The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

Snidne: Really? Is it that twisty? O.O I thought it was fairly predictable. I’m sorry. *pouts* Really, even I don’t know what’s going to happen (I only know that the pairing is Shuey and Jerrick and have made that pretty obvious, I think.) so I guess I don’t make very good suspension. I’ll try harder on that and maybe make the story a little more interesting. Ah, who knows, I might forget to do that before this chapter is even over. -_- I’m good like that.

A/N: I read this book recently (a romantic parody) and the guy gets shot, and he gives the girl this long romantic speech like you see in so many movies and shoujo manga. Meanwhile, she’s thinking “For a dying guy, he’s pretty talkative. Since it’s obvious that he’s not going to die anytime soon, why doesn’t someone take him to the hospital?” and other such comments like that. I thought it was pretty funny so I laughed, forgetting that I was in a public place with a lot of people around me. Boy, was that embarrassing.

Chapter 19- Shifting
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Her sleep had been wonderful; in fact, fantastic. Now, however, half an hour later, her head was pulsing in pain again. How many headaches was she going to get today? She’d been completely immersed in her work, almost even enjoying it until the dull pain in her head shifted into a menacing throb. If there was one type of pain Shuey just couldn’t stand, it was a headache. The damn things kept your from focusing on anything, giving you the attention span of a hyperactive four-year-old with a shiny new nickel. She hated loosing that steady-paced, calm and unrushed attentiveness that helped her thrive in such a place. One slip-up of her wings, her hair, or even that swirling mist draped over one shoulder, and these demons would kill her.

The fact had been firmly presented to her when she saw a pair of glaring neon fuchsia eyes blocking her field of vision. “Oi, Angel, fix my damn drink already.” She was sure her patience with these… beings would wear thin soon. Her headache, however, wanted her full attention and refused to alleviate in any manner. Even a dose of painkillers wasn’t helping her out any. The pain made her hearing super-sensitive; every little noise magnified to a ridiculous degree, assaulting her poor thrashing head even more. The man’s gruff voice before her offered her another wave of splitting pain. Her eyes narrowed; when would that damn woman show up to take her place, anyway?

Most of the regulars were accustomed to her tending, although many of them didn’t like her much. It was a natural prejudice against their opposing winged race, she supposed. If they were to find out that she wasn’t an angel with permission to leave the reservation, chances are, they wouldn’t hesitate to rid themselves of the stoic bartender. She was well aware of this. In fact, the only reason they didn’t kill her now was probably because angels were only permitted to leave the sanctuary if it benefited the Demonic Army somehow. They must assume she was there for a reason; Jerrick associating with her probably helped further that image as well.

Frowning, she moved the drink across the bar; the man grasping it greedily and moving away from the counter in a hurried scuttle. Somehow, it reminded her of a crab, his orange-ish hair making a decent impression of one as he left, even his lanky frame did little to dissuade the look. There her brain went, scattering into a completely random direction again.

Fucking migraines.

“Shuey,” she winced unconsciously, the throaty sound of Leon’s voice slashing at her aching head mercilessly. “You okay? You don’t look like you feel all that great.” Well, thanks for stating the obvious; she was aware that she didn’t feel ‘all that great.’ She closed her eyes briefly, the lack of lighting soothing the onslaught of pain momentarily. She’d look idiotic to complain about something as mild as a headache. Such a minor thing could be overlooked easily, in most cases. Even when she had normal pains like this, she was able to ignore them, but this one was a very persistent thing. Maybe something was actually crawling around in there, poking at her brain.

“It’s fine,” she muttered lowly, her eyes slowly opening, though they stayed rather narrow because of the dim light’s bizarre brightened fury. What was Leon doing here instead of Rina, anyway? She was pretty sure the question was plainly illustrated on her face when the angel smirked at her. He shook his head, as if that would explain something, and mixed up a drink for another random customer. Her focus was again strayed as her eyes watched his stringy hair move along his back like snakes as he shifted to take his concoction and go.

“….” the angel didn’t say anything at first, but his blue eyes conveyed clearly that he was thinking it over. He moved his hand over, tugging at russet strands idly, earning an amazingly quick slash in the arm, a thin line of blood forming behind the blade. It’d been almost too quick for him to see it; her powers might be involved somehow. “Headache? I think you should go see Jerrick, Shuey.”

He hadn’t even flinched at the wound; so he had just been playing hurt when she stabbed him before. The thought fluttered from her mind though at the sight of Rina finally showing up, eyes narrowing dangerously as the grip on her dagger tightened. The woman gave her an easygoing, almost lecherous smile fraying along the Halflings nerves more than the norm. Noting this irritably, she gave a stiff nod to the angel before her and allowed him to lead her out. “Who knows, maybe it will be productive; there’s a meeting tonight and Brethmel’s going to be there,” she tensed at the name, scowling, “so you don’t have to tend this evening. That also means that you can only see him for a little while.”

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the back of his head in irritation; she never said she wanted to see Jerrick. The angel really shouldn’t make assumptions about her like that. A second later, however, her mind flitted over to another topic: analyzing the long, thin lines in the mahogany doors of the demon’s office. Somehow, they seemed more exaggerative than they had before; was it just her, or maybe her headache? Shuey noticed a musky, masculine smell as she neared Leon, as well. She hadn’t noticed that before, either. New cologne?

“Sheuy?” Jerrick’s cool, baritone voice was directed at her, her head spinning slightly as she stepped into the well-lit space. She winced, closing her eyes for a second before looking at the demon through slit lids. His features were sharper than before, making her twist to look at the angel she’d brushed passed, noting his hair seemed brighter and his eyes more vivid as well. His jaw line seemed more masculine and his nose more angled, making her wonder what the hell was going on.

The demon’s face was even more flawless than before, his deep, unending grey pools of eyes the most drawing asset to his look, inky strands dancing along the fray of his eyelashes. He looked…attractive. The realization made her eyes widen comically, which in turn, made her wince, her vision swimming as the light sliced at her head. Yes, migraines really sucked. “Shuey?!” was the panicked response as Leon’s, she knew it was Leon and not Jerrick because of the firm, muscled form of the limbs, arms wrapped around her, catching before she fell or something.

“What’s wrong with her?” came the angel’s voice, reverberating against the neck the pressed against his upper torso. She opened her eyes a bit, surprised to see the demon’s face rather close to hers, those perpetual greys gazing back down at her; it was almost enough to make her breath catch. She agreed wholeheartedly with the redhead holding her; she wanted to know what was going on. This had passed the incessant suffering of a headache. She could smell Jerrick’s subtle, yet striking smell; she likened it to a lightly sugared honey or something similar. She’d used honey in a couple of drinks and always wondered the allure of it. If the taste was anything like the smell, she now fully understood their reasoning.

“I think she’s Shifting. It’s too early for her to Shift, though; she’s only seventeen.” That was true; didn’t Jerrick say she’d get her powers around nineteen? There was a strange taste in her mouth, which she shortly recognized as her own blood; she’d been biting her lip? Her head pulsed as she felt the familiar tingle of her wings’ release, her fingers gripping the demon’s jacket in warning. Too little, too late.

Leon was tossed back with the sheer strength of the energetic burst from her shoulder blades, her wings flaring out as if they met no resistance from her skin. Needless to say, it hurt. Now both her head and her back throbbed with pain, blood spattering the angel against the wall behind her as well as dripping off her wings and parts of the room around them. With the cocky redhead no longer holding her up, Shuey could feel herself falling again, only to hit the soft chest of the demon instead. “What the fuck?!” Her body felt like all the energy had just been sapped out of it; what was going on? She felt a surge of panic as her vision began darkening, trying to force herself to keep her eyes open regardless of the misery it caused her.

“Stay awake, Shuey. Look at me,” Jerrick reassured, watching her eyes dim slightly, warning him that she was going to pass out. “Your body is going through the Shift; it’s normal. You have to keep your eyes open for a little longer. Don’t panic; I’ve got you,” he kept murmuring in her ear, frowning as her eyes faded in color slightly before becoming more vivid than ever before. It was almost entrancing, until she started trembling. Shaking like that was not so normal while Shifting. “Leon,” he said coolly, his voice only slightly unstable, “If General Brethmel is here….Make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near her. If he’s around, he’ll be able to sense her power, if everyone else can’t.”

Just like that, the angel had turned sharply, heading out the door to apprehend such a problem as easily as possible. It became clear to the demon quickly that the woman in his arms drew power from her surroundings; he could almost feel energy of all kinds pulling towards them as a gasp escaped Shuey’s throat. Her fingers clawed into his jacket, nails slicing through the cloth as if it were air itself. “..Fuck,” came the rasped whisper against his chest before a wind of sorts burst through the air, crashing against his desk and sending various items hurtling. If he hadn’t been holding onto her, he knew he’d have been on the floor just like Leon.

It was the most contradicting Shifting he’d ever seen. Shifts weren’t supposed to hurt; they were supposed to make the demon become over-energetic, not knowing how to vent all that power. The energy consumed the fledgling, it didn’t explode from them. It was as if the different energies within her body battled one another; that might have been the reason her angelic powers came in the form of the mist. His eyes roved to her shoulder where said cloud usually resided, only to find nothing. A small his brought his attention to the floor, grey eyes widening when the fell upon a small cloud of a dragon. A dragon? Dragons weren’t real.

“Jerrick! Are you.. Holy shit; her mist Shifted, too? That doesn’t happen with angels,” Leon clarified, shutting the door sharply behind him and leaning against it. “What happened?” The demon stood there staring, mouth hanging slightly open while staring at the little dragon haze on the ground. Demons didn’t have mists, so maybe this was something unique to only hybrids. Fire-bound demons had a unique power they called ‘Dragon-Fire,’ but that was flames that only looked somewhat like a serpentine dragon. This looked like a living, breathing, dragon.

Is that what it was? “I think… her mist became so self-aware that it took on its own form. You think? Hey, stop staring at it and talk already.” Snapped from his daze, Jerrick finally looked up at his friend. “Nice to see ya.” The angel couldn’t see what Shuey looked like and wondered if she’d fallen unconscious. That girl was forming a nasty habit, wasn’t she?

“Nghhnn,” came the muffled sound from the demon’s chest, startling both men. She’d went through that and was still up? More noise came from his torso, making grey eyes widen as his arms wrapped more firmly around her frame. Leon was left confused, only able to guess what the woman had said.

“I think…Maybe this has more to do with the golden-eyed demon blood than angelic blood. Her mother wasn’t particularly anything special, right? So any significance in her abilities probably derives from the duality in her lineage or her father’s side. Do you suppose it is safe to assume so?” The redhead nodded slowly, one brow cocked in curiosity. What had she said? Jerrick didn’t seem intent on telling him, so he’d probably have to get stabbed asking later on. Yippie for him.

“Would Brethmel know anything about something like this? You could ask him about his own Shifting, after all, he probably already realized that that burst of energy was her Shift. He is keen on her, after all. Grey eyes glared at him darkly, knowing he was right and also not wanting to admit it like a petulant child. Shuey moved slightly, signifying that she wasn’t out yet. “You feeling okay, Shu?”

“Don’t call me that,” came the hoarse reply, barely above a whisper from where he was standing. It made him grin, so he walked over, peering at the face pressed against Jerrick’s chest, one blue eye glowering at him while pout lips were in a frown. So of course he ruffled her hair, earning a lame swing of one arm, making the girl loose her balance slightly. “Bastard.” Vehemence was evident; she was more angry at the gesture than normal; possibly because she had to let the demon hold her up. It was rather cute.

“Lay her down in her room; I’ve got to go to the meeting,” was all Jerrick said, half-hefting her over to the redhead, receiving a swat in the head when Shuey grasped his shoulder and used the angel for balance. He almost looked like he missed her in his arms, which he probably did, but he went out according to his plans, tossing a, “And don’t forget to make her eat, Big Brother,” behind him as he left.

“…..He’s not so bad, right?” Leon asked, letting the woman hold her own, but lean on him heavily. A small frown formed across her pale features before she rolled her shoulders lightly.

“Whatever,” she muttered, taking a step forward to head towards her room for some extra sleep. Maybe she’d get to enjoy it this time. Was she ever going to have a normal day in her life? Ever; just once? She supposed this is what she got when she decided to strive to live.

A/N: *stretches* I got sort of sleepy at some point in time writing it, so it may be a little odd in places. O.o Oh well, I’m sure everyone is used to my quirky writing by now, anyway. So she Shifted; and Jerrick got to hold her while she knowingly held onto him. Of course, she really didn’t have too much of a choice, but at least it was somewhat mutual. Yay. ^.^ As usual, I’m always open to suggestions/comments. *grin*

Andie: On the contrary, I think I’m the one being spoiled here. My first story and I got 32 reviews after 19 chapters; I’m very spoiled. Thank you for doting on me and puffing up my ego a bit. ^.^ It’s always nice once in a while. Don’t do it too much, though, or I might just get all hyperactive and ‘I love poofy things’ on you all. That wouldn’t be so great.

Luinil: I’m glad to see you review again. o.O And you e-slap me because it’s awesome, or because he kissed her? I’m a little confused on that one. Did you say it was a good thing? So why did you hit me? *easily confused* Shuey has lived one way without change for seventeen years; of course she’d have trouble with new things, right? Or is that totally off? I’m never completely sure, so I just have to guess. She never stays awake much anymore though, does she? Poor girl.