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Story
+ Angel Hunt ~ Streifen +
Future Effects
Ten years into the future, the idea sparks...
A story collaboration between Angel Hunt and Streifen
Interlude
[05]
Fuan was coming today and he can only assume Jenova is out preparing for his arrival.
Aki yawns and stretches, hissing slightly when he overextends the muscles surrounding the crystal. It was coming on a month now since it was implanted and while the major discomfort had subsided, it was still very sensitive and sore. The Eclipsed spends a few minutes immobile while he allows his body to get over the accidental, self-induced pain, taking long drawn out breaths while his hands clench onto thick down blankets as he lies with his eyes closed. He’d picked up a few self meditation tricks from Ikkairius to use when things like this happened, but despite what the Ancient Bright claims, they don’t work all that well.
Once the majority of his suffering had passed, Aki rises and slowly begins to climb over the silk covered mattress, making his way to the floor and the bathe beyond. He pads across cold inlaid tiles and plops himself down at the edge of the recessed tub, flicking the switches on and adjusting the water temperature to a mild warmth. Hot water still practically sent him into shock when it hit the sensitive area of his back. Which was a pity since he really misses his hot baths with Jenova… it would be disappointing if he could never enjoy them again so he hopes that over time, this will dull as well.
Slinking himself down once the water has reached a decent height; Aki lets out a semi-contented sigh. The lukewarm liquid always feels good against the skin where the shard had fused and the only thing that interrupts that relief was the fact that he just couldn’t lean back against anything yet.
The Eclipsed wonders how he is supposed to explain the Gioa shard to Fuan. It’s not like he can really keep it a secret, he can’t wear full shirts yet so he can’t simply cover it. Most of his time since it happened has been spent in a loose robe or kimono if he’s not completely without a top altogether. Telling the former Angel that Jenova made this possible so that he could stay by his side forever seems almost insensitive considering he knows Fuan would have done this himself if he could and that the Demon would have kept him there.
He will probably have to ask Jenova exactly what to say before hand just to be sure because he knows that Fuan will pry for information. The former Angel knows he’s terrible at lying so getting it from him wouldn’t be that hard, especially if he’s unprepared. Maybe he could talk to Ikkairius and get a crash course in going into stasis so he could avoid this conversation altogether. He will need to learn that eventually anyway, he laughs to himself.
Aki sinks below the water’s surface and listens, briefly completing the connection with Jenova’s heart and allowing the steady rhythm to soothe him slightly. Smiling, the Selestarri resurfaces and wipes the water from his eyes as he turns towards the doorway the Demon is standing in, watching him.
Aki’s pause is only momentary before he continues towards the steps of the bath, water streaming from his narrow frame as he walks free. Bending in low to pull a towel free of the stone bench, he straightens just as Jenova moves in close. Slender fingers reach up to push long wet ginger bangs from his eyes just as glass-like claws wrap around the plush cloth, shaking it out before flicking it around the Eclipse’s body. Sliding the towel low around his waist, the Demon uses it to pull Aki closer to his body, red eyes sweeping slowly over his features as he leans in to brush pale lips against full ones.
Leaning up, Aki touches his fingers to the Demon’s jaw, his other hand moving to the body before him. Jenova smiles into the Selestarri’s mouth, pulling back in the slightest when Aki tries to complete the kiss. A quiet amused laugh leaves him when Aki’s fingers slide away from his jaw line and slip around his neck, allowing himself to be held in place so their mouths can meet for a soft kiss. Continuing to hold the Eclipsed close to him by the grip on the towel, the Demon slowly pulls away and straightens a moment later. Aki slides his hands down and in between the Demon’s, wrapping his arms around his waist and letting his head sink against warm leather with a quiet sigh.
“Something occupies your mind… hm?”
Water drips down the Selestarri’s back from wet ginger locks. Jenova’s eyes follow the beads of liquid as they run over muscle and skin, diverging where the Gioa shard meets scarred flesh.
“Funny you should ask…” Aki lets out a weak chuckle, pulling back from the Demon and meeting crimson eyes with blue. “How do I explain… this,” Aki motions with his head to the shard in his back, “to Fuan? To come right out and say it seems callous almost but it’s not as if I can hide the fact that it’s there since I can barely wear clothing still.”
“Ah yes…” Jenova steps back in the slightest without removing his fingers from the towel. Gripping gently on the Selestarri’s hips, he twists Aki around, wrapping the terry cloth around his narrow frame in the movement. Leaning carefully over so as not to touch the Gioa shard, the Demon’s lips touch at Aki’s ear as his arms tuck the towel into itself at his front, “Simply tell Fuan the truth should he ask it… it is a precaution, nothing more. He will understand this, I am sure…”
Shadows from the trees play across the hand-woven carpet as Aki lounges in the first floor sitting room, waiting. His loosely tied kimono top drapes off one shoulder, keeping the Gioa shard exposed to the air around him while he sits hunched over in a plush chair.
He was nervous about Fuan knowing because it just seemed like it would be a slap in the face. ‘Oh guess what, Jenova’s keeping me by his side forever but not you because you can’t …’ Aki realizes he’s probably just overreacting, but the former Angel has been upset over lesser things in the past and his mortality was definitely a touchy subject.
Maybe Jenova is right and he will understand without a second thought. Fuan knows the Demon has done everything in his power to do the same things for him as well. It’s no one’s fault that it just can’t happen, that the former Angel isn’t able to endure those things physically or survive them.
Then why does he feel so guilty?
A blur of black and gold brocade moves past the entrance before Aki has a chance to really register the movement, too lost with his own thoughts. Backtracking his steps, the former Angel smiles warmly at the distracted Eclipsed before moving swiftly into the room.
[There you are Dear!] Aki startles only a moment, rising to his feet as fast as he can manage before he finds himself embraced. [It’s been more than a few months hasn’t it? How have you been?] The Eclipsed barely manages to stifle the cry that leaves him from the sudden contact and Fuan’s smile drains from his face as his seeing eye travels down Aki’s back, coming to rest on the protruding crystal in between his shoulder blades. [What… is that?!]
Aki fights the tears that threaten to come from the pain and sudden wave of nausea. That was not pleasant. Falling back into the chair, the Eclipsed bends over, his hands plant on the floor for support and inadvertently giving the former Angel a full view of his back. Fuan gasps at the sight, reaching out tentatively towards the amalgamation of flesh and crystal.
“No, Fuan don’t! It could hurt you…” Aki spits the words out before the former Angel makes contact, causing him to pull his hand away quickly. Backing up slightly, Fuan covers his mouth with his fingers in shock.
[What in the world happened to you?! Are you going to be alright? Where is Jenova and why hasn’t he done anything about this?]
The Eclipsed sits with his eyes clenched shut. “He knows… he made it possible… but it was my choice… I’ll be ok in a moment.” He puts a hand up asking Fuan to be patient. A worried look crosses the raven-haired beauty’s features and he paces slightly in his brocade mules. Several long minutes pass before Aki is able to sit up again, his forehead covered in sweat and obvious discomfort written across his face.
Fuan turns and moves swiftly towards the entrance, waving down a nearby servant. Spending only a moment with his request, the woman nods and disappears from view while the former Angel returns to Aki’s side. He slips the sheer stole free of his arms, turning to pull the nearest chair close and sit besides the Eclipsed. He reaches forward as if to wipe the sweat away, the worry never leaving his features and stopped by Aki just before he would touch skin. Fuan pulls back, his expression changing to reservation as he’s given a weak smile. His attention is pulled when the same servant from before enters the room with a tray of folded damp tea cloths and he motions dismissively to his side, [Here, Dear...]
She quickly sets the tray besides them, bowing politely once as she’s thanked by the raven haired beauty and quickly exiting the room a moment later. Slender fingers reach down and lift a cloth free to hand over to the Eclipsed, a mix of worry and slight annoyance tinting his tone, [What did you mean by ‘Jenova made it possible’? Made what possible? … what is that thing?]
Aki takes one of the towels and applies it to his forehead, sighing when the cool, wet cloth meets skin. “It’s a shard of the Gioa crystal, the same one Ikkairius has. Jenova had a piece removed from Ikkairius and eventually it was implanted into me so I could receive the…benefits.” He pauses for a moment to attempt to continue ignoring the slowly fading pain from his back. “It’s a precaution, but with the benefits also comes the side effects. It hurts… a lot… all the time, which is why when you almost accidentally touched it, this is what happened. It will go away, eventually… I hope. It’s been shown to have some pretty bad effects to both Angels and non-magical creatures, which is why you shouldn’t touch it at all.” He looks up trying to muster a smile. “I don’t want to risk anything bad happening to you.”
Fuan narrows his eyes in the slightest, [A precaution for… what Aki?] He reaches down pulling another cloth free of the tray and hands it the Eclipsed, taking the used one and dropping it off to the side. [This shard does not appear to have much in the way of benefits at all, it seems in fact that it is causing you a great deal of pain so why in the world would Jenova do such a thing when it is obviously hurting you… furthermore, why would you even allow this Aki? I do not understand…]
Aki shakes his head, sighing. He didn’t really want to say it this way to Fuan. “It’s a precaution… against death, my death, so that I can stay by Jenova’s side for as long as he will have me. I won’t let him experiment with more lives to find something else at the moment. It will keep me alive for longer and should I need it, it will allow me to go into stasis as Ikkairius can. However, it reacts with my magic. It fights mine but they cancel each other out enough not to cause me permanent damage. I’m still getting used to it; it’s only been a month or so.”
Cerulean blue eyes meet the pitch of the former Angel’s seeing eye. “Fuan, I chose this. Jenova did not make me do anything.”
The former Angel’s expression stiffens in the slightest, his gaze shifting away from the blue before him and to his hands. [I… see…] He shouldn’t be surprised by any of this knowledge. He knows Jenova and he knows what Jenova is capable of just as he knows what lengths the Demon would go when determined. The only reason he himself had been given a second chance at life was because of that determination and unwillingness to let him go. Regardless of the complications in his resurrection and as difficult as this second life could be at times, he was very grateful to have it, he was very grateful Jenova had not let him go…
He knew his Beloved was not one to give up what he holds dear easily, not even to death, nor was he one to repeat his… mistakes could he help it. From the day he and Aki had begun talking all those years ago, Fuan had been …relieved that once his time was up for a second time, Jenova would have someone in his stead, that he would not leave the Demon alone once more. He trusted Aki, he would not share Jenova with any other, he cared for the Eclipsed as a brother and even after all of these years, Aki was the only one he saw even close to worthy of the place he holds by Jenova’s side.
He knows that one day, death will see fit to take him once more and he had been working over these years to come to terms with this fact – just as he had slowly been coming to terms with the fact that he will age and die while Jenova continues to stand still, unaffected by the flow of time. He was human now and he will die as a human would. It has been difficult watching them at times; the pain only eased by his beloved Tien Jen’s presence … perhaps because he held the knowledge that he would not be alone when it happened this time, that the other he loved so very dearly would share his fate and not leave him behind…
Knowing that Aki would continue where he could not sharpened the pain he’s always tried to ignore. He knew it would be this way, he knew it could not be any other way nor could he have chosen a more deserving person… he had known for a long time, but somehow finally having the reality of it solidified in front of him made him feel...
Jealous.
He couldn’t deny this is what he feels. Selfish as it is, he is jealous that while he will grow old and die, Jenova will continue on without him...
But he pushes the emotion down, tries to ignore the slight aching in his heart. There is no other way this could be and he’s known that for a very long time. He would not have it any other way either. Fuan’s gaze shifts back to the Eclipsed and he musters a small smile, [it is good to be cautious Dear as the unexpected can happen at any given time, if what happened to me is any proof of that. Especially where Jenova is concerned…] a sigh leaves his mind and he takes the used cloth from Aki’s hands and reaches down, lifting another free to hand him soon after [I am not sure that I agree with this method though, for him to subject you to what is so obviously a large amount of pain just to keep you near him seems… inconsiderate…]
Aki can see the hurt in Fuan expression even as he tries to hide it. He knows the former Angel wouldn’t take it very well and he wishes there was a better way to explain it. But in the end, the truth is the truth and he can’t change the reason why it’s there. He shakes his head. “I knew the risks before hand, I also knew the effects. I agreed to this. Jenova only provided the means for it to happen. The crystal won’t keep me alive forever, it will just slow my aging and allow me to go into stasis should things become too much.”
The Eclipsed debates with himself briefly before adding on quietly. “You know he would do the same for you if he could… and I’m sure he’s tried. I’m sorry you found out like this, I didn’t know how I was going to tell you, but it’s not like it’s something I can hide.”
Fuan’s gaze returns to his hands and he shakes his head in the slightest, his voice low [Don’t apologize Aki…] the pitch of his seeing eye moves back up to meet light blue, [I do know this… that Jenova would have done the same for myself as he’s attempting with you if he could. And though it is not possible because of the … complications, I can honestly say I am grateful for that fact as I would have never met my Tien Jen had I been returned to my former state in the first place.] a fond smile crosses full lips [I am rather happy with my Tien Jen and would never sacrifice the time I have been given with him in order to return things to what they once were…] And despite the hurt he can’t help feeling with the knowledge he’s just learned, those words are nothing but truths.
He sighs again, the smile draining from his face and replaced quickly by a look of reserved confusion [Though I do not understand why you and Jenova would do such a thing if it will not be a permanent …solution. To cause yourself so much pain… and to have the so-called benefits be only temporary, why Aki? Why not simply wait until he has found something better? I have no doubt Jenova could accomplish this, and you have told me in the past that your life span is more or less half that of an average Angelic one – there are still so many years… surely there could have been a better way…]
Aki looks down for a moment, “Because I won’t let him experiment with more lives. So many already died in the research done for this shard alone I fear to think just how many he could go through to find something else. I know he probably has conducted experiments before this that I just don’t know about. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that others died needlessly so I could live. It’s good enough for now and I guess I’ll cross the bridge of the crystal’s limits when I come to it.”
The Eclipsed doesn’t need to lift his head to know who’s standing in the doorway listening to their conversation. How does he do that? Aki only ever notices his presence after he’s said something that would potentially be annoying to the Demon. Heavy leather boots make little sound as Jenova crosses the sitting area to greet his Angel.
Crimson eyes narrow only briefly, sliding away from the Eclipsed to Fuan flawlessly as he steps in close to the raven haired beauty. “Arrived safely I presume.”
[Yes beloved, I have. The shrine was moved to eastern China with little incident.] Fuan glances at Aki, noting how he keeps his eyes carefully averted from the Demon’s gaze before sliding his hand into Jenova’s, pulled to his feet a moment later [I won’t be staying too long today though as we are attending an opera in Beijing, but I plan to return by tomorrow evening.] Aki rises to his feet, watching as the former Angel begins moving towards the doorway of the sitting room, the Demon following casually behind, [We have much to discuss when I get back as I’ve heard you’ve been quite busy in my absence.]
A half smirk forms on pale lips as he steps across the threshold, eyes sliding back to meet cerulean before returning to the pitch before him “Yes, so it seems…”
Fuan stops in the doorway, turning around to face the Eclipsed as Jenova continues on, disappearing from view without a backwards glance to the Selestarri behind them, the concern evident in his tone, [we will talk more on this later Aki, until then, take care of yourself…I am rather concerned about this whole thing.]
Aki smiles up at the former Angel the best he can. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, I promise.” His smile fades once Fuan leaves the room. He doesn’t want Jenova to think the only reason he did this was to stop the Demon from experimenting further. If anything it was a minor benefit. He did it to be with Jenova, plain and simple. If he didn’t want that or just wanted the Demon to stop experimenting, he would just tell him that and not have acclimated the crystal in the first place. A month after the fact this shouldn’t be an issue but the question Fuan asked could only be answered that way. He wasn’t going to lie.
Clawed fingers slide over the antique brass door knob, pulling the heavily carved door of his room open and stepping through a moment later. Letting the door swing shut, it closes behind him with a quiet click as he moves casually towards the open patio doors at the far end of the room. Jenova reaches up and unhooks the buckles on the straps of the leather top covering him during movement, sliding it free and tossing it onto the bed without sparing it a glance as he continues past to step out into the mid day sun.
Reaching the scrolled stone encasement, he bends in the slightest, hopping up with ease and squatting low to touch down softly with glass like nails as he does so. The Demon closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, allowing himself to expand and taking a moment to strengthen the seal surrounding the mansion and the grounds beyond. The time in between this and the last had gone on too far due to the recent events; the seal had been weakened beyond what he was comfortable with.
After a few minutes, he pulls himself back with a sigh, crimson eyes reopening before he stands and walks along the ledge towards the base of his room. He turns his body and squats low once again, seating himself on the narrow stone encasement and leaning back against the house. Jenova pulls one leg up to rest his arm across his knee, leaning his head back and staring blankly out into the grounds below, making no movement even as he feels the Eclipsed approaching the door to their shared room behind him.
Aki walks in to the room, closing the door behind him quietly. Looking up, he sees the balcony doors open. Jenova was here. He wasn’t expecting him to be back yet, but the Eclipsed wanted to make sure the Demon didn’t take what he said wrong. Taking slow steps, Aki makes his way past the oversized bed and out to the balcony. Seeing Jenova out the corner of his eyes, he moves to the opposite end of the doors, sliding down and sitting himself carefully back against the wall. The moments of silence stretch on between them before Aki finally speaks.
“Fuan wanted to know why I went with the shard instead of letting you continue to find options. My answer did not mean I chose it to stop you from experimenting.” He sighs. “I chose it to be with you, if my goal was for you to stop experimenting, I would have just asked for that and not acclimated the shard. There was a lot to explain to Fuan in a short period because he demanded answers. Considering he brushed it and I was in serious pain, my answers were not as carefully thought out as they could have been.”
Crimson eyes shift to the side, regarding the Eclipsed for only a moment before shifting back. Jenova smirks, pulling his hand from his knee and raking clawed fingers into his hair. Pulling his leg from the stone, he twists himself around to face Aki, leaning forward to rest his elbows onto his knees. White plaits blow forward in the wind, dancing across his bare chest as cerulean eyes rise to meet the even red above him, “The words you chose do not concern this One very much… nor does the lecture I will receive from Fuan upon his return due to his interpretation of those very words and his perception of what was done because of it.” He raises an eyebrow in the slightest, staring down at Aki for a moment longer in silence before continuing, “Do you believe that I would have allowed the acclimation of that item onto your person if your true feelings towards it and myself in its regard had been as what came from those lips of yours …hm?”
Aki smirks. “No, you know me too well and you know exactly why I did it.” He turns his head back, looking out through the stone railing and to the grounds ahead of them. “I know Fuan is going to give you a lecture and I’m sorry for that. I tried to explain to him that this was not something you forced on me, that I chose it completely, but I think he somehow sees you as pushing me to it. I think he’s just being protective, even if he doesn’t realize it exactly. But I’m obviously not a child and I can certainly say ‘no’ to you if need be.”
The Eclipsed stands up and walks over to Jenova, smiling as wind blown white plaits hit him, his kimono top falling off his shoulders. Stepping up, Aki rests his head against the Demon’s shoulder. “It’s all needlessly complicated, but in the end I know what I want and I know where I belong.” Red eyes follow his own movements as clawed fingers slide up Aki’s arms and over his shoulders, barely grazing the scarred flesh surrounding the Gioa shard causing the Selestarri to shudder involuntarily. Jenova smirks and leans in, taking in Aki’s scent while pulling him closer.
“Ah yes, but without these complications, I dare say life might become… boring.” Jenova laughs softly in amusement as he watches the skin rise in his finger’s wake over Aki’s slender frame, “Fuan feels he knows me as no other does I suppose…” The Demon smiles, sliding his mouth across the Eclipse’s ear, his fingers traveling down the line of his back as he speaks, “I have been told I am … persuasive when it suits me… and I do not doubt he feels I have used my own charms in this matter as well.” He chuckles softly, leaning forward in the slightest to wrap his fingers around Aki’s thighs, lifting him into his lap suddenly. Crimson eyes meet blue as the Selestarri’s arms move around his neck, holding tight as Jenova leans back on the ledge to counter balance. Aki’s head falls back as pale lips touch at his neck, inhaling sharply when fangs graze his flesh a moment later.
Pulling the tie away from Aki’s waist, the Demon’s hands slip up underneath the kimono top, trailing lightly along his skin in his path across his back while his words reverberate softy at his neck, “perhaps he will understand, that as with he himself, the choices you make are yours and yours alone. You are far from a child though as you have said…” Aki’s hands grasp tight around Jenova’s neck and he arches harshly into him as the tips of claws ghost over fused flesh. “… and are perfectly capable of saying ‘no’ should you wish to…”
Aki’s voice strains as the Demon’s fingers work over his skin. “You… make it very hard… sometimes, and I think he…knows this.” A sly smile sweeps over pale lips and a whimper leaves Aki’s mouth when fangs meet his neck once more. “But there is very little… I have ever wanted to say ‘no’ to… when it comes to you.” Jenova slowly eases the kimono fabric off the Selestarri’s shoulders and discards it behind them. Gold streaked cerulean eyes meet clear crimson briefly before the Demon abruptly stands, pulling Aki effortlessly with him and hopping down off the encasement a moment later. Slender fingers thread into snow-white plaits as Jenova carries them inside and towards the bed.
Aki’s slender frame sinks into red silk covered down as the Demon slides him free of his body, sitting up on his elbows to watch every movement Jenova makes with baited breath. White plaits spill around broad shoulders as the larger man crawls forward, pale lips suspended just above the fabric of the Eclipse’s jeans and trailing along the contours of his legs as he moves slowly along his body. Aki’s head falls back and a quiet moan is pulled from full lips as he’s unable to help the unconscious push up of narrow hips while the Demon’s mouth teases over the fabric of his groin.
He inhales sharply, letting his head roll back down when Jenova’s tongue slides out and traces the line of his naval, slender fingers flying to long hair when sharp fangs sink softly into toned skin. Ripping the Demon’s head up as Aki leans down, his desperate actions pulling a smile to pale lips when he pulls as hard as he can to meet the mouth below his for a rough kiss. Claw tipped fingers move to his waist and Aki moans into Jenova’s mouth as their bodies are snapped hard together a moment later. Un-tangling his fingers from white locks, Aki’s hands trail quickly down towards leather pants in an attempt to remove one of the barriers still between them. The Demon breaks free of the kiss and slides his head towards the Selestarri’s ear, warm breath washing over heated skin as he speaks, “Very little indeed…”
The summer breeze sweeps layered plaits behind him as he walks through the foliage of the outer grounds. Fuan sighs, the pitch of his seeing eye trailing up to stare absently at the thick covering of leaves, squinting slightly every time a patch of sun light shines down through the gaps and illuminates his slender form. The former Angel reaches out without looking and runs his absently fingertips along the bark of the trees he passes, lost within his own thoughts.
He’d returned from the opera early on in the day, it had been lovely and he’d wished he hadn’t been so distracted during the performance so that he could have actually paid a little more attention to it. His Tien Jen remained back at the shrine, understanding that he’d needed to return to speak with Jenova in order to ease the turmoil inside of his mind. This whole business with Aki and that item Jenova had implanted into him had really struck a nerve. It wasn’t sitting right… he understood why Aki would allow such a thing just as he understood why Jenova had done it but the method… he did not agree with this method at all. Especially since it wasn’t even guaranteed to elongate the Selestarri’s life.
He understands what it’s like to be around Jenova, understands the need to be by his side. Jenova had a fire inside him; one that was difficult not to get caught up in. The Demon had a hold over him, a hold he can only assume Aki feels as well. The mere thought of being forced from his side, the mere thought of losing Jenova again one day hurts his very soul… so he understands Aki’s feelings, he understands if they mirror his own, but this… this was wrong. The method seemed too dangerous and it was causing the Eclipsed a great deal of pain. How could Jenova allow this? How could he do this to someone he loves? It wasn’t right, Aki is young and brash, he doesn’t fully understand despite his claims, but Jenova should know better, he should know and it’s pure selfishness that brought this about. Selfishness that’s inexcusable.
Fuan lets his head fall back down and gasps, stopping short as he’s met with the crimson eyes of the very man he was thinking about. The raven haired beauty falters only momentarily before continuing on, the looming trees casting shadows on the pair as he steps in close to the leather clad Demon before him.
[What you’ve done…] The pitch of his seeing eye rises to meet clear red, [how could you do that to him?]
“What I have done was nothing more than what he wished for me to do, Fuan.” Jenova answers simply, “the choice was his own; I have never forced anything upon either you or him…”
Fuan furrows his brows [you say you have never forced anything?] he pulls long fingers up and gestures to himself [I beg to differ Beloved, or have you forgotten already why I’m now in this body?] the anger was rising too quickly in his tone [Have you forgotten already what was done and what little choice I was given when it happened…]
“I have never forgotten what was done, nor could I forget as it seems you like to remind me at every waking moment of my mistakes in this matter,“ Jenova frowns “are you finally telling this One you would have preferred to remain dead over your current state?”
The former Angel can’t mask the hurt that flashes across his face at the Demon’s words [That is not what I‘m saying at all and you know it.] he pulls his hand down, his gaze shifting off to the side [I’m saying I know how persuasive you can be when you want something, I know you don’t like to let go, no matter the cost to us. What you did to Aki was selfish and unnecessary.] His gaze returns to meet the cool crimson before him [he only did it to stop you from killing people, you know this so how could you allow it? How could you allow him to hurt himself like that when you know this is the real reason behind his choice?!]
“Because it was not the reason.” The Demon smirks, “regardless of the words that came from his lips, I am not foolish and had it been for such a reason, I would never have allowed it.” He turns to walk away, speaking as he goes, “though I find it… amusing that you would even suggest I have become such a person after all the years… what could either you or Aki be thinking to wish to remain close to one such as I, hm?”
Fuan runs up behind him and grasps onto his arm to stop him, [You know exactly what I meant by my words Jenova, so don’t you dare insult me like that! I can’t believe you’ve changed so much that you would allow yourself to be blinded by your stubbornness and greed! You know better than anyone what people will do out of fear of loosing their place by your side and how little they really understand what it means to be there. Aki is no different in this and you know it!]
“You say again, that I have changed…” Jenova’s eyes narrow, moving from the grip on his arm and back up to the man before him. Glass like claws slide up and gently pull Fuan’s hand free, his tone emotionless and devoid of all feeling, “but I would say it is you… you have become blinded by your own jealousy because you are no longer able to hold that place you speak of due to your own weakness-“
Fuan lashes out at the Demon’s words, ripping his hand from his grip and slapping him hard across the face. A light smile cracks in the corner of pale lips as amused crimson eyes meet angry pitch. Jenova turns and begins walking away once more, stopping briefly to look over his shoulder, his tone near quiet in the stillness around them, “Believe what you will in the end… it is done regardless and cannot be changed…”
With that, Jenova walks away, disappearing into the forest and leaving Fuan alone. Tears well up in the former Angel’s eyes and he turns, reaching out to grasp onto the nearest tree. Why must things always be this way between them? Why does he always say such hurtful things to the Demon and why does Jenova say them in return? Setting his forehead against the rough bark, tears stream down his cheeks as he cries silently while the breeze blows lazily around him…