Angel Sanctuary Fan Fiction ❯ Imperfect Sky ❯ Songbirds ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: (singing along like an idiot to music on headphones) Huh? What? I can't heeeaaar you :P

 

AN: Totally nicked the singing idea from Kasigi Omi's `Soothing Notes'... and, heh, my fic `Kichigai no Harvest Moon'... and my other fic `Blight My Eyes' a little bit, too... I guess I found the concept really inspiring? (sweatdrop) The quote at the beginning is from a poem in vol. 19 - which also happens to be the source of this story's title - but other than that, no spoilers, and warnings for one kiss - on the cheek :P Y'know, really, Rosiel kisses everybody in the manga - Katan, Metatron, Lucifer... Oops, uh, are the author notes exempt from spoiler warnings? Too late...

 

 

Chapter Four: Songbirds

 

 

I wish to embrace you, and sing from my mouth the song I remember...

 

 

Not three days after the meeting, Katan found himself appointed as an aid to none other than the great Inorganic Angel. No one could seem to fathom it, even if he was a genius student, which only made him more giddy. Even though he had no idea what work would be required of him, or even what Rosiel was really like as a person, he was convinced at that time that he would never be unhappy again.

 

As it turned out, Katan was overjoyed to find that Rosiel was even better than he'd dared to imagine (in spite of his unexpected mischievous side). He was a fair master who respected his abilities without ever overworking him, but it was so much more than that. He was truly the most beautiful person Katan had ever seen, full of gentle grace, and he always said exactly the right thing in his melodious voice - and most importantly of all, he shone with a radiance that had nothing to do with these external things, and made the sun look like the moon...

 

Katan had long since learned about the four seasons found on Assiah, but in Heaven time was permanently locked somewhere between spring and summer, and the plants all grew in perfect health even though it hardly ever rained. On exceptionally fine days, if there wasn't too terribly much work to do, the pair would take their lunch out in Rosiel's personal garden. Katan was secretly amused to find that Rosiel had the worst sweet tooth he'd ever seen, to the point that he hardly ever ate a proper meal. The elder often joked that he would spoil the boy with his bad example, but neither of them really minded.

 

After one such meal, Katan lay back in the soft grass to watch the clouds and grinned blissfully to himself as Rosiel, reclining next to him, played with the boy's hair in an absent-minded fashion as he was wont to do. Flowers perfumed the air and birdsong drifted down from the trees, and Katan was finding it quite hard not to fall asleep in the warm sunlight.

 

Suddenly, the hand on his head ruffled his hair affectionately and withdrew. “Hmm,” Rosiel commented, stretching luxuriously - and then he gave Katan a playful look, though there seemed to be something more implied. “The birds sing splendidly, don't they? Have you ever tried to sing?”

 

Katan colored slightly, concerned about where he was sure this was going. “Ah... once or twice... I don't think I'm really all that good, though.”

 

Rosiel propped himself up on his elbow, chin resting on his palm, and smiled. “May I be the judge of that?”

 

So, though he was blushing worse than ever with nervousness, Katan moved to sit up, cross-legged, and sang. How could he possibly say no? He sang a song about the meek inheriting the earth that they had both heard from the Heavenly choir last Sunday, gradually gaining confidence as he went. When he was done, Rosiel looked oddly pensive, but he nodded his approval.

 

“Much better than the birds,” he said, and Katan could swear his heart skipped a beat from happiness, ridiculous or not. “Thank you. You know, it reminded me of the way I always imagined she might-”

 

He broke off then, shaking his head as if to clear it, and chuckled softly. “But never mind. We should probably go in-”

 

Rosiel began to get up, but he stopped when he felt a tug on his robe. Katan stared up at him with wide eyes. This time he was nervous beyond blushing; he had gone white at the realization that he had actually acted on the sudden impulse. When Rosiel merely smiled in a bemused but encouraging way, he got up to nerve to say, “Do you - that is, I'd - I'd like to hear you sing...”

 

The sight of the boy, looking down and biting his lip, miserable in the embarrassing certainty that his request would be denied, was really just too much. Rosiel laughed - and then he sang.

 

It was a song without words, though the emotions behind it were plain. It was hard to say if the sound was even coming from the angel's mouth; he seemed to draw music from the nature around them, from the throats of the birds and the wind in the trees. It was plaintive enough to make the heart burst, all about longing from something that you'd never even properly seen...

 

When he finished, he noticed for the first time that Katan was crying. That seemed to be enough to snap him out of his thoughts; he hurriedly leaned forward and grasped the boy lightly by the shoulders. “I'm sorry - it was really much too sad for a nice day like this-”

 

Katan hurriedly wiped his eyes on the back of his hand and offered up a shaky smile, sniffling. “No... It was beautiful. You shouldn't have said I sing well, Rosiel-sama; you're so much better than me...”

 

Rosiel seemed puzzled, and he frowned lightly. “Now, now - you should listen more closely. Your song had a soul to it.” And he kissed the boy on the cheek, because the way it got him flustered never ceased to amuse him. “Now we really need to go in.”

 

TBC