tile. Slowly the milky brown haired boy pushes himself up, gold streaking across clear crimson as tears well up in his eyes.
Tiny hands are slid up just as his eyes flair to a brilliant gold, his wails bursting out from small lips and bouncing throughout the hallway surrounding them.
Oh crap… He’s never had to deal with children before, let alone crying children. Most of the young ones on Eyrie were taken care of by communal midwives.
“Shhh, shhhh… you’re ok, come here.” Aki signals to the boy and he gets up and walks over to the Selestarri, clinging on to his robes while large arms wrap around the small figure. Gold eyes, he definitely has Selestarri in him. “Come on, let’s go see Ikkairius, who’s going to kill me at some point later on for this.” The Eclipsed picks up the now quietly sobbing child and begins his decent down the winding staircase to the first floor.
Ikkairius fluffs his wings out behind him before sitting down and cautiously leaning back in his chair. A relaxed sigh leaves his lips as the extreme discomfort of the Gioa crystal touching the chair’s wood passes. Slender fingers are about to pick up his midday tea when a quiet knock sounds on the door to his room.
Annoyed, the Ancient Bright slowly reverses himself back to a standing position and makes his way to the door. He doesn’t even need to ask, he already knows who’s on the other side, he can feel the Eclipsed from a mile away. But he has someone with him, and that person he didn’t know. Aki knows better than to bring strangers to his room, even if they were Selestarri.
Especially if they were Selestarri.
Ikkairius swings the door open, not hiding his obvious annoyance as he is met with the smiling face of a child held by a visibly distraught Aki. The Ancient Bright could already tell what the child was.
“I was unaware the crystal could do that.” Ikkairius doesn’t budge from his doorway. It’s not his fault if Aki wanted to mess with genetics and he certainly wasn’t responsible.
“It… it can’t… at least as far as I know. But Jenova’s Creator can… and did. I had to bring him somewhere until Jenova calms down or else he would kill it.” The Eclipse’s distraught look turns to near pleading.
“And Jenova killing it would have been a problem, why?” The Ancient Bright flatly inquires. He was done playing nanny to potentially dangerous children long ago. For Aki to come to him now… let’s just say it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. The Eclipse’s expression turns to a scowl at the question and he pushes his way past the Bright and into the room, depositing the child on the bed. A loud pleased squeal rings around them when the child hits the soft mattress, milk brown hair flying over clear crimson eyes as his body settles a moment later. The child’s head slides back and he giggles up at Aki, reaching out with small clawed fingers to make grabbing motions towards him, an impatient whimper leaving small lips when the Selestarri turns his back to him. Ikkairius rolls his eyes and sighs before turning back into the room and closing the door. He likes Aki, he really does, but some days…
“You know I have no where else to take him right now, I have no clue what to do with it.” Aki speaks through his long hair, his gaze locked down on the floor while the boy continues to grab at his robe from behind, the noises coming from him growing more urgent as the Eclipsed continues to ignore him. He knows this isn’t what the Ancient Bright wanted to see at the foot of his door.
“Yes, but it does not change the fact that you have brought me a child who is potentially hundreds of times stronger and more dangerous than someone like Kallixstus and I barely survived his upbringing.” Ikkairius flicks his hand and brings out an old favorite of his to help subdue wild children, a plastic sippy cup filled with his own special concoction.
The child makes one loud protest at the Eclipsed before the Ancient Bright bends in and offers the sippy cup. An immediate scowl moves over his small face and he shakes his head, red eyes moving from the cup to Aki and back again.
Ikkairius raises an eyebrow, stretching his arm out a little further and the child’s scowl deepens, his small body leaning back and away from both the Bright and the item he’s offering, the look of distrust clear on tiny features.
“No” he says firmly, refusing the offering.
Aki sighs and sits on the bed, grabbing the child and bringing him gently into his lap.
“Looks, it’s ok… here” The Eclipsed takes the cup from Ikkairius and drinks a small amount himself, showing the hybrid creature that it’s safe. The young boy’s eyes quickly shift from Ikkairius to the cup in Aki’s hands to Aki’s face. “You need to trust Ikkairius, he’s going to take care of you for a bit while I go do damage control on Jenova.”
“I am?” The Ancient Bright raises an eyebrow at the Eclipse’s volunteering of his time.
“Please? I just need a little while… I’m begging you at this point…” The tiredness in Aki’s face clearly shows. An annoyed grumble leaves Ikkairius’ lips.
“I cannot do anything with it if it does not trust me.” The Ancient Bright smiles wryly, extending a hand in the direction of the child. Small red eyes continue to shift back and forth between the two adult Selestarri. The boy’s gaze flicks one final time to Aki who attempts a reassuring smile before moving back to Ikkairius’ outstretched hand. Hesitating for only a moment before he slowly extends his arm, the oversized tee shirt covers his small fingers as they slide against older Selestarri’s palm.
Ikkairius pulls the boy from Aki’s lap, setting him on his feet just as the Eclipsed rises from the bed himself. Cerulean blue meet the clear crimson that up until recently, only Jenova possessed as he kneels down in front of the child, holding the sippy cup out for him with a forced smile.
The boy reluctantly takes the cup, tiny glass like claws curling into green plastic as Aki stands, the smile draining from his face and turning quickly to gratitude as he meets the reserved gaze of the Bright.
“Thank you Ikkairius, really - it won’t take me long… I hope…” Aki turns towards the door, managing only a few steps before he’s ripped back by a strong grip on silver feathers. The surprised cry pulled from his lips mixes with the sound of the cup crashing to the floor and he stumbles back, nearly losing his footing but managing to catch himself before he’d crash into the pair behind him. The Eclipsed turns around, wide blue eyes meeting clear red flecked with streaks of gold. The boy shakes his head, his tiny hands wrapped firmly around a primary of his stretched wing as tears well up in his eyes.
“Aki papa no” he was on the verge of crying again.
Aki’s eyes move from the distraught child to the Bright who only smirks softly in return. The boy refuses to ease his grip on the Selestarri’s feathers and Aki twists himself back around, carefully folding his wing to the front as he kneels down once again.
“Look… I’m only going to be gone a minute. I’ll come back.” The boy still refuses to ease his grip and only shakes his head. Aki musters the best smile he can manage, reaching out to touch the tiny shoulder before him, “I promise.”
The child stares at the smiling Eclipsed in silence before the gold drains from his eyes and he lets Aki’s primary feather go. Leaning over, Aki scoops the discarded cup up and hands it the hybrid once again, pulling himself to his feet and turning towards the doorway, exiting a moment later.
Ikkairius narrows his eyes towards the door as it clicks closed. Slowly his eyes travel down to the boy standing at his side. Clear crimson eyes meet dark mauve, the pair standing side by side merely staring at each other for long moments before the widest grin sweeps across the child’s mouth, “Uncle Ikkairius.” He giggles, his words pulling another highly annoyed sigh from the Ancient Bright’s mouth.