A/N: So... most of my original stories probably don't make any sense but to me and a few to an extent. But meh, still enjoy a read through. I love practicing my writing when my drive gets pumped. Just that they seem to happen at the most inconvenient of times.
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Moonlight filtered in from the glass stained windows, illuminating the dark bowels of the church with soft ephemeral light of various colors. It wasn't as silent as it had been a few hours ago. In fact, it had been a celebration within the whitewashed walls. Mass was heard, a nightly gathering and dinner was held in the adjacent building. But the guests have long gone, save for three who situated themselves near the altar.
A young woman sat on the frontmost pew, her long black hair neatly tied up into a ponytail. Beside her sat a man whose dark eyes seem to pierce the darkness encompassing the inner sanctum. To many, he would have been intimidating with the long, dark hair and equally dark, eye-marked robe he wore. He looked almost murderous. But no ill intent rose from his being, save for a flicker of annoyance that crossed his features every once in a while.
Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Who knew how much time had passed between them in silence before a soft, pained grunt escaped the lips of the dark haired female. Pain washed over her face as she clutched at her chest with one hand, her brows furrowing as she fought to endure what ailed her. Just as quickly as it had come however, her expression relaxed.
Breathe escaped her lips in a long, shuddering sigh. "... Azzy, you don't need to constrict it so hard." She whispered to the man sitting beside her, "You're hurting me."
"I'm sorry." He replied, looking genuinely apologetic as he ran a hand through his untied hair. A long golden chain suddenly appeared floating in the air before them. One end protruded from the man's chest, circling around them in two parallel layers before finally disappearing into the woman's chest. "... Your emotions are fluctuating, it's hard to adjust my hold accordingly."
The girl heaved another sigh, wiping away the stray tears with the hem of her shirt. Even if she understood this, it still didn't stop the pain from coming. "At least it isn't going from one extremity to another." She commented, trailing her fingers lightly on the translucent, gold chain. "It could have been worse." Indeed, it could have hadn't what had to intervene, intervened.
Their last companion, who had been watching the pair with such cold, dull eyes, finally spoke, "... Must you make everyone's problems your business? This has always been a core factor of your depression induced solitary confinements."
Luke, The one Haizek so fondly called the Jerkass Prince of Apathy, tilted his head as a shoe sailed harmlessly past his head. It landed with a loud thud somewhere behind him, followed by an echoing clang of an unlit candle stand against the wooden floor. No one blinked.
Nevertheless, he continued, "You could have simply left him to recover on his own. He was on the road to recovery and you--"
"Luke, even if I tried explaining it to you, you'd just brush it off like a clueless bastard." She couldn't tell if her biting words had any significant effect on him. The young man simply didn't have any other face to show most of the time. Azrael looked disapprovingly between the two, ready to stop them in case they erupted into another unrelenting battle of wit.
-- That was until something else caught the whole other half of his attention.
"Frankly my dear Belucci, I commend Haizek's ability to act." Echoed a voice from above. The denizens on the ground slowly looked up, eyeing the intruding presence with a mix of emotions and indifference -the latter coming most from Luke-. In return, the young man in white smiled down on them, looking every bit as angelic and innocent as the shining figure painted on the glass stained window behind him. Though if one were to read the expression gleaming in his scarlet eyes, they were far from innocent and goodwill. "Didn't you think her ability to handle that boy with all the grace and calm of a noblewoman was exemplary? I daresay, not many would have taken him seriously. Mayhaps even think he has gone mad before listening to all that escapes that unbridled sharp tongue!"
The green haired youth did not grace him with an answer. Rather, his own scarlet eyes met LeRoux's crimson gaze with the same unyielding and unresponsive spirit as a brick wall.
This didn't seem to be a problem however. "Insanity indeed..." LeRoux said, softly alighting on top of the altar. Much to Haizek's dismay, he began to pace about on the altar as if it weren't an altar. Azrael and Luke, quite obviously, noticed this too.
"LeRoux--" Azrael began but was cut off.
"You are an omnipresent nuisance." Were the words that flew from Luke's lips like daggers before he took aim at the unmoving man.
"Luke, stop it." The girl half-snarled the command, fixing him with a glare that dared him to disobey. "This isn't the time or the place." She didn't even wait to see if he would have listened. She quickly turned to the white faux angel and said, "LeRoux. Get off the altar." A floor exists for a reason. She mentally added.
The man immediately obeyed, much to her momentary surprise. Usually he'd make a fuss of it one way or another before deciding on whether to follow it or not.
Luke eyed the man for a long moment before he lowered his hand. The jewel embedded in the back of his palm slowly began to dull until it returned to its original blackness. However, he had not moved from his spot, nor did he protest the command. It wasn't too surprising.
Haizek mentally sighed. She really didn't understand LeRoux half the time. And she didn't dare try to wholly understand him, especially if such action would actually make the Devil lead her away from what she desperately wanted to achieve.
She sat back down, not realizing that she had stood in the first place and was now rubbing her eyes. Lord, she was tired. But she couldn't sleep yet. She needed to let the after-effects wear off before she decided to rest her head for the night. Or early morning.
With a single thought she willed the chain still surrounding her and Azrael to disappear. It did, fading like golden mist into air. And once again, the room fell into slightly tensed silence. Each of the occupants were occupied with their own thoughts. Though it seemed, not for very long.
The snow haired man leaned against the altar, tilting his head from side to side. "How are you faring, Haizek?" He directed his gaze on the singular woman in their midst, tapping the surface of the altar with his index and middle fingers.
Haizek did not look at him. But he insisted, repeating it in the same flowing light tone that grated on her already frayed nerves. She refused to answer him, fearing that she may not be able to handle what should come from speaking with him. Maybe she should have let Luke dealt with the man after all. But not in here, no. Aside from Sanctum, this place was a place she liked to go for some solitude. It would simply do no good to have the crystal warrior recklessly cause any harm to the interior structure.
She brought her legs up and twisted her body such that she rested her head and arms on the back of the pew whilst facing towards the back of the church. A chuckle floated to her ears, but she paid him no heed.
She was going to have to be strong tonight. She needed to be strong. A little longer, just a little longer. The pain of unsynchronizing with another's emotions wouldn't last so long that she would need to lose sleep.
"Terribly resilient aren't you? No matter, I do have all night to play this little game." If only LeRoux would just shut up and make everything easier for her. She was thankful, if not grateful that she had both Azrael and Luke with her tonight. She wasn't sure she could have handled the deceptively angelic man in a moment of weakness.
"LeRoux. Get out." Azrael spoke.
Haizek turned her head, fixing the dark haired man with a look. No words. No sound. Nothing that could be seen or heard passed between them and yet, he understood. With a solemn nod, he stood. He faced the white one, remaining steadfast in his stance.
"I say it again. Get out." Each of his words fell heavy with authority and warning.
The fragile looking man didn't seem particularly fazed, but a slight twitch of his mouth was evidence of his annoyance. "Get out? That's terribly unfair of you." Why send me away so shortly after you called for me?
Get out. Get out. Get out.
"At this very moment, you will know that I am being quite fair with you." Azrael replied smoothly. His hands curled into fists at his sides as the air around them felt heavy, humming quietly with restrained power. "I'd rather not force you out but you are being difficult."
"And this is holy ground, LeRoux." Luke added to the man's words. Despite the expressionless face, one could feel the same hum of power surrounding him. It brooked no nonsense, and most certainly was more than a warning. "Creatures like you are not welcomed for long."
Temper, temper. My 'brothers' seem rather protective over you tonight. "Ye of little faith and mind." LeRoux told them. The amusement in his eyes dulled yet his smile hardly wavered. He looked around, seemingly taking in everything that he could see, hear and feel. Haizek remained resolute and refused to meet eyes with him. "However, seeing as I have underestimated the air in this place, I'll humor you all when you are in the mood for it."
He isn't stupid. Much as I hate to admit it, he knows how to bid his time.
A soft laughter echoed in her head.
As LeRoux spoke his words, he pushed himself off the altar and walked down the center aisle. His footfalls never resounded in the silence, neither did any shadows appear as he passed through puddles of stained glass moonbeams. A ghost. A phantom. A shadow in itself. All but one pair of eyes followed his movements.
"You're destroying yourself, little one. Even if you do not entertain me as a whole, you create your own misery." The man seemingly did not want to leave without getting his bit in. Much as Azrael or Luke wanted to silence him, they had no power to do such. Not in here. Fighting in a sanctified place such as this was forbidden although one was close to breaking that unspoken rule.
Haizek did not show any indication that she had heard him. But it was just as well, LeRoux turned as he stood before the grand doors, staring at them all with a serene and eerie smile. He clapped his hands behind his back and said, "Either way, you'll soon find yourself painting your world the way I see it. And the end that you secretly wish for would be realized."
In the split second Luke had raised his hand to fire at the faux angel, he was gone.
"Tch." Was the only annoyance Luke would ever come close to displaying. He lowered his hand again, crossing his arms as he looked in time to see Haizek lowering her guard and slumping against the pew.
"Are you alright, Haizek?" Azrael asked her.
"... He was whispering to me." She said, unfurling herself more. She shook slightly, but it wasn't a matter of concern. "That... damnation... I don't even understand how he... never mind." Neither Azrael nor Luke decided to press the issue further.
"Since when have I ever cared so much for everything?"
"It's what makes you, you." Azrael reassured her, watching as she went and settled herself close to him. Not that he minded so much. "As much as it pains you and I... nay, everyone, this is how you were born. There is something only you and your gifts can do." Duty or not, a Creation or not, orders or not, he knew that part of him genuinely cared for her.
She believed in that too. Fervently prayed for it for so long. "... I know... I know... But sometimes I think, even with all this pain I put on myself... Nothing ever seems to get be--etter..." Her sentence was punctuated by a yawn. She stretched languidly then settled herself back into her comfy spot against his chest.
So warm... I wonder if this is how I feel now, or if this really is his warmth.
"Just once... just once I want to help make things right for everyone." She yawned again, feeling the heaviness weighing on her eyelids.
Luke took one pensive look at the pair before he stood, then walked towards the back. He situated himself on one of the end pews and said nothing as he closed his eyes. Azrael gave him a momentary look, before he returned to caressing the woman he half held in his arms. "Rest then. We will guard you until the morning."
She nodded, allowing him to let her rest her head on his lap. Closing her eyes, she let the welcoming embrace of sleep take her in.
END ENTRY.
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