The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

A/N: I try to keep my chapters running 3-5 pages on my Word Processor. O.o I guess that’s why one day has spanned across three chapters so far. *chuckle* I don’t like to keep them too long, or it gets somewhat exhausting to read. That’s just me, so I’m not sure about everyone else. Some people like really long chapters, others like short ones for some reason. Short chapters really annoy me for some reason.

I looked at my hits shortly after I posted my last chapter and got a kick out of the number there. Sadly, it won’t last long, but I had 666 hits when I looked at it. I laughed so hard that my eyes watered. Wonderful. Does that condemn my story in some way? I hope not. *laughs*

Anyway, on that random note, I’ll get started. ^.^

Chapter 15-Caring Souls
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Shuey’s eyes felt heavy, and her body was weak. Something in the back of her mind told her to be alert, but her lids wouldn’t waver from their closed position. She groaned outwardly as she forced her eyes open, only to wince at the light baring down on her. A sudden noise sent her attention to the side to see Jerrick holding a book laxly in his hand. After a moment of staring between the demon and the green surrounding her in bed, she came to the conclusion that she was not in her room.

“Where am I?” she asked dully, as she coerced her body to obey and sit up. The grey-eyed man was instantly beside her, propping some pillows behind her back and carefully pressing her back onto them so that she was still somewhat sitting, but relaxing her body all the same. The movement irritated her; she scowled and tried to sit back up into her previous position, only to find she didn’t have the energy.

“You’re in my room. Sorry, it was the most private place to bring you. You need food…. I’ll go order something.” His sentences almost ran together as he nearly bounced up from his leaning and went to a phone on a small table further off. Before he hit the button, Leon had burst through his door, a small tray in hand. The angel smirked casually at the demon, tossing him a wink before setting down a dish of Chicken Alfredo in front of Shuey.

“It’s good for you, so don’t open up that big mouth of yours and whine about it,” he muttered, waving a hand at Jerrick when the Halfling didn’t touch the food. Curious, the shadow-haired man walked towards the door before pausing. It wouldn’t be very private if they were to talk in the hallway, would it? Then again, as long as the kept the conversation vague, who would know?

Rolling his eyes at the slight look of apprehension, Leon gripped Jerrick’s still bloodied sleeve and yanked him out the door instead. “I’ve never seen her eat before,” the muscular man said dully, as if the fact held some secret in it. Knowing Leon; the hint was insinuated for a reason, but the demon was never really sure if he did it for a reason or just because it amused him.

Thinking on it, grey eyes widened after concluding that he also had never seen Shuey eat. So why were they standing there instead of satisfying their curiosity? Just as he was about to return to the room to do just that, a strong hand gripped the collar of his suit jacket and jerked him backwards once again. The look on the angel’s face told him to reflect upon the fact once again, so he tried valiantly to satisfy the man.

Neither of them had ever seen her eat. That was an understood fact. Was there a reason for this, or was it merely coincidence combined with the woman’s isolated personality? It was true that some angels rarely ate, but surely it wasn’t that way. Perhaps the girl was too shy to eat around people. No, Shuey was not the type of person to care about undressing in front of someone, let alone eating in public. On the other hand, some of the golden-eyed demons had been known to feed strictly on blood, which is where the mythical vampires in human legend came from. It wasn’t impossible for her to have such a trait, being so alike to her father.

If that were true, however, she would have to feed during daylight hours, and reports would have been in the media somewhere. It was safe for Jerrick to assume that she did not survive on blood. “Are you done yet? You’re supposed to be intelligent.” A frown wrought itself upon the demon’s face as he ran a finger idly across his lower lip in thought. Shuey did almost everything alone, anyway, so why would eating be any different? Oh. She was so used to eating in isolation that she simply didn’t eat when people were around? It was logical, right? So it was habitual? Just how did the woman grow up to be so prone to solitude, anyway? He still had yet to pressure her about that. Had she become an adult completely on her own?

Noting that the demon seemed to have gotten the idea and already steered off track again, Leon nudged him in the ribs painfully. He’d really been goading the grey-eyed man at first, but it would appear the man had taken it more into consideration than the angel had even tried to. “It’s probably just more comfortable for her. Anyway, the bar is closed; I closed it early, so don’t bitch. Deamon of the Hitsu Clan said that he’d take Shuey’s place until she wanted to come back to work, so if she doesn’t want to work tomorrow, her shift is covered.” Dark hair swayed as Jerrick nodded to prove he was listening. “I had the night clerk clean the office up personally because I know she minds her own. Both asked about Shuey, so I told them to ask you. If you want, just ignore it until she tells them herself.” He shrugged nonchalantly, “I didn’t know she had friends, did you?”

“No. What about Brethmel; is he still attending next week’s meeting?” A shake of cherry hair and the demon continued, “Anything else I should know before I go down there?” Another shake of his hair and Jerrick sighed. “Take care of her while I clean the rest up.”

Blue eyes lightened and a heavy hand clapped a lithe shoulder. “You were that worried?” The frown on his face gave Leon his answer before anything else did. “Change your clothes first and make sure that dagger wasn’t hot enough to fault your own healing,” he said with poke to torn cloth.

Jerrick laughed outright, nodding at the angel before smirking his way. “Yes, Mommy.” It was strange, but the thought hit him so suddenly that he turned in a flash, his grey eyes watching blue. “Do you think he knows?” Without another word, it seemed, but a inexplicable glance, Leon opened the door and pushed him through it before following himself.

“Get dressed and fix that mess,” he said dully, assaulting the small refrigerator in the demon’s room as he poured a glass of Orange Juice. Shuey watched the pair closely, feeling as though they were in their own world together. She silently paid audience as they interacted with one another comfortably, the angel bossing the demon around all the while pretending not to care. On the other hand, the demon played the petulant child, pouting before doing as he was told, poking his head into a rather excessive wardrobe and disappearing into the bathroom.

As though Jerrick’s disappearance signified the end of some play, Leon’s vivid blue eyes turned upon her, one hand pressing the glass of juice into her own free hand. Her half eaten meal still sat on her lap, her brain telling her that she didn’t need the rest of the food. In her previous years, her guardian only gave her what she needed, so the food tasted strange. The texture and taste seemed frighteningly exotic compared to her usual fruit here and there or whatever it was that the man fed her. No matter what, it was always the same, though she never knew what the dish was called. It was plain and had no flavor, but she had thought that was normal of food. Obviously, she was wrong in that perspective.

“Why the hell did you go in there?” the angel demanded, breaking her train of thought suddenly and making her blink at him slowly. Go where? He ran a finger along his cheek and down a scant bit of his neck before pointing at her own face. It was obvious where at that point. Really, she couldn’t explain why she’d gone into the office to herself, so why would she attempt to rationalize it to Leon? “He could’ve killed you.”

A lighter version of the emotion she’d seen in Jerrick’s face in front of the office glimmered in his cerulean eyes, making her ponder just what it was to feel such an emotion. Did it make you normal? Could she not feel the emotion herself because of her heritage? “…..” She had nothing to say to that; the demon had asked it of her, after all, so if the angel had a disagreement with it, he’d have to take it up with Jerrick.

Ignoring the silence, Leon kept on with his rant. “I’m not worth dying for,” he said pointedly, making that finely knit brow furrow once again. Pout lips moved to speak, but the angel only shook his head, a well-placed glare serving to silence her. “Even your life is worth something, Shuey. If it’s not better than mine, then it is at least equal, don’t you think? After all, we’re both outcasts here.” It wasn’t a pitiful or sad statement. The way he’d said it was blunt and factual, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

She even supposed he was right. It almost felt as if she weren’t as alone as she’d originally thought, but even still, Leon was much different from herself. While both of them were singled out and discarded by the rest of the world, there were more of Leon’s kind in his same situation. There were none of herself. Her hand ran the length of the semi-healed scar on her face, fingers flitting along the roughened skin. After a moment of brief curiosity, her eyes went wide. “Why didn’t he look at my eyes?” After all, the first time they’d met, and even momentarily the second time, those golden orbs had been focused on her own gold eye.

The redhead smirked, flopping down on the same bed facing Shuey before leaning back to prop his head on his arms. “The thing about Brethmel is that he is very observant. Like you. Where this characteristic branches is that he has to piece everything together and then find out if he is right. He will wait until his theory is complete, whereas you’d rather find the truth if given the chance instead of simply leaving the answers blanketed in mystery. Which one is better, I wonder?” She wasn’t sure if that was meant to be useful information to her or not, but she would remember it regardless, she knew.

Jerrick emerged from the bathroom, glancing suspiciously at the pair, then glowering at Shuey’s plate. “You won’t finish? Is it bad?” Dual eyes had landed upon him when he’d exited, but now they truly looked at him, sorting what he said out before answering, he guessed. That blue eye of hers went from looking at him to looking through him, making shivers dance along his spine in a way that he couldn’t really decipher as good or bad.

“I don’t need it,” she said simply setting the tray on the bed beside her instead, watching with a frown as the demon walked up to her, one hand hovering over her face. She waited to see what he would do, but didn’t make another move further in case he held no intentions of actually touching her. Fortunately, his hand wavered inches from her skin, moving as if it were touching her, but remaining a breath away from the smooth, pale flesh. The movement in and of itself was completely baffling, but having his hands near her face irritated her.

Knowing grey eyes moved the moment that seemingly frail hand gripped its blade harshly, the sheen of blood on it going entirely unnoticed. Shuey would be the type to let something like that go unnoticed. His fresh suit didn’t need to become equally bloody, so he decided it best to move on and do damage control. “I’ll be back shortly,” he said coolly, leaving the room before getting a reply.

Needless to say, both Leon and Shuey were tired, but the angel’s presence perturbed her in some manner that remain unexplained. The relaxed form of the man had acquired a shirt, a strange color green she hadn’t seen before. She idly took note of his rather disoriented hair; apparently he hadn’t fixed it since the confrontation. “You really should finish that. Your body could use the extra nutrients,” he said slowly, sleep already hazing his voice. “And drink your Orange Juice. It’s useful for more than mixing Screwdrivers, you know.”

Unfazed, she took a light sip of the drink, her eyes widening at the acidic taste and her tongue reveling in the sensation of a textured liquid. She mixed up and endless amount of alcohol, knowing they had to be different in order for different people to ask for such a variety of brews. Her mind had only briefly played over the thoughts before. Once she really thought about it, she’d had the drink in Deamon’s bar. It had been unique as well. While she was used to water, and sometimes a white substance her grotesque guardian had called milk, the beverage hadn’t been wholly astounding. Perhaps it was merely because the juice in her hand was so different from other beverages that she took so much notice of it.

A lazy smirk formed on the Leon’s face, eyes still closed as she drank the O.J. obediently. “Good girl,” he murmured, earning himself a heavy kick in the thigh. Cracking one eye open, cerulean met cerulean to see a tight little frown on Shuey’s face. She still had her shoes on, and the angel was now ninety-six percent sure that they were steel-toed boots, too. “Now that’s not very nice,” he goaded softly, watching the frown turn into a scowl.

Deciding it wasn’t worth commenting on, the Halfling leaned back onto the bed, curling into herself automatically, away from Leon’s legs. Dozing in and out, an hour or two passed, ending with Shuey sleeping in her curled form, a small grayish blue mist curling around her unarmed wrist. Perceptive angelic eyes watched as it formed, knowing the beginnings of self-aware power very well.

It seemed this woman would be much harder to train than she had been. Physically, she learned quickly, amazingly adept in many of the skills they taught her already. Idly, the redhead wondered if she trained in her free time, but if she had time to make friends, he supposed not.

The door to the room opened quietly, Jerrick slipping in to see Leon hold a finger to his lips, nodding to the fog-like colors around the woman’s wrist. Grey eyes widened, but the demon’s brow crinkled. “What does it mean?” he whispered, moving towards the bathroom so they wouldn’t disturb the girl’s slumber. The angel followed shortly, inching off the bed as his eyes surveyed her lax form for signs of her awakening.

Closing the door behind him, his broad frame leaned upon the wooden thing. “In angels, although it isn’t the most common thing in the world, it’s not particularly rare, some have self-aware powers instead of regular ones. Usually, that’s only the fifth rank and up, but it’s not exactly hereditary.” Jerrick nodded, knowing there were ten ranks in the angelic hierarchy. “They appear early and grow sort of slow, but they’re usually more well-rounded.”

Dark hair moved as the demon nodded once more, grey eyes gazing into the full-length mirror in assessment. “It might have happened with Shuey because she’s part demon. Maybe her powers will be separated from one another to prevent…. Further problems.” Leon considered this, running a hand through messed-up cherry spikes still somewhat spattered in blood. He’d wiped his chest on a towel, but that was about it.

“But angles with Spirit powers usually have other abilities, too. Just less than the average angel.” He shrugged nonchalantly, tilting his head with a smirk. “Guess we’ll see as it grows. It’ll take the form of something at some point in time. I think her demon abilities could either speed up the process or slow it down. I’m not sure.”

Chuckling, Jerrick waited for Leon to go out the door. “I suppose we will find out soon enough.” Amusedly, the angel disappeared out the bathroom door and into the main room, only to laugh aloud at the conclusion Shuey might be coming up with at seeing the two exit the restroom together.

Seeing her sitting on the bed, one knee up with her elbow propped on it, Jerrick’s grey eyes widened comically. One fine eyebrow was arched as dual eyes looked at the pair curiously. Apparently, Shuey felt well enough to go to her own room. “I could’ve left,” she said pointedly, making Leon cover his ribs as he laughed harder. A faint, barely perceptible flush crossed the demon’s cheeks, but he just shook his head.

Really, it wasn’t like that.


A/N: And that will be the end of that one. *grin* I’m sorry, it’s not amazing or anything, but geez, the day really needed to end already. *chuckle* Woosh.. I got sick again two days after getting sick the last time. -_- It really sucked, but it was only one of those little twenty-four hour bugs. Oh man, it blew. But I’m better again, so it’s all gravy.


Snidne: Thank you. ^.^ It makes me feel special to get regular reviews from you, since you don’t review many stories. I’m glad that you’re still reading and enjoying my story as well. You’d make a great Internet Lurver. *laughs*

And thanks to all my other reviewers (like I have a WHOLE bunch. *chuckle*) again. It still makes me smile to know people read Fine Line of Heaven and Hell.