The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

A/N: I know I say this a lot, but wow. ^.^ I’m on chapter 13! The exciting news this time, though is that my friend showed my work to someone in the editing business, and they said they were thinking about publishing it! How cool is that? I was all like (O.O) when he told me. I really didn’t expect so much from it. I’m astounded. Even if they decide not to print it, I’ll be glad it was considered once.

As far as that last chapter goes, man, I didn’t reread it at all. When I finally did go over it, I noticed so many little errors that I plan to edit those out as soon as possible. I hate having so many errors.

I’m glad I have regular reviewers, too. Instead of having a whole bunch of people read what is there and reviewing it, I have people who come back and read what they haven’t seen. It makes me really happy to see Luinil, SilkenPetal, and Snidne post. ^.^ I’d rather have regulars than be randomly popular any day! I look forward to all of their posts and always wind up smiling after reading them.

Thanks you all! *smile*


Chapter 13-Leon’s Exile
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Due to her small two-hour outing with Clara, Shuey lost three hours of sleep. How that added up, she was unsure, but it seemed she had three hours less sleep than normal, meaning she was incredibly tired. That evening, she awoke with Leon already in her room, waiting with his back propped up against the bedpost at her feet. Needless to say, she’d been alarmed at first, but he hadn’t seemed to notice her awakening.

She had been watching him for the past ten minutes, and he hadn’t made a single move. What was he up to? Looking at him with his head leaned back, he looked very uncomfortable. Had he been there long? His red, usually spiky hair was left untouched, his hair every which way as if it had just been tousled with a towel when he got out of the shower and hadn’t been bothered with since. His normally alert eyes were closed, the steady movement of his chest leading one to believe he was asleep. It was strange to see him there alone, and Shuey had looked for Jerrick, but had not found him.

She was beginning to believe the demon was avoiding her, but it moved to her advantage, allowing her to sort things out within her own mind. Maybe he had needed to do the same. Muscular arms draped themselves over their owner, one hanging on a bent knee while the other lay across a taught stomach. His other leg sprawled out on the floor, leaving her mildly amused. He looked like a child.

As if knowing she was watching him, cerulean eyes snapped open, moving directly to her own as a haphazard smile found its way to his face. “Looks like you’re up,” he said, pointing out the obvious. She only wondered how he got in without waking her up. “Jerrick had some work stuff to do, so I’m the only one training you today. Is that ok?”

After a few moments, Shuey nodded slowly. Why not? It wasn’t surprising that work would eventually catch up with the demon, was it? She got up fairly quickly, tugging off her shirt while completely disregarding the male in the same room. He said nothing as she pulled out the first pieces of clothing that her hand grasped, moving to the bathroom when she noted the angel’s steady and unmoving gaze. It wasn’t that she cared, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t a normal thing for someone to change in front of people, was it?

A baggy grey tank top was thrown over her head while yet another pair of cargos adorned her rear. She preferred them for all the useful pockets they had. One could use pockets for many things. Once finished, Shuey looked around the small bathroom before leaving it. There wasn’t anything she needed there. Leon still sat by her bed, this time staring blankly at his hands, as if he were actually sleeping with his eyes open. It was strange to see the brute in such an odd state.

Taking her time to get on her boots, dual eyes surveyed the angel closely. After she was done, she waited for the cherry haired man to move. A few moments of awkward silence passed before angelic eye blue eyes met her own. Just as quickly as the contact had been made it was broken as he rose from his seated position with a nod. “How about a walk?” Her brow crinkled in confusion; weren’t they going to train?

She shrugged nonchalantly as she looked pointedly at the door, watching as Leon exited without further comment. It seemed he was being more weird than annoying today. Sometimes she really couldn’t decide which side of him was worse. Locking the door, she trailed along silently behind him as they left the inn with few risen eyebrows.

The angel’s lips moved as if he were going to speak every now and then, but no further conversation was held. They ambled in an eerie silence until the trees of the park were visible. “I know… that you don’t trust me at all. Why would you when you know nothing about me, right?” Something gave Shuey the impression that the question was rhetorical. “After thinking about it, and seeing your wings, I think I can understand why you put up with us, even though I know you don’t like me.” Well, she did find him irritating, so she couldn’t completely refute that statement.

“…But I’d like you to trust me. You understand that much, right?” She blinked at the redhead before shaking her head. Of course she wouldn’t know he wanted her to trust him. He’d never asked her to try, after all. Why would he want her to trust him, anyway? Was he up to something? The man stopped his sluggish stroll and clapped a hand to his forehead. “I want to be… Well, I don’t really want to be your friend…. Maybe a comrade. Yeah, something like that.”

Shuey was still confused as to why, so she did the only logical thing; she asked. “…..Why?” Blue eyes widened comically before he let out an abrupt laugh. This continued an unknown amount of time during which the Halfling mentally pictured a thousand new ways to injure and permanently damage the angel.

“Because Jerrick trusts you,” was the simple reply, as if that explained everything. “After all, a dog must follow its master, right?” The russet haired woman did one of those slow, blink things. What? From everything she knew of Leon, he was too proud to call himself someone’s dog. It was rather confusing, but really none of her business, so she let it go immediately. “Geez, you really aren’t interested in anyone, are you?”

She really didn’t need to answer that, did she? She found many people interesting, even if he didn’t know something like that, she’s thought he was observant enough to notice that she watched everything. It was because she watched everything that she learned as much as she did. “I’m not good with beating around the bush, so I’ll just tell you bluntly.” It was about damn time, she was confused as hell. “I feel like you should know about my past. It’s only fair that you know something about me after I found out what I know about you.”

Honestly, that wasn’t necessary. She didn’t want to know. “I know you don’t care, but in the very least, it’ll ensure that I keep my mouth shut, right? Jerrick won’t tell because if he does, then he’ll lose you… but I’m not attached to you like he is.” What? Her brow furrowed as she tried to grasp his meaning, but her mind failed to comprehend it. “Just shut up and listen; damn you talk too much,” he goaded, earning himself a scowl.

“I just don’t want to feel like I’m holding something over your head, okay? Jerrick wants you to trust him, and he’s my brother, so I want you to trust me, too. I’m reliable, right?” Something in the look she was giving him told him that no, he definitely was not reliable, but he supposed shoving someone off a roof did that. “I was exiled from the angels’ sanctuary. My brother was killed about sixty years ago, and the council suspected me for it. When I found out who killed him, I took their lives in exchange for his, and they deemed me guilty of slaughtering my own flesh and blood, so they tore off one wing and outcast me.”

The bluntness of the statement almost astounded Shuey. He was setting it down in black and white to make sure she understood completely. Chances are, he felt it was important for her to know, though she wasn’t completely sure why. Was he repaying her a secret for a secret? It seemed so. “I trust that you won’t flaunt my existence. I don’t need to know,” she said bluntly in return for his own pointed statements. “Your past has nothing to do with me.” With that, she turned, already striding away from the surprised angel.

“…I owe it to you, right? It’s only honorable, you know.” This made her turn, staring at him and sorting this statement slowly.

“You owe me nothing,” Shuey said, leaving no room for disagreement. It was irritating to put up with this man sometimes. Being a Halfling, she was not supposed to deserve honor from someone ‘higher’ than her. She didn’t want him to owe her. Leon seemed confused for a moment, but he said nothing. After a long moment of glaring and staring, the angel scowled at the woman before him.

“You know what, I suppose I don’t owe you anything. After all, what do you know about equivalence?” His words made little sense, but they still irritated her nonetheless. Did this man start this whole conversation solely to piss her off? It was really confusing. “But Shuey…,” he called just as she began her journey back to the inn once more. “If you hurt him, I will kill you.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion; hurt who? “He cares for you, okay? Don’t ignore it like it’s nothing. Accept it, even if you can’t return it… Or I give you my word: I’ll kill you.” It seemed that that was all he’d wanted to say as he whipped around and began walking the opposite way. She really didn’t understand this man, either. Hurt who? The only one who’d said he’d cared for her that Leon knew on a personal level was--oh. Jerrick, huh?

It didn’t matter, Shuey understood that most wanted to kill her. There was a reason there was no one else like her. Both angels and demons killed any Halflings at infancy. She understood that her mother had given her away only to protect her…. But it still pissed her off. Left to be confused once more, Shuey decided that she might as well get ready for work. After all, work was simple and mundane; she could lose herself inside her brain at work.

Because some deity truly despised her, however, she was not permitted such a luxury as brainless labor.

Just as she entered the bar, she noticed two things. One: Rina, the sluttish woman who hit on her a lot, was standing behind the counter, smirking at her. Two: Zeke Brethmel seemed to have decided to drop by and pay a visit. Sighing internally and really wishing to stab something, Shuey walked over and nodded dully to the woman behind the counter. “I’m here for my shift,” she said blandly, hoping to discourage any and all comments the brunet could utter.

As if sensing her cranky mood, the woman only winked at her and left, leaving her somewhat relieved that she didn’t have to deal with what she had deemed ‘it.’ ‘It’ really was disturbing to think about, so she would not think of ‘it.’ Instead, she turned to deal with her new favorite person: daddy.

“Can I help you?” she asked calmly, inwardly scathing the man simply because he existed to be the bane of her own existence. The man smirked slightly, just a mere turn of one corner of his lips. His muscular shoulders rolled nonchalantly as roughened knuckles rasped on the counter. His bulky frame really annoyed Shuey for some reason. What irritated her the most, though, was his wings.

They were just like her demon wing, moving every now and again as if to simply alert her to their presence. It was as if they were going, “Look at us. We confirm a truth you cannot control.” “The regulars call you Angel.” There was an underlying questioning in his tone of voice, as though asking why. Jerrick often commented on her own ability to do this, but she hadn’t thought it’d be so…..strange. Considering the fact that he did not ask her an outright question, she felt no need to answer. Instead she merely waited for his order.

One calloused finger pointed to the mug clasped in one hand, making Shuey glare at him for reading her mind. It was ridiculous, but she still felt the need to glare at a man who could quite possibly kill her on a whim. It was rather disturbing. “So Angel…. It’s not possible for you to be related to that…thing.” She was confused for some period of time before coming to the conclusion that the thing he was speaking of was, in fact, Leon. Since he was still only stating facts, she was not obligated to reply. “So who are you, really? All angels must be registered if they leave the sanctuary.”

Just as she began to tell him that she was not an angel, Zeke’s eyes, barely visible beneath his bangs, narrowed dangerously. “Forget it. I don’t care. What I want to know,” he trailed off, snatching the wrist that went to take the cloth laying on the counter, “is where you got this.” His hand pressed against the dagger on her wrist, golden eyes watching dangerously as the blade dug into her skin, drawing blood.

Dual eyes widened marginally as she tried to tug her arm away in vain. The smirk on his face widened as he pressed the blade harsher into her flesh. “Let go,” she said coldly, frowning when he only pulled the blade away from the wound enough to watch it heal.

“…Now… It would appear you have a faster healing rate than a demon, but… Angels usually heal a good deal slower than demons……. Where did you get that dagger, Angel?” His face seemed to find itself closer to hers, making her flinch involuntarily. What was she supposed to do? This man was incredibly intelligent and equally dangerous. Her instincts told her to flee as quickly as possible and she’d gone sine trench coat when thinking she’d be training with Leon.

Internally, she panicked, although externally, she just gave him an assessing stare. This could be very, very hazardous. As if on queue, Jerrick nearly bounded through the door, his lack of grace only noticeable to those who looked. “General, sir, please to handle the bartender. I need her to do her job.”

The General did not release her, merely waited for an answer in silence. “A gift,” she said simply, and it had been. Was this man going to hunt her down until he found out who she was? Would he kill her? The battle-worn hand freed her arm, lingering briefly as if it were going to do something else, but only pulled away slowly. When she looked over his face in assessment, his golden eyes were looking at her covered eye. It was disturbing how quick a thinker this man was.

“Mr. Cordon, I’d like to have a word with you,” he said flatly, standing up and taking his drink with him. “In private, of course. I am here on business, after all.” It seemed Brethmel would be having business there more often. It would only be troublesome if her wings were to flare out before him. She was sure he would kill her in an instant; something in those cat-like eyes told her so.

Something in the back of her mind also said he suspected her of being a Halfling…but she shoved that thought back for now and decided to worry over it later.


A/N: This one is also somewhat short. I wrote it up once, and then decided I absolutely hated it. =_= I really don’t like it now, but I’m really sick of rewrites, so here it is!

On the up-hand, I drew a picture of Shuey so that people could get a general idea of what she looks like. It’s just an anime-ish drawing, so know now that it is nowhere near realistic. *laughs* There are a few things I don’t like about it as well, but I never claimed to be a magnificent artist. *smile*

Well, here it is!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b321/Pyris/shuey.jpg