Earthian Fan Fiction ❯ Wings of Salvation ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Wings of Salvation

Chapter Five

The neighborhood was silent as the lone figure made his way down the sidewalk. His mind in constant motion as he pondered the past several days. He had met with the younger dark-haired angel twice already, desperately trying to sort through his feelings. Chihaya was sweet, innocent, cute, and caring. He was there when the teen broke down sobbing when it was discovered that the children at the orphanage had the terrible illness that had suddenly emerged. The angel held a deep amount of affection for the children there and was scared they would die.

`Which unfortunately might be the case,' he thought grimly. This disease was vicious from what he had seen. It had only been six days since the children had contracted the virus and several were in a severe state. In fact one of the youngest had already begun to lose his feathers.

Kagetsuya frowned as he reached the metal fence leading to the orphanage. Every time he visited Chihaya he just came here because he knew that was where he would be. The other healthy children had been relocated to another house courtesy of Archangel Michael to prevent the disease from spreading to them. He had pleaded with his adopted son to not visit the sick children but Chihaya refused to listen.

"Well hello again Kagetsuya. How are you doing today?" a voice called out from a window.

The blonde glanced up at the woman, noticing her tired face. Dirty blonde hair was pulled up in a bun and a mask hung from her neck by an elastic string.

"Good afternoon, Yukiko. I'm doing pretty well considering the circumstances. You on the other hand look very tired," he remarked.

The woman forced a smile, "I am. We're having trouble with Ibis. He's not doing too well. I'll have Chihaya tell you cause I know you came to see him."

Kagetsuya struggled not to blush as he lowered his gaze. `Why is it so obvious to everyone that I like him?' He didn't know why he was so drawn to the out of place angel. He yearned to just hold the smaller figure in his arms. `There's just something there, I can't quite put my finger on, that makes him so different.'

"I'll be right up," he exclaimed before entering the building. There was one other nurse besides Yukiko and one doctor watching the sick children. The woman who usually took care of the orphans was currently with the healthy children. He passed down the silent halls, pausing when he noticed one of the bedrooms was open. The blonde frowned in confusion. All the doors except the ones at the end of the hall were usually closed. They were only used when the nurses or doctor needed to sleep and during then the doors were always shut. He stuck his head into the room, scanning the small space. He smiled faintly when he spotted the dark haired individual sitting on the bed.

"Chihaya," he spoke softly.

Violet eyes glanced up at him. "Hello Kagetsuya." The teen sighed as he ran slender fingers against the soft cloth of a stuffed animal at the foot of the bed. The blonde said nothing as he walked over, taking a seat beside Chihaya.

"What is it?"

"Ibis has gotten much worse. He… he can't see any more," the angel whispered.

Kagetsuya set caution to the wind, reaching over to take the slender figure in his arms. He gently rubbed the teen's back, allowing him to weep without fear of embarrassment. They stayed like this for several minutes, Kagetsuya waiting for the other to speak before saying anything.

The black haired angel finally ceased his actions, wiping his reddened eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. What's happening to these kids is terrible. You have every reason to be sad. You feel for them and that is never a bad thing," the blonde exclaimed.

Chihaya slowly lifted his head, gazing into blue eyes. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now should we get back to Ibis and the others? We may not be able to help them medically but we can give them hope an comfort. I know you're good with that," Kagetsuya stated.

"You're right. You're always right, aren't you?"

The blonde grinned, "Only sometimes." He then released the individual, allowing Chihaya to rise from the bed. He glanced around the small room.

"This used to be my room," he claimed.

Kagetsuya's gaze swept the perimeter. `Imagine spending years in this place with no loving family. Poor thing.' "That must have been hard."

The younger teen shrugged. "Some of it I would rather forget but I've been much luckier than others."

The blonde nodded in agreement. `He's so much stronger than he gets credit for.' Both exited the room, making their way to the back room. They passed the one where the children with lesser symptoms were kept before entering another doorway.

Chihaya's heart broke as he took in the lone child. His face was flushed and his red hair matted down with sweat. Brown eyes started unseeing at the white walls.

"Hello Ibis," the dark haired angel called out quietly.

The seven year old smiled as he ran shaky fingers through damp locks. "Do you have your mask on? You know the doctor gets mad if you don't and I would hate if I got you sick."

Chihaya turned quickly, grabbing two masks and a pair of gloves. He handed a set to the other teen with him before slipping the mask around his mouth and nose.

"All set and Kagetsuya is here too," the angel exclaimed, slipping back to hold the sick child's hand. He knew the doctor and nurses would be furious if they knew he held the boy's hand without gloves but he didn't care. Bare skin was much more comforting than latex.

The blonde smiled as he watched the two interact. `He'll be heartbroken if these kids don't make it through this.' He tried not to think about something so terrible but it was a definite possibility. "Chihaya I'm going to talk to the doctor for a moment. I'll be back in a few."

The black haired teen nodded in understanding, waiting until the door was shut before climbing onto the bed beside the boy. Ibis smiled brightly, crawling into the older individual's lap.

"I knew you needed this," Chihaya murmured.

"You're the only one that will actually trust me like this. Don't you worry about getting sick?" the child asked.

"Just focus on yourself and don't worry about me. I do this because I know you and all the other children need the comfort now," the dark-haired male chided.

"Thanks, Chihaya. I know I'm not doing too well. It's probably a good thing I can't see. I'm sure I look terrible and I can't open my wings anymore cause more feathers will just fall out," the boy said softly.

The teen forced the tears not to fall as he hugged the child tighter too him.

"I miss my wings you know. I used to pull them out just to touch the feathers. They're so soft," Ibis exclaimed.

The older angel sat in silent contemplation for a moment before speaking, "If you promise to keep it a secret I'll give you one of my feathers to have." The self-conscious violet eyed teen usually wouldn't do something like this but knew the boy could not see and therefore couldn't tell the feather was black. Chihaya sighed inwardly. `I can't let them know. Only Shawna knows from the orphanage and I plan to keep it that way. They'll just dislike me if they knew.'

"I'd like that very much," the boy said happily. Chihaya smiled at Ibis, glancing at the door. He prayed that no one entered as he extended his wings, wincing as they crushed against the bed backboard. He gazed solemnly at the dark wings that had caused him so much suffering in his life. `This will make Ibis happy. That's all that matters.'

The teen then reached back, selecting a single feather. He bit his lower lip as he plucked the object, the skin ripping slightly from the act. He then set the feather in the boy's tiny hand. Chihaya smiled at the delight in the child's eyes as he ran the soft object across his right then left cheek.

"I always used to wrap my wings around my body. They're like a security blanket to me," Ibis stated. He sighed as he ran a finger up and down the black feather. "I wonder if I'll be able to do that again."

The black haired teen struggled not to cry as he pulled the boy into a tight hug. His wings quickly vanished as he tucked them away into his back. He rocked the small figure in his arms, allowing the tears to fall.

"Don't worry, Chihaya. I'm sure the doctors will figure out how to help me. Don't you think?" Ibis said softly.

Chihaya took a deep breath, refusing to let the child know of the tears that were running down his face. He rubbed his violet eyes before answering, "You're right. We have some very smart doctors working for us. I'm sure they'll be able to figure something out."

`I pray those doctors do figure something out. I can't imagine any of these children… not being around anymore. They have to figure something out, they just have too!' The older individual frowned when he heard faint footsteps outside the door. He gently pushed the child forward, quickly slipping for the mattress. Chihaya had taken several steps away from the bed when the door was pushed open. He smiled at the blonde haired nurse who had entered.

"Hello you two. How are you feeling today, Ibis?" Yukiko inquired.

"Chihaya's here so I'm happy," the boy exclaimed with a grin.

"Well that's wonderful. I need to borrow him for a second though. I promise to bring him back afterwards," the nurse swore. With that said the woman motioned for the black haired teen to follow. She led him out of the room, shutting the door before turning to face him.

"Are the doctors any closer?" the dark angel asked hesitantly.

"Sadly no. You're father and the other Archangels are trying to help as much as they can but they can only aid the doctors so much. It seems this virus has everyone stumped. They're not quite sure how to tackle it," she remarked.

Chihaya said nothing, refusing to let the disappointment show. He couldn't blame the scientists and doctors. They were working long and hard to discover a cure, it was just taking longer then anyone had thought it would.

"I just came by to tell you that Kagetsuya had to skip out early for about an hour. He forgot he was supposed to meet with his Uncle. He told me to tell you that he would be back here as soon as he's done and to wait for him," the nurse informed with a sly smirk.

The teen flushed faintly at the mention of the attractive golden haired angel.

"You know he likes you right?" the woman exclaimed.

Chihaya shook his head in disbelief. "There's no way. Plus well… we're both guys."

"You think that really makes a difference? I know some have problems with the whole concept but who you like is who you like. There's just no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You're nice, sweet, caring, and cute. Why wouldn't he like you?"

`Because I'm not normal. I'm a freak with ugly black wings,' he thought sourly. Chihaya struggled to shove the negative ideas out of his head. `I might as well just forget about it. He wouldn't like me if he knew my secret.' "I really need to get back to Ibis. Thanks for tell me." Before the nurse could even answer he slipped back into the boy's room. He smiled brightly at the child, praying the interaction would help break him out of his depressive funk. `I'll be fine. I'm used to being alone.'

TBC…